However, just as the massive Kiribachi blade was about to come crashing down on Ronan—
A figure shot in like a cannonball.
"Your opponent—is me!!!"
Luffy didn't use any fancy techniques. He threw a single, straightforward punch and slammed it head-on into the flat of Arlong's blade!
CLANG—!!!
The deafening metallic impact rang out.
Arlong felt an unbelievable surge of brute force explode through his arms. His massive body was actually driven backward several steps, his feet carving two deep trenches into the stone ground.
"W–What?!" Arlong stared in shock at the skinny human wearing a straw hat.
Luffy pulled his fist back and pressed down the brim of his hat. The playful light in his eyes was gone—replaced by pure, icy killing intent.
"Die!!"
Enraged beyond reason, Arlong snapped his jaws wide open. His mouth, capable of crushing cannonballs, revealed rows of gleaming fangs as he lunged toward Luffy's shoulder!
CRUNCH!
The sound of teeth clamping shut rang out clearly.
But the expected spray of blood never came.
Luffy stood there, unmoving.
Arlong's teeth bit into Luffy's shoulder as if he'd sunk them into steel wrapped in old, hardened leather!
Arlong's pupils shook violently. He released his bite and stared in horror at the faint white bite mark and thin line of blood on Luffy's shoulder.
"T–This is impossible! My teeth can crush stone! What the hell is your body made of?!"
Luffy brushed the saliva off his shoulder and grinned, flashing a mouthful of white teeth.
"The me right now is a rubber man with skin like steel and bones like iron."
"Steel skin?! Don't joke with me!"
Arlong went completely berserk and swung his blade again.
Just as Ronan had predicted—after enduring the second stage of the Thirteen Tai Bao Horizontal Refinement—
Luffy's rubber body, already immune to blunt force, had now gained massively increased resistance to slashing and piercing attacks as well.
Arlong's blows could no longer truly threaten him.
On the other side of the battlefield—
Seeing Arlong held back, the remaining three elite officers finally made their move.
"If you're asking to die, we'll grant your wish!"
The soft-boned fish-man Kuroobi, the Arlong Pirates' second-in-command and a master of Fish-Man Karate at level forty, locked his cold gaze onto Ronan, who was slaughtering his way through their ranks.
"You cowardly human who hides behind weapons—taste true Fish-Man Karate!"
Kuroobi assumed his stance, radiating a heavy, grounded presence as he strode toward Ronan.
At the same time—
Hachi, wielding six swords, charged toward Zoro.
The kissing fish-man Chu puffed up his cheeks and unleashed a barrage of water bullets at Sanji like a machine gun.
Ronan flicked a fish-man corpse off the tip of his spear and turned to face Kuroobi, a trace of mockery in his eyes.
"Fish-Man Karate? That might actually be interesting."
"Arrogant fool!"
Kuroobi roared and thrust his right palm forward, air pressure surging.
"One Thousand Tile True Punch!"
The blow carried terrifying power—enough to shatter every bone in a normal human's body.
Ronan didn't retreat. Instead, he raised his eight-foot iron spear—not to thrust, but to smash downward like a massive iron staff, wind screaming as it fell!
"Xingyi Spear—White Cloud Covers the Head!"
The strike descended like a collapsing mountain, sealing off every possible path of escape.
Kuroobi sneered. "Idiot! A weapon this long is useless once I get close!"
He didn't dodge at all. Instead, he reached out with both powerful hands, trying to grab the descending spear shaft.
In his mind, once he seized the weapon, his fish-man strength would let him fling Ronan away—or snap the spear in two.
"Grab it?"
Ronan looked at the hands reaching for his spear, his sneer deepening.
"You think a spear with shaking force is something you can hold?"
BUZZ—!!!
The instant Kuroobi's palms touched the shaft, a strange and terrifying vibration erupted through it!
Ronan's wrist trembled at an extreme frequency. The hundred-kg iron spear transformed into a violently thrashing dragon—or a drill spinning at full speed.
"W–Ahhh!!"
Kuroobi felt as if he'd grabbed a live high-voltage wire or a grinding wheel.
His palms split open instantly, blood pouring out. His fingers went numb—he couldn't hold on at all!
BANG!
The spear violently bounced his hands away, leaving his chest wide open.
"It's over."
Ronan's voice was cold, final.
In the split second Kuroobi was staggered open, Ronan's downward smash instantly transformed into a thrust.
"Phoenix Nods Three Times!"
Psh! Psh! Psh!
Too fast—far too fast!
Only three black afterimages remained in the air.
Kuroobi's eyes went wide. He never even saw the spear move.
All he felt was a chill in his chest—followed by searing agony.
Three gaping holes, each the size of an egg, appeared in a triangular pattern across his torso, piercing straight through his heart and lungs.
"H–How… my Fish-Man Karate…"
Blood poured from Kuroobi's mouth. His body swayed once, then crashed backward into the dust.
One strike. Instant kill.
Elsewhere—
Zoro's one-sword style exploded like a storm. Hachi's proud Six-Sword Style collapsed instantly—every blade shattered, and his body was sent flying into the pool.
Sanji's Mouton Shot slammed into Chu's face, kicking the kissing fish-man straight into the tower wall, embedding him so deeply he couldn't be pulled out.
In just minutes, the Arlong Pirates—except for Arlong himself—were completely wiped out.
"AAAAAARGH—!!!"
Watching all his subordinates die, Arlong let out a despairing, furious scream.
"You… you destroyed everything I had!!"
Arlong lost his mind completely.
As he and Luffy fought their way into the tower, violent impacts and the thunder of collapsing structures echoed from within.
Countless ink-stained nautical charts and surveying tools burst from shattered windows, fluttering through the air like falling snow and scattering across the ruins.
Nami stood below, staring up at the drifting maps, tears blurring her vision.
Eight years of blood and suffering. Eight years of nightmares.
And now, someone was destroying it all for her.
"Luffy…"
"Gum-Gum—Battle Axe!!!"
A roar that shook the heavens erupted from the top of the tower.
Luffy's leg stretched into the sky, piercing the clouds, then came crashing down with world-ending force—aimed at Arlong, at the entire Arlong Park!
BOOOOM—!!!
The towering structure that symbolized terror and tyranny collapsed instantly like building blocks.
Dust and debris shot skyward as the park was split apart.
Arlong's massive body was driven straight into the earth, eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness completely.
The world fell silent.
The sea breeze dispersed the dust.
Sunlight poured freely over the ruins—and onto the straw-hatted boy, covered in ash yet smiling brighter than the sun itself.
Nami could no longer hold back.
She covered her mouth and ran toward Luffy, crying as she wrapped her arms around the boy who had shattered her nightmare with his fists. Her tears soaked into Luffy's red vest.
"Thank you… Luffy!"
"Thank you… everyone!"
She turned toward Ronan, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp standing nearby.
Ronan put away his iron spear, stepped forward, and gently patted her head.
"The nightmare is over, Nami."
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