Zoro was still seriously injured from before, putting him at a disadvantage against Hachi in their duel.
From the sidelines, Nami called out worriedly, "Sandy, aren't you going to help Zoro?"
Sandy chuckled. "You've got to have more faith in your crewmates. This is just the beginning. Zoro's going to be the World's Greatest Swordsman. If he can't handle something like this, he might as well go home and take a nap."
Before Nami could snap back, Zoro removed the bandana from his arm and tied it around his head. He looked toward Sandy with a grin.
"Octopus... I'll show you what real swordsmanship is!"
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Dragon Twister!"
In the blink of an eye, Hachi was sent flying and defeated.
Sandy secretly muttered, Zoro, you shameless bastard... 'real swordsmanship'? Please. I haven't even started bragging about my swordsmanship yet, and you're showing off that basic move? Tch...
Nami turned to him suspiciously. "What are you mumbling about?"
"Ahaha..." Sandy scratched his head. "Just saying that Six-Sword Style was weak. Way too weak!"
Suddenly, a water bubble shot toward him—but Sandy swatted it away with a single hand.
It turned out to be Chu's attack!
Sandy scowled. "You filthy fish! Attacking people with your spit? That's disgusting!"
Chu's face flushed red. "That wasn't spit—it was a water bullet!"
Sandy waved dismissively. "Whatever you say. Usopp!"
Usopp blinked. "Huh? What is it?"
"I'll leave this one to you. Go train properly—I believe in you."
Usopp's eyes widened. "Really? You trust me? Thank you!"
And then, without missing a beat, he turned tail and ran.
"NANI?!" everyone shouted in disbelief.
"Kuha-ha-ha!" Chu sneered. "So this is the bravery of lowly humans?"
Fwoosh!
A fireball suddenly burst across the battlefield, hitting Chu squarely on the arm and setting it ablaze!
"Hot! HOT! I'm gonna turn into dried fish!!" Chu yelped, flailing.
Usopp adjusted his goggles and declared proudly, "Stinky fish—your opponent is me!"
Everyone's faces went dark. This guy...
Once Chu finally doused the flames, he glared furiously. "If you've got guts, stop running!"
Usopp immediately dashed off again, only to turn around moments later and ambush Chu with another sneak attack. Chu exploded with rage and chased after him in a fury.
Sandy laughed. "See that, Nami? You should learn tactics like that."
Nami shivered—mainly because Sandy's hand had moved somewhere it shouldn't have.
Her face flushed bright red. "Let go!"
Realizing what he'd done, Sandy quickly released her. Crap, I got carried away again...
Meanwhile, Sanji's battle against Black Belt had ended. Sanji's kicks were graceful yet powerful—more than enough to deal with that weakling.
Now, only Luffy and Arlong remained.
Seeing his comrades fall one by one, Arlong's fury nearly sent him into a frenzy.
Suddenly, Luffy took a heavy punch to the chest and was launched straight into the sea.
Sandy sighed. "Guess it's my turn."
He leapt forward, blocking Arlong just as the fish-man was about to dive into the water.
Arlong growled. "Move. Now."
Sandy smirked. "What, you think I'm stupid? Sanji! Fish him out of the water! It's my turn."
Arlong's gills flared as he glared dangerously. "Since you're in such a hurry to die... I'll grant your wish! Shark Darts!"
Something flew toward Sandy with frightening speed.
Sandy didn't plan to end it in one blow—he wanted to test his combat experience. Timing it perfectly, he drove his fist straight into Arlong's shoulder.
BOOM!
Arlong was sent crashing through the walls of his own castle, a massive cloud of dust rising in his wake.
The villagers gasped.
"Who is that young man?!"
"No idea—I just know he's someone Nami brought back!"
"Did he actually defeat Arlong?"
"Wait—can humans really have that kind of power?!"
Nami stood frozen, staring at Sandy's display of raw strength. The difference between his effortless blow and Luffy's struggle was staggering.
She'd always known Sandy was strong—but seeing it in person filled her with hope. Could this really be the end of Arlong's reign?
Zoro, resting on the ground, looked up with wide eyes. He could tell from Arlong's earlier attacks how strong the fish-man was. The fact that Sandy could overpower him so easily...
Looks like I need to step up my training again, Zoro thought grimly.
When the dust cleared, Arlong emerged—furious and wielding a massive, saw-toothed cleaver.
His face twisted in rage. "You filthy humans... I'll kill every last one of you!!"
Sandy pointed to the sky and said calmly, "Hey, look—there's a cow flying up there."
Everyone instinctively looked up.
When they realized he was just trolling, they struggled to hold back their laughter, watching Arlong's vein-popping fury.
Arlong stormed closer, voice low and dangerous. "I hope you're still this smug when I tear you apart."
Sandy sighed. "If you want to fight, just fight already. You talk way too much—it's annoying."
"Oi, Sandy!" Luffy shouted, dripping wet after Sanji pulled him out of the sea. "Move aside! He's mine!"
Sandy rolled his eyes. "You already had your turn. Now it's my fight."
Arlong's rage boiled over. "You lowly humans! Come at me together! I'll—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, Sandy's fist slammed into his face again, launching him straight back into his own castle.
Sandy dug at his ear lazily. "Where'd this fish come from? Did he escape from a mental hospital or something?"
Everyone twitched at his deadpan tone.
Luffy stomped over, fuming. "Sandy! We agreed that Arlong was mine! How could you attack?!"
Sandy shrugged. "Because you mess around too much. You've been training for so long and still can't beat one fish. Move aside."
Before he could finish, Arlong came charging again from the rubble, his nose pointed forward like a weapon.
"You damn humans! It's impossible for me to lose! HAHAHA! DIE!"
But Sandy's Observation Haki had already warned him. Until his enemy was completely down, he never let his guard down.
He shoved Luffy out of the way, spun, and unleashed a brutal bicycle kick straight to Arlong's head.
BOOM!
A massive crater formed where Arlong hit the ground.
No one could react for a moment—the explosion was that loud.
Everyone stood frozen, stunned into silence.