The Overlord's Demise

Kuroobi being killed was simply not something Arlong had ever considered.

But strangely, Arlong, who had been keeping a close watch on the situation over there, did not see Kuroobi return. Instead, he spotted a human walking into Arlong Park.

Naturally, the newcomer could only be Gato. As if he were in his own home, he strode toward Arlong without a care in the world.

Seeing him act like that, the fish-men of the Arlong Pirates could not tell whether he was an intruder or a guest. For a moment, they exchanged uncertain looks, unsure whether they should make a move.

Arlong rose from his throne and demanded darkly, "Who are you? Where is Kuroobi?"

"Well, are you the fish-man who came to greet me? I already killed him. As for who I am, that's none of your business."

Hearing Gato's "wild claim," Arlong flew into a rage. Veins bulged on his forehead as he roared:

"You lowly human, it seems you've lived long enough!"

Kuroobi had followed him for years. He was one of Arlong's most capable subordinates, and also one of his best companions.

His companion's death had already clouded Arlong's mind. It never occurred to him just how terrifying Gato's strength had to be to kill Kuroobi silently.

Or perhaps he would rather believe that Gato had used some underhanded trick to murder an unprepared Kuroobi. After all, even Arlong himself could not have killed Kuroobi in a frontal fight in such a short time.

He had not considered it, nor was he willing to consider it: Gato truly possessed the strength to kill them instantly.

"Kill him!" Arlong ordered with bloodshot eyes. The combatants of the Arlong Pirates moved at once, surrounding Gato.

At Gato's level, no matter how many small fry swarmed him, they could not compare to the combined attack of a few true experts. A gap in quality was no longer something numbers could make up for.

Thus, the fate of Arlong's subordinates was easy to foresee...

If Arlong had personally joined the fight and called Hachi and a few other capable fighters to attack together, they might have been able to inflict a minor injury on Gato.

Of course, even if he had personally faced Gato from the beginning, his ending would not have been much better. At most, it would have given his underlings a chance to scatter and flee.

In truth, if they had obediently fulfilled all of Gato's demands, they surely could have escaped this disaster. Gato truly did not like killing people. To him, killing was not an end, but a means.

But fish-men, arrogant because of their own inferiority, could never sheathe their claws before a "lowly" human. So from the moment Gato set his sights on Arlong's treasure, their ending had already been decided.

It was decided that Gato would wipe out every last one of Arlong's subordinates. A foundation built over ten years, destroyed in a single day.

Gato became an illusory grim reaper, constantly weaving among those doomed men. One slash could take three or four lives. In barely the time it took to drink a cup of tea, only three members of the Arlong Pirates remained standing.

Nearly a hundred fish-man crew members of the Arlong Pirates had all died beneath Gato's blade. Their mingled blood flowed into the decorative pool, dyeing all its water a deep crimson and releasing a sickening stench.

Faced with such an apocalyptic scene, the usually brutal Arlong went even madder. He could not say a single word, only panting heavily with bloodshot eyes.

His other two capable subordinates, Hachi and that kissing fish-man, seemed to have been scared out of their wits. Their bodies began to tremble as they slowly backed away, then, while no one was paying attention, jumped into the water and vanished.

At last, Arlong completely lost his mind. Ignoring the gap between himself and Gato, he launched a suicidal charge.

"Tsk, tsk. How truly ugly. When you became pirates, burning, killing, and plundering, did you not prepare yourselves for the day you would be killed as well?"

In Gato's eyes, Arlong's current actions were not bravery. They were merely the madness of someone frightened out of his senses.

"The cruelest pirate in the East Blue? It seems those words only work on the weak."

The blood on Bright Light's blade had not yet finished dripping, yet it had to be bathed in blood once more. It seemed somewhat displeased, and Gato felt it trembling faintly.

It was strange. A sword should not possess something called emotion. Yet perhaps because it had tasted too much blood, or perhaps because it had accompanied Gato day and night, it had developed a trace of spirituality.

Gato was surprised to find that he seemed able to sense what it was trying to convey.

"Alright. Once this job is done, I promise I won't let you be stained by the blood of these weaklings again." Sensing Bright Light's temper, Gato comforted it helplessly.

Bright Light quieted down, and only then could Gato swing his sword at ease.

A flash of blade light streaked past. Arlong's pupils instantly widened, and the speed of his charge began to slow. All life within him had been completely severed by Bright Light.

Without any ability to resist, a generation's overlord of the East Blue was destroyed just like that.

Gato slowly sheathed Bright Light and frowned. The smell of blood here was far too strong. He truly disliked that scent.

Hachi and that kissing fish-man had long since slipped away without a trace, causing Gato a bit of trouble.

He had originally wanted Hachi to lead him to the pirate crew's treasure hoard, but fish-men were too fast in the water. Once they entered it, their ability to escape was among the best in the world. Gato had not paid them much attention, and they had slipped away by accident.

"Forget it. The monk may run, but the temple remains. I'll find it sooner or later."

But things sometimes took unexpected turns. Just as Gato was about to go inside and search for treasure, he heard a girl scream.

"Ah!!!"

Gato raised an eyebrow. Another old acquaintance. It seemed he now had someone to lead him to the treasure.

Nami was temporarily the navigator of the Arlong Pirates and bore the nickname Cat Burglar. She had likely just finished robbing a group of pirates she had charmed and returned to Arlong Park, only to stumble upon the aftermath of Gato's slaughter.

Even after following the brutal Arlong for so long, Nami had never witnessed such a bloody massacre. No matter how strong someone was, seeing such a scene for the first time would throw their mind into chaos. Naturally, she was no exception.

Gato walked toward Nami. As one of the core members of the Arlong Pirates, she should know about the treasure, so he would not need to trouble himself searching for it.

Watching Gato, drenched in blood like an asura from hell, walk toward her with sword in hand, Nami felt every cell in her body trembling, warning her of the danger posed by the man before her.

She pulled out her signature three-section staff from between her breasts and pointed it at Gato, demanding in terror, "Who are you?!"

Although Gato had been careful during the fight to avoid getting blood splattered on himself, slaughtering people amid such a dense crowd made it impossible to do perfectly.

Gato felt somewhat helpless. Faced with this female character he had rather liked in his previous life, he had wanted to appear as friendly as possible.

But forcing a smile to show goodwill in this situation would probably make him look more like a pervert, so he gave up on the idea. He was not an idiot like Sanji, who lost his mind whenever he saw a beautiful woman.