Inside Arlong Park, the air was thick with the acrid stench of scorched flesh and the heavy metallic tang of blood.
Nearly a hundred fishman elites, who just moments ago were swarming and howling to tear humans apart, had now mostly turned into a field of corpses.
Under the devastation of that lightning strike, they hadn't even found the chance to resist before being cleared out by the black-clad youth like slaughtering livestock.
"Is... is he a devil..."
The three surviving officers—Hachi of the Six-Sword Style, Kuroobi of Fishman Karate, and Chew the Kissing Fishman—stared at the bodies of their kinsmen. A chill, seeping deep into their marrow, made the hands gripping their weapons tremble.
Fear.
For the first time, these fishmen, who prided themselves as a superior species, experienced the emotion of "fear" directed toward a human.
"Are you kidding me... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!"
Atop the high platform, Arlong's eyes were bloodshot as he witnessed the scene. Veins pulsed violently on his grotesque shark face, looking as though they might burst.
"What are you doing! Are you not all dead yet?!"
Arlong let out a deafening roar, his voice saturated with tyrannical killing intent. "Officers! GO! Even if you die, wipe out these lower-class species for me! Anyone who takes a single step back, I'll slaughter them myself!!"
Bolstered by their leader's fury, the three officers—despite the dread in their hearts—had no choice but to brace themselves and charge at their respective opponents.
On one side of the battlefield:
"Nyū~ Even if my comrades are dead, killing you will be revenge enough!"
Hachi the octopus swung six heavy longswords, each weighing hundreds of pounds, looking mockingly at the swaying Zoro. "Hey, hey, swordsman-san, it looks like you can barely even stand, right?"
Zoro was indeed in terrible condition. The terrifying wound inflicted by Hawkeye at the Baratie a few days ago had split open again due to the violent movement.
Blood soaked the thick bandages, dripping onto the ground. A high fever made his vision double and blur, and every breath came with a tearing pain.
"Fighting in this state? Don't make me laugh!" Hachi suppressed Zoro like a meat grinder, his swords forming a defensive web as he taunted, "A cripple who could collapse at any second... who can you protect? Just turn into mincemeat! Six-Sword Style: Takotsubo!"
Clang! Clang!
Zoro had only his Wado Ichimonji, struggling to resist the overwhelming assault. He stumbled, forced back step by step.
"Protect... who?"
Zoro's consciousness flickered. In his blurred vision, he seemed to see that short-haired girl with the bamboo sword again, hearing that moonlit oath.
—[One day, one of us will become the World's Greatest Swordsman!]
"Huff... huff..."
Zoro suddenly bit his tongue, using the sharp pain to force his mind awake. In his one open eye, the wandering focus instantly snapped together, erupting with a demonic aura that seemed to freeze the air.
"Shut up, octopus."
Zoro forced his body to stabilize. Even as his wounds tore and blood sprayed, his posture remained as upright as a pine tree. "Before this wound heals... before that promise is fulfilled..."
Zoro reached out, shouting toward the distant Johnny and Yosaku: "Hey! Lend me your swords!!"
"Bro... Big Bro! Catch!!" Johnny and Yosaku threw their blades with tears in their eyes.
Zoro caught the swords mid-air, holding one in each hand and the Wado Ichimonji in his teeth. The Three-Sword Style was back in place.
"I... WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!!!"
In the next second, Zoro's silhouette vanished. Bearing a high fever and heavy injuries, he turned into a green whirlwind, meeting Hachi's impenetrable sword formation head-on.
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique—"
As the two sword-clashing energies met:
"TORNADO!!!"
BOOM—!!!
A terrifying storm of sword pressure rose from the ground—a strike capable of rending even steel!
"NYŪ-WAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
The hundreds-of-pounds Hachi was like a withered leaf before this peerless power, instantly swept dozens of meters into the air.
Countless slashes tore through his defenses, blood spraying in the sky. Then, the massive octopus slammed heavily into the seawater ahead, kicking up a massive spray before falling silent.
"Hmph."
Zoro held his finishing pose, blood running down his forehead, a wild and arrogant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Soon after, he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Moments later, the sound of snoring began to drift out...
Splash!
On the other side, in the pool:
"Glub glub..."
Sanji was gripped firmly by the ankle by Kuroobi and dragged forcibly into the deep-water zone. In the water, a fishman's speed and strength multiplied, while a human became fragile due to resistance and lack of oxygen.
"This is the terror of Fishman Karate! In the water, you're just trash!" Kuroobi sneered, hammering punch after punch into Sanji's abdomen.
Sanji painfully exhaled a string of bubbles, his consciousness beginning to fade. Am I going to die here...
No... that old geezer said... a chef's hands are for cooking, but his brain is for thinking...
In this life-or-death crisis, Sanji calmed down. He spotted Kuroobi's gills opening as the fishman laughed, lunged forward, and blew all his remaining air directly into them!
"Gu-wah?!"
Kuroobi, his gills flooded with air, was momentarily suffocated and forced to release his grip. Sanji seized the chance, his legs exploding like thrusters, breaking the surface and returning to the shore.
"Cough... huff..." Sanji gasped for air, straightening his soaked suit.
"Don't think you can run!!" Kuroobi leaped angrily onto the shore, taking a Fishman Karate stance: "Hundred-Tile True Punch!!"
This punch gathered all his strength, enough to shatter a thousand tiles, whistling through the air toward Sanji's face.
"Perfect."
Sanji didn't dodge. He spun on one foot, his body carving an elegant and lethal arc in the air, his right leg seemingly burning with fury. "This kick... is for the tears that lady shed!!"
Sanji roared, focusing all his strength into a single point to clash head-on with Kuroobi's fist.
"Mouton SHOT!!!"
CRACK!!
The crisp sound of bone shattering echoed. Kuroobi's pride-filled fist was instantly pulverized, followed by his arm and ribs.
"Pwuah!!"
The fishman screamed as he was sent flying like a fired cannonball, slamming violently into the hardened walls of the main building. With a loud boom, the wall cracked, and Kuroobi was embedded within it, rolling his eyes as he fell unconscious.
"Special Attack! Fire Star!!"
BOOM!!
At the edge of the woods, Usopp was covered in soot, his legs still shaking, but the slingshot in his hand never wavered. Opposite him, Chew the Kissing Fishman was blackened from the explosion, and with one final "Usopp Hammer" slammed into his forehead, his eyes rolled back as he hit the ground.
"Huff... huff..."
Usopp sat on the ground. Looking at the fallen enemy, he was scared to death, yet he let out a loud laugh toward the sky: "Did you see that!! This Great Me... is the brave warrior of the sea, Usopp!!"
Even in fear, for his nakama and for Nami, he would never run away.
In just a few minutes, the officers were annihilated. The fodder was wiped out. The entire Arlong Park now contained only a single, isolated leader.
Watching his kinsmen fall one by one, and seeing the black-clad, red-eyed man casually cut down the last few fishmen attempting to flee, Arlong's sanity completely snapped.
"Unforgivable... UNFORGIVABLE!!"
"You damn lower-class species!! You dare kill all my brothers!!"
Arlong went into a complete frenzy, blood-tears streaming from his shark eyes. He lunged from his throne, but he didn't charge at Luffy, who had been provoking him.
Instead, he brandished his massive serrated blade, "Kiribachi," and charged like a rabid dog toward Viktor—the one who had killed the most.
"I'll kill you first!! You red-eyed brat!!"
Terrifying killing intent locked onto Viktor. Viktor, however, simply stood in place, flicking the blood off his sword, not even bothering to turn around. Because he knew someone would be standing there.
Just as Arlong was about to reach Viktor:
A red silhouette descended from the sky.
"Gum-Gum... BATTLE AXE!!!"
Luffy's massive foot came down from the heights with the force of a thousand tons, stomping squarely onto Arlong's arrogant shark face.
BANG!!!
The ground shattered, and dust billowed. Arlong's massive frame was stomped forcibly into the earth, face-first, producing a heavy, muffled thud.
Luffy stood on Arlong's head, his eyes wide. The face that usually wore a carefree grin now held only endless coldness and dominance. He looked down at the struggling shark beneath his feet and roared:
"Hey, shark-bastard."
"Where are you looking?"
"Your opponent... IS ME!!!"
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