Wrath

Kaler clawed down at him, and Sig reacted in a flash!

Before his special training, Sig would have either panicked or relied on instinct to roll away. But now, he raised his arms and blocked Kaler's wrists.

Splash—

A slight spray of water.

A one-centimeter thick layer of liquid, similar to seawater in nature but actually Water Power, coated Sig's forearms and fists.

Fish-Man Karate utilized Water Power in many techniques, drawing from both the user's internal Water Power and the surrounding ocean. This was why Fish-Men were strongest in the sea, followed by damp shores, and weakest in arid lands.

Kaler pressed down on Sig's wrist, then pulled his iron claws along Sig's forearm, drawing blood along with water.

Despite the shallow wound, Sig ignored the instinctive pain and transformed his hands into blades, attacking Kaler's face with water-splashed strikes!

Kaler leaned back slightly, dodging, but the force blew his hood off.

Kaler then raised his knee to strike Sig's abdomen. However, just as Kaler committed to the move, Sig's senses tingled, and he miraculously raised his own knee, meeting Kaler's. Both were sent flying back.

Kaler's strength was comparable to Sig's, much like Commodore Sea Bird, whom Sig had encountered before. When Commodore Sea Bird appeared, Sig's rage had been far greater, allowing him to completely overpower the White Bird.

Right Claw of the Fierce Wolf...

If Sig's guess was correct, this was the strongest combatant under the two leaders of the Two-Headed Wolf.

And Sig's current Fish-Man Karate rank was about the same as Kuroobi's.

Sig's memory of the pirate story wasn't very deep; he couldn't recall the earlier parts, and for the later parts, he'd mostly just read forum discussions. He didn't initially have a strong impression of Kuroobi's name.

However, due to his large fins on his arms and his connection to Arlong, Sig vaguely recalled that in the original story, Kuroobi was a later executive of the Arlong Pirates.

Arlong and his crew were considered quite strong in the first half of the Grand Line.

But blinded by hatred, they became obsessed with controlling villages in the East Blue and acting as local tyrants. They thought that by exploiting a dozen human villages, they could amass enough strength to fight the World Government? In the end, they wasted ten years, their strength stagnating instead of growing.

If Sig remembered correctly, over a decade later, when he was defeated by Sanji, Kuroobi should have only been around forty dan, a level of progress comparable to "Shang Zhong Yong" (a prodigy whose talent declined).

The Two-Headed Wolf was no match for the Sun Pirates. If Kaler knew about the "tragic situation" in the port town, he would have likely fled long ago.

But right now, Sig and Kaler were evenly matched!

Your wrist blades cut through my scales, my karate batters your chest, both of us skilled in Martial Arts, we grappled with fists and flesh.

However, at this moment, Kaler seemed unwilling to waste any more time with the Fish-Man before him, or rather, he was growing impatient that a mere Fish-Man had held him up for so long.

With a cold laugh, Kaler moved, suddenly evading Sig and charging towards the children nearby...

Sig's pupils constricted as he sensed Kaler's malice!

In terms of speed and agility, Sig was weaker and ultimately a step too slow. Right before Sig's eyes, Kaler circled behind a boy who looked dazed. As Sig lunged forward, the boy was lifted in front of him, Kaler's cold iron claws extended into his chest, and warm blood splattered onto Sig's face.

In truth, his experience in Mary Geoise had severely dulled Sig's empathy. His time as a slave had made him desensitized to the suffering of others, preventing him from developing any savior complex.

His earlier charge was more out of hatred for the slave traders than a desire to save others.

If Kaler had used them as a threat, Sig would have ignored him completely.

However, at this moment, the boy's dazed expression, as if in disbelief, was deeply imprinted in Sig's mind.

"I hate these little idiots the most. They don't fetch a good price and eat a lot... Who's next?" Kaler tossed the boy's corpse aside and flicked the blood from his wrist blades.

He then looked at the other children. The children who had been hiding now descended into chaos. Sig shouted, "Run far away!"

"Can you escape?" Kaler sneered, moving like lightning and bypassing Sig to chase the other children.

Sig had actually realized that Kaler's goal wasn't to kill the children but to force him to reveal an opening. Killing one of them decisively was merely to prove his resolve!

But at this moment, Sig heard his own heart pounding with rage...

Instead of calming down, Sig fell into the trap, finally catching up as Kaler was about to strike again, blocking him.

Sig had actually observed that Kaler had deliberately paused, waiting for him...

Thwack—

Kaler's wrist blade plunged into Sig's waist and abdomen. The sensation of flesh meeting steel brought a look of excitement to Kaler's face as he cruelly twisted his wrist.

"We're not responsible for after-sales service, but... if the goods return on their own, it's fine to retrieve them and sell them again." Kaler had already assumed Sig was a Fish-Man slave.

Firstly, there was Sig's animosity towards the slave traders, and secondly... in Kaler's eyes, weren't Fish-Men supposed to be slaves?

Bellemere, carrying the feverish Nami, came out and happened to witness this scene, letting out a startled cry.

Seeing this, Kaler sneered and tried to pull out his wrist blade to deal with the female Marine, but...

Kaler was surprised to find that he couldn't pull out his wrist blade. Even after realizing it and putting in real effort, not just a casual tug, he still couldn't draw it out!

Sig was now gripping Kaler's iron claw wrist blade with his hand. Although blood was flowing from his left side, Sig's face showed no signs of weakness.

At this moment, Sig could feel his "rage" completely integrated into his body...

Kaler, on the other hand, sensed an aura of Armament Haki emanating from Sig!

After their recent exchange, Kaler understood that this Fish-Man, like himself, was the type who cultivated Martial Arts, prioritizing physical conditioning. Judging from the current situation, the opponent was as strong as him. If one of them possessed Armament Haki...

Sig gripped the iron claw wrist blade embedded in his body with his left hand, brought his right hand back to his waist, and a water ball exploded on his fist, enveloping it.

If a master of Observation Haki were present, they would be able to "see" Sig's forearms and hands covered in a layer of dark red, as if solidified!

"Fish-Man Karate..."

Kaler desperately tried to pull out his wrist blade, but even with his other hand gripping Sig's wrist and pulling back, he still couldn't do it!

"Wait, wait a moment..." Kaler was sweating profusely.

"Two Thousand Sheet Tile Fist!"