Chapter 24
Sensing the gust behind him, Arlong sidestepped.
The attacker was the newly freed Krara.
Her face was frosty, as if she wanted to devour him alive.
Arlong's earlier words had reminded her of a traumatic childhood experience.
"That's how you treat your savior?"
Arlong tilted his head down at Krara, anger on his face (▼へ▼メ).
Women really were unreasonable creatures.
Krara said nothing and attacked with Fish-Man Karate.
"Hey, you know Fish-Man Karate too? We're a perfect match."
"Skwahahaha~"
Arlong dodged with Observation Haki, still teasing her.
Gotta admit, the little loli looked cute when angry.
White stockings, twin tails—top tier!
Far better figure than those "little bird" types!
Only downside: hair a bit short. Needed a couple years to grow.
Luffy, oblivious as ever, didn't grasp the gravity and cheered Krara on.
"Krara, beat Arlong up good!"
Then he fell back into confusion—why was he supposed to beat Arlong again?
Krara: [●′?｀●]
"Did I overdo it?" (￣□￣;)
Smoker crawled from the rubble and saw Krara fighting Arlong—question marks popped over his head.
Perfect. He didn't have to lift a finger.
Krara pressed her lips tight, attacking Arlong with everything she had.
But he was slippery as an eel—always missing by a hair.
She tried provocation. "Arlong, are you even a man? All you do is dodge!"
"Krara, touching a man's bottom line is dangerous."
Arlong warned kindly.
Krara attacked again.
This time Arlong didn't dodge. He caught her punch.
She instantly kicked.
Arlong trapped her leg between his.
One arm and one leg restrained—Krara instantly lost fighting power.
SMACK!
Arlong's hand landed a solid spank.
Soft and bouncy.
"Girls shouldn't be so violent!"
"Ah!"
Krara shrieked (((?Д?))) .
"Arlong, I'll kill you!"
How dare he spank her butt—that was only for her man!
SMACK~
Another one.
Arlong lectured.
"Girls need to be gentle, or you'll never find a man."
"Arlong, let go if you dare."
SMACK~
"Arlong…"
SMACK~
"Waaah, Arlong you big bully! You always pick on me!"
"Back when I was little, and now when I'm grown!"
Arlong paused in surprise. She was only five or six back then!
But it didn't stop him.
SMACK~
…
Arlong, your double standards are pro-level!
Smoker was speechless (/??_??)/.
Shameless!
The G-5 Marines gnashed their teeth.
They wished they could take Arlong's place.
Tashigi felt a chill and subconsciously covered her own rear.
Definitely an irredeemable villain.
Seeing his companion cry, Luffy stopped laughing. He rattled his cage and roared at Arlong.
"Arlong, I'm definitely sending you flying!"
Krara, tears streaming: "I was wrong… please stop…"
Arlong paused. "Really know you were wrong?"
"Really!" Krara nodded frantically.
Arlong released her. Krara bolted into the darkness without looking back.
Luffy: ???
At that moment, the clouds tore open with a massive hole.
A ball of magma plummeted down.
"Scatter!"
Smoker shouted.
Marines fled in all directions.
"Nooo!"
The pirates screamed in despair at the falling magma.
Arlong instantly spotted Akainu wrapped inside.
Shock hit him.
Akainu lost?
Worthy of the Revolutionary leader—not even an admiral could beat him.
BOOM!
A massive impact cratered the ground, flinging stones everywhere.
Screams rang out.
Luckily, the nets binding the pirates snapped—they fled for their lives.
Smoker's cage broke too.
The beast was loose. "Arlong, I'm gonna—"
As the wind cleared, the Marines realized all the pirates had escaped.
Wait—no, Arlong was still there.
Smoker frowned. What was Arlong doing?
Did he really think he could face an admiral?
The clouds gradually dispersed.
Loguetown slowly brightened.
A magma figure emerged from the crater, dripping lava with every step.
Sizzling corrosion sounds filled the air.
The magma flowed and reshaped into the stern-faced Akainu.
Seeing Arlong hadn't fled, Akainu's face darkened.
"Arlong. I was coming for you—didn't expect you to deliver yourself."
He didn't understand why destroying two branches required an admiral like him.
"So he really is here for me!"
Arlong was surprised inwardly. Could it be that document?
He had a guess but wasn't sure.
Time to probe. "Admiral Akainu, Dragon escaped right under your nose—and you're not chasing him?"
Akainu bristled. "Navy business is none of your concern."
"You're not escaping. Surrender now!"
With that, his right hand turned to magma.
"Skwahahaha!"
Far from scared, Arlong laughed excitedly.
"I've been wanting to test myself against an admiral."
…
"Gotta go!"
Seeing Akainu appear, Bartolomeo—hiding and watching—prepared to flee.
But seeing Arlong ready to fight head-on, he stayed.
"Big Bro Arlong is way too cool!"
In the corner, Bartolomeo's eyes sparkled.
But worry crept in.
"He's an admiral… isn't this too reckless?"
Smoker thought Arlong had lost his mind—challenging an admiral.
Even weakened, Akainu was top-tier.
Utter foolishness!
Admirals were the Navy's pinnacle. A mere over-100-million pirate daring to boast.
Haki countered fruits, but it depended on the user.
After fighting Arlong, Smoker actually respected him.
Too bad—he was about to go offline.
"Good. Very good!"
Akainu laughed coldly in rage.
Losing to Dragon was one thing—skill issue.
But a mere fishman daring to oppose him?
No more words. Akainu threw a magma fist, scorching hot, straight at Arlong.
The air warped in its path.
The sheer power was evident.
Arlong didn't dare underestimate it. He gathered all his strength, coating his fist in Armament Haki.
He met it head-on.
BAM~
The magma fist exploded. Arlong flew back dozens of meters before stabilizing.
"Hm! I underestimated you."
Akainu was surprised. He hadn't expected Arlong to block his punch.
Arlong's 120 million bounty was mostly inflated.
Yet he withstood 10% of his depleted strength.
He blocked it—he actually blocked it!
Smoker and the Marines stared wide-eyed.
"Big Bro Arlong is incredible!" Bartolomeo exclaimed sincerely.
He was confident he could block an attack too—but lacked the guts to face an admiral.
That was what mattered most.
Arlong suppressed his churning blood, stood with hands behind his back, and sneered.
"Looks like admirals aren't as strong as imagined!"
Inwardly, though: Admiral-level power is terrifying.
Full strength plus Armament Haki barely blocked a casual punch.
The gap was enormous!
"Is that so?"
Akainu sneered.
"Then try blocking this."
"Meteor Volcano!"
With a roar, massive magma surged from behind Akainu, forming a room-sized fist.
Air distorted. The square's temperature skyrocketed.
Marines retreated, fearing collateral damage.
When he got serious, he spared no one.
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