The Invincible Aaron

"What are you standing around for?! Go save Luffy! Can't you breathe underwater?!" Sanji shouted furiously when he saw Aaron still spacing out.

"Huh? Oh, right, right!" Aaron hurriedly scrambled up, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to jump into the pool.

Boom!

A huge boulder suddenly fell from above and splashed into the swimming pool, scaring Aaron into falling over again.

"I haven't settled the score with you, brat! Where do you think you're going?" Arlong sneered as he ran toward Aaron, maintaining his throwing posture.

But the sudden splash from outside made his expression darken.

"Genzo..." He stopped and looked toward the doorway.

When the villagers who had peeked back at him hastily pulled their heads back, Arlong's face looked as ugly as if he had eaten shit. "Are you trying to rebel?"

Having suffered under Arlong's brutal rule for years, the villagers initially still avoided his gaze in fear.

"Yes! We're rebelling! We're resisting your rule! If we want to live, we have to defeat you!" Nojiko stepped forward and shouted.

"...Yes! That's right! We're rebelling!" "We'll defeat you!" "Overthrow Arlong's rule!"

Nojiko's words were like a fuse. After a moment, one villager, then two, then hundreds began shouting. Their eyes were full of hatred as they stared at Arlong.

Almost every household had lost family members to Arlong!

"Hmph!" Arlong snorted. "Mere humans dare resist! You were born as inferior lifeforms, born to be ruled by us fish-men!"

"You have no right to judge humans! We won't endure this any longer! Rather than die while enduring, we'd rather fight with everything we have. We might still have a chance!" Nojiko declared firmly.

"Yes!" "Sister Nojiko is right!"

"We won't run away anymore!" "We'll fight you to the death!"

The villagers' cries irritated Arlong immensely.

These insects dare resist me? They're asking to die! Arlong thought viciously, about to go kill the villagers first.

"Hm?" Arlong glared coldly at Aaron. "What? Aaron, are you going to block my path too?"

Aaron spread his arms and stood resolutely before Arlong. "Mr. Arlong, I used to think fairly well of you, but you've really disappointed me! Why do you exploit the villagers? Why crush Nami's hopes? Don't you have even the slightest concept of human rights?"

"Hm? Human rights? Hahaha!" Arlong burst out laughing, then said coldly, "Human rights only exist among my fellow fish-men. How could failed evolutionary products like humans deserve human rights?!"

Yeah, that was straight-up racism.

"Kuroobi, kill that old man for me!" Arlong shouted over his shoulder.

"Fine!" Kuroobi answered, turning to jump into the pool.

Sanji blocked his way, smiling at him. "As if I'd let you get your way!"

"Heh..." Kuroobi sneered. "No one can stop a fish-man from entering the water!" With that, he suddenly rushed at Sanji. Sanji raised his leg and kicked fiercely at Kuroobi, but the instant he touched Kuroobi's body, Kuroobi made a bizarre vertical leap, neatly dodging the kick and successfully entering the pool.

"What?!" Sanji cried out in surprise. That was possible?

He stared at the deep, azure pool, gritted his teeth, and jumped in as well.

After witnessing all this, Arlong turned back to Aaron. "Aaron, you're different. You can absorb water and breathe underwater. Apart from that eyesore of a skin, you're no different from a fish-man! Join us, and you'll receive my protection."

Well, he still had not given up on recruiting Aaron.

Aaron shook his head and stared solemnly at Arlong. "Your way of thinking is wrong! I'm going to stop you here!"

Yeah, even with Aaron's intelligence, he could not come up with any grand arguments to refute him. But Aaron was stubborn too; once he made up his mind, no one could change it.

"Hmph! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"

"Yah!" Aaron accelerated the flow of water throughout his body. Raging currents formed an unbreakable barrier around him, making his fists incredibly hard. Aaron sprinted forward, leaped up, and under the sunlight, prepared to give Arlong a Justice Drop!

Bang!

Then Arlong grabbed Aaron by the head and slammed it into the floor with one hand.

"Your body is pretty tough, but you're too weak. You're completely useless against me!" Arlong patted his hands and casually assessed Aaron, whose head had been embedded in the floor.

Then Arlong prepared to keep moving forward.

Smack! Aaron's hand suddenly grabbed Arlong's foot.

"Hm? You haven't lost consciousness yet?" Arlong said in surprise, then grinned viciously. "Then let's do it again!" He was about to shove Aaron's head even deeper into the ground.

Bang!

At that moment, an explosive round struck Arlong in the head, shrouding him in smoke.

"Aaron! Get out of there!" Usopp shouted from atop the wall.

"That long-nosed..." As the smoke cleared, Arlong's head was completely unharmed, though his expression was ugly. "Don't tell me Chew got taken out too?!"

"Hehehe! Who do you think I am?! I'm Captain Usopp, commander of eight thousand men! How could some big-mouthed fish-man possibly be my match? Ahaha, ahahahaha!" Usopp was incredibly pleased with himself and promptly put his hands on his hips.

Well, the actual scene had been somewhat less exciting.

But Usopp was feeling triumphant right now!

"Ahhh!" Usopp ran wildly through the fields, with Chew charging after him in huge strides.

Whoosh!

Usopp fired an explosive star at Chew.

But Chew did not even bother dodging. He looked disdainfully at the incoming explosive star and casually spat out a stream of water.

Sizzle...

The spit scattered the explosive star. Its momentum did not stop, and it shot rapidly toward Usopp.

"Not good!" Usopp performed a clumsy roll to dodge the spit, then stared blankly at the deep crater it had blasted into the ground. He swallowed hard. "Is he a monster?"

"Stop running!" While Usopp lay stunned on the ground, Chew had closed the distance to just ten meters!

Pfft!

He drew in a deep breath, his cheeks swelling high, then forcefully spat!

Chew unleashed his power move: Water Cannon!

"Mommy!" Usopp rolled again, dodged the water cannon, and scrambled into the forest.

"Don't think you'll be safe just because you ran into the woods!" Chew said as he turned toward the rice field, bent down, and shoved his mouth into it.

"This is bad..." Usopp cautiously poked his head out. Seeing that, his teeth began chattering uncontrollably.

"What do I do? What do I do?! Just a little water makes such a huge water cannon. If he fills himself up, I'm dead for sure!" Usopp clutched his head as his mind spun frantically.

"Wait! Water?" A flash of inspiration struck Usopp. He hurriedly pulled out a bottle from his clothes. "Aaron... I hope this works!" What he held was the bodily fluid Aaron had given him!

...I'm bubble water.

Aaron's words flashed through Usopp's mind. Gritting his teeth, he hurriedly opened the bottle, dipped his index finger into it, and copied Aaron's method. He curled his index finger and spread the liquid over his thumb. Once both fingers were coated, he formed a ring with them.

"You're dead, long-nose!" By then, Chew had finished storing water. With puffed cheeks, he aimed at the forest and took a deep breath, preparing to bombard the entire area!

Pfft!

A high-pressure stream shot from Chew's mouth. Like a laser, it sliced through rows of trees. Chew occasionally turned his head, sweeping the stream around like a broom.

It was about to hit Usopp!

"..." Usopp clutched his chest, trying to calm his wildly pounding heart. He shut his eyes, gritted his teeth, then sprang out.

"Hey! Big mouth!" Usopp shouted.

"Chew!" Chew stopped spraying water and stared at Usopp. "You finally came out to die."

"Who dies is still up in the air!" Usopp said bravely.

Yeah, if one ignored how violently his legs were shaking, he was rather convincing.

"Is that so? Then let's try it!" Chew took another deep breath, his chest slowly swelling larger.

Pffwoosh!

The water cannon fired!

Watching the water cannon draw closer, Usopp did not hesitate. He raised the hand he had already prepared and blew with all his might into the ring formed by his fingers.

Sizzle.

The bubble expanded at a visible speed. Once it was as large as two fists, he hurriedly flung it from his hand and threw it before himself.

Boom!

Incredibly, the bubble completely dispersed the water cannon's impact. Even more incredibly, the bubble itself suffered neither damage nor impact. It continued floating steadily where it was.

The bubble absorbed the water cannon completely, sealing all the water inside.

At that moment, the bubble was half-filled with water. The little waves that formed inside whenever it swayed were actually quite beautiful.

...Sure enough, this bubble was absurdly unscientific too!

Or perhaps anything connected to Aaron had already become completely divorced from science.

"..." Both of them stared dumbfoundedly at the floating "water ball." Usopp was the first to recover. He grabbed the water ball, placed it in his slingshot pouch, pulled the band taut, and aimed at Chew.

"Hmph!" Chew snorted disdainfully. "So what if you can absorb my water cannon? Even if you fired a hundred of those powerless shots at me, they wouldn't hurt. As a fish-man, I have ten times the strength of a human! Once I walk over there, I can tear you into eight pieces!"

"You talk too much!" Usopp released the band, and the water ball shot toward Chew like an arrow loosed from its bow!

"Hmph!" Watching the water ball fly toward him, Chew sneered. He did not dodge and simply smashed it apart with his head. Water splashed everywhere. "Thanks for washing my hair. Now die!"

"Hehe!" Usopp suddenly gave a sly grin. He looked calmly at Chew and spoke in a forceful voice. "Killer Water-Ball Cluster Bomb!"

"What?!" Chew suddenly realized that once the bubble burst, the scattered droplets began expanding into bubbles again upon contact with the bubble water. Once those bubbles touched the splashing droplets, they exploded into sprays of water.

In the end, the sky was filled with exploding bubbles!

Yeah, like firecrackers exploding nonstop.

Pop pop pop pop pop pop!

"Ahhh!" Even with Chew's astonishing constitution, he could not withstand the endless bombardment of thousands upon thousands of explosions. He was blown unconscious.

The flashback ended.

As for what happened to Chew?

That's right, he was still lying there getting blown up. Hopefully, once Usopp finished fighting, he would remember to have Aaron call off the technique.

"You damned long-nose!" Arlong suddenly roared and charged at Usopp.

"I won't let you get close!" Aaron had already pulled his head free and firmly grabbed Arlong's foot.

"Let go of me!" Arlong roared, clenching his right fist and smashing it toward Aaron's head.

A huge part of Aaron's head caved inward!

"Aaron!" Usopp was devastated by the sight.

"Hmph! This is what happens when you rebel—" "I won't let you pass!" "What?!"

Before Arlong could finish his threat, Aaron's strong, forceful voice stunned him again. He looked down at Aaron.

Aaron looked up at Arlong resolutely. His head was smooth, round, and completely unharmed. There was not the slightest trace of Arlong's attack, as though Arlong had merely dreamed it.

"I won't—" This time, before Aaron could finish, Arlong punched his face inward again. Aaron finally released his grip and fell stiffly to the ground.

"Aaron!" Usopp shouted in anguish again.

"Hmph! See that? This is what happens to rebels—" Something suddenly grabbed his foot again, and Arlong looked down.

It was still Aaron.

"...let you pass!" Aaron gripped Arlong's ankle. His face seemed to have turned back time; not a trace of injury remained on it.

"..." Veins bulged on Arlong's face, and bloodshot lines filled his eyes.

"I... won't..." Aaron struggled to rise while continuing to speak.

Smack!

Arlong grabbed Aaron by the face and viciously slammed him into the ground. His hands rained down like machine guns, striking so fast and hard that the stone floor sank several centimeters.

"...let... you... pass!" But that faint yet persistent voice only made Arlong more irritated. He sped up further, and under the relentless barrage, dust buried the area.

"Aaron!" Usopp shouted worriedly.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" As the dust cleared, Arlong straightened up and panted heavily. He stared at the deep pit he had made. "This time... that should do it."

Smack! Then a hand stretched out from the pit.

"I... will never let you pass!"

"..." Arlong was about to explode with rage.

He pulled Aaron out and looked at his fully restored body. He had the urge to explode on the spot.

"It seems... you aren't afraid of getting hit." But he suppressed that urge. After his mind raced wildly, Arlong thought of a good solution. He grinned coldly at Aaron. "Then how about this!"

With that, Arlong opened his huge mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth gleaming coldly. He pulled Aaron close and bit down viciously.

"Ahhh!!! Aaron!!!" Usopp screamed, clutching his head.

"I won't let you... ah!" Before he could finish, Aaron screamed as Arlong bit him.

Hearing Aaron's cry, Arlong bit down even more enthusiastically.

He had finally found a way to deal with this brat. But what exactly was this brat? Why did biting him feel... so strange?

"It tickles!" Aaron screamed.

"Hm?" Everyone was utterly confused by Aaron's words.

"Mr. Arlong... hahahaha, stop biting... ahahaha... it tickles so much... ahahahaha..." Aaron begged between bursts of laughter.

"..." Arlong's face had never looked so dark.

So it only tickled?

Unwilling to accept it, Arlong ground his jaws again. The powerful bite force inherited from sharks had never failed to bite through anything, and this time would be no exception...

"Ahahahaha... Mr. Arlong, don't move... ahahahaha... it tickles! Ahahahahahaha!" But Aaron's uniquely infectious laughter effortlessly shattered Arlong's confidence.

"Aaron!" Usopp shouted again. "...Never mind. As long as you're happy."

No matter how Arlong thought about it, he had no way to deal with Aaron!

Though Aaron had no way to deal with Arlong either...

Arlong had clearly realized that too, judging from his face, which had nearly turned black as coal.

For a moment, the situation fell into a stalemate.

Bang!

At that moment, a stretched fist smashed into Arlong, making him release his bite and throw Aaron away. Arlong himself flew backward and crashed into the house.

"Ah! I almost died!" Luffy patted his chest, looking as though he had just survived a terrible fright.

Ah, thank Luffy for breaking the stalemate and restoring things to normal.

"Aaron, are you okay?"

"Luffy... ahahahaha... I'm fine... ahahahaha... I just kind of feel like laughing... ahahahahahaha..." Aaron answered Luffy while letting out that infectious laughter.

"...You don't look very well," Luffy said, though he did not think much of it. If Aaron was fine, then he was fine.

"Hey! Get out here already! We're not done fighting yet!" Then he shouted toward the house.

Whoosh!

The first thing to emerge was a serrated greatsword over three meters long, gleaming coldly beneath the sunlight. Arlong came out with bloodshot eyes, staring at Luffy as he forced the words through his teeth. "You've made me lose all face... I'll tear you to pieces!"

With that, he swung the three-meter-long blade and charged at Luffy.

But the one who had really made him lose face was Aaron, right?

Well, since he had no way of hurting Aaron at all, he could only vent his anger on Luffy.

So Aaron... was actually invincible in a different way.

Hmm, I'll give Aaron some countermeasures later.

To be continued.

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