Pirates: Invincible from the Start

Arlong hadn't expected Kuina to stop her forward momentum like that. She had dodged his nose before it struck, as though she'd seen it coming.

He had no time to think. Unable to stop himself, he could only drive his head toward the ground.

But as his head dipped, Kuina raised her right leg and slammed an upward kick into his chin.

Boom!

A wave of compressed air burst from his chin and swept outward.

The kick rolled his blood-red eyes back and lifted his entire body off the ground.

As he flew upward, Kuina pulled back her right foot, planted it, twisted at the waist, and whipped her left foot into his side.

Boom!

A deeper impact sent an even stronger blast of air in every direction.

"Pfft!"

Arlong spat blood.

The blow knocked his massive body off course and sent him hurtling into the Tower-Shaped Building behind him.

He crashed through it with a boom and slammed into the wall beyond.

"Pfft!"

His back struck the wall, and he coughed up more blood.

Hunched against it, he shook his head, clutched his side with his left hand, and coughed.

"Cough, cough...!"

The kick had injured him internally. It had also reminded him what ability let his opponent dodge every attack before it came.

He looked up. The red drained from his eyes, replaced by shock.

Peering through the hole in the building, he shouted at Kuina outside.

"That's Observation Haki, isn't it?"

Kuina looked at him in confusion. Had she knocked him senseless? His voice was too faint.

"What did you say?"

Arlong was slowly recovering. He straightened up

and repeatedly reached into his mouth to pull out his teeth.

Each new set grew in sharper than the last.

At last, his mouth held nothing but enormous teeth like steel blades.

He glared at Kuina and roared, "Don't think Observation Haki makes you untouchable! If these teeth catch you, I'll crush you in an instant."

Then he bent his legs, pushed off hard, and shot forward.

Headfirst, he charged at Kuina like a torpedo.

Kuina watched him come, a trace of disdain flashing through her cold eyes.

To anyone else, Arlong was moving fast. To her, he was still too slow.

She turned slightly and dodged with ease.

What Kuina didn't know was that Arlong had no intention of fighting her to the death.

The moment he realized she could use Haki, he'd known he couldn't win, even at the cost of his life.

He'd spent too long on the Grand Line not to know what Haki was.

Against people like him, who had none, it was an overwhelming advantage.

He couldn't hit her, but she could hit him.

No matter how strong he was, that wouldn't change the outcome.

And his opponent was a swordswoman, whose attacks were deadlier than most.

The waterway was almost within reach. Arlong couldn't help feeling relieved.

Once he reached the sea, he wouldn't have to fear her anymore.

The sea was where the Fish-Man Race held the advantage.

In the water, their strength doubled, and they moved faster too.

He could hide in the depths until those two terrifying people left. Then he would once again be Arlong, ruler of the entire island.

"Huh?"

A puzzled look crossed his face. The waterway should have been right in front of him, so why was it still so far away?

It was as if he had stopped in midair.

But he could feel himself flying forward!

Then he noticed the Silver-Haired Human from the wall standing beside him. When had he gotten there?

"Whew, you almost got away. How scary!"

Kuta feigned surprise as he watched Arlong continue flying inside his Space Domain.

"You! What kind of ability is this?"

Arlong had realized what was wrong. He really was flying, but it was as though he were flying in place.

Kuta hadn't immobilized him. He'd stretched the space between them.

Arlong stopped and stood at the edge of the pool. The sea he'd been desperate to reach was just one step away, yet now that step was a distance he could never cross.

He stared at Kuta, his face full of terror. All his old arrogance had vanished.

Just then,

a massive Sea King with the body of a cow and the tail of a fish burst from the distant sea.

It roared and charged toward Arlong Park.

Its target was clearly Kuta, standing beside the pool.

Arlong's eyes lit up at the sight of it, and a spark of hope rose in him. What happened next crushed it completely.

Kuta didn't even look at the Sea King. He simply drew his sword, swung it, and sheathed it.

A silver-gray Slash cut the creature cleanly in two.

Arlong's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He could barely speak. He knew what it meant for a swordsman to unleash a Slash that huge.

"A... a... a..."

"Great Swordsman."

Kuta gave him a teasing look. "Guess what ability I used to trap you. Get it right, and there's a prize!"

"A space... space-type Devil Fruit."

Arlong answered through a full-body tremor.

"Hmm..."

Kuta lowered his head, rubbed his chin, and thought for a moment. Then he looked up with a smile.

"Too bad. Wrong answer. That means a punishment."

"Now, what should it be?"

"How about death? Sound good?"

Kuta's voice was playful as he said something utterly cruel.

When Arlong said nothing, Kuta nodded and went on. "No answer? I'll take that as a yes."

Like hell I agree!

Arlong stared at him, terrified and furious, but the pressure around him kept him from opening his mouth.

He thrashed like a drowning man. It did him no good.

"Kuina, finish him!"

Kuta turned to her with a smile.

Kuina pursed her lips and looked coldly at Arlong.

That bastard almost made me look like a fool in front of Kuta. If he'd escaped, I'd never hear the end of it.

She walked up to Arlong, drew her sword, and slashed diagonally at his neck. She meant to take his head.

Feeling the blade rush toward him, Arlong struggled harder. His once-fierce eyes filled with humiliation and helpless anger.

He'd rather have fought Kuina to the death than die like this.

The blade swept across his neck in an instant. His body went still, his eyes filled with a desperate longing to live. It changed nothing.

Kuta watched until Arlong showed no sign of life, then withdrew his Space Domain.

Arlong's massive body toppled into the pool.

Splash!

It barely raised a splash. Arlong would have scored high marks in a diving contest.

Then his head separated from his body.

He never would have imagined that in the East Blue, a human would behead him like a fish pinned to a cutting board.

Perhaps that was simply his fate as a fish.

The Flag

Noon.

The village road in Cocoyasi Village was packed with people and buzzing with excitement.

After hearing that the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out, the villagers from the lands under their rule hurried to Cocoyasi Village.

Arlong, who had oppressed them for six long years, had finally fallen.

They brought what little grain, fruit, and meat they had, determined to hold the grandest feast they could for their heroes.

It was also their way of bidding farewell to the past and welcoming a new life.

After defeating Arlong, Kuta and Kuina returned to their ship for Ahua and the other two. Together, they searched every corner of Arlong Park and found several hundred million Beli.

As for the two marines who had come to Arlong Park with Nezumi, Kuta gave them no chance. He sent them to hell without much suffering.

He didn't believe Nezumi would bring two uninvolved marines to a deal with Arlong.

Even if they hadn't played a leading role, they were Nezumi's trusted accomplices.

He left the Navy Warship anchored offshore alone. Most of the lower ranks had no idea what their superiors were doing.

Even if they knew their superiors were committing crimes, there was little they could do.

They had no connections and didn't dare expose it.

Too many examples showed what happened to those who were caught: not only would they suffer, their families might be dragged down with them.

So Kuta had no intention of troubling the lowest-ranking marines.

They were trying to support their families, like anyone else.

As for Arlong Park, he'd set it ablaze.

On the fifth floor, he'd seen maps piled high and a pen stained with blood on the desk.

He could picture a slight figure trapped in that cage of a room, forced to do work she had once loved and now despised.

A person's dream didn't belong in a cramped room. It belonged out on the boundless sea.

All he could do was add fuel to the fire and burn away the cage in the girl's heart.

Then she could truly do what she loved and pursue the dream she'd held since childhood.