Don't you think it's funny?

Thank you?

Upon hearing those two words, the entire Arlong Pirates crew froze.

Then, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"Hey! This kid actually thinks we're praising him!"

"No wonder he's so naive, chopping down a few trees and thinking he can block our path!"

A salmon Fish-Man named Salt-Baked stepped forward, impatiently reaching out to grab Xianuo's arm. "Alright, brat, move out of our way. We don't have time to play house here..."

Huh?

Salt-Baked stared down at his hand, confused. What's going on? I can't move it?

He was the Arlong Pirates' Banquet Manager, a cadre no less! Just a mere human, how could his strength be insufficient!

"Lift, damn you—!"

Salt-Baked refused to believe it, letting out a low growl from his throat and increasing his strength step by step.

Finally, he used both hands, then turned his back and used his shoulders to push. He strained so hard his eyes bulged and veins popped on his forehead, yet the other party remained completely still, as if rooted to the spot.

"What's wrong, Salt-Baked?"

"With that little strength, you dare to be a cadre?"

"Are you putting on a solo act?"

The surrounding Fish-Men jeered. Salt-Baked's position as Banquet Manager wasn't particularly prestigious anyway; his standing on the ship was only slightly higher than that of ordinary Fish-Men.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Kuroobi suddenly snapped, and the surroundings instantly fell silent. "You fools, can't you see? It's not Salt-Baked's problem, this human kid is not simple!"

Within the Arlong Pirates, Kuroobi's prestige was second only to Arlong's, and his position was equivalent to that of the first mate.

At his words, the other Fish-Men began to scrutinize Xianuo, their expressions turning from surprise to uncertainty.

"Step down, Salt-Baked. You truly can't do anything to this kid."

Kuroobi twisted his neck, clapped his fists together, and said indifferently, "It seems my luck isn't too bad. Even in this small village, I can find someone worthy of being my opponent. Come, let me see how much substance you've got, kid!"

"Oh? Unfortunately, in my eyes, you're not qualified yet."

Xianuo looked at him and suddenly smiled. "How about we just have that little purple-skinned shark behind you go instead?"

Little purple-skinned shark?

The Fish-Men blinked, then instinctively looked back.

After noticing Arlong's suddenly darkened expression, they snapped back to reality. This guy was audacious enough to be talking about their boss.

"Sha-ha-ha—" Arlong forced a smile. "Hey, Kuroobi, did you hear what this kid said?"

"You're not allowed to disrespect Lord Arlong!"

Kuroobi roared in fury, stomping forward several steps. "And another thing! Brat, I gave you some leeway, and you dare to look down on me? Stop being so arrogant! I am a master of Fish-Man Karate, 40th dan!"

"Karate?"

Xianuo tilted his head in confusion, as if hearing the word for the first time. "What hand?"

Kuroobi's eyes turned ferocious. Just as he was about to lash out, he caught sight of two bloody severed hands on the ground out of the corner of his eye.

A piercing pain suddenly shot through him.

Only then did he realize what had happened. Trembling, he raised his arm and discovered in horror that only the part above his elbow remained...

W-when did this happen?

The surrounding Fish-Men fell into a dead silence.

Many of them stared with wide eyes. They had been watching the entire time, yet they hadn't seen when this black-haired human made his move.

Arlong, standing at the very back, had his pupils contract sharply, his expression growing even colder.

He had seen it clearly: in an instant, the kid had wrenched off Kuroobi's hands.

And he had done it with no weapons, simply tearing them off with bare hands!

This was supposed to be the East Blue, how could there be such a troublesome fellow?

And at this very moment.

Under Kuroobi's panicked gaze, Xianuo finally stood up slowly, stretched his neck slightly, and calmly walked towards the Fish-Men, step by step.

With every step Xianuo took forward, Kuroobi trembled and retreated.

If Xianuo took a slightly larger step, Kuroobi would retreat even faster, even stumbling and nearly falling.

This hardened Fish-Man cadre, who had always called himself a martial artist, was so terrified by what had just happened that he didn't even have the courage to face Xianuo directly.

"Why are you running?"

Xianuo asked softly, "I asked you, why are you running?"

"You, you, you you you..."

Kuroobi shrieked, scrambling backward on all fours, leaving a trail of blood. "Don't come any closer, stop, stop! Don't come near me!!!"

"Fish-Man Karate, Forty Dan?"

Xianuo actually stopped, shaking his head slightly. "Too much. When I eat fish, I only ever need to cut it into two pieces!"

Shing!

The moment the words fell, Xianuo's figure vanished from his spot. In the next instant, he was in front of Kuroobi, easily lifting the struggling Fish-Man over his head.

Then, he looked up at the powerfully built Fish-Man thrashing desperately above him, a cruel grin spreading across his face. His hands, one gripping Kuroobi's waist and the other his neck, pulled with all their might in opposite directions!

"Kuroobi!"

Arlong's face contorted in shock. He moved to save him, but it was too late.

Riiip--!

"No!!!"

Arlong's roar exploded simultaneously with the sound of flesh being torn apart.

Kuroobi's body split in two mid-air, dark blue intestines and a large amount of blood splashing onto the country dirt road.

Some of the internal organs flew outward, splattering directly onto the faces of several Fish-Men. They froze, staring at the chunks of flesh hanging from their noses, sniffing the familiar yet alien scent of blood--

"Gack--" In unison, they bent over and vomited.

Xianuo looked as if nothing had happened, casually tossing the head and tail of the corpse aside like garbage.

He looked up again, calmly gazing at Arlong in the distance.

"...Despicable human, disgusting human, truly the lowest, most trash species."

Arlong stared at him, his eyes bloodshot, gritting his teeth. He squeezed the words out of his throat, almost one by one. "How dare... how dare you kill my comrade right in front of me!"

Zing! Arlong drew his great saw-toothed sword from his waist, swung it violently, and roared, "Everyone, attack! Kill him with me!"

"Yes, Boss Arlong!"

The Kiss Fish-Man Chuu nodded and charged with the surrounding Fish-Men. Arlong, his face grim, tightly gripped his sword hilt and followed closely behind.

"Hachi wants to avenge Kuroobi!"

The Six-Sword Style Octopus Swordsman dropped his sake gourd and charged at the forefront, tears of grief and anger streaming down his face. "Kuroobi was a good person. He was good to Hachi, and good to all his Fish-Man brothers. Why did you kill him, you beast!!!"

Swish swish!

Six heavy blades slashed from different directions. Xianuo didn't dodge. He caught one blade in each hand.

He allowed the other four to hack at his neck. They rang out with the sharp clang of metal on metal but failed to penetrate his flesh, leaving only faint white marks.

You haven't even reached the realm of swordsman, and you think you can hurt me?

Xianuo sneered disdainfully. He suddenly exerted force with both palms, gripping Hachi's wrists, and then slammed a knee and elbow viciously into Hachi's abdomen.

Boom!

Hachi's body was sent flying high into the air with a miserable cry of pain.

Xianuo didn't let up his pursuit. His figure flickered, and he stepped onto Geppo, ascending into the sky. He appeared precisely above Hachi.

"You're asking me why I killed him?"

"Before you aggressively invaded my homeland, did you ever consider that you might die? And now you come asking me this?!"

Xianuo tightened his grip on Hachi's neck, looking at the struggling octopus Fish-Man whose face was turning red from suffocation. He grinned, "Don't you find it hilarious?"

Malice surged in his eyes. He ignored the six tentacles flailing wildly at him, pouring all his strength into his right hand, which was crushing the neck.

"Cough, cough..." The octopus Fish-Man's face turned from red to purple. The veins around his temples bulged like earthworms, and his eyeballs began to roll upward.

Just as he landed, he ripped Hachi's head clean off, along with the spine. The gushing blood splashed directly onto Arlong, who was charging forward.

The headless corpse wasn't wasted either. Xianuo grabbed it and swung it like a giant flail, spinning it around with all his might. He sent the three or four Fish-Men closest to him flying, plowing several ten-meter-long ruts into the ground.

"...Hachi?!"

Arlong stopped, staring blankly at the scene, his eyes filled with disbelief. His body began to tremble violently from the extreme rage that surged within him.

"You despicable..."

Arlong's crimson eyes shot upward, but his pupils reflected the terrifying, muscle-bound physique rapidly approaching him.

Their eyes met. Xianuo grinned cruelly at him, spreading his arms as wide as possible. Like swatting mosquitoes in summer, he brought his hands down from both sides onto Arlong's cheeks with tremendous force!