Chapter 3 The MinionsThe sea breeze, carrying a salty tang, lashed against Luffy's face.
The straggling speedboat silently glided into a secluded headland outside Cocoyasi Village.
Luffy leaped ashore, his Observation Haki silently unleashing, scanning the entire island like a sophisticated radar.
Suppressed sobs, harsh shouts, the sound of whipping, and the arrogant laughter emanating from the jarringly ornate Arlong Park… countless sounds and emotions converged into a somber wave.
And in the center of that wave, in a room on the third floor of Arlong Park, stood an orange-haired figure.
Nami.
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth beneath the brim's shadow.
His first "treasure" was within reach.
Luffy didn't need a dramatic encounter; power itself was the most direct key.
He made no attempt to conceal his presence, simply walking along the shore towards the main entrance of Arlong Park.
His steps were slow, yet carried a chilling rhythm.
Two fish-man sentries peered out from the watchtower, their harpoons gleaming coldly: "Halt! Human! This is Boss Arlong's territory, get back..."
Before they could finish speaking,
*Thump! Thump!*
Two muffled thuds almost overlapped.
Luffy's figure seemed to blur for only a moment, still walking.
The two fish-men on the watchtower, each with a wound on their forehead, their eyes bulging, fell from the tower without a sound, crashing heavily to the sand, lifeless.
Luffy didn't even look up; his gaze pierced through the ornate iron gates of Arlong Paradise, locking onto the most violent aura deep within the main building.
These lowly minions didn't even deserve to make him pause for a moment.
The alarm blared shrilly, and the park erupted in chaos as a dozen fish-man combatants, weapons in hand, poured out from every corner, their killing intent palpable.
"It's a human!"
"Kill him!"
"How dare he trespass into Dragon Paradise!"
Luffy didn't stop. Facing the fish-man who charged at him, swinging his cleaver, he casually raised his left hand.
Clang!
The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing rang out! The fish-man's hand split open, his cleaver flying high into the air.
Luffy's left hand, covered in black Armament Haki, reached forward and grabbed the fish-man's thick wrist.
Crack!
A teeth-grinding sound of bone breaking filled the air. The fish-man screamed in agony as his wrist bone was crushed.
Luffy released his grip and kicked the fish-man in the stomach.
The fish-man was sent flying backward, arching his body as if struck by a giant sea king, knocking over three or four of his companions before lying motionless on the ground.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
The remaining fish-men, both shocked and enraged, rallied their forces, wielding their weapons and launching a coordinated attack.
Water jets and flashing blades rained down on Luffy from all sides.
Luffy finally stopped, not because he needed to be serious, but because he felt… a little bored.
He took a small breath, his chest slightly puffing out, and then exhaled forward.
"Gum-Gum…"
It wasn't an attack technique, but simply the extreme compression of air in his lungs through his rubber trachea, followed by a forceful expulsion.
"…Inflatable Balloon!"
Whoosh—!!!
A violent gust of air erupted like an invisible cannonball! The oncoming water column was instantly dispersed and swept back. Seven or eight fishmen were struck head-on by this terrifying shockwave, feeling as if they had been hit in the chest with a hammer. They screamed and flew backward, crashing into buildings with broken bones!
The remaining fishmen were terrified, their attack movements frozen, their eyes fixed on Luffy as if he were a deep-sea demon.
Luffy brushed non-existent dust off his shoulder and continued walking. The main building's doors were now within reach.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
A furious roar exploded from within.
The heavy doors were kicked open, and the massive body of the sawtooth shark-man Arlong burst out, accompanied by a foul stench.
He had just been enjoying a "tribute," and the commotion outside had completely enraged him. Behind him followed a grim-faced Korobi, Chuu, and Hachi.
The dragon's blood-red eyes instantly locked onto Luffy and his fallen subordinates, rage instantly consuming its reason.
"You reckless human insect! I'll tear you to pieces and feed you to the fish!"
The dragon didn't even bother to ask why. Its massive feet slammed into the ground, its enormous body displaying astonishing speed. Its serrated nose, the "Slicing Edge," gleamed coldly, like giant scissors aimed at Luffy's neck!
This was its most prized method of torture, enjoying watching its prey being shredded bit by bit.
Luffy stood still, merely tilting his head slightly.
Swish!
The "Slicing Edge" grazed his neck, missing its mark.
The dragon froze. Its sure-fire attack had been so easily dodged?
"Too slow," Luffy's calm voice rang out, tinged with a barely perceptible weariness.
"What did you say?!" The dragon roared in fury, twisting its body and unleashing a whistling tail that swept across the mane of a ship!
"Seven Thousand Tile Spinning Kick!"
This strike was powerful enough to snap a medium-sized sailboat in two!
Luffy didn't dodge this time. He raised his right arm, his forearm instantly covered in jet-black Armament Haki, meeting the sweeping tail head-on without flinching.
Boom!!!
A dull thud exploded! A shockwave erupted from the two of them, sending debris flying.
The dragon's grin froze. He felt as if he had kicked a mountain of steel!
The recoil from the tail numbed his entire leg, while his opponent… remained completely still! His Armament Haki-covered forearm didn't even tremble!
"How is this possible?!" the dragon cried out in shock. He knew the power of that kick all too well!
"Strength is acceptable, but technique is rough," Luffy commented, his parrying arm slamming down to grab the end of the dragon's tail.
The dragon's alarm bells rang, trying to pull its tail back, but it felt as if it were welded shut with iron clamps, completely immobile!
"My turn," Luffy said, his arm gripping the dragon's tail suddenly swung backward with tremendous force!
The dragon's massive body, weighing several tons, was easily swung up like a rag doll, tracing a semi-circle in the air before slamming heavily into the ground!
BOOM!!!
The earth shook violently! Within a ten-meter radius of the dragon's landing point, the stone slabs shattered and caved in, forming a large, radiating crater!
The dragon was struck so hard it saw stars, its internal organs felt displaced, and it coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Dragon Boss!" Croobi and Chuo, shocked and enraged, attacked simultaneously.
"Fish-Man Karate - Thousand-Tile Punch!"
Croobi charged forward at high speed, his palms rippling with water, aiming straight for Luffy's back.
"Water Gun!"
Chuo puffed out his cheeks, aiming at Luffy's head, and unleashed a high-pressure water jet as sharp as a steel needle, its speed astonishing.
Luffy didn't even turn his head; his left arm twisted backward defying logic, as if made of rubber, his hand precisely blocking Croobi's powerful punches.
Bang!
The water exploded, and Croobi felt as if he had struck a bottomless ocean, all his power vanishing into thin air.