The wind swept through Arlong Park, carrying the smell of salt, blood, and broken stone.
The Fishmen stood spread out across the courtyard, muscles tense, eyes burning.
Luffy pointed forward, stretching his arm lazily.
"Oi," Luffy said, grinning. "Gimme that long‑nose guy."
Chew's eye twitched. The veins on his forehead bulged.
Zoro shifted his stance, fingers tightening around his hilts. His gaze locked onto the six‑armed Fishman.
"I'll take the one with swords," Zoro said calmly.
Hatchan blinked. Once. Twice.
Sanji exhaled smoke, voice flat, irritated.
"Tch. Let's finish this already. All of you can come at once," he said. "I'll kick you anyway."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then the Fishmen snapped.
"What… did you say?" Kuroobi growled, stepping forward, water dripping from his fists.
Chew slammed his foot into the ground.
"How DARE a mere human talk down to us?!"
Hatchan's arms trembled as his swords slid halfway from their sheaths.
"We're Fishmen… the superior race of this sea!"
Their voices overlapped, rage spilling out, pride wounded far deeper than flesh.
Arlong, still seated on his throne of stone, finally moved.
He leaned forward.
His sharp teeth showed in a cruel smile.
"Hah…"
Then his voice dropped—cold, commanding.
"Kill them."
The air shuddered.
"Kill them all!" Arlong roared.
The Fishmen surged forward in a wave of muscle and fury.
Luffy cracked his neck, grin widening.
"Heh. Guess that's a yes."
Zoro drew his swords in a single smooth motion.
Steel sang.
Sanji crushed his cigarette under his heel.
"Try not to bleed on the floor," he muttered. "Nami‑san won't like the mess."
The ground trembled as Fishmen charged.
And the battle—
long delayed—
finally broke loose.
The moment Arlong's order fell, the world exploded.
Luffy stepped forward—and vanished.
The Fishmen barely had time to react.
Luffy's arm snapped back, stretching far behind him, veins bulging.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
The Fishmen turned, eyes widening.
"PISTOL!"
His fist tore through the air like a cannonball.
BOOOOM!
A Fishman was launched straight through the crowd, bodies scattering like bowling pins. Stone cracked. Water burst upward. Luffy didn't stop—he charged straight into them, laughing.
"Outta my way!"
..
..
..
Steel rang out on the opposite side of the courtyard.
Zoro stepped forward, calm, terrifyingly calm.
Three swords gleamed.
Hatchan spun, six arms drawing six blades at once.
"Oi, human—"
Zoro lifted his swords, eyes sharp, locked only on him.
"You're my opponent."
Hatchan froze.
The pressure in Zoro's gaze felt like a blade already pressed to his throat.
"Hah?! You think you can take me alone?!"
Zoro didn't answer.
He stepped forward.
And the air cut.
..
..
..
A blur of motion exploded through the Fishmen ranks.
Sanji's foot connected with a Fishman's jaw.
CRACK.
Another Fishman flew sideways—before even hitting the ground, Sanji twisted midair.
"Get lost."
BAM!
A third Fishman slammed into a wall.
Sanji landed lightly, hands in his pockets, eyes burning.
Kuroobi stepped forward, muscles swelling, veins pulsing.
"You're the one," Kuroobi said. "A human who thinks he can fight Fishman Karate."
Sanji tilted his head, cigarette glowing.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"And you're the one who made Nami‑san cry."
His leg ignited with speed.
"Big mistake."
..
..
..
..
Across the park—
Luffy laughed as he sent another Fishman flying.
Zoro crossed blades with Hatchan, steel screaming as swords clashed.
Sanji stepped toward Kuroobi, posture relaxed—but lethal.
Arlong watched it all from his seat.
His grin slowly faded.
Not fear.
But irritation.
"Tch…"
The battle had begun.
And it was already spiraling out of his control.
Arlong sat there like a king on a throne of stone, massive body relaxed, teeth bared in a lazy grin—until Luffy stepped into his space.
Luffy looked up at him, hands in his pockets, eyes steady.
"So long nose," Luffy said simply.
"I'll beat your ass."
For a split second, the world went quiet.
Then Arlong's face twisted.
Veins bulged along his temples. His grin shattered into pure fury.
"You dare…?" Arlong growled, his voice dropping low, shaking the air itself.
"A mere human. A fragile, rotten thing like you—stand before me?!"
He rose to his full height.
The shadow he cast swallowed Luffy whole.
"I'll show you death, humannnn!" Arlong roared.
"I'll rip you apart!"
The stone beneath his feet cracked.
With a thunderous explosion of force, Arlong launched himself forward, water spraying up as his massive body moved faster than something that big ever should.
Luffy's eyes sharpened.
He didn't panic.
He didn't flinch.
At the last instant—
he stepped sideways.
Arlong's jaws snapped shut where Luffy's head had been a heartbeat earlier.
CRASH!
Stone shattered behind them as Arlong smashed into the ground, claws digging deep.
Luffy turned, already cocking his arm back, stretching it behind him.
"Man," Luffy muttered, lips curling into a grin.
"You're loud."
The air tightened.
Both of them locked eyes.
And the real fight—
finally began.
Zoro's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, locking onto Hatchan—the massive, eight-armed octopus fishman. Each arm flexed like a living weapon, each suckered limb ready to crush anything in its path.
"You… you even dare to use a weapon of my tribe?" Hatchan's voice rumbled like thunder through the hall. His gaze was sharp, a mix of pride and challenge flashing in his eyes.
Zoro's hand tightened around the borrowed sword. His tone was calm, almost teasing.
"Well… I don't have any swords on me. Mine were destroyed. So… I borrowed this one."
Hatchan blinked once, then a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"Oh… you borrowed it, huh? Well you need to give it back later."
From behind, Kurubi—another of the fishman lieutenants—shouted, exasperated, his voice cracking over the chaos.
"Hey! Stupid octopus! Focus!"
Meanwhile, Sanji moved like a cyclone, his legs a blur of precision and power. Kick after kick rained down on the fishmen surrounding him, each blow sending opponents flying.
"You think you can stop me?" Sanji growled, eyes locked on his target, fists clenched, sweat and determination dripping from him. "Not today!"
The battlefield erupted in tension, the air heavy with anticipation. Zoro and Hatchan stared each other down, Sanji's whirlwind of kicks slicing through the crowd, and Luffy charging at Arlong—everything converging toward the inevitable clash.