The Fishmen, terrified and stumbling backward, didn't dare take another step forward.
Arlong suddenly stood up, his bloodshot eyes wide with fury. He bellowed at the cowering group in front of him, "Get out of my way!"
The Fishmen, hearing their captain's voice, breathed a collective sigh of relief and scrambled to retreat. All of their previous arrogance had vanished without a trace.
Kuina paid no attention to them. Nor did she acknowledge Arlong. Her gaze turned back to Nezumi once more, locking onto him with icy precision.
That single glance made Nezumi shudder all over.
Seeing Kuina walking toward him, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
He screamed in panic.
"Wh-what is wrong with you?! We've got no grudge between us! Why are you coming after me?!"
He was frightened. He was also bewildered.
Why me?
I'm human too!
Why isn't she going after the Fishmen, but instead keeps staring at me like that?
Seeing Kuina ignore him completely only added fuel to Arlong's rage.
"You filthy human woman, if you're so eager to die, then let me grant your wish!"
With that, he turned and pulled out a massive serrated blade from behind one of the pillars.
Then, eyes full of bloodlust, he kicked the table aside and charged at Kuina with a roar.
No matter how skilled this human woman was with a blade, he didn't believe for a second that she could overpower him.
After all, he was the most wanted pirate in all of East Blue—the captain of the Arlong Pirates, Fishman Arlong!
Arlong closed the distance, raising his jagged blade high and bringing it down with brutal force.
"Die!"
He was confident. No one in East Blue could survive his slash.
At that moment, Kuina finally turned her gaze to him. Her eyes flashed with a cold glint as her blade moved with impossible speed, intercepting the blow before it could land.
Clang!
A shockwave rippled outward from the clash of their blades.
"Guh!"
Arlong was stunned. He stared at his weapon, feeling the force pressing back against him.
How could this be? How could a human in East Blue match his strength?
He narrowed his eyes at Kuina, and for the first time, his voice held a trace of gravity.
"You're not from East Blue. You came from the Grand Line, didn't you?"
That was the only explanation he could accept for how this human woman could stand against him.
Kuina met his gaze, her expression as cold as ever.
"You talk too much."
She placed her left hand on the hilt as well, gripping it with both hands. With a surge of strength, she lifted Arlong's massive blade upward.
The veins on Arlong's forehead and arms bulged. His skin turned red, and he clenched his teeth, digging his feet into the ground as he roared back.
"You lowly human... how could you possibly be stronger than the mighty Fishman race?!"
Kuina didn't bother replying. She drew a breath, pulled her blade slightly back, then pushed with an even more forceful strike.
Arlong's feet left the ground, and in that instant, he lost any chance of winning the clash.
A terrifying force knocked his massive body into the air.
BOOM!
His arched back slammed into the stone wall behind him, creating a deep crater.
Then, with a loud crash, the wall behind him collapsed, burying him in rubble.
The surrounding Fishmen stared blankly at the mound of stone where Arlong had landed.
That human's strength… even Arlong couldn't match it?
They shook their heads, eyes filled with disbelief.
She couldn't possibly be human.
At that moment, Kouta suddenly glanced toward one of the pools behind Kuina.
"Oh, that must be Hachi."
He had been wondering if something was missing, turns out it was the six-armed octopus guy.
If Hachi had stayed hidden in the deep water, it might have taken Kouta a while to find him. After all, the guy could pass for a real fish.
Judging by the situation, Hachi was probably planning to ambush Kuina while she was recovering from the clash with Arlong.
Too bad Kouta wasn't about to give him that chance.
He didn't care if Hachi was supposedly Rayleigh's savior or whatever.
Just because this guy came off as a fool in the anime didn't mean he was innocent. He was no different from the other Arlong Pirates—just better at hiding it.
And if Rayleigh really did show up one day for revenge, Kouta would deal with him too.
As Hachi began surfacing, Kouta swiftly drew his blade, Zankū, and casually slashed at the water where Hachi was hiding.
A silver-gray wave of energy surged across the air, heading straight for the pool behind Kuina.
It struck Hachi just as he was emerging.
CLANG!
The slash didn't slow at all. It passed cleanly through the twin swords Hachi had raised in defense, sliced through his body, and continued along the waterway toward the sea, vanishing in the distance.
Hachi stood frozen, arms still raised.
A wave rolled by. With a sharp ping, the swords in his hands snapped in half.
Then, a line of blood appeared down the center of his body, from his forehead to his navel.
The line thickened, and with a sickening sound, his body split in two.
Blood dyed the water around him deep red.
And it wasn't just his body that was cut. Even the stone canal behind him now bore a massive crack.
That crack stretched all the way to the ocean beyond. From a distance, it looked like someone had sliced through a giant jelly block.
Seawater poured into the fissure on both sides, unable to close the gap.
"Hachi!"
One of the Fishmen who had been staring at Arlong's collapsed pile of rubble suddenly came to his senses and shouted into the waterway.
Then all of them turned in unison, looking at Kouta with terror in their eyes.
Their bodies trembled. Eyes bulged. Utter horror overtook them.
"A swordsman?"
"A Great Swordsman...?"
They had never seen one, but they had heard the stories.
Great Swordsmen were monsters, capable of splitting mountains, parting seas, and slicing ships in half.
Even in the fearsome New World, they were beings to be reckoned with.
Now they stood frozen, drenched in cold sweat.
They knew they were done for.
Kuina didn't look back. As long as Kouta was behind her, she didn't have to.
She lowered her gaze to Nezumi, who was still sprawled on the ground.
Her eyes, icy and emotionless, radiated nothing but loathing.
Captain Nezumi had completely lost his mind by now.
He trembled uncontrollably, propping himself up with both hands and dragging himself backward with his feet.
He screamed in panic.
"I... I... I'm a Navy officer! If you kill me, you'll be wanted!"
"Wanted, huh?"
Kuina tilted her head and shrugged, utterly unfazed.
"Then put a bounty on me."
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!