The Legendary Super Human

"Phew..." Ling Donglai let out a long breath. This wave had wiped out the Fish-Men.

Even with a few officers among them, victory had been only natural.

"Next, I need to deal with my wounds." Ling Donglai did not even bother looting the spoils. Instead, he slipped into the mountains to find somewhere secluded to recover.

People could never truly understand one another. When Fish-Men enslaved the other villagers, some villagers felt that the Fish-Men were too powerful and that they ought to submit.

Some felt that the Fish-Men had no right to be so overbearing and that they ought to resist.

Others felt that it did not matter either way and simply went with the flow.

The last group chose to aid the tyrants, helping the Fish-Men oppress the other villagers.

Before his injuries had healed, Ling Donglai did not dare gamble on whether these villagers might collude with the Fish-Men and stab him in the back.

After all, some people had already acknowledged the Fish-Men as their masters.

After Ling Donglai left and several peaceful minutes passed, a few villagers cautiously poked their heads out and gathered where Azure Thunder had erupted.

"The Fish-Men—the Fish-Men are all dead! Even several officers died!" a villager shouted excitedly.

"Heaven has eyes! Someone finally stepped forward and killed those brutal Fish-Men!"

"Who did it? Did anyone see who did it? We have to thank him properly!"

The villagers chattered among themselves as they discussed the Fish-Men's corpses.

"I know! It was that wanted criminal! He snuck into my house, then defeated the Fish-Men who smashed their way inside!" said a villager covered in dust, pointing at his shabby house that had been punched clean through.

"Hehehe, what are you so pleased about? Is Arlong dead? No, right? That guy only killed a few officers. He did not even dare go after Arlong. Have our lives improved? Don't we still have to pay taxes to Lord Arlong every month..." a gratingly sarcastic voice piped up.

The villagers glared angrily, but none of them dared do anything to him.

The man was a thug. When Arlong came to conquer the village, he had been the first to surrender. He had even helped collect money from the villagers, earning Arlong's favor. He had spoken five whole sentences with Arlong, and even ordinary Fish-Men greeted him with smiles.

They did not dare provoke him, and besides, the thug had a point.

If the roots were not pulled out, they would grow again with the spring breeze. Arlong was still alive, so they could only place their hopes on that elusive hero.

As for celebrating, they could wait until the Fish-Men were completely dead.

"I'm telling you, Fish-Men are superior beings. How could humans like us possibly defeat superior beings? You have no idea how powerful Arlong is. He can drag our houses with one hand. Is that something a human can deal with?"

The thug kept boasting about Arlong's strength.

The more these people feared Arlong, the more benefits he received. It made him feel as though his own status and rank had risen as well.

"Arlong will be killed sooner or later!" a little boy shouted furiously at the thug.

The boy's guardian hurriedly covered his mouth.

"Why won't you let me say it? Don't you all curse Arlong in private?" the boy struggled.

"Someone is already killing Fish-Men! Arlong will definitely be killed by that person!"

"You little bastard, are those things you can say openly?" His parents' eyes reddened with panic as they rushed over and punched him, knocking the boy straight to the ground.

"Hey, your family has treasonous intentions, huh?" the thug said sarcastically, as though he had caught them red-handed.

The boy's parents forced stiff smiles. "Nothing of the sort..."

--

"Tigers are edible." Ling Donglai knocked a tiger unconscious with one punch.

"Pheasants are edible too!"

In the mountains, Ling Donglai skillfully caught prey. So long as they were not the enormous ferocious beasts of the Grand Line, no other wild beast posed any threat to him. They were merely ingredients.

It was worth mentioning that pirate-world seasonings were basically no different from those of his previous life. He could find just about any seasoning he wanted.

If he could not find something, it only meant the place was too backward and remote.

After all, countries in this world could not be compared across the board. Some still used blades, guns, and clubs, while others already had steam engines, life modification, and Androids.

After skinning the meat, removing the gamey smell, starting a fire, and sprinkling on seasonings, Ling Donglai began the traditional protagonist skill—barbecuing.

His grilling skills were average. Neither good nor bad, just ordinary.

In other words, with seasonings, properly handled meat, and nothing burnt, the flavor should all be about the same. It would not be especially delicious, but it would not be inedible dark cuisine either.

After filling his stomach a little, his body began healing its wounds on its own.

Recovering, training, going out to beat up Fish-Men to accumulate combat experience—happiness was this simple for someone with goals and ambitions.

While he immersed himself in his simple pleasures, his fame began to spread. In the villages ruled by Arlong, the title Fish-Man Hunter gradually began to circulate.

After all, the deaths of Arlong's officers were impossible to hide.

People connected that title to the person Arlong had previously put on the wanted list.

Thus began the tale that a Super Human would defeat the Fish-Man Arlong. Since ordinary humans could not defeat Fish-Men, they added the word "Super" before "Human."

The legendary Super Human had hair that stood on end and azure-blue lightning flashing all over his body, as though he had been born from heaven and earth, destined to wipe out the Fish-Men.

This version gradually spread and was continually embellished. By the end, the legendary Super Human had become a man who walked the path of heaven and presided over all things.

In this ignorant age of sailing, ordinary people's happiness was simply this plain and uncomplicated.

After living like a savage in the mountains for a month, Ling Donglai finally walked out of the wilderness brimming with confidence.

In a world with so little entertainment, only training and becoming stronger could bring Ling Donglai even a little joy.

First, Ling Donglai bought himself a new set of clothes. Then he trimmed the hair he had not cut for a month. He was a brand-new tough guy once more!

--

"The legendary Super Human?" Arlong slammed the table before him, shattering the sturdy table outright.

The absurd stories about the Super Human spread farther and farther until they eventually reached Arlong's ears.

"A bunch of ignorant lower humans. They can twist even a Devil Fruit user into something this outrageous. What a bunch of trash!"

"That Devil Fruit user—I'll kill him sooner or later and avenge my comrades!"

Arlong snarled viciously, murder flashing in his eyes. This Devil Fruit user who kept opposing him had nearly driven him mad. More importantly, his already few fellow Fish-Men were steadily dwindling in number!