It Didn't Seem Like Such a Big Deal

Meanwhile, at the edge of the deck.

Ever since the captain's negotiations with the Fish-Men had broken down and the slaughter began, the thief hiding among the crowd had panicked completely, just like the terrified crew members.

Other than standing there in a daze, he had no idea what to do.

Now, watching Li Mingyuan suddenly appear and clash with the Fish-Men, his back was drenched in sweat.

"Why? This is actually Arlong Park? Isn't this where Nami's..."

"What's going on? I had no idea the ship was sailing here!"

The sailor trembled with fear.

In fact, right from the beginning, when the old crew members and the captain had been arguing over the destination being Arlong Park, he had already been stunned by the Fish-Men's sudden appearance.

Although the captain had claimed that he had told the old crew members where they were headed—and what the captain did not mention was that he had also told them about his connection to Captain Nezumi, which was why those old crew members had dared to remain aboard—

In reality, aside from that, the captain had concealed something very important.

That was the fact that even the old crew members who had long been aboard were divided into two groups.

Back when they had still been docked at the previous island, one group had gone ashore to hunt for the "thief," while the other had remained aboard. Those who stayed behind were all veterans who had served on the ship for more than five years.

When the Fish-Men appeared and the newer crew members began arguing with the captain, some old crew members who had not been aboard for long were also dumbfounded. They felt even more betrayed than the new recruits.

Clearly, the sailor was not one of those veterans.

So he had not known that their destination was not a route near Arlong Park, but Arlong Park itself.

That was precisely why the sailor was panicking.

Not long ago, when Li Mingyuan had been conducting his extensive search, he had certainly been nervous, but not this nervous. Even if Li Mingyuan had truly been about to find him, he could have simply jumped into the sea. They were nearly ashore anyway; once he swam to the island, who would know where he was?

But now, facing the Fish-Men, he truly felt that his life was at stake.

Jump into the sea?

Was he planning to compete with Fish-Men in underwater swimming?

Li Mingyuan was closing in on him step by step aboard the ship, while the Fish-Men could kill him beneath the water.

In other words, he was completely trapped!

"If I'd known this would happen, I should've left on the last island. I never should've come along on this trip."

"What am I supposed to do now?!"

The sailor felt as if his heart were beating terrifyingly fast.

Even when he and Nami had failed to rob a treasure hunter's vault last year, he might not have been this nervous.

His hand tightly gripped the pocket of his clothes as he stared at the battle between Li Mingyuan and the Fish-Men in the distance... In truth, compared to the Fish-Men's attack, what shocked him more was the strength Li Mingyuan had displayed.

He knew Li Mingyuan had been hired as a guard, and given the captain's respectful attitude toward him earlier, he had suspected that Li Mingyuan might be strong. But he had never imagined that this man would be powerful enough to trade blows with Fish-Men.

Watching his speed and the fierce way he fought the Fish-Men now, the sailor did not think he had any chance of escaping.

No matter who won, he was probably doomed.

Boom!!

While the sailor was distracted, another explosion rocked the deck.

Amid a powerful impact, a huge hole instantly appeared in the deck, and a figure slammed violently into it.

The collision had been so fast that the sailor had not even managed to see who the dark figure was.

"Urgh!"

The next second, the figure embedded in the crater spat out blood through the swirling smoke and dust.

Soon, blood stained the figure's neck red, and its body stopped moving.

The sailor's entire body shuddered instinctively.

He raised his head again and looked toward the direction where explosions and gunshots had been ringing out moments ago. Compared to before, nearly all the crew members had fled from the deck. Only some sailors who had been injured by the Fish-Men and were unable to move remained lying where they were, watching the battle spreading nearby with despair written across their faces.

At that moment, a sea breeze from who knew where swept across the deck, scattering the wood chips and smoke that had filled the air.

Everyone present could finally see clearly the scene before them, like the aftermath of a cannonball explosion.

It was a Fish-Man!

The Fish-Man who had been roaring, "Unforgivable!" moments earlier had now been beaten beyond recognition, lying on the ground with his head split open and blood streaming down his face.

"Was that called Fish-Man Karate?"

"That punch made it feel like my whole body was shaking. Not bad."

Only then did the sound of footsteps arrive belatedly.

The sailor hurriedly looked up and saw the man slowly approaching.

He walked up to the Fish-Man in the crater. Looking at his condition, his expression remained calm.

"But in the end, that's all there is to it."

"Ten times a human's arm strength doesn't seem like such a big deal."

Li Mingyuan spoke indifferently.

Li Mingyuan raised his foot and stomped fiercely on the Fish-Man's head, driving him another few inches into the deck.

In an instant, angry cries rang out one after another from nearby.

"Kuroobi!!"

"Damn it, how could this happen?! Kuroobi was actually sent flying!"

"A mere human dares to insult us Fish-Men?!"

Li Mingyuan turned a deaf ear to the voices behind him. After lifting his foot, he simply narrowed his eyes and continued looking at the Fish-Man on the ground.

Unlike the other Fish-Men, this Arlong Pirates officer had an exceptionally tough body. Li Mingyuan's fist landing on him had felt like striking a stone, forcing him to mobilize all the chakra in his body and imitate the impact of One-Finger Nukite once more before he could blast him away.

Even now, Li Mingyuan could still sense breathing from the man's nose and mouth.

"Phew..."

Li Mingyuan let out a soft breath and turned to look behind him.

During the melee just now, aside from Kuroobi, he had also taken out the two Fish-Men carrying muskets first.

Now, only four Fish-Men remained standing.

...He absolutely could not let them escape!

Next, he needed to take care of all four Fish-Men in one go. He could not give them any chance to report what had happened. As long as he wiped them all out here, he could press straight ahead and launch a surprise attack on the unprepared Arlong.

But without using the Mangekyō Sharingan, it was clearly unrealistic to instantly deal with four Fish-Men through taijutsu alone.

It seemed he still needed to find a handy weapon.

With that in mind, Li Mingyuan swept his gaze across the area, quickly checking whether there was anything nearby he could use.

But at that moment, he suddenly noticed something strange. On the deck, where all the crew members should have fled, there was still one sailor standing there without moving.

When the sailor saw Li Mingyuan's gaze, their eyes met.