Whoosh—!
A sky-blue flame chased Roman's figure as it streaked wildly across the battlefield, leaving Roman, who did not dare use his Devil Fruit ability at all, deeply frustrated.
If I'd known, I would've brought some weapons with me...
At least I wouldn't be empty-handed like this. In that case:
Then,
I'll beat you down with my bare hands!
Roman shuddered, and every muscle in his body rippled like flowing mercury, brimming with a powerful sense of beauty! Like a savage beast suddenly unleashed, he turned into an afterimage, whipping up a fierce gust as he curved toward Canson, the fire-breathing fish-man.
Even without weapons, Roman's imposing presence made Canson realize that he was no easy opponent. Turning his head, Canson immediately spat a stream of sky-blue flames, blazing with intense heat, straight at Roman!
At the same time, two fish-men behind him seized the opportunity to thrust their weapons at Roman's unguarded back.
"Roman, watch out—"
Yet just as Zoro's warning left his mouth, Roman stamped his foot, making the entire battlefield jolt violently. At the same time, his charging body suddenly shot backward at a speed no slower than his advance!
Where his foot struck, shattered stone slabs burst upward into a barrage of earth and rock, blocking his path and briefly hindering the oncoming flames.
That retreat and kick let him evade Canson's blue flames. At the same time, Roman spun around sharply! His outstretched hands clamped around the throats of the two fish-men attempting to ambush him, and then:
Bang!
With one fish-man's throat gripped in each hand, Roman erupted with strength and brought down a Tremor Stomp!
That kick carried the force of ten thousand catties—heavy as Mount Tai, moving with the roar of thunder! The stone floor beneath him caved in, cracks exploding outward in rings! The other fish-men surrounding him were shaken so badly that they staggered and fell.
The two fish-men whose throats were gripped howled wildly and struggled desperately! Yet their supposedly "ten times human" strength and sharp claws could only leave pale marks on Roman's body, producing harsh metallic scraping sounds, as Roman twisted around fiercely while holding them.
"Damn it,"
The two large fish-men stood in front of Roman, completely blocking him from view. Canson had no choice but to stop breathing fire, while Roman charged toward him with his "fish-man shields" in hand!
Was he planning to use "hostages" to force a close-quarters fight?
Facing Roman, who hid behind the two fish-men, the middle-aged crimson fish-man Canson remained as calm as a statue.
Naive—
Swish,
?
As the world spun, Roman was sent flying backward!—The two fish-men he had used as shields had already separated to either side. After spinning several times in place to disperse the force, they were somehow completely unharmed?
Slap,
Roman tucked himself in midair, flipped, and landed on the ground. His expression grim, he looked at the crimson fish-man opposite him.
"Fish-Man Karate—Air Dance."
Canson faced Roman in an upright, dignified stance, his expression unchanged.
"Unlike the other fish-men, whose karate focuses on destructive power, my 'karate' has only one move: Grapple Throw!"
"But unlike an ordinary grapple throw, which requires you to grab or entangle your opponent before throwing them, my Air Dance only needs to touch someone's weapon, clothing, or even skin to throw them away."
That was right. How could Captain Canson, once worth 35 million Beli, possibly know only "fire-breathing"?
Even without his fire-breathing ability, this technique that allowed him to throw people or weapons merely through "contact," combined with a fish-man's formidable physical abilities, was what truly made him terrifying.
In fact, if he were underwater, he could even "throw" invisible water like a weapon!
"Young man, your swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and Devil Fruit ability are all quite good."
"But they're far too scattered!"
"If you cannot specialize in a single path, you'll never reach the pinnacle—"
"Ha, sorry about that."
Roman flexed his muscles. "I'm not some martial artist or swordsman. Blades, fists, kicks, and Devil Fruit abilities are all just tools to me."
"What I want is victory! Nothing but victory!—Because losers have no future. So:"
Rustle, rustle,
Sheets of white paper appeared in Roman's hands, transforming into two long katana.
"Useless..."
Swish,
Roman tossed the twin blades toward Zoro at the side, because footsteps had begun to sound outside Arlong Park, drawing closer and closer! The villagers of Cocoyasi Village had arrived.
Damn it. He had thought he could neatly take down several executives before the villagers arrived, then let them shout "66666" from the side while cleaning up the fodder. But now, it seemed:
"Zoro! Usopp! Joseph! Johnny!"
Roman called out the names of several of his side's "elite" fighters in one breath.
"Help me hold back the other fish-man executives,"
As the villagers' battle cries rang out from beyond the walls, Roman narrowed his eyes.
"One minute. I'll take care of this guy first!"
"Kill!"
"Ahhhh~~~"
"Roar, roar, roar!!"
"Die—"
Bullets flew, while blades roared!
Mutated howls and sprays of flesh and bone filled the air. Every human and fish-man fought desperately to kill the enemy beside them! The air became hot and heavy, as though scorching sand were constantly being poured into their guts, and only the enemy's blood could ease that thirst.
One side was strong and sturdy; the other was well-equipped.
One side considered itself noble; the other was filled with hatred!
When the fully armed villagers of Cocoyasi Village appeared at Arlong Park, there was no trash talk and no negotiation. Both sides had only one path left: drive their weapons into the other's body, tear apart their hearts, and smash their brains!
Either you die, or I live!
This was war.
Bang,
"Thirty seconds have passed,"
Canson showed neither joy nor sorrow as he faced Roman, whom he had once again easily thrown away.
"You cannot defeat me."
"Pant, pant, pant,"
Damn it, was this the legendary "butterfly effect"? He had never expected that because of him, he would encounter such a troublesome opponent here...
Roman glanced across the entire battlefield:
Zoro was using his three swords to suppress the six-armed octopus executive with the Six-Sword Style. Victory was not a problem.
Usopp had lured away that long-mouthed fish-man executive. Who knew how that battle was going...
Joseph and Johnny... were being overwhelmed by a Fish-Man Karate fighter with bone blades growing from his arms! Their defeat... depended only on how much longer they could hold out.
As for the battle between the ordinary fish-men and villagers, it could only be called evenly matched. They could still maintain a stalemate for now, but—
The enemy still had Arlong, the leader here!
He sat in his chair with a livid expression. The increasingly heavy killing intent around him showed that he was about to "lose his patience," abandon his dignity as a leader, and begin slaughtering everyone.
The battle was going badly. Should they make a "strategic withdrawal"?
How could that be possible!
Ah... sorry, Nami.
He had wanted to defeat his opponents beautifully, yet things had ended up like this...
If too many villagers were killed or wounded, it would definitely make you even sadder, wouldn't it? A girl's tears...
Then,
"Come at me—"
Bang!
Roman charged at Canson once again! The wind cutting across his face was like blades. All he saw was his rapidly enlarging opponent, and:
"Die!"
"Paper Dance—Great Lance!"
The paper swirling from his arms wrapped together into an enormous lance, piercing the air and the distance between them as it drilled toward Canson like an electric drill. It came with the force of a dragon and the speed of a startled swan! But:
"Useless."
A mouthful of sky-blue flames rushed toward him!
It truly should have been useless. As a well-traveled captain, Canson knew perfectly well that Roman's Devil Fruit ability created "paper." Before his flames, there could only be defeat and death—
Boom!
Yet from the flames that suddenly exploded before him, a "Flame Person" lunged out!
Slap!
Before Canson could react, one blazing hand seized his throat, while another burning hand grabbed his wrist. Immense force pinned the fish-man captain to the ground.
"Don't you like flames?"
Roman's voice came from within the "Flame Person." Compared to his usual calm and indifference, the passion and madness of youth had finally surfaced.
"Then I'll let you burn to your heart's content—let's see who burns to a crisp first!"
"Paper Dance—Sea of Fire!"
Boom, boom, boom—!!!
The paper Roman created with all his strength instantly ignited them both into a roaring "torch"! ...No, it should have been called a sea of fire! The soaring flames arrogantly cast light and heat in every direction, forcefully splitting apart the chaotic battlefield.
"Ahhh, fire—"
"Run—"
"Water, water, get me water!!"
Facing the raging flames spreading from the two men, the fish-men were all shocked and retreated in panic, terrified of being caught in the blaze. On the other side:
"Roman! You bastard—"
Zoro gritted his teeth as he faced Hachi, the six-armed octopus swordsman who stubbornly entangled him. A savage gleam flashed in his eyes.
"Get lost!"
"I won't let you—"
"Onigiri!"
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!
In a sudden eruption, Zoro, like a rampaging demon god, shattered all six of his opponent's katana with one strike, then:
"Dragon Twister!"
Splurt, splurt, splurt, splurt,
Poor Hachi instantly sprayed blood all over and flew into the air, while Zoro's figure had already charged toward Roman without hesitation.
"Roman—"
Among the villagers of Cocoyasi Village, Nami watched Roman engulfed in flames, tears streaming endlessly down her face. She had shed more tears these past few days than she had in the previous eight years combined! Even before the raging inferno, she still rushed forward without hesitation.
"Hahahaha, do you see that, Captain Canson!"
Roman laughed madly within the flames, as if the blazing fire around him were nothing more than a festival celebration.
One side fled from it in terror,
One side charged toward it;
One side feared and trembled,
One side worried and wept;
"These are my companions, my companions now! Such wonderful companions are mine, while you have nothing—"
The captain of the Flame Pirates and the combat captain of the Silver Light Pirates were both pirates who had lost everything from their past. Yet one had found a place to belong and companions who understood him. While the other...
"...You win..."
"Kid!"
Fight scenes are such a headache...
PS: Thanks to readers "Dragon Cat" and "80012135" for the monthly votes.
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