Battle Erupts!

Judging by the way they had destroyed the bottom of the ship, they probably had never intended to leave anyone alive.

Since that was the case, when facing these Arlong Pirates members who hated humans, what reason did he have not to kill them?

"Although I still don't know who the thief is, I was invited aboard as a guard, so I can't just stand by and watch. Besides, if the thief gets killed too, we'll really have no idea where to find the money."

Li Mingyuan made his decision at once, gathering chakra in his feet and right hand.

After all, he had come here to clear away Nami's nightmare. Sooner or later, he would have to face these Fish-Men. Taking one out early meant one less opponent later.

There was no reason to spare these Fish-Men.

Whoosh—!

In an instant, Li Mingyuan moved.

Like a streak of swift lightning, he darted through the panicked crewmen faster than the blink of an eye and sprinted toward the bow.

His eyes suddenly widened.

Facing the Fish-Men alone, his Sharingan activated and deactivated in an instant.

"Pressure Point: Death Point!"

With a low shout, Li Mingyuan thrust his right hand forward.

Before the Fish-Man suppressing the captain could react, he saw a human suddenly appear before him. Then a sharp pain exploded in his chest.

What... was... that...?

The Fish-Man's consciousness wavered, and then his body seemed to rise uncontrollably.

Li Mingyuan looked coldly at the Fish-Man before him. His hand had pierced straight through the other's chest, lifting his entire body into the air.

As a ninja who had survived through the Warring States era, and now possessed the Sharingan's power, allowing him to see the pathways within other people's bodies, even if he could not use normal ninjutsu, he had more than enough ways to kill.

Just like now.

He focused all his chakra at one point, forming something similar to the Third Raikage's One-Finger Nukite, then aimed for the most vulnerable fatal point on his opponent's body.

One strike, straight through the heart!

"I thought you had some real skill if you dared come straight to Arlong Park, so I specifically waited to hear the whole story. Turns out you're just an idiot."

Casually tossing the Fish-Man's corpse aside, Li Mingyuan looked at the brawny captain already unconscious at his feet and shook his head.

"What a disappointing captain. Blinded by profit, you charged straight into the enemy's headquarters without even knowing anything about them, and ended up like this. The only thing you did right was probably inviting me aboard as a guard."

"But none of that matters now."

Lifting his head slightly, Li Mingyuan looked toward the tall Fish-Men standing some distance away, frozen in shock.

"Fish-Men, that piece of trash who blasted through the hold below was your companion, right? I took care of him too, so you don't need to go looking for him."

"You've got some nerve, openly gathering together to attack a human cargo ship. I heard you've been doing some impressive things recently in this weakest of seas. Apparently, you want to create some kind of... Fish-Man Empire?"

"It really makes me want to laugh."

Li Mingyuan sneered, the disdain in his expression nearly tangible. "Others think the Shichibukai, 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe, is backing you, but I don't think I need to spell out the truth. Lording it over the weakest sea, oppressing common people, and colluding with corrupt Marines—is this what you learned after the Sun Pirates disbanded? You've disgraced Fisher Tiger's name."

"When all is said and done, you're just stray dogs driven out of the Grand Line. What gave you the nerve to run wild in human territory? Did you think no one in the East Blue could deal with you at this level?"

For a moment, the scene fell utterly silent.

Everyone present stared blankly at Li Mingyuan, at his right hand completely stained red and still dripping crimson blood, and at the Fish-Man lying on the ground with his chest pierced through.

Only several seconds later did a Fish-Man suddenly cry out in grief, shattering the dead silence.

"Kaneshiro!!"

"You bastard, you actually dared hurt one of our kind!?"

"You're a human, yet you dare attack Fish-Men in Arlong Park! Do you understand what will happen to you!?"

The other crew members no longer mattered. All the Fish-Men present immediately surrounded Li Mingyuan.

Among the enraged, shouting Fish-Men, one in particular stood out—a Fish-Man covered in knotted muscles, with bluish skin and two small tufts tied atop his head.

After hearing Li Mingyuan say that he had already dealt with the Fish-Man below deck, his eyes became bloodshot.

Two officers had taken part in this operation. Aside from himself, the other officer was the Fish-Man Chew. Yet now, he had actually been defeated by a human.

And Li Mingyuan had even spoken that name.

Fisher Tiger.

As a former member of the Sun Pirates himself, he was both stunned and exceptionally furious.

"I never expected you to know about the Sun Pirates."

Kuroobi, an officer of the Arlong Pirates, stared at him coldly. "I don't know where you heard it, but a mere human actually dares mention that name!"

"Unforgivable!!"

Kuroobi abruptly raised his arms, bringing his hands—more distinct than those of other Fish-Men, with shark-fin-like protrusions on either side—before his eyes.

"Then taste the arm strength of a Fish-Man, more than ten times greater than a human's—Fish-Man Karate—"

"Thousand Brick Fist!"

With one punch, the Fish-Man Kuroobi unleashed a straight punch at Li Mingyuan.

Fish-Man Karate was renowned throughout the seas. If the Knight of the Sea Jinbe used Arabesque Brick Fist, it could unleash an impact much like a shockwave even on land.

Li Mingyuan remained outwardly composed, but his nerves tensed in an instant.

Facing that swift, ferocious punch, with the cargo ship's crew behind him, his eyes transformed into the Sharingan once more before returning to normal. Then he began mobilizing the chakra within his body.

At the same time, seeing Kuroobi make his move, the other nearby Fish-Men snapped back to their senses. Without hesitation, they drew guns or raised weapons and attacked Li Mingyuan as well.

In the blink of an eye, the entire deck became a battlefield.

Like the explosion of artillery shells, a deafening sound suddenly erupted across the deck.

Boom!!

The violent collision even seemed to make the entire ship tremble.

The shockwaves from the clash were terrifying.

The nearby sailors turned pale at the horrifying sight.

Taking advantage of the Fish-Men's attention being fixed on Li Mingyuan, they could no longer care about anything else. Some leaped into the water, while others turned and rushed into the hold. Amid the panic, shouts and chaos filled the entire cargo ship.