Unexpected Strong Enemy, Ability Countered

Kaka kaka ka,

A series of flashes streaked across the gates of 'Arlong Park,' and then with a crash, the sturdy doors shattered into geometric shapes of various sizes, scattering across the ground.

"Who's there?"

In response to the questions of several Fish-Men, who were both shocked and angry, approaching the gate, the answer was:

A fleeting flash of a saber.

Pfft, pfft!

Roman and Zoro walked into Arlong Park, one on each side. Behind them, two Fish-Men slowly fell.

"What!"

"Who dares cause trouble in Arlong Park?"

"Take them down—"

"Wait a—"

Although some cautious executives told them to 'wait a moment,' these idle Fish-Men, perhaps accustomed to bullying ordinary people, saw Roman and Zoro and charged forward without hesitation! Many didn't even have weapons and came with bare fists—

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft,

Amidst a series of sounds of sharp blades cutting flesh, the so-called Fish-Men, whose physical abilities far surpassed ordinary humans, were no different from dead fish in front of true 'experts.'

"Ahhhh— My brethren!!!"

"Trash is trash,"

Roman flicked the blood off his cutlass. The gleaming, like-new weapon was aimed at the tall figure who had just sprung from his chair.

"Hey, are you Arlong?"

"Who are you people? What are you doing on my turf!"

Facing Arlong's question, his face as dark as ink, Roman calmly replied.

"We are Pirates, — members of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"As for why we are here:"

The thought of Nami, kneeling and crying while self-harming, made Roman's expression darken as well.

"You made our Navigator cry!"

?

What kind of ridiculous reason is that!

"Your Navigator..." Although Arlong appeared rough on the outside, he was actually a cunning and sly individual. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to collude with the Marines for eight years and even evade Luffy's grandfather's 'raids' to become an emperor-like figure in this corner of the East Blue.

"We don't know you at all—"

???

"Could it be," the Fish-Man named Arlong frowned, thinking of a possibility.

"You guys are unlucky fools who were tricked by Nami, aren't you?"

"There are two errors in your statement,"

Roman, holding his dual sabers with reversed grips, strode towards the opponent, completely ignoring the ordinary Fish-Men around him.

"First, Nami did not deceive us."

"Second, meeting Nami is not an unlucky thing for us."

Roman, striding forward, stood before Arlong. Although his height was not short, he seemed... insignificant in front of the other's 2.6-meter stature.

However, combat was never simply about comparing height or strength, but rather:

"Third, you shouldn't—"

Have let me get this close!

Slash—

The dual sabers in Roman's hands suddenly slashed forward from bottom to top towards Arlong! It was as if he simultaneously performed two 'quick draw' techniques!

The speed of the cutlass instantly transformed from extremely slow to extremely fast. These two strikes were so swift they seemed to transcend the boundaries of time and space, disappearing in a flash, only to reappear moments later, accompanied by a rain of blood, as two powerful sword energies slashed forward.

"Paper Dance - Twin Iaido!"

For a moment, sword energy crisscrossed, and cold light dazzled! Zoro behind him's eyes flickered.

Roman, you still say you don't know swordsmanship...

"Tch,"

However, Roman, having landed a blow, let out an displeased snort and leaped back, because a giant fist smashed down fiercely on the spot where he had just stood! Instantly, the hard stone slabs on the ground cracked and exploded like tofu.

"Human, how dare you!"

"Don't be rash, Leader Arlong."

Canson, holding a tattered Fish-Man corpse, stopped Arlong's pursuit. In that critical moment, it was he who suddenly pushed Arlong aside from the side, and then pulled an ordinary Fish-Man over to 'block the blade.' Otherwise:

The fact that only the upper half of the Fish-Man remained in his hand was enough to show how dangerous Roman's previous move had been!

"Canson, you too!"

However, Arlong, who had just been saved by the other party, showed no gratitude and glared at the crimson Fish-Man, Canson, beside him.

"You actually used a fellow countryman as a shield—"

"Leader Arlong, leave this enemy to me."

Facing Arlong's fury, Canson spoke as he released the mangled corpse in his hand, stepping forward to proudly face Roman.

"If I lose, I will willingly accept the 'Sun Scorching Punishment'."

Hiss—

The other Fish-Men, who had been complaining, immediately fell silent. Although Fish-Men, like humans, could live on land, they required a large amount of water to maintain the moisture on their skin compared to humans. Therefore, dryness was their greatest enemy.

The 'Sun Scorching Punishment' was obvious from its name.

A strong Fish-Man weighing several hundred pounds, tied up under the scorching sun for days, could be dried into a 'dried fish' weighing only tens of pounds! It was undoubtedly the most cruel punishment for a Fish-Man.

"This is troublesome."

Roman frowned. For him, there were no constraints like 'fairness' or 'righteousness.' Whether it was a sneak attack or a scheme, any method that led to victory was useful.

It was a shame he couldn't instantly kill... no, severely injure Arlong. The subsequent battle would likely not be easy. Moreover:

"Who are you?"

Roman frowned as he looked at the middle-aged Fish-Man who looked more like a fisherman than a pirate. Although his memories of his past life were already very blurry, Arlong's subordinates should only consist of three leaders, right?

He glanced at the three individuals standing next to Arlong, whose 'style' was clearly above that of the other grunts: a six-armed, goofy octopus, a pervert with a long mouth, and a Fish-Man in a karate outfit with arm bones that resembled fan blades on both sides.

Then who was this crimson-colored fellow in front of him...

"'The Counterattacker' Roman, I didn't expect to meet you here." The other party called out Roman's background, causing Roman to frown.

"You know me?"

"Heh, I didn't expect to be forgotten so quickly?"

The crimson Fish-Man shook his head self-deprecatingly, then his expression turned solemn.

"The name 'Flame Pirates,' you should remember it, right?"

—!

"You're Captain Canson?"

No way, this guy actually chased him all the way from North Blue to here...

"If you're looking for revenge against the 'Silver Light Pirates,' then I'm afraid that's regrettable."

No wonder this guy looked so familiar! Roman remembered. This guy was the captain of the 'Flame Pirates' from North Blue, a group of unlucky fellows who were once wiped out by the Silver Light Pirates. He heard that their captain was away on business at the time, but he didn't expect...

"Is that so?"

However, the other party took a fighting stance on his own.

"As the combat captain of the Silver Light Pirates, you are also on my revenge list."

"So there's no room for negotiation? Alright—"

As soon as he finished saying "Alright," Roman lunged at the other party like a gale!

The cutlass in his hand, as cold as snow and as thin as paper (physically), reflected the sunlight. As he swung the dual sabers, it was like dazzling lightning, subtly sealing off all of the opponent's evasion space with its sweeping movements.

The wind from the saber strikes condensed into a bloody, fierce aura and pressure, pressing heavily against the crimson Fish-Man. Even the pond twenty meters away rippled with circles of water, the ferocity and sharpness making the ordinary Fish-Men onlookers tremble with fear!

Facing Roman's chilling dual sabers, the crimson Fish-Man opposite him simply made a motion of 'deep breathing,' and then:

"Hoo—"

The Fish-Man named Canson's beard bristled outwards, his face flushed red like fire. He opened his mouth and spat out a stream of blue flame, which condensed into a pillar of azure flame several meters long, bringing with it a surging wave of fire that enveloped Roman from above!

???

&##&￥

As the flames rushed towards him, Roman only had time to retreat! He immediately canceled the 'Paper Dance - Iron Armor' that was constantly active on his body, and even discarded his dual sabers simultaneously! However, he was still engulfed by the flames. Although Roman immediately rolled on the ground to extinguish the fire, it was:

Completely useless!

The flames actually adhered to his skin and burned with a sizzling sound, as if trying to burrow into his flesh. This forced Roman to immediately create several layers of paper on his skin and then discard them. Although this increased the fire on his body, it expelled the 'thing' that was digging three inches into his flesh.

The effect and color of this... Roman sniffed, his expression darkening as he voiced his guess:

"This is... phosphorus!"

"That's right," the Fish-Man Canson opposite him exhaled, letting out a string of sparks.

"I am a 'Dark Indian Sea Bream' type Fish-Man. I usually absorb phosphorus-containing organic matter from my food and store it in my body. When needed, I can spray it at enemies."

What the hell—

Roman's face turned black. A fire-breathing ability, and moreover, a phosphorus-based combustion that was inextinguishable once it attached! This was simply a perfect counter to his Devil Fruit ability.

"Zoro,"

The helpless Roman glanced at the three-sword style... now one-sword style green-haired swordsman beside him.

"Sorry, I'll have to trouble you to fight desperately."

"Heh, just as I wanted."