The Crow Fist ship approached like a starving beast, eyes red and belly growling. From afar, the sound of war drums and wild screams tore through the air.
As soon as they were close enough, dozens of pirates jumped onto the deck of La Fortuna, shouting:
"SURRENDER THE SHIP OR FACE THE FIST OF THE CROW!!"
Arthur, standing casually by the ship's railing, raised an eyebrow.
"Why not 'Crow's Claw'? Sounds cooler," he muttered.
A pirate, drawing his machete, grumbled, "Because our boss likes fists... not claws..."
Like a pressure cooker exploding, the battle erupted instantly.
At the front lines, Nara was already in position. He gripped his self-made wooden sword — the product of his still-fresh training. His movements were stiff, relying on one simple technique: a straight slash.
A pirate roared and charged at him with an axe. With cold eyes, Nara shifted his foot to the side and slashed straight at the pirate's arm.
SMACK!
The axe flew out of the pirate's hand, his fingers twitching violently.
Nara didn't stop. He stepped forward and slashed again.
The pirate was sent tumbling backward, rolling across the deck.
Another pirate, seeing this, swung a club at Nara's head.
Reflexively, Nara ducked and countered with a slash to the pirate's knee.
THUD!
The man fell to the ground, grimacing as he clutched his leg.
Despite the stiffness of his movements, there was perseverance. Nara's slashes weren't fast, but they were always precise — and even more astonishing, his moves improved with every passing second.
Arthur, who had just lured three pirates into a barrel of salted fish, glanced at Nara and laughed.
"YO, Nara! You look like a carpenter carving a door! AWESOME!!"
"Shut up," Nara replied shortly, continuing to slash seriously.
Meanwhile, Arthur stood boldly in the middle of the pirate crowd, facing Brak-Boom — the right-hand man of Captain Crow Fist — who was stepping forward with his massive iron fists.
Arthur grinned, knowing this was the perfect moment to showcase what he had trained for so long.
With a swift move, Arthur pulled his fist back and launched a devastating punch.
BAMM!!
Arthur's fist flashed with a black aura, tearing through the air with a thunderous roar.
The moment his punch collided with Brak's metal fists, there was an explosive sound. The sheer force caused the giant metal gloves to freeze mid-air.
The Armament Haki Arthur had just unleashed coursed perfectly through his arm, shattering the metal.
Brak-Boom staggered backward, as if hit by a hurricane.
Arthur stepped forward and slammed another punch into Brak's gut.
CRACK!!
Brak was lifted off the deck, his massive body flying several meters before crashing down with a loud THUD!
Arthur stood above him, grinning widely, panting heavily.
"Hah... Feels like kicking a boulder," Arthur chuckled.
Brak-Boom, still groaning on the ground, clutched his destroyed stomach, whining,
"What the hell was that?!"
Arthur stepped back, strolling past the terrified pirates, and explained while flexing his fist:
"Ah, just a little trick I picked up from training with Lazhar. Basically, extra power... makes the punches hit way harder."
The remaining Crow Fist pirates could only stare at each other with pale faces before one by one leaping back onto their ship.
Some even jumped straight into the sea, screaming:
"WOODEN SWORDSMAN AND BLACK FIST!! WE SURRENDER!!"
After the chaos died down, the Freebone crew collapsed all over the deck, which now looked more like a marketplace after a riot.
Juno, with a lump the size of a coconut on his head, pressed a raw cabbage against it, hissing like a drenched cat.
Arthur, who had just successfully showcased his Armament Haki, stood proudly with a wide grin — although for some reason, one of his eyebrows was sticking up.
"You saw that, right?! My fists are LEGENDARY now!" he shouted, stomping his foot like a triumphant hero.
Bastien, still in shock, could only smack his own forehead.
"Arthur... I always knew you were kinda crazy... but this... this is divine-level stupidity!"
Nara, busy patching his broken wooden sword with a scrap of cloth, stared at Arthur with a blank expression, as if silently asking: "Is this guy for real?"
Juno, still holding the cabbage to his head, mumbled dryly:
"Take notes... if you want to win, just bring muscles... and a ton of dumb luck..."
Arthur immediately raised both arms dramatically, nearly tripping over the ship's mast.
"Bring both, baby! MUSCLES... and LUCK!!"
Meanwhile, in the distance, the Crow Fist ship was slowly sinking — more from panic than actual damage.
A black crow flew away from the wreckage, cawing loudly "KRAAA!!" as if stressed out too.
Their adventures (and disasters) had only just begun.