William still couldn't understand why the leader of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong, would name his headquarters "Arlong Park."
This compound, funded by the Arlong Pirates and constructed by the Four Seas Trading Company, had little to distinguish it beyond its sheer size. A perimeter wall concealed the interior, with only the small building on the eastern side rising above the barrier. Its rooftop had been designed to resemble a sawshark's head, the elongated serrated snout serving as a flagpole from which the Arlong Pirates' banner fluttered in the wind.
Early in the morning, the manta ray fish-man Kuroobi emerged from his quarters and made his way to a secluded grove outside the compound to practice Fish-Man Karate.
His bare upper body bore numerous scars, with one particularly prominent mark across his chest.
After being captured by William, Kuroobi had endured considerable suffering as he was interrogated about the secrets of Fish-Man Karate. When Arlong finally gathered enough money to ransom his officers and crew members, Kuroobi was the last to be released. By then, he had already divulged all the secrets of Fish-Man Karate and provided William with valuable intelligence about the Grand Line.
Since his encounter with William—who had been merely an insignificant figure from the East Blue in the eyes of Kuroobi and the other Arlong Pirates before thoroughly humiliating them—Kuroobi had intensified his training regimen.
Unlike many of his fellow fish-men who grew complacent upon arriving in the East Blue, Kuroobi had become even more dedicated than he had been in the Grand Line. He now understood that the East Blue was not the safe haven he and his kind had once believed it to be.
Kuroobi lost track of time during his training when a light mist began to form in the grove. Initially, he dismissed it as typical morning fog. However, the mist rapidly thickened into an impenetrable wall of vapor, and Kuroobi detected a subtle rise in the surrounding temperature.
His heart pounded. The phenomenon felt eerily familiar, stirring a profound sense of foreboding within him.
Kuroobi heightened his vigilance, assuming a Fish-Man Karate stance. With eyes wide open, he scanned the eerily silent grove. From the distance came faint "whoosh, whoosh" sounds that only deepened his unease.
Footsteps echoed through the grove, and then that nightmarish voice reached Kuroobi's ears:
"Training so early? Has my defeat made you this diligent?"
A tall, slender man emerged from the fog as he spoke. Kuroobi instinctively retreated a step, recognizing the figure as none other than William—the very man who had so thoroughly overpowered him at the Flash Gold Bank.
Following William, Aramis, Dampier, and a squad of fully armed soldiers appeared in Kuroobi's line of sight.
"What do you want?!" Kuroobi's pupils contracted. "We've honored our agreement and paid you the money!"
"Yes, but upon reflection, I feel I got the short end of the deal," William said, spreading his hands in mock helplessness. "You extort money monthly from residents who can't resist you. But considering you're just as powerless against me, from my perspective, you're no different from those civilians you bully. If I only demand a one-time payment, isn't that unfair? From now on, you'll pay me a monthly 'life-preservation fee' to continue existing in these waters—ten million Beli per fish-man, per month, same as my previous rate."
"That's impossible! We can't afford such amounts!" Kuroobi blurted instinctively.
William smiled faintly at his response. "I know you can't. That's precisely why, like you, I've come to tear down your home."
He assumed a Fish-Man Karate stance. "I've been studying Fish-Man Karate recently and made some progress. Care for a demonstration?"
Boom!
A sudden explosion echoed in the distance. Kuroobi turned anxiously toward the source of the sound—Arlong Park. But in that moment of distraction, he heard the sharp whistle of something cutting through the air.
"Did I not teach you a harsh enough lesson last time?" William's feet swirled with steam as he launched himself forward, the force of his step and the erupting vapor easily tearing up chunks of earth. In an instant, he materialized before Kuroobi. "You dare lose focus while facing me?"
Years of training kicked in, and Kuroobi's body reacted instinctively. He shifted his weight downward, channeling tremendous power into a punch aimed straight ahead.
William likewise threw a direct punch. He didn't draw his Wado Ichimonji or use a hand blade—instead, he employed a Fish-Man Karate technique. His right fist appeared deceptively simple, but as it connected with Kuroobi's, steam began to hiss and escape from William's fist like a ruptured pressure valve.
When the steam met the cooler air, it condensed into white vapor, enveloping both combatants.
For a heartbeat, time seemed to stand still. Then, the steam surrounding them pulsed, contracting and expanding as if alive.
The next instant, a deafening explosion erupted from William's right fist. The high-pressure steam released like a bomb, but instead of dispersing in all directions, the force concentrated entirely forward—directly at Kuroobi.
Kuroobi let out a muffled groan as he was catapulted backward. He skidded across the ground, his momentum only halting when he crashed into a massive tree trunk.
"K-Karakusa Warabite Seiken?!" Though unable to stand, Kuroobi managed to form the question between coughs of blood. His right forearm, which had clashed with William's, now bent at an unnatural angle, several fingers completely blown away, leaving exposed white bone at the wounds.
William lowered his stance and calmly replied, "Indeed it is Karakusa Warabite Seiken, though I've made some modifications."
Fish-Man Karate was a martial art that fully exploited the natural advantages of the fish-man race. Beyond concentrating the practitioner's entire body strength into a single explosive point, its techniques often generated shockwaves or impact forces to inflict additional damage.
The "Karakusa Warabite Seiken" that Kuroobi mentioned was precisely such a technique—designed to unleash omnidirectional shockwaves against opponents.
William was exceptionally intelligent and excelled at extrapolation. While he lacked the monstrous talent seen in many original characters who could master powerful techniques in mere months, he possessed a remarkable ability to understand and internalize knowledge accumulated by others.
And more importantly, he could adapt these techniques and make them uniquely his own.
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]