This was the brutal reality of the real world—no endless slashing in elaborate duels without so much as a scratch, no dramatic pronouncements before a finishing blow, no unexplained resilience against mortal wounds.
Where sharp blades struck flesh, blood flowed freely, limbs were severed—exactly as it should be in a life-or-death struggle.
And this raw, efficient brutality perfectly matched Zoro's early, fearsome reputation as "Zoro the Pirate Hunter."
He moved through the lesser fish-men like a force of nature, his three blades weaving a tapestry of death.
"Nyu! Black Ink!"
Hatchi, Arlong's top subordinate and swordsman (of a sort), seeing his crewmates being slaughtered, finally sprang into action.
He inhaled deeply and spewed a thick, blinding cloud of viscous octopus ink directly toward Zoro.
The attack itself wasn't particularly deadly, lacking any real concussive force, but it was a highly effective crowd control move.
No one wanted to be splattered head-to-toe in sticky, vision-obscuring ink, and if it got in their eyes, it would be even more troublesome, leaving them vulnerable.
Zoro, caught off guard by the unorthodox attack, had no choice but to swiftly leap backward, avoiding the inky spray.
However, Hatchi, anticipating this, immediately seized the opportunity.
"Octopus Punch!"
It had to be said, sometimes racial advantages were truly astonishing.
Zoro, accustomed to fighting opponents with only two arms, was taken aback by Hatchi's relentless, six-fisted assault.
Six powerful fists, each capable of shattering stone, rained down on him simultaneously from multiple angles.
"Two-Sword Style: Sai Kuru!"
Yet, surprise was all Zoro showed.
He met the onslaught without hesitation, his body low as he charged forward like an enraged bull, unleashing a blinding flurry of forward thrusts with his two katanas.
This was a rare forward-moving technique for Zoro, designed to deliver consecutive piercing strikes in the blink of an eye as he brushed past his opponent, capable of multiple fatal attacks instantaneously.
It was a technique designed to slay foes in a moment.
This time, however, he adapted it, using the rapid thrusts not to kill, but to parry and deflect Hatchi's chaotic, six-fisted barrage.
Hatchi, having not awakened Armament Haki (and likely never having even heard of it), dared not meet Zoro's sharp blades with his bare fists.
He was strong, but not invincible.
"Nyu! Octopus Triple Sword: Empty Hand Catches White Blade!"
Forced onto the defensive, Hatchi instantly shifted tactics.
With incredible dexterity, he used all six of his powerful hands to catch Zoro's two blades mid-thrust, clamping down with immense pressure.
Though the powerful impact of Zoro's charge sent him stumbling back over seven meters, skidding across the stone pathway, he managed to steady himself.
He had completely, if clumsily, blocked the strike.
"Oh?!"
Zoro couldn't hide his genuine astonishment.
His eyes narrowed slightly, his pupil contracting.
Initially, he had dismissed Hatchi as merely a slightly stronger minor character, another piece of Arlong's disposable crew.
But now, it seemed his strength was quite impressive.
Even though Zoro hadn't been going all out, using his full demonic power, few fighters in the entire East Blue could have withstood that attack, let alone stopped it bare-handed.
To think this goofy-looking octopus fish-man had managed it.
This unexpected resistance ignited Zoro's excitement.
His battle intent surged, and a cold, dangerous glint flashed in his eye.
"Scary..." Hatchi muttered, feeling the shift in Zoro's aura.
After just one exchange, he had deeply felt the swordsman's imposing, demonic presence.
Bare-handed, he knew he stood absolutely no chance.
So, he pushed off with his powerful legs, rapidly retreating before swiftly scrambling up onto the second floor of Arlong Park's main building.
A moment later, he reappeared, no longer empty-handed. He now wielded six long, curved swords, one in each hand.
"Six-Sword Style: Sheathed Foot Strange Sword!"
With his blades now in hand, Hatchi leaped high into the air, positioning himself directly above Zoro.
He launched into a chaotic, whirling six-sword dance, raining down a flurry of slashes from above, intent on mincing the swordsman below into pieces.
"Six-Sword Style?"
Watching the six blades descending upon him like a blender set to high, Zoro couldn't help but sweatdrop.
n his view, this wasn't swordsmanship at all—it was utterly formless, relying entirely on the sheer number of blades and Hatchi's unique physiology.
Any properly trained human swordsman could outperform this clumsy display.
This so-called "Six-Sword Style" was purely a product of racial advantage.
Still holding only two swords, Zoro showed no fear.
He met the chaotic assault head-on.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang..."
Every one of Hatchi's wild, flailing attacks was expertly deflected by Zoro's precise, economical movements.
He parried, blocked, and redirected the six blades with contemptuous ease.
"How is this possible?!" Hatchi cried out, genuinely bewildered.
He had always been confident in his unique swordsmanship, yet he hadn't managed to so much as scratch his opponent.
He found it hard to believe.
After all, back on Fishman Island... no, even here in the East Blue... no swordsman had ever emerged unscathed from his Six-Sword Style!
"Bastard..." Hatchi cursed under his breath before roaring, gathering all his strength for one final, desperate attack.
"Take this! Six-Sword Style: Octopus Pot Strike!" He thrust all six sword tips forward simultaneously, aiming to overwhelm Zoro with a single, multi-pronged piercing attack.
Zoro met the incoming points with a confident, cross-bladed swing of his dual katanas, ready to shatter the octopus's final gambit.
.....
"Shark ON DARTS!"
At that exact moment, Arlong, having recovered from Lancelot's initial blow, launched his own signature attack.
His body became a living torpedo, shooting through the water of the central pool before launching himself into the air.
He spun rapidly, aiming his spike-like, saw-toothed nose squarely at Lancelot's chest.
The sheer power of this move was immense—if struck, even solid rock would be pierced through, and the terrifying impact could shatter it to pieces.
It was a devastating, armor-piercing strike.
Lancelot, his Observation Haki easily tracking the attack, simply crossed his arms in front of him and grunted, "Tekkai."
This technique, often derided by fans as the "pirates' strongest illusion" due to its failures against Haki-users later in the series, rarely ended well for those who relied on it improperly.
Yet, one couldn't deny its formidable defensive strength when used correctly against non-Haki physical attacks.
It was called an "illusion" primarily because the protagonists' plot armor was simply too strong.
In truth, being classified as one of the legendary Rokushiki, it should never be underestimated.
With Tekkai alone, a skilled user could block most physical attacks encountered in the first half of the Grand Line.
Let alone here, in the weakest sea.
Clang...
The next moment, Arlong's hardened, saw-toothed nose stabbed fiercely against Lancelot's crossed forearms... and stopped dead.
It was completely blocked, leaving Lancelot utterly unscathed.
However, the immense impact force, the sheer kinetic energy of Arlong's torpedo-like charge, still sent Lancelot flying backward over ten meters.
His feet carved two deep grooves into the stone pathway as he slid to a halt.
The raw power of the strike was evident; Arlong was indeed strong.
As Lancelot steadied himself, he didn't release his grip.
He had caught Arlong's nose between his forearms.
With a roar of exertion, amplified by his Fishman lineage, he violently swung the surprised fish-man captain.
Arlong felt an overwhelming, irresistible force hurling him upward, spinning him head over heels before he was slammed hard into the ground on the other side of the pool.
THUD!
A dull, sickening impact sound echoed through Arlong Park as Arlong grunted in pain.
The sheer force of the blow created a spiderwebbing crater in the stone ground, with cracks radiating outward.
Pfft...
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Arlong's lips as the air was driven from his lungs.
But Lancelot had no intention of letting him off so easily.
With another brutal burst of strength, he flung Arlong high into the air again, aiming to smash him down onto the opposite side, intending to break him completely.
Arlong, however, was a veteran who had survived the Grand Line.
As he flew through the air, his survival instincts took over.
He twisted his body and used his powerful hands to seize the very arm Lancelot was holding him with.
Leveraging the momentum of the throw, he performed a complex, mid-air maneuver, unexpectedly using Lancelot's own force to hurl the Marine Captain away.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu?" Lancelot thought, slightly surprised by the counter.
He found himself flung straight toward a distant wall of the Arlong Park complex.
However, this was no challenge for him.
He was a master of Rokushiki.
Mid-air, with a swift, powerful kick of his right leg, he unleashed a Rankyaku (Tempest Kick).
A compressed blade of air, sharp as any sword, shot from his foot.
It was extremely keen; everything in its path was severed, even the bluestone pavement below was sliced apart like tofu as the air blade sped rapidly toward the still-recovering Arlong.
"Not good!" Arlong's face paled.
By now, it was too late to dodge.
Lancelot's counterattack had been too swift, too unexpected.
He was caught completely off guard.
Moreover, the attack speed was terrifyingly fast. Dodging was impossible; he could only brace himself to withstand it.
He crossed his thick, muscular arms in front of his chest...
BANG... Slice!
The Rankyaku struck his arms.
While it didn't sever them completely, it sliced deep into the muscle, sending Arlong flying backward once again, roaring in pain and shock.
Meanwhile, Lancelot was only two meters away from the outermost wall.
He flipped mid-air, positioning himself horizontally, and planted both feet firmly against the stone surface.
With explosive force from his Fishman-enhanced legs, combined with a Geppo stomp...
BOOM!
The combination of his powerful burst strength and the initial impact proved too much for the wall, causing a large section to collapse inward in a shower of dust and rubble.
Lancelot, however, used the recoil to shoot forward like a cannonball, faster than Arlong's initial charge.
He swiftly caught up with the still-airborne, injured Arlong.
"Shigan (Finger Pistol)!"
Lancelot's finger, hardened by Tekkai and moving with the speed of Soru, became a living bullet.
It pierced straight through Arlong's thick chest, puncturing his heart and emerging from his back in a spray of blue blood, giving the Fishman pirate captain absolutely no chance to counterattack ever again.