Fish-Man Karate

Aquatic Park was a massive swimming pool, with a sign out front that read: Humans Prohibited.

Ironically, inside a structure resembling a security booth within Aquatic Park, a group of humans stood guard with rifles slung over their backs.

After glancing at the sign, Ling Donglai raised his foot and kicked it to pieces.

"What's going on? What's going on? Are you here to cause trouble? Don't you know this is the territory of the Fish-Man masters?" Hearing the commotion, the guards grabbed their weapons and rushed out.

"Hey, you lot, aren't you humans too?"

Ling Donglai pointed at the shattered sign.

"Hahahaha! We've been promoted as officers by the fish-men. How could we possibly be the same as mud-legged peasants like you?" The guards burst into laughter.

"What makes us different? Do you have noble blood, or are you some other race?"

Ling Donglai lifted his leg. A kick wreathed in lightning struck the man's face the next second, sending him flying.

"Hack him to death!" The others raised their shotguns and machetes and charged at Ling Donglai.

Ling Donglai deflected the bullets with his katana, then lunged forward and slammed into a lackey's chest, knocking him away. Whether he lived or died was unknown.

"Damn it, he's the man who dared to attack Arlong! Retreat!"

The remaining lackeys recognized Ling Donglai's face and panicked. They did not forget to trigger the alarm inside the security booth, and its piercing wail rang through the sky.

Come to think of it, why did he need to learn those so-called sword techniques? As long as he could cut someone, that was enough. Ling Donglai held his katana and aimed at the guard fleeing into the distance.

"If only this thing had bullets..."

He hurled the katana in his hand, and it pierced straight through the man's chest with perfect accuracy.

Fish-Man Karate: Water Shot!

Several droplets shot in from afar, moving far faster than bullets. They slammed into Ling Donglai's body and punched several bloody holes through him.

"Seawater?" Ling Donglai wiped at his wounds, smearing away the blood.

"Arlong was right. You, a Devil Fruit user, are still alive. I don't know how you escaped that saturation bombardment, but your journey ends here!" A long-snouted fish-man arrived, carrying the salty, damp smell of the sea.

Soon afterward, several fish-men emerged from Aquatic Park.

"Even if you're a Devil Fruit user, you'll still die for provoking us fish-men! We are the favored children of the sea, unlike cursed freaks like you!"

"Hmph. I didn't expect to run into someone here who knew Fish-Man Karate." Ling Donglai stepped forward and pulled out the katana he had thrown.

In his hazy memories, Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu had both appeared in the hands of fish-men later on, used by people like Knight of the Sea Jinbe.

He had not expected Fish-Man martial arts to exist even in this East Blue beginner village dungeon. One Piece had run for so long and covered such vast seas that it was perfectly normal for him not to remember all these early arcs.

"I didn't expect an East Blue human like you to know the great name of Fish-Man Karate. But you still know far too little. Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu are martial arts every fish-man knows a trick or two of!"

Nearly twenty fish-men surrounded Ling Donglai. Their bodies were dripping wet, as though they had just emerged from the sea.

"Remember my name: Kuroobi, 40th Dan of Fish-Man Karate!

"And me, Choo!" Another long-mouthed fish-man sneered at Ling Donglai.

"Didn't expect this, did you? You've run into two officers. You won't escape even if you grow wings!"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw azure lightning erupt from Ling Donglai's entire body, his hair standing upright in an instant.

"So much nonsense. Prepare to die!" Ling Donglai thrust his sword through one fish-man, then smashed another fish-man's head apart with a punch.

"So fast! He actually dares to launch a swift attack first while surrounded by us!" Choo's eyes widened as he shouted,

"Everyone, spread out and use the seawater on your bodies to protect yourselves! He's a Devil Fruit user—he doesn't dare touch us!"

"Does this even count as a challenge?" Ling Donglai clenched the air with one hand, azure lightning tearing through the atmosphere.

Current Drive: 100,000 Volts!

With a crack, the current tore through the air and struck the tightly packed fish-men.

In a world like One Piece, where individual strength was overwhelmingly powerful, the power of numbers was reduced infinitely. No matter how many people you had, someone could clear the field with a single burst of Conqueror's Haki, or punch apart a massive island and send all your men plunging into the sea.

Thus, before Ling Donglai, it was not the fish-men who had surrounded him. It was Ling Donglai, this one human, who had surrounded them all!

"You're getting in the way! All of you, fall back! Leave him to us officers!" Seeing heavy casualties among the fish-men in an instant, Kuroobi flew into a rage. His body shook, blasting the seawater off him into the air.

Water Shot!

The seawater formed droplets that blasted outward in every direction. Even his own men were struck without exception. This was the move that had ambushed Ling Donglai!

Armament Haki!

A thin, invisible suit of armor flashed over him. Ling Donglai was still struck by countless droplets, and his Armament Haki shattered on impact.

Weak Armament Haki could not play much of a role in battle.

"What heavy force..."

Ling Donglai looked at his torn clothes, then ripped the strips of cloth away and tossed them aside, revealing his lean, muscular body.

"Water Shot really is troublesome!"

Ling Donglai clenched his fists once more. The debuff brought by that bit of seawater vanished; after all, he had undergone resistance training in this regard before setting sail.

By now, Ling Donglai had cleared the field. Several fish-men had fallen dead, while the rest had retreated far away under the officers' orders.

His opponents had become the two fish-man officers.

"Be careful not to let him get close. He can actually summon lightning—that's no ordinary Devil Fruit..." Choo cautiously circled Ling Donglai as he spoke to Kuroobi.

"He won't get the chance. This is the battlefield most suited to us fish-men. As long as there's seawater, defeating a Devil Fruit user like him will be easy!"

Kuroobi's reply was brimming with confidence.

Water Shot! Choo took a deep breath, then sprayed a stream of water from his long mouth.

"Spitting?" Ling Donglai stomped his feet and hurriedly leaped into the air.

Wasn't this move a little too disgusting?

"Only fools leap into the air, where they have nothing to push off from!" Kuroobi raised both arms. Another Water Shot!

Ling Donglai swung both fists. The heat generated by the 100,000 Volts attack swept the droplets away, and Ling Donglai landed safely on the ground.

The instant his toes touched the ground, he lowered his body and charged toward Choo. He needed to deal with this spitting fish-man quickly.

This guy's moves were too disgusting. Ling Donglai did not even want to take a single hit!