My E-rank Abilities Are Growing Rapidly!

Watching this arrogant and overbearing human, Arlong was so infuriated he let out a mocking laugh.

"I've decided not to kill you just yet, human. I'll break your limbs and hang you from the harbor, letting the seagulls peck at your flesh until you're nothing but a skeleton. I want everyone to see what happens to those who dare to defy us Fishmen!" Arlong's eyes burned with hateful rage as he gritted his teeth.

While he spewed these threats, Bane paid him no mind. Instead, his gaze swept across the group of Fishmen, locking onto the human hiding among them: the navigator, Nami.

Nami was currently observing these two audacious men. She had no impression of Zoro; in truth, many bounty hunters had come to challenge the Arlong Pirates over the years, and Zoro and Bane's current appearance resembled those past hunters. The only difference was that those people had all failed and ended up as fish food for Arlong.

Therefore, seeing Zoro did not excite her, nor did she believe that these two alone could save the village from its misery.

However, the moment her eyes met Bane's, she recognized him instantly!

He was the legendary bounty hunter from the New World who had slain Thatch, the 4th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, a man with a bounty of 360 million Belly!

That's right, Bane was different from Zoro. Zoro was just a young swordsman from the countryside with no fame to his name, but Bane was a "big shot" with a bounty on his head from the Whitebeard Pirates across the entire world.

It was just that Arlong and his crew didn't pay much attention to humans, and were even somewhat face-blind to them, failing to recognize Bane.

Before meeting Straw Hat Luffy, Nami harbored a deep hatred for pirates. She viewed all pirates as incompetent looters, villains, and tumors that oppressed the common people.

She hated every pirate on the sea with equal fairness, without exception—which naturally included the Whitebeard Pirates.

At the time she heard Bane had slain a great pirate with a bounty of 360 million Belly, she had been stunned. One had to realize that Arlong, the pirate with the highest bounty in the East Blue, was worth a mere 20 million Belly.

360 million—how much evil must one commit on the sea to accumulate such a bounty? This was a pirate ten times more powerful and ten times more evil than Arlong!

Yet, even so, Bane had killed him, and she had heard he even collected that massive bounty in Loguetown in the East Blue!

To be honest, Nami had once fantasized that a legendary bounty hunter like Bane—powerful and wealthy (yes, mostly wealthy)—would suddenly appear here and rescue her from the depths of hell.

But as half a year passed without another word of Bane, she had gradually stopped holding onto such wishful thinking, assuming he had likely left the East Blue.

And today, she saw the scene she had once imagined turn into reality, appearing vividly before her eyes!

Therefore, the moment her gaze locked with Bane's, the girl who had been suffering in hell for eight long years wore a smile of relief.

At the same time, Bane began to laugh. The smile that had been ferocious a moment ago now appeared remarkably bright. He grinned openly and asked, "My beautiful lady, might you be the most talented navigator in these parts?"

"No~" Nami shook her head gently, feigning pride. "I am the most talented navigator in the East Blue!"

"That couldn't be better. Most talented navigator of the East Blue, I cordially invite you to join my crew!" Bane laughed heartily.

"I would be happy to serve you~" Nami replied softly.

However, the next second, an oblivious Fishman roared in anger, "You damn, lowly humans are getting too arrogant! Nami is our slave, if you want—"

Bang!

With another dull, heavy thud, the enraged Fishman exploded like a firework, scattering flesh and blood across the ground.

Bane blew the smoke from his hand cannon, only then feeling like the guy looked a bit familiar. Was that the Kissing Fishman?

Before he could dwell on it, with a whoosh, Arlong's figure shot toward him like an arrow, his saw-toothed nose reflecting cold light under the sun!

Bane sidestepped, dodging Arlong's assault with ease. Beside him, Zoro's eyes flashed with a murderous glint, ready to strike, but Bane said, "Zoro, go protect our navigator. I'll peel the scales off this stinking fish myself."

As a shark-type Fishman, Arlong was stronger, more aggressive, and more vicious than the average Fishman. If this were when he had first arrived in this world, Bane might not have been sure he could handle him, but now, Bane felt he could take him down with ease!

Arlong, who had been sent flying by the collision, hadn't acted recklessly; he had chosen that direction with a plan. Once he steadied himself, he reached behind a wall pillar and pulled out his weapon: the saw-toothed Kiribachi!

"I'll deal with this guy. You lot, kill that green-haired brat for me!" Arlong commanded his underlings while hoisting his great blade.

Zoro didn't stand on ceremony. With a flash of Soru, he appeared beside Nami, drawing both swords and guarding her left and right. "Don't worry, this will all be over soon, Navigator."

Arlong was tall and imposing, wielding the Kiribachi. With a few strides, he reached Bane and brought the blade down in a swift, powerful strike that whistled through the air.

This time, Bane didn't dodge. He casually drew the blade at his waist, held it horizontally, and assumed a parrying stance.

Seeing this, Arlong laughed inwardly. This human was overestimating himself. As a Fishman, his strength was ten times that of an average human, and as a shark-type, he was even stronger!

This single blow would decide the outcome!

However, the next second, Arlong's sure-fire strike was met with a clang and held firmly in place by Bane.

And looking at Bane, he appeared completely relaxed, showing no signs of strain whatsoever!?

"As expected, this world is special. My ability growth is far stronger here than it was in The Empire!" Bane remarked with a sigh.

Aside from the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane had been a registered "E-Class" ability user in The Empire, with the power of physical enhancement.

In The Empire, this ability hadn't been particularly outstanding—it mostly just made Bane tougher, stronger, more enduring, and gave him better self-healing. It wasn't a high-end ability, and its growth rate was slow; in the years since he awakened it, there had been no significant changes.

But in the Pirate World, when Bane ate the meat of Sea Beasts for the first time in Shimotsuki Village, he noticed a slight change. His body seemed stronger. Whether it was muscle tissue, internal organs, or bones, they seemed to be absorbing massive amounts of nutrients, becoming sturdier and more powerful!

After that, Bane made sure to eat Sea Beast meat at every meal, and occasionally, when he could get his hands on Sea Kings meat, the feedback from his body was even more pronounced. It was because of this that his E-Class talent began to grow at a rapid pace.

He owed a debt of gratitude to Koushiro for his vast resources, or he would have eaten the man out of house and home.

He finally understood why the Pirate World was filled with freaks of nature with astonishing strength and physical constitutions. Part of it was their innate talent, but it was absolutely linked to the dietary structure and food sources of this world!

Whether it was Sea Kings, Sea Beasts, or the powerful wild beasts on the islands, Bane decided he would eat them all!

He even wondered, if he had lived in this world a few years earlier, could he be called a "monster" in terms of physical constitution by now?

"I still need to master Life Return as soon as possible; that will be even more beneficial for nutrient extraction and further development of the body," Bane mused to himself.

But this was not the time for such thoughts. Amidst Arlong's shocked and bewildered gaze, Bane exerted force, violently parrying the Kiribachi aside. With his other hand, he formed a fist and delivered a Heavy Cannon Punch, slamming it into Arlong's abdomen and leaving a crater in the Fishman's abs on the spot!