It Was the Brain; I Shook It Around

"Damn it... What did you do to him?!"

Arlong couldn't understand his opponent's attack at all. His face twisted into a snarl as he roared in rage.

Chuu's head showed no visible injuries, yet blood suddenly began streaming from all seven of his orifices.

Then he fell straight into the pool and didn't move again. Clearly, this human had killed him using some unknown method!

Will slowly turned to look at Arlong, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.

"It was the brain. I shook his brain around evenly, and then he died."

"Don't worry. He went peacefully, with practically no pain."

"Practically no pain?!"

At those words, Arlong's expression grew terribly grim.

He wasn't about to believe his opponent's nonsense. The man had bled from all seven orifices, and Will was telling him it hadn't hurt!

Now that he'd watched his three officers get dealt with so easily, Arlong realized the situation had turned against him.

So, before his opponent could launch another attack, he swept out a hand and bellowed with all the force he could muster:

"Men! Attack with me! Kill this damned human!"

"Yeah—!!"

The Fish-Men weren't particularly bright to begin with. Before they could think it over, their bodies were already moving on instinct, and they charged at Will with a chorus of shouts.

Will didn't stay where he was. Instead, he quickly moved back to the spot where he'd entered through the east gate.

His eyes darted around as he carefully observed the Fish-Men's positions.

Seeing that almost all of them were within his field of vision, Will suddenly raised his leg high and slammed it down hard!

Tekkai: Ground Shatter!

Boom—!

With an explosive crash, the tremendous force shattered the ground beneath Will's feet!

The cracks spread rapidly toward the Fish-Men around him, like a mountainside collapsing.

The Fish-Men scattered in panic, but most of them still fell into the fissures and got trapped.

Will took the opportunity to charge into their ranks and begin slaughtering them without restraint.

Blood, severed arms, shattered teeth.

They flew in every direction through the crowd.

Yet Will moved freely among them, not letting a single drop of that filth touch him.

Meanwhile,

two pairs of bright eyes watched the horrifying scene in stunned silence from atop the wall beside the estate.

"Nami, I feel like... maybe we were worrying over nothing."

Carina looked horrified as she murmured under her breath.

"Yeah... I think so too..." Nami's expression was complicated.

Watching Will slaughter the Fish-Men with such abandon, she couldn't help feeling a little satisfaction.

In fact, the two of them had already sneaked over here when Will killed Hachi in a single blow.

Then, stunned by how thoroughly Will overpowered the Fish-Men, Nami and Carina had even forgotten to climb down from the wall. They'd just stayed there, secretly watching.

Bang—!

A crash suddenly came from the tower.

Will dropped the Fish-Man whose lifeless body he'd been holding and turned toward the sound.

Arlong had punched one hand through the wall of a nearby tower and pulled out a massive saw-toothed blade.

Without hesitation, he leaped high into the air, raised the serrated sword in both hands, and brought it down toward Will's head.

"Die!"

As Arlong roared and swung his sword, Will shifted slightly to the side and dodged with ease.

Bang—!

The sharp edge of the serrated sword smashed into the ground, leaving several deep pits.

Seeing that his attack had missed, Arlong immediately pulled the serrated sword free and swung it horizontally at his opponent again.

Will still showed no expression. He simply caught the blade with his bare hand and gave it a light bend.

Clang—!

With a crisp snap, the serrated sword broke cleanly in two.

Arlong's pupils shrank at the astonishing sight.

He hurriedly gripped the remaining half of the blade, leaped back to create some distance, and landed beside the pool.

Once he'd steadied himself,

Arlong stared uncertainly at the half-sword in his hand.

Then he threw the broken blade aside and snarled:

"Damn human! Inferior species!"

"Looks like I've been far too merciful. Once I'm done with you, I'll destroy every human village nearby!"

"Destroy them all?" Will's face darkened as he spoke in a detached tone.

"You mean you want to kill every human around here?"

He raised his eyes, his voice as cold as a winter wind.

"I'd advise you not to run your mouth. It only makes you look weak."

"What did you say? I'm weak?!"

Arlong flew into a rage at those words and bellowed furiously:

"You have no idea how powerful the Fish-Man Race is!"

"Oh?" Will's expression remained calm, though a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Powerful?"

"How laughable."

"Let me show you what real power is."

As the words rang out, Will vanished from where he stood.

"This is what power looks like!"

His voice sounded again the next second. Will flashed into view before Arlong and swung his right fist with explosive force!

Tekkai: Soru: Lightning Flash!

Riding the momentum of his high-speed movement, Will and his fist blurred into a streak. His iron-hard knuckles slammed into Arlong's mouth!

Boom—!!

The dull impact made the listeners' scalps crawl.

Arlong's face caved in. The force sent his head snapping back, shattered all his teeth, and broke his nose.

His entire body flew backward and plunged headfirst into the pool.

The water slowed him down. He gradually lost speed before finally crashing into the bottom of the pool, still moving fast enough to spit up a mouthful of blood.

Will stood on the bank with his hands lowered, silently watching the water churn.

Suddenly, his eyes shifted and he dodged to the side.

Whoosh—!

A figure like an arrow suddenly shot out of the water!

After streaking past Will, Arlong slammed straight into the tower behind him.

Bang—!

The already ruined tower finally began to collapse under the impact.

Through the dust rising from the rubble, Arlong abruptly stood up, his mouth full of broken, mangled teeth.

At some point, he'd forced his nose back into place. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared down from the tower's ruins.

Then Arlong reached up and pulled out his broken teeth. A new set of sharper-looking fangs quickly grew in their place.

But even then, Arlong couldn't relax.

His head was still spinning badly.

When the other man punched him into the pool, the water had helped clear his head a little. Otherwise, he might well have lost consciousness altogether.

After taking a few ragged breaths, Arlong snarled at Will:

"Damn it... Who the hell are you?!"

"How could someone as strong as you exist in the East Blue?!"

Though he was furious, Arlong knew he had no chance of defeating his opponent. He couldn't help feeling a trace of despair.

"Strong?" Will's expression didn't change. His voice remained calm.

"I'm just an ordinary human."

"Or, as you'd put it, a member of an inferior species."