"Watch out behind you!"
"Big Brother Hachi!"
The two fish-men by the pool watched Lina in horror. Before their warning could reach Hachi, the bullets got to him first.
Hachi was charging forward and didn't have time to feel the pain in his back. He stumbled and slammed face-first into the ground.
"Zzz—zz—"
The two fish-men by the pool were also taken out by the Chainsaw Devil.
Hachi propped himself up with his arms and struggled to look back at Lina, who was grinning maliciously. A trace of indignation appeared on his face.
"You... you... despicable!"
With that, he passed out.
What? What did he just say!?
Lina angrily walked over, reversed her grip on the gun, and knocked on his octopus head a couple of times.
"Who could be more despicable than you lot?" Lina said disdainfully.
She surveyed the area. The fish-men had mostly been dealt with.
Everyone willing to fight was down, and almost all the rest had run away.
Zoro had defeated the fish-man officer Chuu some time ago and had joined Luffy in his fight against Arlong.
Lina looked again at the Blade Devil, who was fighting Kuroobi.
"Damn you, freak!"
Kuroobi cursed under his breath, his expression grave as he faced the Blade Devil.
He was outmatched in both speed and strength, and his opponent's swordsmanship was superb, too.
With that terrifying arm strength and bizarre appearance, was it a Devil Fruit user or some kind of cyborg?
Kuroobi charged forward and swung the huge blade-shaped fin on his arm at the Blade Devil.
"Fish-Man Karate: Wrist Blade Chop!"
The Blade Devil crossed its swords and slashed fiercely at the oncoming fin.
Slash—!
The long blade swept through and cut the blade-shaped fin clean off.
The Blade Devil didn't stop. It raised its hand and slashed again, leaving another cut across Kuroobi's chest.
"Ah!!!"
Lina wasn't surprised. She'd made this one using Zoro's template, so its physical abilities and combat skills were exact replicas.
With Three Sword Style, a perfect fit for the template, its strength was almost on par with Zoro's.
If it couldn't overpower a fish-man officer, it would have been a complete waste.
"Looks like I have no choice but to use that move."
Kuroobi clenched his teeth, his expression grave. He extended one arm and held the other at his waist, taking up a proper karate stance.
"Fish-Man Karate: Thousand Brick True Punch!"
His heavy punch struck with tremendous force, even unleashing an explosive whoosh through the air.
The Blade Devil dragged its crossed swords along the ground, sending sparks flying as it charged at Kuroobi's fist.
Just as it drew near, it suddenly bent its legs, crouched low, and sprang forward with a powerful leap.
The two figures crossed in an instant.
A flash of cold light, accompanied by the low ringing of blades.
The Blade Devil slowly turned around and flicked the blood from its swords onto the ground.
Two Sword Style Iaido: Cross Slash!
Two crossed gashes appeared on Kuroobi's chest. Blood spurted out, and his body went limp as he slowly collapsed.
"Now all that's left is Arlong."
Lina looked beneath the huge tower-shaped building, toward the only part of the battlefield where anything was still moving.
Luffy and Zoro were fighting Arlong fiercely, and Arlong was clearly on the back foot.
Lina lit a cigarette and recalled the Blade Devil and the Chainsaw Devil.
She left behind only the Wolverine wraith she'd created using Kuro's template, which slipped into the shadows.
With its explosive speed, it could launch a sneak attack from the shadows. Even under normal circumstances, Arlong wouldn't be able to defend against it—let alone while being overwhelmed in a fierce fight.
On the battlefield—
"Shark: Teeth Gear!"
Arlong bent his legs and kicked off the ground. The next moment, he shot toward Zoro like an arrow loosed from a bow. He opened his enormous jaws, baring a row of sharp teeth as he prepared to bite down.
Zoro didn't dodge. He held both swords behind him, poised to strike.
"Tora Gari!"
As their figures crossed, a deep gash had already appeared across Arlong's chest.
But Arlong had tremendous vitality. The moment he landed, he gritted his teeth against the pain and charged at Zoro's back.
"Gomu Gomu no: Spear!"
Luffy pressed his feet together and drove them into Arlong's stomach with a powerful thrust, stopping his charge.
"Damn it!"
Arlong growled through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on the two of them as he searched desperately for a way to turn the tables.
At this rate, I'm going to die here.
As he fended off their attacks, Arlong looked around.
Then he spotted Nami outside the fight, and a flash of inspiration crossed his eyes.
There are two others beside her, but they don't seem very strong. If I can grab her and use her as a hostage...
He thought it over for a moment. When Luffy sent him flying again, he took the opportunity to turn and charge toward Lina and the others.
But just then...
Slash! Slash!
Arlong's legs suddenly gave way as he charged. A sharp pain shot through his waist.
He looked down to see several claws buried deep in his side!
Arlong stared in disbelief, then followed the claws to their owner. A fierce-looking man was watching him coldly in silence.
Arlong couldn't sense a thing from him—not even the slightest trace of killing intent.
If the man hadn't moved, Arlong wouldn't even have thought of him as a living creature. He was like a pebble or a leaf, something that wouldn't even catch his attention.
Arlong turned his palm into a blade and struck the man's neck with all his strength, knocking the Wolverine wraith's head askew.
"Ah!!!"
Grimacing, Arlong grabbed the Wolverine wraith's hands and pulled out its claws despite the pain. He staggered onward, still trying to reach Nami.
But...
Slash! Slash!
That familiar, excruciating pain struck his waist again. Arlong turned around in disbelief.
"Wh... why?"
"But..."
Arlong's pupils shrank. The man whose neck he'd just broken was coming at him again, head hanging crookedly as he sank his claws into Arlong's side.
Lina winced just looking at it, while Usopp covered his mouth and trembled.
Why was this guy so fixated on going for his kidneys!?
Did Kuro have that kink when he was alive?
Had he even passed that fighting style on?
Clang—!
The Wolverine wraith pulled out its claws again. Blood gushed from the wounds, and Arlong fell to the ground, too weak to get back up.
He'd already suffered too many injuries fighting Luffy and Zoro, and his strength was nearly gone.
Those last two kidney stabs were the final straw.
"Arlong... fell?"
Nami stared in disbelief at Arlong, lying motionless in a pool of blood.
That powerful, brutal figure who had haunted her like a nightmare—had he really fallen at last?
"It's over, it's over. Let's go."
"Is it over?"
Nami came back to herself as Lina jumped over the wall.
Her eyes inexplicably grew moist. She fought back tears of joy and nodded firmly.
"Let's go!"
Lina led Nami and Usopp out from behind the wall.
"Great work, Luffy, Zoro, and Lina's wraith."
"You'd better explain what you mean by that, Nami."
"Hehehe, okay, okay. You're really strong."
"That was so half-hearted."
"Thanks to my brilliant leadership, we finally defeated Arlong. Well done, everyone."
"Yeah, sure. We couldn't have done it without you, Usopp."
"You're being half-hearted, too."
Lina and the others went over to Arlong and joined Luffy and Zoro. They gathered around him.
Looking down at Arlong, who was barely clinging to life, Lina handed Nami the gun.
"You want to?"
Nami hesitated. She looked at Arlong on the ground, and her gaze gradually hardened as she took the gun.
The others silently watched her.
Everyone there had seen bloodshed before.
When Luffy was six, he'd watched Lucky Roo shoot a bandit in the head at point-blank range.
For the past two and a half years, Zoro had made a living by taking down wanted criminals.
And Nami... she'd watched Arlong shoot Bellemere to protect her and Genzo.
And she'd been only eight years old!
None of them were naive enough to think being a pirate was just a game. They'd all put their lives on the line and set out to sea for their own goals and dreams.
"Click!"
Nami pulled back the bolt and pressed the gun to Arlong's head.
Facing the man who'd killed her mother, the man who'd plunged Cocoyasi Village into endless darkness, Nami's eyes held a resolve she'd never shown before.
She'd dreamed countless times of Arlong's death. Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
"Bang—!"
...After the shot rang out.
Nami let out a breath, as though a massive weight that had been crushing her for years had finally shattered.
"Wipe the blood off your face."
Lina handed her a handkerchief and patted her on the shoulder.
She crouched down, and blue flames surged from her hand, spreading over Arlong...
Before you continue