Chapter 4 Crushing the Evil DragonBefore he could react, Luffy's left hand, which had been blocking his fist, snapped shut, gripping his fist and pulling him aside!
Kroobi was involuntarily pulled aside, landing right in the path of Chu's water cannon!
"Chu! Stop!" Kuroobi was terrified.
Chu was also shocked, but the water cannon had already been fired and couldn't be retracted.
*Thud!*
The high-pressure water jet struck Kuroobi's shoulder hard, blood splattering instantly, and Kuroobi screamed as he flew backward.
Meanwhile, Luffy, while using Kuroobi as a shield, slammed his right leg backward like a fully charged spring!
"Gum-Gum... Battle Axe!"
The black heel rapidly enlarged in Chu's horrified pupils, slamming heavily onto his head.
Thud! Crack!
Without even a groan, Chu was slammed into the ground, his eyes rolling back, his head embedded in a stone slab, instantly unconscious.
In the blink of an eye, one of the two officers was seriously injured, the other unconscious.
"Monster...monster!" Six-Sword Style Hachi was trembling with fear, but seeing the struggling dragon rise, he still steeled himself and drew his six swords.
"Octopus Jar Sword!"
Hachi wielded his six swords with impenetrable speed, slashing towards Luffy.
Luffy finally looked at him directly, then extended a single finger.
The finger, covered in jet-black Armament Haki, was like the hardest steel rod, precisely striking the only weak point in the clash of Hachi's six swords.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The six crisp sounds almost merged into one!
Hachi felt six immense forces simultaneously surge through his swords, causing his six arms to go numb and ache. His six swords involuntarily swung in all directions, leaving him wide open.
Luffy's finger moved forward, lightly touching Hachi's chest.
"Finger Gun - Modified."
*Thud!*
With a soft sound, a small hole suddenly burst open in Hachi's clothes on his back.
His body shuddered violently, his massive frame stiffening on the spot before collapsing limply, blood spilling from his mouth and nose, unconscious.
Luffy had controlled his strength, only temporarily incapacitating him, not killing him.
These fish-men might still be somewhat useful, perhaps as laborers clearing rubble.
Arlong, having just climbed out of the crater, saw his three subordinates wiped out in a matter of breaths. A chill completely extinguished his rage, leaving only boundless fear.
This straw-hatted kid isn't human!
"It's a monster! A monster from the Grand Line or the New World!"
"Escape! I must escape to the water!"
Without further hesitation, Arlong turned and lunged towards the nearby seawater pool.
"In the water! In the water, I reign!" Arlong roared as he leaped into the water, splashing a huge spray.
The familiar surroundings brought him a sense of security, and the pain in his waist seemed to lessen.
Luffy walked to the edge of the pool, looking at Arlong's blurry yet ferocious figure underwater.
"Think you can turn the tables once you're in the water?" Luffy's voice sounded somewhat muffled through the water.
Luffy took a deep breath, his chest puffing out, and then he leaped into the water!
Arlong, meanwhile, was overjoyed: "Fool! Die! Fish-Man Karate - Water Heart - Ocean Current Over-the-Shoulder Throw!"
Arlong manipulated the water, creating a surging whirlpool, intending to drag Luffy to the bottom and drown him.
However, Luffy's actions upon entering the water left Arlong and all the onlookers speechless.
Luffy brought his legs together, his feet spinning rapidly like rubber propellers!
Simultaneously, he stretched out his arms, grabbed the edge of the pool, and with a powerful pull and push!
Using the elasticity of the rubber and the powerful thrust generated by his feet, Luffy moved faster in the water than Arlong, a natural-born fish-man!
Like a nimble black water snake, he easily dodged the undercurrents and whirlpools, instantly closing in on Arlong.
Arlong was shocked and immediately threw a punch; the amplified power of a fish-man in the water made his punch powerful enough to shatter rocks.
Luffy neither dodged nor evaded, his fist, covered in Armament Haki, meeting the punch head-on.
Bang!
Fists collided, water exploding.
Arlong felt as if he had struck an underwater reef, his knuckles threatening to crack, while his opponent's fist remained unmoved, instead delivering an even more overwhelming force!
How could this be?! His strength in the water should far surpass that of a human!
Luffy gave Arlong no time to think, his other fist slamming into Arlong's abdomen like a cannonball.
"Ugh!" Arlong's stomach churned, bitter fluid mixed with blood gushing from his mouth, his massive body arching in the water.
Luffy's attacks relentless, his rubber arms moving with incredible agility in the water, punches, palms, and fingers, each strike precisely hitting Arlong's vitals.
Armament Haki allowed him to ignore water resistance, the properties of rubber made his movements unpredictable, and his Vice Admiral-level physique and strength completely overwhelmed Arlong.
This wasn't a battle, but a one-sided underwater ravages.
Arlong's once-proud underwater advantage vanished. He tried to fight back, but each attack was easily deflected, followed by an even heavier blow.
Several ribs were broken, his internal organs were damaged, and blood gushed from his mouth and nose, staining the surrounding seawater red.
Finally, Luffy grabbed one of Arlong's ankles, spun him around in the water like a hammer, and then flung him upwards!
Splash!
Arlong's massive body was flung out of the water like a dead fish, arcing through the air before crashing heavily onto the poolside, dazed and disoriented, too exhausted even to scream.
Luffy leaped out of the water, landing lightly, his soaking wet clothes clinging to his body, wisps of steam rising from them.
He walked to the limp Arlong and stepped on his signature jagged nose.
With a slight pressure.
Crack.
A chilling cracking sound rang out as the dragon's long, steel-crushing trunk snapped in two.
"Ah—!!!" The dragon let out a heart-wrenching scream, a scream that symbolized its power and pride!
Luffy moved his foot, placing it on the dragon's head, pressing down slightly to bury its face into the mud.
Luffy's voice rang out calmly, clearly reaching every eavesdropping villager, every surviving fish-man, and the orange-haired girl on the third floor who was peering intently through the crack:
"Now, who can tell me who's in charge here?"
The courtyard was deathly silent, save for the dragon's agonizing groans and the distant sound of the waves.
The surviving fish-man fighters were pale, trembling, some even collapsing to the ground, defecating and urinating.
Their invincible Arlong, the overlord of the East Blue, was as vulnerable as an infant before this human!
Luffy raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the villagers hiding behind the ruins, finally settling on the window on the third floor.
Luffy knew Nami had been watching.
Luffy's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power: "From this day forward, Cocoyasi Village is free, and the Arlong Pirates are hereby expelled."
After a brief silence, cheers suppressed for eight years erupted like a volcano from where the villagers were hiding!
Cries, laughter, and shouts mingled together.
Free! They were truly free!