Chakra Depleted

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment. Rodney's actions had enraged Arlong once again. His eyes became bloodthirsty vertical pupils, a sign that a fish-man had been provoked.

"My dear comrades were injured and killed by you, and you humiliated us noble fish-men like this, human..." He stared at Rodney, meeting those ominous scarlet eyes. "...I'm going to kill you! I'll show you what cruelty is!! Kuroobi! Hachi! Attack with me and kill him!"

"Yeah." Kuroobi assumed the starting stance of Fish-Man Karate.

"Oh, got it." Octopus Hachi gripped six long swords with his six arms. Six-Sword Style!

"Are you planning to attack together?" Rodney moved his arms, which were still somewhat sore and numb.

"Water Release: Water Turbulent Wave!"

A long stream of water gushed from his mouth. Arlong, Kuroobi, and Hachi braced themselves against the current. Hachi chuckled. "Is this human an idiot? How could water possibly be useful against us fish-men?" As he spoke, his six limp octopus tentacles continued waving about, making him look quite pleased.

Arlong snorted. "How could a mere human know the might of fish-men?"

"Wait! Boss Arlong, look at his hands!" Kuroobi noticed that Rodney's hands had not stopped moving and shouted, "Lightning Release: Gratitude Wave!"

Brilliant lightning erupted from Rodney and shot rapidly toward the three fish-men.

Crackle!

"AAAAAAAAH!" ×3

The three men were shocked numb by the Gratitude Wave. Rodney stopped spewing water. Taking advantage of the paralysis and their rigid bodies, he drew a deep breath and formed only one hand seal!

His chest swelled high. A massive amount of Chakra gathered in his throat, and the next second, a sea of flames surged madly toward the three men!

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!

"What?!"

The sea of flames rushed toward them, scorching their skin with blazing heat.

The moisture in their skin rapidly evaporated. Their skin began to crack, and then the flames swallowed them whole.

Rodney heard several screams and the sound of heavy objects crashing into the water. Understanding what had happened, he stopped releasing Chakra. That attack had cost him most of the Chakra in his body. As expected, not everyone was Madara. He had used a B-rank jutsu to produce the effects of a Forbidden Jutsu.

However, he had also used quite a lot of Chakra for visual effect, so its power was naturally formidable.

"I can't let them escape."

"Eight Inner Gates: First Gate—Gate of Opening! Open!"

The restrictions on his brain were released, allowing him to use his body at one hundred percent.

"Eight Inner Gates: Second Gate—Gate of Healing! Open!"

The restrictions on physical fatigue were released. His body's energy was forcefully pushed beyond its limits to restore his stamina, eliminating the exhaustion caused by energy expenditure.

"Eight Inner Gates: Third Gate—Gate of Life! Open!"

His body became engorged with blood, and green Chakra energy surged violently. This was also the final safe zone of the Eight Inner Gates. At this point, Rodney stopped. For the sake of his body, this was only an experiment. There was no need to put his life in danger.

The shackles within his body temporarily vanished, and Chakra began flowing freely through him. That was enough.

He stamped down on the roof. With a boom, the immense force shattered and collapsed the building. Like a cannonball that had just left the barrel, he plunged violently into the water.

Wave Riding Strike!

Before he had even opened the system, Rodney spotted Arlong underwater, his body charred black and extensively burned.

Arlong spotted him as well. His eyes widened, and he spoke directly underwater. "Human?! You actually dare enter the sea! This is our fish-men's home turf!"

He had already realized that this human's attacks involved spitting all sorts of flashy things from his mouth. Yet he was not a Devil Fruit user, because underwater, this fellow moved freely without any sign of weakness.

"Wait, Boss Arlong. Look around him." Kuroobi sensed the aura surrounding Rodney and became deeply wary. He had been burned as well, and the seawater made the pain unbearable, but such minor injuries were commonplace for fish-men and were nothing to worry about.

The visible Chakra surrounding Rodney made Kuroobi temporarily afraid to attack. Who knew what special skill he might use next?

However, Rodney had no intention of using any special skill. Bolstered by his massive Chakra reserves, he used Geppo, which he could not yet perform normally. He stepped through the air and shot toward Arlong like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Arlong would never bow his head to a human, nor was he willing to keep fleeing. He wanted to defeat Rodney, then tear him apart with the teeth he was so proud of. Even if the other man died, he would never let go!

He opened his mouth wide and bit toward Rodney.

Unfortunately, what met his teeth was a powerful, unstoppable fist. Even underwater, where the resistance was immense, sufficient strength could make up for the loss of speed.

That punch shattered every sharp tooth in Arlong's mouth, and Rodney gave him no chance to catch his breath.

One punch after another slammed into Arlong's body, as if Rodney were beating a punching bag!

Rodney drew his right fist back to his waist. The motion made Kuroobi, who was preparing to rush forward in support, widen his eyes.

Fish-Man Karate: 1500 Brick Fist!

Boom!

A tremendous force erupted, blasting Arlong out of the water. Rodney did not stop. He broke through the surface and repeatedly stepped across the water, catching up with Arlong. Using Geppo, he leaped into the air, came behind Arlong, and kicked him upward.

One kick followed another, with no desire to stop.

After kicking him an unknown number of times, Rodney struck him with an aerial volley and sent him crashing into the ruins of Arlong Park.

Arlong lay sprawled in the ruins, covered in blood. Rodney came before him without wasting a word.

Arlong had long since been beaten unconscious. Knowing how troublesome the man was, Rodney planted one foot on his chest, directly over the symbol of the Sun Pirates, and stomped down!

Crack, crack, crack!

The stomp shattered his breastbone, which collapsed inward. Bone fragments pierced Arlong's lungs, heart, and blood vessels. Blood flowed recklessly through his body without hesitation before surging out through his windpipe and mouth.

"Boss Arlong!!!"

"Boss!! No!!"

Kuroobi and Octopus Hachi climbed ashore and witnessed Arlong's death.

"You're next!" Rodney shifted his gaze to Kuroobi and Hachi. Once he dealt with these two, he could complete the mission!

"AAAAAAH! I'll definitely kill you!" Kuroobi shouted, "Fish-Man Karate: 1000 Brick Fist!"

Rodney dodged with ease. The Sharingan once again captured Kuroobi's movements. Sure enough, it was the stance for 100 Brick Fist, only with greater force behind it.

Rodney slipped aside, drew a kunai from his waist pouch, and coated it with a layer of wind blade.

Squelch!

He cleanly severed one of Kuroobi's thick arms. Rodney did not stop. He stuck an Explosive Tag to Kuroobi's body, spun around, and struck Kuroobi in the stomach with a roundhouse kick.

"AAAAH!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A chain of explosions began. The Multiplying Explosive Tag killed Kuroobi, the soft-boned fish-man!

"You're next!"

"You... you..." Hachi's hands trembled as he gripped his swords. He retreated repeatedly. Rodney was like a god of death, leaving a terrifying shadow in his heart. That godlike, demonic figure filled him with far more fear than Arlong ever had.

"If you leave the Arlong Pirates now, I can spare your life. Leave this place immediately and return to your hometown."

Rodney spoke as the system announced that the mission was complete. Only Hachi remained, and the Arlong Pirates could be considered nonexistent.

He was honest and simple-minded. When there was no fighting, he was generally quite kind to others, and he had not done anything particularly outrageous in the original story. Rodney could let him go.

"I... You killed everyone! I won't leave!" Hachi was terrified, but he still held his ground.

"Is that so..." Rodney stopped using the Eight Inner Gates, then punched Hachi in the face and sent him flying into the sea.

He clapped his hands. After the Eight Inner Gates ended, his body was filled with an overwhelming sense of emptiness from the loss of strength.

The shackles within his body appeared once again. Almost no usable Chakra remained, leaving him unbearably miserable. He felt as if he were about to die on the spot.

This won't do. I can't collapse here!

His consciousness began to blur. He forced himself into the forest, and in his daze, he saw a river. A group of fish-men he had killed waved to him warmly.

This is a hallucination, right?