The shadow of the Rift Herald looked like a massive beetle. Standing over six meters tall, it resembled a heavily armored tank.
With a deafening roar, the phantom Rift Herald rammed straight into the building!
Boom!!!
A thunderous crash erupted.
The entire building collapsed like a tower of toy blocks. Dozens of Explosive Tags were instantly ignited by the spreading flames.
A second explosion followed, and in a burst of firelight, the entire structure was consumed in a blazing inferno!
It looked like fireworks bursting in the night sky.
Charred rubble scattered at Nami's feet, sending up clouds of white smoke.
"You… when you left on your own and entered Arlong Park… you were planting bombs inside, weren't you!? How did you get past the Fishman guards without them seeing you?"
Nami took a deep breath, her lovely face full of shock.
That explosion— even Arlong, who could bite through cannonballs and shrug off bullets, must have been injured by it, right?
She was certain now— it was the right decision not to rush in recklessly.
Her only hope was to rely on Keya and Zoro to take down the Arlong Pirates.
"Secret," Ren replied flatly.
He lifted Chester's skullcap, pulling out a Dragon's Breath Shotgun and an extra drum of shells.
It was actually simple.
Seven bottles of Invisibility Potion, totaling twenty-one minutes of invisibility. Two timed C4 charges, and seventy-seven Explosive Tags.
That's all it took to create this magnificent inferno!
The fire, the shockwave, and the shrapnel blasted outward— the perfect symphony of destruction.
"Zoro, stick to the plan. As for you, Nami…"
Ren flipped the safety off the shotgun with a click— everything was ready.
He glanced toward Nami, who stood clutching her staff with determination, and sighed."Join the fight if you want, but don't get in our way. Right now, with your strength, you'd only slow us down."
Speaking the harsh truth, Ren marched forward, Dragon's Breath in hand.
The Boots of Swiftness propelled him like a gust of wind.
Chester hopped after him with a cheerful bounce.
"Got it. Leave it to me."
Zoro tore the bandana from his shoulder and tied it firmly around his head. Then, with a flick, he drew all three of his swords and charged forward.
By now, many heavily injured Fishmen had crawled out of the rubble. They sat amidst the ruins, dazed and disoriented.
More Fishman guards arrived, dozens of them gathering to assess the situation.
Several officers were present—
a carp Fishman with a heart tattoo on his forehead, Take;
a salmon Fishman clutching a sake jug, Shioyaki;
and a kissfish Fishman with protruding lips, Chew.
Except for Kuroobi, nearly all of Arlong's officers had appeared.
"What happened!? An earthquake!?"
"Where's Lord Arlong!?"
"He's trapped inside!"
A Fishman shouted in panic, "Shipwright Kinshiro and our musician Pisaro are dead! Dozens of our brothers are gone!"
Then, someone spotted the three intruders and cried out.
"Humans! Humans have invaded! Nami's with them!"
"She betrayed us! She planted the bombs!"
"It's them!"
Standing by the ruins, Take roared with fury, his eyes red and wet.
But what met his rage was the cold pull of Ren's trigger.
The Dragon's Breath Shotgun roared.
Buckshot burst from the barrel— white-hot magnesium particles streaking like sparks of fire. In an instant, a blazing fire dragon swept across the ruins, engulfing the Fishmen!
Three of Arlong's officers—Take, Shioyaki, and Chew—were devoured in the first wave.
Then came the rest of the pirates.
Screams filled the air. Temperatures soared past 1,500°C— the fire dragon's breath ignited Fishman flesh, turning their bodies into writhing torches of agony.
Ren kept firing, counting his remaining ammo and reloading under Zoro's cover.
Chester's ammo drums emptied rapidly, the air itself turning into a furnace.
Come now—
Let the flames sing! Let destruction bless all living things equally!
Praise the blaze!
When the final twelve-gauge shell discharged its light and heat, only scorched blackness remained over the ruins.
The Fishmen were nothing but burnt corpses now— charred flesh peeled away to reveal white bones, organs burned through by molten magnesium. The air reeked of cooked meat.
"Huff—! Praise the blaze!"
The shotgun's barrel glowed red-hot. Modern weaponry's power came at a price.
In less than two minutes, Ren had nearly wiped out the entire Arlong pirate crew by himself— turning Fishmen into roasted fish.
But…
Three key Fishmen and one sea beast still hadn't shown themselves.
Almost at once, a section of rubble ahead exploded outward.
"Bastard!!!"
A bloodied, enraged Kuroobi crawled out, covered in wounds. The collapse had been too sudden for anyone to react.
Then came another thunderous crash—Arlong himself emerged, dragging a jagged, saw-toothed blade from beneath the debris.
His body was covered in cuts and bruises, gravel still clinging to his scales.
He looked over the corpses of his men— his anger shifted to disbelief, then horror, then pure, blinding rage.
"You… you humans dare kill my brethren!?"
Arlong's voice trembled with wrath and sorrow. He glared at Nami, eyes bloodshot."Humans rebelling against Fishmen goes against the laws of nature! I gave you so many chances!
Now that you've killed my people— I'll make your beloved Cocoyasi villagers pay the price! And you two outsiders, whoever you are— I'll hunt down your families and torture them to death!"
Nami instinctively stepped back, trembling in fear.
But when she looked at Ren's calm, steady gaze, courage returned to her eyes. She gripped her staff tightly and shouted through gritted teeth:
"Arlong! You've already taken everything from us!
Today— either I live, or you die!"
"Enough talk, Arlong!"
Kuroobi growled, locking eyes on Ren.
While trapped beneath the rubble, he had seen everything— it was this man who slaughtered their crew.
And that weapon… it must be empty now!
"Big words," Zoro muttered coldly, stepping in front of Nami while drawing his swords. "Save them for after you win."
This was his task— and the one Ren had trusted him to complete.
"…What a coincidence," Ren replied evenly. "I want revenge too. Kuroobi, right? Do you remember an old fisherman who died from exhaustion not long after paying your 'protection fee'?
Oh, right— you probably don't.
That's fine. I remember."
Ren's gaze hardened as he stuffed the shotgun into Chester's mouth.
Then he drew the Doran Sword, tossing the Eye Bone far away so Chester would stay clear of the battlefield.
Ren vs. Kuroobi!
And on the other side—
Zoro clenched Wado Ichimonji between his teeth, holding his other two swords poised behind him in a cross-stance.
Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!
(End of Chapter)