Arlong and his crew had run straight into disaster. The Marines surrounding them had come with Bastille, and they were clearly a cut above the ones Colonel Nezumi had brought. Quite a few of them were formidable officers.
Five warships had arrived, carrying more than a dozen senior officers. They might not have been as strong as Menard or Bastille, but they were more than enough to force Arlong and his crew into a desperate fight.
"Damn it! Who are you?"
A Marine officer had actually corroded Arlong's sword. They had barely started fighting, and half of the Slashing Edge Sword was already gone. Arlong ground his teeth in fury.
"Heh heh heh. I'm Shu, a major from Marine Headquarters. I ate the Rust-Rust Fruit. That sword in your hand is nothing but scrap metal to me!"
Shu lightly tapped the ground with his toes. He shot forward like a Gale and appeared before Arlong in the blink of an eye.
Arlong refused to believe it. But the moment he swung his blade, Shu caught it in his hand. With a contemptuous sneer and a slight squeeze of his fingers, Shu sent rust spreading across the Sawtooth Sword at an astonishing speed.
More and more rust formed. A gust of wind blew it away, scattering iron dust across the ground. If Arlong had not pulled back quickly, Shu would have corroded the arm holding his sword too.
Octopus Hachi had also run into a skilled swordsman named Penn. Penn's swordsmanship was astonishing. Hachi's Six-Sword Style looked dazzling, but against Penn, it was all flash and no substance. Before long, Penn brought him down.
Obi, too, was surrounded by Marines. The Arlong Pirates had Hard just arrived in Cocoyasi Village a day ago. They had not even built their Castle, yet