Boom!
The punch landed with thunderous force. Arlong's feet were lifted off the ground, his insides churned violently, and blood sprayed from his mouth. Just as his massive body was about to be flung back by the sheer impact, thick darkness erupted from Bane's fist, pulling him in with magnetic force, locking him in place.
"You… you're a Devil Fruit user?!" Arlong growled through clenched teeth, eyes wide in disbelief despite the pain.
But Bane didn't bother to answer. With a subtle flex of his arm, the blackness surged around Arlong like a cocoon, suspending him midair, binding him tightly.
Bane's eyes gleamed with a cold, brutal light. He stepped back a few paces, withdrawing his blade back into its sheath. His free hand began to swirl with shadow—dark matter weaving between his fingers like smoke.
Then, in a low growl, he called out:
"Dark Abyss: Coffin of Shadows."
With a fist clenched tight, the dark cocoon imploded inward.
Arlong's exposed face twisted in agony as his body was crushed by the pressure. Blood erupted from his mouth like a fountain, splashing the ground between him and Bane.
When the darkness receded, Arlong collapsed to the floor. His entire body was twisted and mangled—like a sponge that had been wrung dry and never sprung back. His bones were shattered. The fight was over.
"Pathetic," Bane muttered, placing his foot squarely on Arlong's head.
The battle had ended in seconds. The moment they clashed, the victor had already been decided. Zoro, meanwhile, was still wrapping up his side of the fight.
The few fish-men who'd witnessed their captain's brutal defeat charged Bane in desperation, trying to save Arlong.
Zoro made no move to intercept them. He calmly returned his blades to their scabbards and said with a faint smirk:
"It's over."
"You're not going to help him?" Nami asked, confused.
"There's no need," Zoro replied, already knowing what was coming.
Then, in a perfectly mocking tone, he added, "Dark Abyss: Tidal Surge."
As if on cue, darkness erupted from Bane's body—an overwhelming surge like a tsunami of night, engulfing Arlong Park in an instant.
To Nami, the world went black. Her vision was gone, sound vanished, and a wave of panic clutched her chest. She'd barely begun to react when, like the receding tide, the shadows sucked back into Bane's body.
And then… silence.
When her vision cleared, everything was gone—the corpses, the blood, even the debris on the ground. The only thing that remained… was Arlong, still pinned beneath Bane's boot.
Zoro let out a low breath. "Told you. Over."
Nami blinked, dazed. "What… what was that?!"
"That's Bane's power," Zoro answered casually. "He ate a Devil Fruit—logia-type. The Dark-Dark Fruit. He controls the power of darkness."
Before Nami could ask more, Bane turned to her and said, "Navigator. Want to take your revenge yourself?"
Her eyes fell on Arlong's broken, helpless body. A storm of emotions swirled within her—relief, fury, disbelief. Slowly, she stepped forward.
"Give me a blade," she said, voice steady but quiet.
Bane handed her his sheathed sword without a word.
Drawing the blade, Nami aimed it at Arlong's exposed throat. He was unconscious, barely alive. One strike was all it would take.
But… her hand trembled.
Despite all her rage, all her pain—Nami had never killed before. Not even her worst enemy. Her body refused to obey her.
Seeing this, Bane stepped forward and gently moved behind her. Without speaking, he placed his hands over hers, guiding her grip.
And together—they drove the blade down.
Blood spilled. Arlong's reign ended.
As soon as the sword left his body, Bane let go. Nami, overwhelmed by the release of it all, collapsed beside the corpse, clutching the hilt of the blade.
Then, she screamed.
"Bell mére… Bell mére…!" she cried out, sobbing uncontrollably. The pain of eight long years poured from her lungs in a howl that echoed through the park.
Her nightmare was finally over.
Belmére could rest in peace.
All those who had died under Arlong's rule—they could rest now, too.
As Nami cried, a crowd of villagers burst into Arlong Park. They were led by a young woman with indigo hair and a determined face—Nojiko, Nami's older sister.
"Nami!" she gasped. Her eyes fell on Arlong's corpse and Nami weeping beside it. "Are you okay?!"
The villagers, armed with farming tools, stared in shock. Had Nami… really done it?
Nami looked up like a child calling for comfort. "Nojiko… Nojiko…"
Nojiko rushed to her side, embracing her tightly. "It's over. It's all over now, Nami."
"I… I finally avenged Belmére…" she sobbed into her sister's arms.
Elsewhere, Bane and Zoro leaned against the shade of a crumbled wall. Zoro took a swig from his sake flask and asked:
"So… you knew all this would happen from the start?"
Bane lit a cigarette, blew a lazy puff of smoke, and grinned. "Told you already. Some things, you don't need to ask about."
With that, he pulled a small Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed a number.
Zoro overheard snippets of the call. Something about "Captain Nezumi" and "reporting corruption." A tip-off to Smoker, clearly.
Zoro didn't pay it much attention. Instead, his gaze returned to the villagers—laughing, crying, hugging Nami and Nojiko.
For the first time, Zoro felt something stir in his chest.
This journey… might actually be worth it.