Destroying Fishmen!

Bang...!

This time, a terrifying energy fluctuation formed visible, transparent ripples that quickly surged towards Arlong.

The sound of the air exploding was dull and piercing, making one's heart race.

The spell "Limb Dissolution" was a two-star Mana cost. Even with Lowett's soul strength, which was more than ten times that of an ordinary person, he couldn't completely conceal its effects.

"Move!"

Sensing the danger, Arlong struggled his body like a madman, resisting the corrosive pain. But Lowett's personal intervention to lure him here had already set up a killing blow.

If he couldn't hit the target at this range, he should consider a career change.

Buzz!!

Without a doubt, in the next second, the spell's power immediately struck his body.

Arlong's legs went soft, as if he were drunk. Pushing the broken concrete pillar, he stumbled forward.

This time it was "Real - Legs Went Soft"!

His feet, the furthest from his heart, softened first.

The bones, which should have been hard, became as soft as rubber. As he stumbled forward, his feet rubbed against the ground, folding inward at a 70° angle.

And during this process, there wasn't even any pain.

"This is impossible!"

Lying on the ground, Arlong's eyes were filled with disbelief.

His body was a Fishman's body, the body he was so proud of!

How could it become so soft?

However, at this moment, his steel-like bones softened, his firm muscles began to melt, and even the teeth, the pride of a Saw Shark Fishman, started to loosen and fall out.

"Nothing is impossible, this is magic, the crystallization of wisdom!"

Lowett's light words emerged from behind him. Arlong gritted his teeth fiercely, turned, and flung a streak of bloody tears.

"Fish-Man Karate: Water Shot!"

As a Captain, he had fought alongside "Hero" Tiger on the Grand Line in his early years, his strength far surpassing that of ordinary Fishmen.

For example, this Water Shot, the water bullet it produced had several times the penetration power of Chuu's Water Cannonball!

Crack!!

The water bullet successfully hit the opponent. The familiar sound of bone cracking made Arlong's face light up with joy.

"Did I kill him?"

"You're dreaming?"

Necromancer's Summoning: Bone Shield!

A thick shield of bones floated in the air before Lowett. The water bullet struck the center of the shield, right on the skull's forehead, creating cracks.

Instantly, the skull seemed to be enraged. Its eyes blazed with blue-green ghost fire, and it glared angrily... at Lowett.

"Hey, Mage, this counts as a workplace injury!"

The skull exclaimed indignantly, leaving Arlong stunned.

You were the one talking just now, right?

What is this thing?!

What am I even fighting against?!

Looking at Arlong's disbelieving eyes, Lowett's mouth twitched.

"Sure, I'll give you a third of his soul, how about that?"

"Thank you, master, for your generosity!"

The tone changed instantly!

The skull looked back at Arlong. With continuous "cracking" sounds, the entire shield more than doubled in size. From the size of a washbasin, it became a giant tower shield capable of covering his entire body.

"You're cheating?!"

Now it was Lowett's turn to be shocked. He thought he had just been unlucky and summoned a lower-tier ghost bone, but he didn't expect the other party to be playing dumb.

If he hadn't agreed to the compensation just now, he would have been bitten by the shield.

"When did the Underworld's atmosphere degenerate to this extent?"

Lowett looked heartbroken.

As undead creatures personally created by the Land of the Skeletal Mountains, shouldn't they all strive for the contract for life?

But the skull didn't reply, appearing as lifeless as a dead object, its expression unchanged.

Lowett: "..."

"Tsk, the daily life of a Necromancer... You're bullying me because I'm just an Elementary Mage, right?!"

He sighed, and as he lowered his head, his face returned to its usual calm.

"True benevolence is universal kindness; kindness that varies from person to person is hypocrisy."

"Hypocrite will be your new name from now on."

"Never!"

Arlong jolted awake and struggled to stand.

Lowett wanted this particular specimen, so the spell's effect hadn't caused his body to completely collapse.

Crack... Crack...

With a snapping sound, Arlong broke off his own teeth, holding one in each hand.

The sharp fangs that had sprung out so quickly in the original story now grew slowly, taking several seconds to reach their former size.

He panted, looking at Lowett.

"We are a superior race, more evolved than humans! We stand above humanity!"

"Fish-men will never be slaves!!"

With that, Arlong launched his final charge at Lowett.

Facing this, Lowett's expression remained indifferent. He suddenly asked, "Who said I wanted to enslave you?"

"Huh?!"

Arlong slammed on the brakes, his eyes widening.

"See that chair?"

Lowett pointed to the beach chair still standing firm under the eaves, likely one of the few intact objects on the entire battlefield.

Arlong followed his gaze, his expression blank.

"Do you think you enslaved it?"

Devil!

Arlong's scalp tingled instantly. His skin turned from blue to red, and his body trembled.

"You... you bastard...!"

Squelch!!

Before he could even finish half a syllable, five refined steel claws pierced the flesh of his nape, emerging from his Adam's apple.

"You...?!"

Arlong's eyes widened in disbelief, trying to turn his head.

Another sound of tearing flesh, and five more claws ripped through his back, digging out his heart and extinguishing his life.

Hiss... Haa...

The spider-transformed Black Knight's eyes were blood red. Cold air spewed from its mouth, blowing into Arlong's ear.

Thump!

Arlong fell, his face filled with rage. Before dying, he glanced towards the main gate, where Kuroobi's corpse was already split in two, torn to shreds by the Black Knight.

As Arlong had been toyed with by Lowett and turned around, the Black Knight had decisively used Silent Step to approach and finish off the opponent for its master.

"Intelligence is the most powerful weapon for us intelligent beings. The body... is merely experimental material with a higher soul compatibility."

"Judging a race's superiority by the quality of its body is ignorant!"

Turning away indifferently, Lowett looked at the undead creatures frantically chasing the Fish-men in the center of the field. He took the handkerchief offered by the Black Knight and wiped the bloodstains from his face.

"Kill them all!"

"Roar!"

Thump!

With a heavy thud, Nojiko clutched her bleeding knee, letting out a low cry of pain.

"Hurry, Arlong... Arlong's been killed!"

Kensuke, holding a scavenged iron sword, crouched by the stairs, unable to help but shout anxiously.

He had guessed Arlong wouldn't be a match for the young man. After all, from beginning to end, the man's composure was something rarely seen in someone facing a stronger opponent.

Either they'd grit their teeth and fight to the death, or they'd be full of fighting spirit.

Only when one clearly understood the vast difference between themselves and their opponent would they show such a calm expression.

But Kensuke hadn't expected Arlong to be defeated so quickly.

How long had it been?

Ten minutes, perhaps?

And that was including the time he took to eat an apple and wait for that black beast to chase Arlong around like a panicked chicken.

To him, killing Fish-men was as easy as killing chickens. If he were discovered by the other side, Kensuke didn't hold much hope for their fate.

"I know!"

Nojiko suppressed her fear and pain, stood up, and searched along the corridor.

With Arlong and the black beast in pursuit, the Arlong's Territory was already riddled with holes and impassable. Relying on Nami's words, Nojiko searched carefully in the ruins.

Finally, her eyes lit up.

"Found it!"

This was Nami's room!

Suppressing her joy, Nojiko tried the doorknob and pushed the door open.

"Nami, I..."

Her voice stopped abruptly.

The room was filled with shredded paper, precious sea charts stained with blood and tears torn to pieces and scattered everywhere.

But this was not what shocked Nojiko.

What shocked her was the orange-haired girl, crouched under the table with her face buried in her knees, a pool of blood accumulating beneath her.

Drip...

Blood dripped from her long hair onto the floor, staining a piece of sea chart red.

"Nami!!!"

Nojiko let out a piercing scream and rushed over.

Outside the room, Lowett and the Black Knight turned simultaneously. Lowett frowned, his expression surprised.

"Strange, why is her life force so weak? The Soul Chasing Beast wouldn't attack creatures other than its target?"

Lowett knew very well that there was someone else in the room, and he knew exactly who it was. He had sent the Soul Chasing Beast not only to force Arlong to collect body data but also to avoid him being caught in a large-scale magic spell.

But how did something still go wrong?

"Trouble!"

After thinking for a moment, Lowett said, "Forget about the remaining Fishmen. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes. Move the bodies and leave immediately. I'll be back soon."

"Roar!"

The Black Knight received the order, turned, and disappeared into the air.

Kuro, traveling with Silent Step, asks, "Aren't you scared?"

Arriving on the second floor, Nojiko and Kensuke surrounded Nami, tears streaming down their faces.

"Why were you so foolish, Nami!"

Kensuke was heartbroken.

"It's okay, Uncle Kensuke."

Hearing his voice, Nami reached out, her hand finding his dry one and holding it in her palm.

"Arlong is dead, and I'm blind now. I'm useless from now on, so no one can threaten you by using me to draw sea charts for them anymore."

The orange-haired girl showed a gentle yet strong smile, tilting her head up. Her face was covered in bloodstains.

But what was chilling was that where her eyes should have been, there were now only two dark, empty sockets.

To prevent the same thing from happening again, Nami had, in fact, gouged out her own eyes!