Marco looked at the many fish-men inside Arlong Park, and a spark of excitement flashed through his heart.
There were too many of them. This time, there were simply too many experience points.
When he killed those three fish-men, the life energy transmitted through the Combat Bracer had already confirmed Mark's suspicion.
The Fish-Man Tribe could also provide him with life energy, and an ordinary fish-man was worth five or six ordinary humans. The officers provided even more life energy.
The news truly excited Mark for a while.
But what excited him even more was that the Arlong Pirates truly had a lot of fish-men.
Especially Arlong.
Even among the Fish-Man Tribe, this guy could be considered above average. How much life energy could he provide him?
Kuroobi saw the two fish-men lying dead outside the gate, and his expression instantly twisted with rage.
"Lowly human, I'll kill you!"
As an officer of the Arlong Pirates and their chief combat commander, these were all his subordinates.
No matter where these people came from, anyone who killed his subordinates had to die here.
Kuroobi had hard fish fins on his arms, curved like scimitars. By using those hard fins in battle alongside Fish-Man Karate, he could unleash moves sharper than blades or swords.
"Fish-Man Karate, Thousand Brick Fist!"
Against an enemy who had killed his subordinates, Kuroobi went all out from the start.
The Thousand Brick Fist smashed toward Mark's head.
"Dark Water!"
But just as he unleashed the Thousand Brick Fist, Dark Water suddenly burst from Mark's hand, pulling the unprepared Kuroobi toward him.
"What kind of power is this..."
The moment Kuroobi swung his fist, he felt an immense pulling force. Losing his footing, he flew toward Mark, and the Thousand Brick Fist was instantly broken.
"Noble fish-men, let me show you what my martial arts are like!"
Mark did not draw the Mountain-Splitting Axe. He kept it strapped to his back as Darkness Power coiled around his right arm. He pressed his five fingers together and stabbed them toward the Kuroobi being dragged in by Dark Water.
"Martial Art: Hand Stab!"
His palm, hard as stone, pierced Kuroobi's chest. His bloodstained right hand passed straight through it.
Kuroobi stared at Mark in disbelief.
"My... my body... cough!"
Mark gently shoved Kuroobi's body away. His bloodied right hand slid out of Kuroobi's chest, then lowered slowly as blood dripped from his fingertips onto the ground.
"My martial arts aren't inferior to your Fish-Man Karate, are they? Heh!"
He took a handkerchief from his clothes, gently wiped the blood from his right hand, then tossed it onto Kuroobi's trembling body.
A furious roar rang out from Arlong Park. "Damn inferior humans, lowly race, how dare you..."
"Is that really so?" Mark looked at Arlong, whose eyes had turned red.
"As someone who came from the Grand Line, do you really think fish-men are stronger than humans? Arlong... As someone from the Sun Pirates, do you really believe that?"
Mark's words made Arlong's pupils shrink.
This human knew his identity and had even said such things. Could he be...
"Are you a human who returned from the Grand Line?"
Arlong grew cautious. If this human had come from the Grand Line, it was no wonder he knew these things.
The Fish-Man Tribe was nothing special on the Grand Line. They were even often looked down upon.
Mark revealed a mocking smile and said nothing more.
Chew, however, flew into a rage. He did not care who the other party was. So what if Mark had guessed their origins? He had killed their companions. That was unforgivable.
"Water Shot!"
Chew was a kissing fish-man of the cannonball fish species, capable of firing powerful streams of water from his mouth.
A blast of water shot from his long mouth toward Mark.
Mark neither dodged nor evaded. Armament Haki covered his fist, and at the right moment, he punched the water blast apart.
"Water Shotgun!"
Seeing that one shot had failed, Chew's mouth fired water blasts nonstop like a machine gun.
Light flickered in Mark's eyes. He shifted his body slightly from side to side as Darkness Power covered his right fist.
Finding an opening between Chew's shots, he flashed forward, and the Darkness Power on his fist made intimate contact with Chew's chest.
Boom!
The water blasts stopped. Blood flowed down Chew's chest. He lowered his head to glance at it, blood spilling from his long mouth. Then his body fell onto its back. After twitching for a moment, he stopped moving.
A deep fist mark was embedded in his chest.
Two Fish-Man Tribe officers had died at Mark's hands just like that, right in front of Arlong.
Less than thirty seconds had passed in total. It had taken only two or three moves.
Everyone from the Fish-Man Tribe inside Arlong Park found the sight impossible to accept.
They had been in East Blue for over a decade, and never before had one of their kind died, much less an officer of their pirate crew.
Many fish-men even thought they were dreaming.
Mark released his killing intent without restraint, and every fish-man present felt a suffocating pressure.
"Kill this lowly human! Avenge Kuroobi and Chew!"
Some fish-men shouted as they attacked Mark and the others, raising their whaling spears, blades, and swords as they charged at him.
With someone taking the lead, a whole group of fish-men naturally followed.
In an instant, every fish-man in Arlong Park launched an attack against Mark and the others.
"I'm done playing with you! Daisy, take care of yourself. Chiu Chiu, let's go!"
Drawing the Mountain-Splitting Axe from his back, Mark shot toward the fish-men like an arrow leaving its bow.
Hearing his boss give the order, golden lightning immediately flickered over Chiu Chiu's body. Wrapped in golden light, he raced toward the fish-men.
Daisy drew the ornate Flintlock Pistol from her waist and pulled the trigger at several fish-men.
In an instant, several fish-men were killed by Mark and the others.
Mark's axe was especially terrifying. Already immensely heavy and powerful, it became deadly precise in Mark's hands. When it struck a fish-man, it cleaved through flesh as easily as paper, splitting them in two with a single blow.
The enormous Mountain-Splitting Axe stirred up a bloody storm among the fish-men.
He raised his axe, bent forward, and chopped down. Two halves of a body flew through the air.
Just as Mark began slaughtering with abandon, a serrated blade blocked his descending giant axe.
"You all, fall back. Leave this man to me."
Arlong gripped his serrated blade with bloodshot eyes and stared coldly at Mark.
All the fish-men took a step back in unison. Mark's aura was simply too terrifying, and the weapons in their hands could no longer make them feel safe.
"Fall back? How could I let you have your way!"
Feeling his body growing stronger and stronger, Mark was glad he had come to the right place. If he killed all the fish-men before him, his physique might advance even further.
But seeing the fish-men retreat, how could he possibly let them get what they wanted?
He viciously pressed the Mountain-Splitting Axe downward, forcing Arlong's serrated blade down. Then Darkness Power surged over his right hand as he slammed it heavily against the ground!
Black Hole!