On one side of Cocoyashi Village, Zoro was still battling Kuroobi. However, their fight already entered a very tense moments.
"Mizudeppō: Rensha!"
A series of rapid-fire water bullets were ejected from Kuroobi's mouth.
Zoro sheathed one blade and used the other two to slice each shot mid-air, advancing step by step through the barrage.
Finally, closing the gap, he launched his counter.
"Nigori-Zake!"
It was a heavy twin-blade strike straight to the chest. Kuroobi blocked with the trident, but the sheer weight of Zoro's hit rattled his arms.
Growling, Kuroobi lifted the trident high.
"Suijin Crash!"
He slammed it into the ground, releasing a shockwave of pressurized water that blew debris and dust across the square.
Zoro planted his feet and stood firm, slicing through the blast with a clean arc. "You'll need more than water tricks."
With a flash, he drew all three swords and lowered his stance.
"Time to end this."
The sun glinted off his blades as he called it:
"Oni Giri (Demon Slash)!"
Zoro vanished in a blur of motion. The next moment, his figure reappearing just behind Kuroobi, swords crossed in a clean finishing stance. Blood arced through the air as the final slash cut deep across the Fishman's torso.
Kuroobi's eyes widened in disbelief. His grip slackened, and the trident slipped from his fingers, clattering to the ground.
Then—*THUD!*
The Fishman collapsed in a heap, unconscious. A clean, decisive victory.
Zoro exhaled slowly, sheathing his swords in one smooth motion. He turned away from the fallen warrior, voice calm but cutting:
"Next time, bring a real opponent."
"A real opponent? I'm already here."
Zoro blinked. "Huh—"
"Gekido Tosshin!!" (*Enraged Charge!*)
A sudden blur shot in from behind like a cannonball.
CRACK!
A bone-rattling impact crashed into Zoro's back, launching him forward. His boots skidded against the ground, tearing a shallow trench into the dirt. A harsh grunt of pain escaped his lips. "Ghh—damn it!"
Dust erupted around him as he barely kept his footing.
From the swirling haze emerged a towering figure—Arlong.
"You thought I'd let that slide, swordsman?" Arlong snarled, baring rows of jagged teeth. "You laid your filthy hands on my crew. Now—*you pay the price.*"
Zoro barely had time to recover his stance before Arlong lunged again, muscles coiled like a spring.
"FURY SPIN SAW!!"
The massive *Kiribachi* whirled in a deadly arc, its teeth screaming through the air. Zoro crossed his swords just in time to block—but the raw force sent him sliding backward, his boots digging furrows in the earth.
CLANG—SHRRIP!
The spinning blade grazed his side, tearing a shallow but burning cut across his ribs.
"Tch—" Zoro hissed, tightening his grip. The pressure was insane.
Arlong didn't pause.
"MIZU TEKKI!!" (*Water Iron Strike!*)
His clawed fingers, hardened like steel, crashed down on Zoro's shoulder with explosive force.
*WHAM!*
The swordsman staggered, his vision flashing white for an instant. His arm went numb. But Zoro bit down hard, stifling a cry, sweat mixing with blood on his face.
"You're slowing down," Arlong sneered, stepping closer with cold confidence. "Even a stubborn little human has his limits."
Zoro's breath was ragged. Pain screamed through every nerve, but he forced a smirk, teeth stained red.
"Heh… You talk too much, fish-face—"
He twisted his blades, surging forward with a roar.
"TORA GIRI!!" (*Tiger Hunt!*)
His swords swept in a wide, cleaving arc, aiming to end it. But Arlong leapt back with surprising agility—just fast enough. A faint slash marked his chest, but it wasn't deep.
Arlong's eyes narrowed.
"Still clinging to that pride, huh?" Arlong growled, eyes blazing. "Then die with it!"
"KAIRYUU KENKA!!" (*Current Clash!*)
Water surged around his fist as he launched forward, his arm twisting with violent power.
*BOOM!*
The punch slammed into Zoro's gut like a tidal cannon.
*CRACK!!*
The swordsman was blasted off his feet, crashing through the wall of a nearby house in a cloud of debris. Splinters rained down as silence briefly fell.
Zoro groaned, coughing blood as he forced himself up on shaking legs. His chest heaved, each breath jagged. His swords trembled in his grip, but he didn't let them fall.
Arlong stalked toward him, saw blade spinning like a predator's grin. "You're finished!" he bellowed. "Just another broken human."
He dashed in for the kill.
But then—
Zoro's eyes flashed, clear and razor-focused. His stance solidified.
"I told you..." he muttered, voice low but fierce. "I don't lose."
In a blink, he exploded forward.
*"ONI GIRI!!"* (*Demon Slash!*)
*SHING—SLASH!*
Three blades cut through the air with lethal precision, forming an X across Arlong's chest. Blood sprayed. The saw blade halted mid-spin.
Arlong stumbled back, eyes wide, gasping. "W-What… was that…?!"
Zoro dropped to one knee, drenched in sweat and blood. His blades dug into the ground to support him.
"I may fall," he panted, "but I'll drag you down with me… if that's what it takes."
Arlong dropped to one knee, blood dripping steadily from the deep gashes across his chest. His face contorted—not with pain, but fury. The sting of Zoro's Oni Giri burned hot in his pride.
But rage eclipsed everything else.
"RRRAAAAAAGH!!"
With a beastly roar, Arlong gripped his *Kiribachi* tighter, veins bulging in his arms. He lunged forward in a blur of savage power.
*"FURY SAW SLASH!!"*
The massive sawblade spun like a hurricane, shrieking through the air with lethal intent.
Zoro raised his swords to defend—but his body was battered, breath shallow, muscles slow.
*CLANG—SHRIIIP!!*
The spinning blade crashed into his defense and tore through it. Steel bent. Flesh split. The jagged teeth of Arlong's Kiribachi raked across Zoro's chest, tearing through cloth and cutting nearly to the bone.
"—Guh!!"
Zoro choked out a sharp breath, eyes wide from the shock of the impact. His legs buckled. He collapsed forward, blood trailing behind him, like a puppet with its strings violently severed.
His fingers gripped at his chest, trying to hold himself together—but it was no use. His swords slipped from his grasp, hitting the stone road with a chilling *clang-clatter*.
Arlong stood over him, panting, his chest rising and falling from exertion and rage. Water from the Kiribachi dripped onto the dirt, mixing with the growing pool of Zoro's blood.
He stared down with a vicious grin, breathing hard through flared nostrils.
"Heh… You humans love to act tough…" he snarled. "But you break just the same."
Zoro's eyes remained open—barely. His vision blurred, body numb. Every breath tore through his ribs like fire, but he still refused to fall completely. Gritting his teeth, he forced his head to lift, even as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"I… will… keep going…" he rasped, voice ragged and low, yet unbroken.
His trembling hand crawled toward the fallen hilt of his sword, fingers twitching with defiance. Even in the face of overwhelming pain, the will of a warrior burned within him.
Arlong's eyes narrowed, the light catching in his shark-like pupils. Slowly, he raised his spinning *Kiribachi*, its teeth glinting from the sunlight. His grin widened.
"Before I finish you off, swordsman…" Arlong growled, his voice low and icy. "Tell me—where is that brat who dared punch me in the face?"
A sudden voice cut through the air like a blade.
"I am here."
*CRACK!*
The sound echoed like thunder. A sonic shockwave cracked the stone beneath their feet as a figure appeared—seemingly from thin air—just beside Arlong.
Arlong's eyes widened in alarm. "Wha—?! You—!"
"Hokoken!!"
The figure's fist, wrapped in a ripple of compressed force, struck Arlong square across the jaw.
*BOOOOM!!*
The impact exploded like a cannon blast. Dust and debris flew in all directions. Arlong's massive frame was sent rocketing backward, crashing through crates, rubble, and finally into a stone wall with bone-rattling force.
Zoro blinked through the haze of pain, blood trickling down his chin. His vision doubled, but he could still make out the tall silhouette standing between him and the fallen tyrant.
"…That punch…" he muttered, lips curling into a faint grin.
Steam rose from the stranger's knuckles, the aftermath of a blow packed with raw, focused force.
It was Zino.
Wearing a long coat that fluttered in the breeze, he stood tall—calm, solid, unwavering.
"You've done enough, Zoro," Zino said, eyes locked forward, never glancing back. His voice was level, quiet, but firm. "Rest now. I'll take it from here."
Zoro exhaled a shaky breath and let his head rest against the ground. "Took you long enough…" he muttered, almost amused.
Zino rolled his shoulders, then cracked his knuckles—*pop pop*—as steam hissed around his fists. His eyes narrowed.
"Arlong," he called, voice colder now. "Looks like your face got harder since last time."
From within the rubble, Arlong snarled. Stones tumbled as he rose, blood dripping from his mouth. Fury etched deep into his shark-like features, he staggered up, veins bulging.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?!" he roared, nostrils flaring.
Zino stepped forward, slow and deliberate.
"Monkey D. Zino," he said simply. "Remember the name."
Arlong's muscles bulged with rage, veins pulsing across his arms as he snarled, "I've been raring to fight you, after you sneak attacked me. I'll crush you the same way I did your swordsman friend!"
With a savage roar, he lunged forward, his jagged teeth bared and *Kiribachi* spinning with deadly intent.
"FURY SAW SLASH!"
The giant blade carved through the air in a wide, vicious arc. But Zino didn't so much as blink. With a sharp pivot, he twisted his body.
*FWIP!*
He narrowly but easily evaded the sweeping edge. The *Kiribachi* screamed as it bit into a stone pillar behind him, slicing it clean in half with a brutal *CRUNCH!* The upper half of the pillar toppled over with a thunderous crash.
Arlong snarled, turning with wild fury. "Stop dodging and fight me, damn you!"
But Zino was already airborne.
"Hokukyaku!" (Roaring Kick)
His heel crashed down into Arlong's head, a burst of concussive force erupting from the blow.
CRACK!!
The impact launched the fishman into the ground like a meteor, cracking the earth beneath him. Dust billowed as Arlong tumbled, but the moment his body hit the dirt, he kicked off and rolled to his feet, spitting blood.
His gills flared. "Heh… you want to brawl? Then let's brawl!"
With a surge of power, Arlong crouched low and spun forward—his body twisting violently, muscles coiled like a spring.
"Aqua Spiral Charge!!"
He launched himself like a torpedo, rotating at blinding speed, his body becoming a whirl of power and fury. The wind howled around him, water bursting from the ground as his momentum churned the very air.
Zino stood his ground, eyes focused, teeth clenched. "Tch—you're like a damn spinning cannonball…"
The collision was moments away.
Zino raised both arms in a stance.
*BOOM!*
The collision cracked the ground, and for a moment, dust and wind exploded outward.
Zoro, still slumped nearby, squinted through the cloud. "What... happened?"
As the dust settled, Zino stood his ground, his boots skidding slightly backward on the cracked earth. His hands gripped tightly against Arlong's spinning Kiribachi, locking the blade in place.
Arlong's eyes widened in disbelief. "You blocked that?!" he growled, the weight of the attack still ringing in his arms.
Zino smirked, calm and unshaken. "I punch sea monsters for breakfast."
Without missing a beat, Zino launched into a rapid assault.
"Hokoken: Ranken (Roaring Fist: Barrage)!"
He launched some flurry of fists, each strike wrapped in invisible shockwaves that hammered into Arlong's torso, ribs, and jaw.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Arlong staggered backward, each blow sending him reeling. His breath came ragged as he coughed, the disorientation creeping in. His strength faltered beneath the relentless storm of punches.
Then, with a sharp inhale, Zino focused all his power into one decisive blow.
"Hokoken: Kongo (Roaring Fist: Vajra)!"
It was a single, devastating punch, explosive and precise, aimed straight at Arlong's gut.
BOOOOM!
The impact sent Arlong flying through the air like a cannonball, soaring high before crashing down hard onto the distant sea. Water exploded upward in a towering splash as his massive frame plunged beneath the waves.
Seconds passed.
Arlong body resurfaced, but this time his limbs floated limp and his eyes were white. The enraged Fishman was finally defeated, unconscious from the overwhelming power of Zino's final strike.