Watching his men get cut down by a single sword strike, Arlong's eyes bulged.
Impossible!
Wasn't the East Blue the Weakest Sea?
Why was there someone like this here?
"Damn inferior race!"
The sheer terror seemed to stir an endless rage and fury in Arlong.
That fury seemed to briefly suppress his fear.
"Inferior race?"
At Arlong's words, Dunn looked up at him and swung the Flame in his hand.
"Bastard, the gap between our races can never be erased."
As the long sword came down, Arlong bared his teeth and thrust his head forward. His sharp teeth were like gears, clamping tightly onto the blade.
Dunn twisted his wrist, turning the sword along with it.
A cracking sound rang out.
The teeth clamped around the blade snapped one by one. Arlong's mouth was covered in blood as he stared at Dunn in disbelief.
His teeth were his sharpest weapon, and the thing he was proudest of.
Shark On Gear!
Arlong pulled his right leg back, then lunged at Dunn. He spun around, curling himself into a wheel with his sharp nose at the tip, and charged at Dunn.
Dunn raised his hand and brought it down. The hilt of the Flame smashed into Arlong's head.
Boom!
Arlong crashed headfirst into the stone paving.
He struggled to pull his head free of the stone, then froze as a cold blade came to rest against his neck.
Holding his sword to Arlong's neck, Dunn turned to look out over the sea. A large ship was rapidly approaching the island, its pirate flag—bearing a design like the sun—strikingly visible.
Suddenly, a figure burst out of the water. His round body leapt into the air as he drew a fist back to his waist.
Spear Wave!
The water that had surged up with him gathered, then shot forward with tremendous force toward Dunn.
Dunn drew his sword and swung, cleaving the incoming wave apart.
Boom! Boom!
The two streams of water struck the ground like a pair of cannonballs.
The round blue figure flipped in midair and landed not far from Dunn.
"A swordsman!"
Jinbe's expression turned grave. He looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, then at the terrified humans gathered together.
Jinbe was clever enough to immediately guess what had happened here.
"I'm Jinbe of the Sun Pirates. Please spare Arlong."
Jinbe took a deep breath, then bowed deeply to Dunn.
"No!"
After answering, Dunn laid his sword against Arlong's neck again.
Jinbe's face stiffened. As he watched Dunn's movements, he hadn't even had time to speak when Dunn's sword flicked. Arlong's face froze as he glared indignantly at Jinbe, and his head rolled to the ground.
The headless body twitched a few times, then fell still.
Seeing Arlong beheaded, Jinbe's first thought was that Shyarly's prophecy had come true.
But then anger flashed in his eyes.
Arlong had certainly been in the wrong, and Jinbe would have punished him when he took him back.
But the man before him had his own reasons, too.
With his Observation Haki activated, Jinbe could sense that many people had died in the village Arlong had attacked.
Fishmen had killed humans, and humans had killed Fishmen.
"Brother Jinbe!"
A large number of Fishman pirates leapt off the ship docked at the pier and rushed over.
"Damn it! Arlong actually got killed!"
As soon as they arrived, they saw Arlong's head at Dunn's feet. Their eyes widened as they shouted in apparent fury.
Whoosh!
Dunn vanished. In the next instant, he was already in front of the shouting pirate, swinging the Flame down at his head.
Clang!
Jinbe blocked the blow with his thick arm, wrapped in deep, dark Armament Haki.
What tremendous strength.
Jinbe was shocked. The sword strike sent him staggering backward, crashing into the Fishman pirates behind him and knocking them off balance.
The ground shuddered with every step he took back.
Once he steadied himself, he saw footprints crushed into the stone paving before him, cracks spreading out in every direction.
"Go back to the ship and take Hatchan with you."
Jinbe stared intently at Dunn and gave the order, his expression grave.
The other Fishmen had been stunned by that clash, too.
Jinbe was no weaker than Brother Fisher, yet one sword strike had sent him reeling?
Dunn paid no attention as the Fishman pirates retreated. He kept his eyes on Jinbe.
From that brief exchange, Dunn knew Jinbe was the strongest person he had ever fought.
Koshiro's swordsmanship was formidable, but his Haki and physical strength were still far behind Jinbe's.
"Hand over the bodies, and this will be over."
Jinbe didn't know who Dunn was.
The Arlong Pirates had attacked this village and killed many people, but by now, the entire crew had been wiped out, except for Hatchan.
"No. I'm taking these Fishmen's bodies to the Marines to collect the bounty."
Dunn smiled, then refused.
"You're a Pirate Hunter?"
"You could say that. But you're on my list, too, Jinbe of the Shichibukai!"
Dunn nodded, then sheathed the Flame and rested his hand on the hilt.
"You, too!"
"Quite the boast."
Jinbe's expression hardened, anger rising in his face.
Nadeshigiri!
Whoosh!
The terrifying blade and its slash were already at Jinbe's thick neck the instant he finished speaking.
Jinbe abruptly leaned back with agility that belied his size, flipping backward to evade the slash.
Boom!
The flying slash cut through the air and severed the Fishman Pirates' flag on the ship moored at the shore.
Dunn didn't stop. He immediately pursued Jinbe as he retreated.
Armament Haki coiled around the Flame in his hand, its dark blade thrusting straight ahead.
Karakusa Gawara Seiken!
Jinbe retreated with a turn, drew back his fist, and punched toward the incoming blade.
The Armament Haki-coated sword and fist collided.
Bang!
A shockwave burst out, and both men were driven backward.
Dunn swung his sword, pointing it diagonally at the ground. Jinbe used the momentum to retreat to the shore. He stood on the water, spread his stance, then brought his right foot down hard.
Uchimizu!
His Armament Haki-coated palm struck the splashing water.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The air whistled.
The struck water shot forward like countless bullets.
Dunn charged straight ahead, swinging his sword to cut through every incoming droplet.
Samehada Shigure!
Before Dunn could reach Jinbe, Jinbe sent out even more water, forming a series of blue pillars that surged toward him.
These hit much harder than the droplets, and they were faster, too.
Dunn swung his sword, cleaving through the incoming pillars. But more rushed toward him, and his expression darkened. Flames rose from his wrist and spread up his arm, enveloping his entire body—even the blade in his hand.
Taimatsu!
Dunn raised the burning Flame and brought it down hard. A burst of fire shot forth, vaporizing the water pillars in its path. When the flames reached Jinbe, they suddenly exploded.
A fiery tornado rose dozens of meters into the air, spinning with scorching heat as it swept Jinbe inside.
Before you continue