Chapter 20: Arlong Park's Fall and the Grand Line's Call
[SYSTEM MISSION: DEFEAT ARLONG. RECOMMENDED ACTION: ENGINEER FINAL DEATH. ACQUISITION: FISH-MAN KARATE (UPGRADE) / AQUATIC COMBAT. SECONDARY GOAL: ENSURE NAMI'S FREEDOM AND GRAND LINE ENTRY.]
"This is it. The true climax of the Arlong Park arc, and the start of Arc 2. Arlong himself. I need one final, decisive death from him to complete my skillset for the East Blue and prepare for the Grand Line. 'Fish-Man Karate' would be a monstrous power-up, allowing me to fight effectively in water and weaponize it. Or 'Aquatic Combat' for full underwater mastery. I need Arlong to deliver the final, most powerful blow he possesses, to experience the full, devastating force of a Fish-Man's ultimate attack. This is my grand finale for the East Blue. Time to take a plunge, and come back with an even deadlier arsenal. And then, Arlong dies for good, and we set sail."
The battle within Arlong Park reached its fever pitch, the very foundations of the Fish-Man's stronghold groaning under the weight of the Straw Hats' assault. Luffy and Arlong were locked in a brutal, destructive struggle, their blows shaking the entire structure. Zoro, having recovered from his fight with Hatchan, joined Sanji in clearing out the remaining Fish-Men, their combined force overwhelming. The villagers, inspired by the Straw Hats' determination, began to fight back, their fear slowly replaced by a fierce, desperate hope.
My compass was vibrating with an intensity I hadn't felt since Mihawk, but this time, it was a profound sense of completion and transition. The system prompt was unmistakable, signaling the end of one phase and the beginning of another.
[SYSTEM MISSION: DEFEAT ARLONG. RECOMMENDED ACTION: ENGINEER FINAL DEATH. ACQUISITION: FISH-MAN KARATE (UPGRADE) / AQUATIC COMBAT. SECONDARY GOAL: ENSURE NAMI'S FREEDOM AND GRAND LINE ENTRY.]
"The final death for the East Blue, and the first death of Arc 2. It has to be Arlong. And it has to be his signature move, the culmination of Fish-Man power. 'Fish-Man Karate' is the ultimate prize here – the ability to manipulate water, to weaponize it, to fight with lethal precision even in an aquatic environment! Or 'Aquatic Combat' for complete underwater dominance. I need to take the full force of his deadliest technique, something that truly embodies Fish-Man power, to ensure the most potent acquisition. This is the last step before the Grand Line, the ultimate East Blue power-up. Time to take a plunge, and come back with an even deadlier arsenal. And then, Arlong dies for good, and we set sail for the next adventure."
Luffy, despite his rubber resilience, was taking a beating. Arlong, in his rage, was displaying the full, terrifying power of his race, his saw-like nose a deadly weapon, his Fish-Man Karate strikes devastating. Seeing a crucial moment, as Arlong prepared a devastating, water-enhanced kick, I made my move.
"Hey, Arlong!" I roared, pushing past Luffy and getting directly between him and the raging Fish-Man. "You're fighting the wrong rubber man! Why don't you try your 'Fish-Man's demise' on someone who can't die?! You keep trying to break Nami's spirit, but you haven't even managed to break mine! And I've been trying to die all week!" I deliberately presented myself as the ultimate, unkillable target, mocking him with my invincibility, drawing his full, unadulterated fury.
Arlong, enraged beyond measure by my insolence and my constant reappearances, snarled, his eyes bloodshot. "You again?! You irritating, pathetic human! You want to die?! Fine! I'll show you what true power is! The ultimate technique of the Fish-Man! You will be obliterated! Not even your demon's trick will save you from this!" He drew back his leg, his powerful Fish-Man muscles coiling, and then unleashed a Water-Enhanced Ginga Kick (Ocean Current Kick), a move that combined the immense force of his physical strength with the cutting power of a compressed water current. It was designed to sever limbs, obliterate stone, and leave nothing but a pulpy mess.
"This is it. The full power. The water enhancement will be key. This is a death by sheer, overwhelming, water-amplified blunt force. It has to be complete. It has to be utterly devastating. This is the final lesson from the East Blue's strongest Fish-Man, and it will be absorbed fully."
I didn't resist. My Gum-Gum body stretched impossibly far as the kick connected, the water current within it feeling like a thousand invisible blades tearing through me, propelled by Arlong's immense physical force. It wasn't just a kick; it was a devastating hydrodynamic explosion, a concentrated blast of liquid power. My body was ripped apart, compressed, and pulverized simultaneously, like being caught in an underwater implosion. My internal organs ruptured, my bones shattered, and my very essence was scattered by the overwhelming hydrostatic shock. My consciousness was extinguished in a flash of blinding, agonizing pressure. This was my most complete, most destructive death yet, a direct hit from a powerful, biologically enhanced attack, designed to leave no trace.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: DEATH RECORDED. KILLER: ARLONG (WATER-ENHANCED GINGA KICK). ABILITY ACQUIRED: FISH-MAN KARATE (UPGRADE). REVIVAL INITIATING. PLEASE WAIT.]
"Fish-Man Karate (Upgrade)! Yes! This is it! The ability to manipulate water, to weaponize it, to fight with lethal precision even in an aquatic environment! This is the ultimate power-up for this arc, and it makes me a terrifying threat, especially near water. Thank you, Arlong, for the most brutal, yet most rewarding, death yet. Now, it's time to end this. Arc 2 begins with a bang, and a very wet, very powerful, new me."
I gasped, my eyes snapping open. I was lying in a rapidly expanding pool of water created by Arlong's destructive kick, but my body was whole, perfectly fine, not a single scratch. A new, profound power resonated within me. My hands felt like they could conjure currents, my feet could move through water with surprising ease, and my strikes felt like they carried the weight of the ocean itself. I instinctively performed a Mizugami ("Water Hand"), a small, focused jet of water bursting from my palm, powerful enough to dent the crumbling stone around us. I felt an innate understanding of water, its flow, its pressure, its potential as a weapon.
Arlong, who was still recovering from unleashing his ultimate kick, stared at my resurrection, his face a mask of primal terror. His eyes bulged, and his jaw hung slack. "Impossible! You took my Ginga Kick! No human could survive that! You're a monster! A true demon!"
"Oh, I survived it, Arlong," I said, slowly standing up, a chilling calm in my voice. My eyes, usually mischievous, now held a cold, unwavering resolve. "And I learned from it. Thank you for the final lesson of the East Blue. You taught me the true power of the Fish-Man. Now, it's time for you to learn what happens when you make Nami cry."
I launched myself at Arlong, not with my usual chaotic style, but with a terrifying, newfound precision and power. Every punch, every kick, now carried the subtle, devastating impact of Fish-Man Karate. My blows, combined with my Chop-Chop Fruit and Gum-Gum resilience, were now perfectly aimed at his pressure points, and carried the concussive force of water, even in the air. Arlong roared, attacking me furiously, but I was now faster, stronger, and knew exactly how to hit him where it hurt, disorienting him with water-enhanced strikes.
Luffy, seeing my new, terrifying effectiveness, grinned, sensing the impending end. "Adam! You're amazing!"
My focus remained on Arlong. I didn't steal Luffy's final blow, but I softened Arlong up considerably, dealing him a series of debilitating blows that left him stunned and reeling, his movements erratic. I delivered a powerful, water-enhanced chop to his neck, stunning him and making him vulnerable, before stepping aside.
"Your turn, Captain," I said, a grim satisfaction in my voice. "Finish him."
Luffy, with a final, furious, and utterly devastating Gum-Gum Battle Axe, smashed Arlong through the floor of Arlong Park, demolishing the entire structure and symbolically freeing Cocoyasi Village.
The battle was over. Arlong Park was a ruin. Nami was free. Arc 2 had begun with a resounding victory.