"You..."
Arlong's expression stiffened, and his face darkened even further. He growled in confusion:
"Damn it... Why would someone as strong as you come all the way to a place like the East Blue?!"
"Even your human Navy doesn't care whether these people live or die! Why come all the way here to meddle in their affairs?!"
"The Navy?"
At that, Will's face darkened. He said coldly:
"What the Navy does or doesn't want to handle has nothing to do with me. And you dare try to use them to intimidate me?"
Then his tone suddenly turned serious:
"If the Navy wants to handle something, I'll handle it! If the Navy doesn't want to handle something, I'll handle it all the more!"
He slowly raised his hand and pointed at Arlong, declaring with unwavering resolve:
"And I'll never let a piece of trash like you, who made my navigator suffer, get away with it!"
"What did you say? Your navigator?!" Arlong was bewildered.
Will said coldly, "What, don't you remember?"
"The person who made a deal with you to buy back her village for 100 million Berries."
"In other words, Nami."
Will looked at him as if he were already dead. "I'm sure that name isn't unfamiliar to you."
"Nami?!"
At the familiar name, Arlong's expression changed in shock. He immediately understood.
It had never occurred to him that the man had come to take him down because of that woman.
Now Arlong felt an overwhelming sense of regret.
If he'd killed Nami back then instead of keeping her around to make Sea Charts,
then perhaps this powerful human wouldn't have come looking for him...
And none of this would have happened today.
Then his three officers and all his Fish-Man companions wouldn't have died.
He would still be king of all Arlong Park!
And he could have continued ruling the dozen or so human villages nearby!
But because of Nami, he'd lost everything...
At the thought of it,
Arlong's hatred for Nami reached its peak, surpassing even his hatred for the man in front of him.
"Will..."
Nami had been watching the courtyard from atop the wall. Hearing Will's words, she couldn't help feeling surprised, and gratitude filled her eyes.
Carina nudged Nami with her elbow and said quietly:
"From what Will said, there's no way the Fish-Man Arlong is getting out of this alive. You can relax now."
"Mm!"
Nami nodded earnestly, a heartfelt smile spreading across her face.
The two of them on the wall were in high spirits.
Arlong, however, was in no mood to celebrate.
Once he learned that the man had come because of Nami, Arlong knew he probably wouldn't make it out alive today.
But even knowing he couldn't win, he didn't want to give up and wait to die.
After suffering that humiliating defeat years ago,
Arlong had secretly sworn never to bow his head to another human!
So he crouched low, raised his head, and stamped down hard with both feet. He shot toward Will like a cannonball.
Will shifted slightly to the side.
Whoosh—!
Arlong missed and shot past Will, plunging headfirst into the swimming pool.
Splash—splash—splash—!!
Before Will could fully turn around, a barrage of water balls suddenly shot out of the pool, flying toward him like a hail of bullets.
But Will didn't even try to dodge. He let them smack into him.
They only soaked his clothes. Will's face remained expressionless, clearly unfazed by the water-ball attack.
He lowered his head slightly and looked at the water stains on his clothes, frowning.
"A water fight? That's child's play."
Whoosh—!
The instant Will finished speaking, a blur suddenly burst out of the water and hurtled straight toward his head.
Clang—!
But this time, Will still didn't dodge. He reached out and caught Arlong by the saw-like nose. His palm scraped against the sharp spikes, producing a crisp clang.
Then, gripping Arlong's nose, Will hurled him away. Arlong slammed into the nearby tower, most of which had already collapsed.
Boom—!
Arlong sprang up from the rubble. Blood poured from all over his body, and his nose had been bent completely out of shape.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he roared furiously, "Damn lowly human! I'm a member of the Fish-Man Race! I'll win!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
Arlong opened his mouth wide and leaped high, spinning wildly as he lunged at Will to bite him.
As his sharp teeth spun, they looked like the blades of a shredder, frightening to behold.
Seeing his opponent attack without a care for his own safety, Will responded in kind. He quickly raised both hands and charged forward!
Iron Body: Dragon Bite!
Then,
his right hand above and his left below, he curled his fingers and held his palms straight. His fingers resembled dragon fangs, and his palms formed a dragon's jaws!
With incredible speed, he slammed both hands into the top and bottom of Arlong's head. His whole body surged forward like a ferocious dragon!
Crack—!!
A horrifying crunch rang out.
The tremendous force crushed Arlong's mouth shut. His sharp teeth shattered instantly!
Arlong's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, and the blow wiped every thought from his mind.
After Will lowered his hands,
Arlong dropped helplessly to his knees, his consciousness completely clouded.
Only a shred of resolve and hatred, along with the Fish-Man Race's constitution, kept him from collapsing outright.
Will stood nearby and waited in silence, not hurrying to finish Arlong off. He thought to himself.
According to his memories,
Arlong was a Fish-Man and had once been a member of the Sun Pirates. He had witnessed firsthand the malice and discrimination humans showed toward Fish-Men.
The death of Fisher Tiger, the older brother he respected most, had completely ignited his rage. It was the main reason he had ultimately abandoned the last of his principles.
After Jinbe joined the Shichibukai, the Navy granted Arlong amnesty and released him.
Later, Arlong suffered a crushing defeat in a fight with Jinbe, then left with some Fish-Men who shared his beliefs.
Jinbe let Arlong and the others go out of consideration for their past friendship.
Arlong then brought those Fish-Men to the East Blue.
There, he formed the Arlong Pirates and began pillaging and slaughtering everywhere, committing every kind of atrocity.
He inflicted suffering on innocent people who had no power to fight back.
Later, he even copied the Celestial Dragons' practice of collecting Heavenly Tribute.
He came up with something called "Tribute," forcing the human villages around Arlong Park to pay him.
Any village that couldn't pay the "Tribute" was destroyed by Arlong's gang.
The weak really did tend to turn their blades on those weaker than themselves. That never changed, no matter where you went.
If Arlong truly had courage, if he really cared so much about his people,
why didn't he take revenge on the humans who actually oppressed Fish-Men and freely sold them?
He knew perfectly well that he was too weak to fight the humans in the Grand Line, yet still wanted someone to vent his anger on.
That was why he'd deliberately chosen to come to the East Blue, the weakest sea by reputation.
Then he could vent his fury on weak humans to his heart's content.
Before you continue