Decisive Battle Against Arlong: The Power of Nakama

"Roman—"

"You bastard."

Facing Zoro and Nami, who had rushed to his side, Roman, now standing, flashed a 'toothy grin'.

"I'm fine."

Indeed, Roman was covered in black scorch marks, looking like he could perfectly play the villain in a detective story. It was the furthest thing from 'fine'. However:

"Good! Good! Good!!"

With three gritted teeth, Arlong, the Fish-Man leader, finally decided to take action!

Zoro and Nami stood beside Roman, weapons in hand. And then:

"Hahahaha—cough, cough,"

Outside Arlong Park, a wounded Usopp stumbled in, leaning against the wall.

"I took care of... that... long-mouthed perverted dried fish."

Roman, looking every bit the 'unlucky' one, gave Usopp a thumbs-up in response to his own gesture.

"Good job, Usopp!"

He had indeed done well. Roman wasn't surprised that Zoro could defeat an executive. But for Usopp to also take down an executive was something Roman hadn't anticipated.

"Hmph, how dare you show such disrespect to us, the great Fish-Men!"

Arlong was so enraged by their 'arrogant' attitude that he was about to explode! But today, he was destined for even greater fury.

"Hahaha, noble Fish-Men?"

Roman threw his head back and laughed. With Canson defeated, he could finally use his Devil Fruit ability without reservation.

Sheets of paper flew out, wrapping around him and saving him from the embarrassment of being naked. At the same time, a cutlass and a shield appeared in his hands. The cutlass pointed at Arlong's proud nose.

"What you call 'nobility'—"

"Is it the 'nobility' that commands such high prices in the Sabaody slave market?"

!!!!

"Human, you seek death!!"

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve—"

Roman took a few steps forward to confront Arlong, cold mockery spilling from his lips. "The people of East Blue don't know your true nature, but you think no one else does?"

"Those you call 'Fish-Men', in the Grand Line, are merely scarce 'cargo' fought over by various pirates and slave traders!"

"What—"

"This..."

The villagers of Cocoyasi Village were stunned!

The Fish-Men who had oppressed them for eight years, conquered over twenty surrounding villages, the invincible, unresisting Fish-Men, were actually...

"Noble Fish-Men? Are you trying to kill me with laughter? A race that gets captured and enslaved, you dare—"

"SHUT UP!!!!"

Shwshwshw—

Here they come!

Several cold glints shot towards Roman at speeds far exceeding bullets. Roman, who was spewing trash talk but was secretly fully alert, felt a jolt. The shield in his hand immediately blocked the path of these 'bullets'.

Pft pft pft,

With a series of sounds, Roman's shield easily blocked the opponent's 'Fish-Man Karate - Yagyu'. This technique, Fish-Man Karate - Yagyu, was a move that fired water like bullets. Not only was its damage comparable to gunfire, but it was also very concealed. However:

Paper absorbs water!

Following the 'water bullets' came a gaping maw opened at a ninety-degree angle! And teeth like rows of daggers.

Crack!!

The sharp teeth bit down fiercely, instantly taking a large chunk out of the 'shield' in Roman's hand. But:

Swish,

After forcing the opponent back with a saber strike, Roman sneered.

"Don't just eat things made by other people's abilities, alright?"

Pfft,

The shield, bitten off by Arlong, suddenly expanded in his mouth from a 'chunk' into a 'hedgehog'! Although it was just a paper-made ball of spikes, it was enough to injure the soft flesh of his mouth.

"Aaaaahhh—"

With a 'hedgehog' stuck in his mouth, Arlong stumbled back a few steps in pain. With a fierce resolve, he reached out and ripped out his entire gum line:

Pfft—

"Kid, I'm going to make you suffer a terrible, terrible death!"

Arlong's face darkened as he ripped out the entire gum line, pulling out the 'spiked ball' stuck in his mouth along with it. He crouched down, gathered his strength, and lunged forward. Then, with a powerful push—

"Shark ON DARTS!"

With his formidable physique, Arlong shot forward like a torpedo towards Roman... flying! His proud nose, capable of piercing steel, was his most lethal weapon!

Good, I've been waiting for you—

"Paper Dance - Crimson Leaf Hunt!"

Swish—

Sharp paper suddenly 'grew' from the ground, standing like a forest of blades in front of Roman! And if viewed from the front, one wouldn't even notice this trap, as thin as paper.

But:

Thwip,

Arlong, flying at high speed, suddenly changed his expression. He stomped his feet hard on the ground, 'braking.' Dirt and stones flew as he dragged two deep tracks across the ground! At the same time, he crossed his arms in front of him.

Clang clang clang!

Although Arlong, braking at high speed, didn't end up killing himself like Captain Kuro once did, he still sustained several cuts from the paper sabers. Roman, seizing the opportunity, charged forward with his saber and shield!

Roman's saber light flashed on and off, his shield deflecting the force. But Arlong was tall with long arms, and his well-trained muscles were no less than steel! Even taking a direct hit from Roman's saber-shield in 'chainsaw' mode only resulted in superficial wounds. It seemed:

"It's a fair match."

On the other side, Zoro, who had blocked the last Fish-Man Karate executive, glanced over and raised an eyebrow.

The battle between Roman and Arlong was too ferocious. Where they fought, sand and stones flew, walls crumbled, and the earth cracked! And as the strongest combatants on both sides (Zoro had just taken a blow from Hawk Eyes and was at low health), the outcome of their fight largely determined the outcome of this battle! Therefore:

"Big Brother Arlong!"

"Take down that human—"

"Merfolk are the strongest~~"

On the Cocoyasi Village side, they weren't to be outdone, with various cheers erupting.

"Go, big brother~~~"

"Cut that Fish-Man down!"

"Roman, go—" Bang!

After another exchange, Arlong, taking advantage of Roman being pushed back, suddenly crashed into a tall building beside them!

The solid brick and stone exploded like tofu before him, and he immediately rushed inside. —Of course, he wasn't escaping, but rather:

"Wh-what a huge weapon..."

It was a 'great saber' three meters long! No, rather than a great saber, it was more like a saw blade.

"Hehehe, human!"

Taking out the weapon from the room, the tall Fish-Man named Arlong's eyes had turned golden yellow! It was the look of a Sea King enraged.

"I will cut you to pieces with 'Zanpo'!"

Saying this, he swung the three-meter-long fearsome weapon in his hand towards Roman. The mere whistling sound of its passage through the air was like a high-speed fighter jet! With a downward slash, it even extended a sword mark over ten meters long on the floor! But:

Snap,

A foot encased in paper stepped onto the back of the 'Zanpo,' accompanied by Roman's cold laugh.

"Who do you think you're going to hit with that giant saw?"

Although Roman hadn't specifically developed abilities like 'paper illusion' to enhance himself, the 'Paper-Paper Fruit' had greatly improved his dodging capabilities. This kind of frenzied attack, the mere gust of wind it created could automatically 'push' him away.

"—You!"

Arlong suddenly lifted, but the long saber was firmly stepped on by Roman.

The scene seemed to suggest Roman had the upper hand, victory already decided! Smiles slowly appeared on the faces of the surrounding villagers, gradually turning into cheers.

"Well done!"

"Take down Arlong in one go like this!!"

"Finally, we finally..."

Good, I almost messed up.

Roman breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he'd deal with him like this—

?

Roman's body, trained day and night, suddenly swayed.

??

Huh? Why do the people around him look so surprised? Why is Zoro's expression also greatly changed? Nami, what are you shouting...

His footing suddenly gave way, and Roman tilted precariously. Arlong opposite him, with a face seven-tenths ferocious and three-tenths relieved, swung his giant 'Zanpo' and slashed fiercely at Roman!

Must... block...

Although Roman immediately brought his shield to his chest, his entire body felt as if its bones had been suddenly removed, going limp. With a jolt, he was sent flying backward by Arlong's saber strike!

CRASH!

It was as if he'd been hit head-on by a speeding train. Golden sparks flew before Roman's eyes, and he was sent flying backward through the air, a burning, metallic taste flooding his throat! A searing pain shot through his back, accompanied by a clatter and crash, clearly the sound of a building succumbing to damage.

"Cough, cough... What is this..."

Sliding down the shattered wall, Roman knelt on the ground and wiped his face. His hands came away slick with blood!

"Roman—"

He couldn't see it himself, but others watched clearly: blood, dark and red, was slowly oozing from Roman's seven orifices, his face wrapped in paper, like a mummy.

This... could it be?!

Roman staggered to his feet, his gaze falling on Canson, who was now charred.

"Hahahahahaha~~~~"

Arlong, having landed the blow, didn't press his attack. Instead, he erupted in laughter.

"See, you weak humans!"

"Canson's flames were laced with potent poison. You've been fighting him for so long, the toxins should have already spread through your vital organs!"

As he spoke, his massive serrated saber pointed at Roman, who was clutching his temples and shaking his head, Arlong's mockery evident.

"You're finished!"

I was careless.

However:

"I have indeed weakened, Arlong."

"But that doesn't mean you, a mere nobody, have grown stronger—you scum who fled to East Blue out of fear of the food in Impel Down!"

"I'll kill you!!"

Swish,

His enormous serrated saber swung down, cleaving the wall in two! But Roman was already...

"Flying? You can't escape—"

Bang, bang, bang!!

Roman had barely managed to form 'paper wings' to suspend himself when Arlong leaped up and began hacking at him! The two battled their way up the building behind them. As they neared the rooftop, Roman finally lost strength and was blasted into the structure by one of Arlong's strikes!

"This is bad, we have to help—"

"That room is..."

"Roman," Nami gritted her teeth, clutching her three-section staff! She felt utterly useless, forced to watch her comrade fight for her. This feeling...

Splash!

Arlong leaped through the hole Roman had created. He surveyed the room, then sheathed his massive serrated saber. This was Nami's workspace, the entire room filled with sea charts from the surrounding areas.

"Actually..."

Roman, lying on the other side of the room, raised his head and looked at the towering Fish-Man before him.

One was gravely wounded, the other still possessed most of his strength.

"Personally, I don't dislike Fish-Men."

"You're begging for mercy now?"

At Roman's words, the Fish-Man named Arlong curled his lips into a savage grin.

"I know about the grudges between Fish-Men and humans, the Sun Pirates, Fisher Tiger, the Celestial Dragons... I know it all."

What?

"If you were fighting the Celestial Dragons and their lackeys in the New World, I believe we might have been friends one day, but!"

Roman pushed himself up slowly, leaning on the nearby wall.

"A great man once said: 'The strong, when angered, draw their swords against the stronger; the cowardly, when angered, draw their swords against the weaker.'"

As he spoke, Roman looked up, meeting Arlong's eyes directly. Even as dark, reddish blood continued to seep out, there was not a hint of fear in his gaze.

"Coming all the way to East Blue to bully ordinary people? The Arlong Empire? There are limits to self-deception. Any Vice Admiral from the Grand Line could wipe you out as easily as crushing an insect!"

!!!

"Are you done with your last words?"

Arlong on the other side gnashed his teeth, his lips trembling uncontrollably. He knew, of course, that the 'Arlong Empire' he boasted about was nothing but a soap bubble. If that was the case:

"I will kill you! Then I'll kill those people below, and then I'll kill Nami—"

?!

"What are you laughing at!?"

"Hahahaha~~~" Roman, who could barely stand, was laughing with a... carefree air.

"You won't kill anyone today, because you're about to die here."

"What?!"

"Hahaha, what are you going to kill me with?"

Arlong didn't mind talking with Roman for a bit. To him, it was just the 'barking of a loser.'

"Are you going to use that body that can't even stand straight, or rely on the trash below?"

"That's right, six broken ribs, a fractured left hand, and poisoned… " As for the 100% skin burns all over his body, those were just 'minor issues'… It looked like he was cornered, no matter how you looked at it.

"Nami—!"

Roman's voice came from the top floor of the building, echoing across the entire battlefield.

"—Lend me a hand!!"

What?!

While everyone was stunned, only Nami covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face again.

"Hahaha, Nami? Nami?!"

And in the room on the top floor, Arlong was laughing so hard he could barely stand. After he wiped the 'tears' from the corner of his eye, his expression suddenly turned fierce!

"Nami's power—is that your final countermeasure?"

"That's right,"

Roman reached out and picked up a sea chart from a table, waving it.

"Do you know what this is?"

"?"

"A sea chart?"

"Wrong," Roman, completely drained, cracked a smile, his white teeth bared like a wolf!

"The answer is:"

"Paper!"

"Paper Dance—!!"

A declaration rang out in the top floor building of 'Arlong Park'! It was Roman's voice.

"—Death Storm!!!"

Whoosh!

Gale!

A gale that reached from the heavens to the earth!

A high-speed rotating gale appeared on the top floor of the building, and then:

The entire 'Arlong Park' was instantly turned to dust and smoke in the 'gale' starting from the top floor! Within that high-speed rotating 'gale,' a tall figure let out a tragic scream!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah~~~~~~~~"

"··· We Fish-Men··· are the ones···"

"Shut up."

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—!!

The giant 'gale' rotated downwards, like the sword of a war god descending, directly cutting the tall 'Arlong Park' into a pile of ruins! And a figure slowly walked out from within:

"Ro… Roman!"

Although his entire body was wrapped in white paper strips, this figure was undoubtedly:

"Big Brother Arlong?"

"Where is Arlong—!"

"No… impossible…"

As the Fish-Men were in despair and trembling, Roman slowly extended his hand and caught a sea chart that floated in front of him.

"Your Arlong is right here."

Yes, his flesh and blood were all smeared on this sea chart that covered the sky! Leaving only a patch of red.

"Roman,"

Facing the orange-haired girl in front of him, who was crying and smiling, Roman just gave a proud smile.

"I said, killing people… is… up to… ···"

The scene in front of him went black, and the young man named Roman fell forward, caught by a pair of soft arms.

"Mm, it's up to you."

"Roman."

***

PS: Ah, for the sake of story continuity, I won't split it into two chapters. Also, please vote for me~~~~ Anything is fine~~~