The so-called "amusement park" was actually Arlong Park. The fishmen who had been noisily enjoying themselves suddenly fell silent after the loud crash at the entrance.
"What the hell happened? Chuu."
Chew, one of the three officers of the Arlong Pirates and a smelt-whiting fishman, glared at the doorway where wooden fragments lay scattered around Shioyaki's crumpled form. He walked forward angrily, his lips already puckering in preparation for his signature water bullets.
Arlong, who had been lounging on his deck chair, shook his head at his subordinates and motioned for them to investigate. He slowly rose to his feet and followed behind, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the park's concrete floor.
However, before they could take more than a few steps, a group of strange humans suddenly entered their field of vision.
"So many fishmen here! They really do look unique. Too bad there aren't any mermaids—I'd love to see more of those. Yohohoho!" The man with the distinctive afro who stood out prominently in the group took a quick glance around and chuckled with obvious amusement.
"Hey! You're calling us weird, you stupid skeleton? Look at yourself!" Hatchan, the six-armed octopus fishman and another officer, stretched out all his arms simultaneously in indignation.
As he spoke, he scratched his head with one of his many hands and blinked in confusion. "Wait... skeleton? Did he just—?"
"Hatchan, don't waste time talking to them. They're just some insignificant humans who don't know their place. Chuu." Chew shoved his hands in his pockets, adopting a dismissive posture as if these intruders weren't worth his attention.
"That's right. Talking too much to these inferior humans will only make you stupid too," added Kuroobi, the ray fishman with twin braids. He crossed his muscular arms, his cartilaginous features twisted in contempt.
Deuce and the others exchanged bewildered glances. They hadn't expected to be branded as "stupid humans" before they could even get a word in edgewise.
Something stirred in Deuce's memory, as if he had heard similar remarks somewhere before. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, a hesitant look crossing his face. "You guys... are you also from Fishman Street?"
Whoosh!
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out as Chew spat a rapidly flying water bullet directly at Deuce without any warning.
Before Deuce could even react, Jerry snorted coldly and flicked his finger. A single drop of water shot toward Chew like a fired arrow.
As the water droplet flew through the air, it gradually expanded in size, growing larger and more substantial with each passing second.
The improvised water projectile instantly engulfed Chew's attack, completely negating it before striking him squarely in the forehead. His eyes widened in astonishment just before the impact.
BANG!
Chew was caught completely off guard and knocked to the ground face-first by the tremendous force, his body hitting the concrete with a sickening thud.
"Hey! What was that?!" Seeing their officer go down so easily, many of the fishmen were stunned into momentary silence before erupting into confused chatter.
Watching Chew rub his head and struggle to get back to his feet, Arlong stepped forward with a dark expression, his voice filled with rage.
"Who are you people? Have you been to Fishman Street? And that technique just now—that was Water Shot from our Fishman Karate, wasn't it?"
"Humans are nothing but an inferior race! How could you possibly use our fishmen's techniques?!" Arlong clenched his massive fists, took a threatening step forward, and roared at Jerry with barely contained fury.
Jerry also took a step forward, walking slowly toward his opponent with an almost casual air. "Why do all you Fishman Street types sing the same tune?"
"Or is it just you and that Hody Jones who are the most fond of this particular speech?" Jerry cracked his knuckles methodically, as if fondly remembering someone he had thoroughly beaten on Fishman Island.
"Huh? Hody?" Arlong's expression shifted, clearly recognizing the name. His angry facade cracked slightly, revealing genuine surprise underneath.
"That's right—that great white shark fishman had exactly the same attitude as you." Jerry nodded matter-of-factly. As he spoke, he blinked and looked at Arlong more closely, sudden realization dawning on his face. "Oh, right... you're also a shark fishman, aren't you?"
Arlong interrupted impatiently, his voice rising to a roar. "You damn inferior race! Stop spouting nonsense! Tell me—if you've been to Fishman Street, how did you manage to get out?!"
Arlong knew all too well what kind of fishmen inhabited Fishman Street. If any human got involved there without permission, they would never be allowed to leave in one piece. He was genuinely puzzled by Jerry's casual mention of the place.
Having been entrenched in East Blue for years, Arlong hadn't paid much attention to news from his homeland recently. He obviously had no idea what Jerry and his crew had accomplished there.
Upon hearing this question, Jerry's grin turned mischievous. "Do you really need to ask? Of course I just knocked everyone down and walked out like it was nothing."
Arlong stepped forward again, his foot crashing through the floor and sending concrete fragments flying. He laughed, but it was a sound filled with rage rather than amusement. "Just you? An inferior race that looks like walking garbage?"
"As expected of humans—your very existence is a sin! Don't think you can fool us with ridiculous lies! Just die, you scum!"
For some reason, hearing Jerry casually discuss defeating his fellow fishmen in Fishman Street filled Arlong with an indescribable sense of suffocation. His anger grew with each word, building to a murderous crescendo.
Unable to contain his fury any longer, he decided to take his usual approach—complete and utter elimination of these humans.
He waved to his subordinates behind him, then crouched low, bending his legs and pushing off with tremendous force.
"SHARK ON DARTS!"
Arlong's entire massive body transformed into a living projectile, his serrated nose serving as the spearhead as he rocketed toward Jerry like a guided missile.
"Playing headbutt, are we?" Jerry remarked casually, extending his right hand with deceptive slowness. His movement appeared leisurely, but his timing was perfect as he accurately grabbed Arlong's jagged nose mid-charge.
Under Arlong's shocked and disbelieving gaze, Jerry took a step to the left, using Arlong's own momentum against him. He dragged the fishman's massive body along, swinging him in a complete half-circle like an oversized sandbag before slamming him down hard onto the concrete floor.
CRASH!
A deafening impact echoed through the park as a crater suddenly appeared in the floor, spider web cracks spreading outward in all directions from the point of impact.
This sudden turn of events caused the Arlong Pirates members who had been charging from all directions to stop dead in their tracks, standing frozen in stunned disbelief.
Their faces displayed a mixture of shock and incredulity, as if they couldn't process what they had just witnessed. Their seemingly invincible captain had been manhandled like a child's toy.
Arlong lay sprawled on his back, blood gushing from his mouth like a crimson fountain and staining the concrete around him. His eyes had rolled back, and while he teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, his body still twitched and struggled weakly.
"Are you... are you kidding me? Big Brother Arlong!"
"Everyone attack! Kill this damn human!"
In the ensuing chaos, someone among the remaining Arlong Pirates members shouted desperately, and they surged toward Jerry once again like a pack of rabid wolves.
"Do you think I'm just decoration?" Cavendish drew his sword with a flourish, mounting Farul and charging forward with theatrical flair.
Brook's skeletal form blurred as he rushed ahead without hesitation. "Yohohoho! I won't let you have your way with my captain!"
"Hahahahha! Charge, everyone! What a rare opportunity to outnumber the enemy for once!" Skull's bizarre battle cry rang out across the park.
Hearing Skull's enthusiastic shout, the rest of the crew snapped out of their momentary daze, realizing that this was indeed an unusual situation for them.
On most days, they faced the constant dilemma of being outnumbered by their opponents. After all, the Black Star Pirates currently consisted of only eight humans, one cat, and one horse. Whether they encountered Marines or other pirate crews, their enemies almost always had superior numbers.
The Arlong Pirates had originally fielded eight fishmen and one sea cow, but since Jerry had already kicked Shioyaki into the harbor earlier, the sea cow couldn't reach the inland park to participate in the battle.
Therefore, the number of Arlong Pirates currently capable of standing and fighting was actually smaller than the Black Star Pirates' available forces.
With this realization, the entire Black Star Pirates crew swarmed toward their enemies, finally engaging in that rarest of treats—a good old-fashioned group beatdown where they had the numerical advantage.