Revolving Lantern

After successfully dealing with the remaining Fish-Man grunts, Li Mingyuan gave a slight nod when he saw that Nami and Carina were still alive and kicking.

Somewhat satisfied, he noted that his skills had not dulled.

Then Li Mingyuan turned his gaze toward the main building of Arlong Park once more. The small fry had been dealt with, and there was nothing worth caring about there. They were just small fry, after all. Arlong was still the priority.

He felt slightly puzzled. Why had there been no movement inside for so long?

"While I was busy slaughtering Fish-Men, they should've had enough time to counterattack ten times over. So why haven't they shown themselves?"

Li Mingyuan narrowed his eyes with concern.

Now that he no longer needed to worry about Nami and Carina's safety, there was no problem even if he took the initiative and attacked. More importantly, Arlong had yet to show himself. He was genuinely worried that the other side was secretly preparing some "surprise."

"No choice. Do I have to go up and take a look myself?"

Li Mingyuan rolled his neck and wrists, then suddenly took a deep breath. Aiming at the hole blasted through the wall, he prepared to leap straight up.

As long as they had chakra, scaling walls and crossing rooftops was nothing unusual for ninjas. For someone like him, a height of just a few floors was hardly worth mentioning.

However, just then...

Inside the main building of Arlong Park.

Contrary to Li Mingyuan's wary concerns about an ambush, Arlong, the Fish-Man in whom the other Fish-Men had placed their hopes, was currently lying amid the ruins of the demolished room, unable to get up for a long while.

Forget launching a counterattack against Li Mingyuan—his injuries were far more severe than expected. For a moment, he had even lost consciousness and rolled his eyes back.

That was why Arlong had made no move all this time.

Even Li Mingyuan did not yet know that.

After all, it was his first time using a combined technique of Chakra Taijutsu and Fish-Man Karate.

The power of Li Mingyuan's Chakra Taijutsu + Fish-Man Karate: Thousand Brick Fist was far more terrifying than he had imagined. Hachi had been able to take a punch and get back up earlier because he was an octopus Fish-Man, a special case whose body was more soft-bodied.

After taking that punch head-on, Arlong could not even think of moving his body. It felt as though his chest had been punched through, and his entire body seemed to have fallen apart. He lay among the rubble, barely able to stand.

"No."

"I can't... fall here like this!"

Within his muddled consciousness, time stretched and shrank unpredictably. The sounds around him were blurred, as though separated by a layer of fog. He did not know how long had passed, but just as Arlong was about to lose consciousness completely, images of his Fish-Man brethren suddenly surfaced in his mind. They had taken revenge on humans together, held banquets together, and drunk to their hearts' content. Especially... those days in the Sun Pirates, when he had still served under that person.

"My brethren... are still waiting for me."

When he thought of the brethren still outside, his scattered consciousness somehow gathered itself again.

Arlong barely pushed himself up from the rubble, gritting his teeth. "Before I take revenge on these damned humans, I absolutely cannot give up. The Arlong Empire has only just begun!"

He turned his attention beyond the blasted-open wall.

At the moment, the outside was eerily silent.

He could not hear anything. Not only were the voices of his Fish-Man companions gone, even the voices of those humans had vanished. What had happened outside? Had those humans retreated?

"No! Impossible!"

"It might be possible for someone else, but that man... that man who radiates an ominous aura from head to toe, would never let us go and leave so easily!"

Intense unease surged into his heart, and Arlong immediately realized that something was about to come.

The very next second that thought crossed his mind.

Whoosh!

Accompanied by a powerful rush of wind, Arlong widened his eyes and stared ahead.

This was a castle several stories high, yet a figure had actually leapt up and reached the floor where he was!

"Oh? So you really were here."

"You haven't made a sound for so long. What exactly have you been planning?"

Li Mingyuan lightly leapt into the blasted hole and looked at Arlong before him, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

"Human..."

Arlong stared deeply at the man before him, especially those scarlet Three-Tomoe Eyes. He had never imagined that in the weakest sea, the East Blue, someone could force him into such a state.

Even so, even when facing him directly now, Arlong would never take half a step back.

In the past, even when he had faced human vice admirals countless times stronger than himself, he would rather die fighting than submit. How could he possibly fear some unknown bastard now?

"Is there any way... I can deal with this guy?"

Arlong clenched his fists, his gaze fierce yet wary as he stared at Li Mingyuan.

Seeing that Arlong still had not moved even after he had come right before him, Li Mingyuan could not help growing more puzzled. What exactly was this Fish-Man hesitating over?

But no matter what.

This could not continue.

"Not planning to make a move? It was the same just now. I've already jumped up here, yet you're still only staring at me without doing anything. Are you really just going to keep watching?"

"Then let me tell you something while I'm at it."

Li Mingyuan suddenly smiled lightly. "While you were in here thinking things over, I already took care of all the Fish-Men downstairs."

"What?!"

Arlong's entire body shook.

Even the thoughts in his mind went blank. He stared at Li Mingyuan in disbelief, his expression completely frozen. "All of them? You mean... all of them?"

"Don't understand? Then let me put it more simply—there's only one Fish-Man left in Arlong Park now. You, Arlong."

"If you failed to come up with any countermeasures during all the time you spent in here, then you'll soon be joining them."

Facing Arlong's shock, Li Mingyuan merely said indifferently, "A trivial favor. Consider it my personal gift to your Arlong Empire."

As Li Mingyuan's words fell, Arlong, filled with rage, finally could no longer suppress his emotions.

"Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable—!"

"You bastard!! Just how far do you intend to mock us Fish-Men?!"

Arlong's eyes changed completely as he roared in fury, "Shark Darts!!"

Arlong had erupted completely, no longer caring to consider what his opponent's weaknesses were. He stomped hard against the ground with both feet, threw back his head, and aimed his naturally serrated nose at Li Mingyuan.