Watch your back!
Brother Hachi!
The two Fish-Men at the poolside cried out in horror at Reiner, but before their warning even reached Hachi's ears, the bullet struck.
The charging octopus Fish-Man stumbled mid-sprint, collapsing hard onto the ground before he could even process the pain in his back.
Szzzt—szzzt—
Slash! Slash!
The two Fish-Men at the poolside were torn apart by the Chainsaw Devil in the next instant.
Hachi, trembling, propped himself up on his arms, forcing himself to glance back at Reiner, who was grinning wickedly. His face twisted with unwillingness:
"Y-you… despicable…!"
And then he fell unconscious.
"…What did you just say? What kind of nonsense is that!?"
Reiner marched forward in a huff and smacked Hachi's octopus head with the butt of his pistol.
"Who's more despicable than you Fish-Men, huh?" he sneered.
He looked around—the battlefield was practically cleared.
Most of the fighters were already down; the few remaining had fled.
Zoro had long since defeated the Fish-Man officer Chew and had already joined Luffy in their clash against Arlong.
Reiner's gaze shifted to the battle between the Blade Demon and Kuroobi.
"Damn monster!"
Kuroobi growled, his face grim. The Blade Demon completely suppressed him in both speed and strength, and even its swordsmanship was terrifyingly refined.
That monstrous arm strength, coupled with the bizarre form… what the hell was this thing? A Devil Fruit user? A cyborg?
With a roar, Kuroobi lunged forward, swinging his massive fin-arm down like a blade.
"Fish-Man Karate: Arm Blade Slash!"
The Blade Demon crossed its twin swords, meeting the fin head-on.
Clang—!
Steel clashed. With a brutal strike, the Blade Demon severed the fin clean off.
The attack didn't stop there—its second slash carved a deep gash across Kuroobi's chest.
"Arghhh!!!"
Reiner wasn't surprised. This undead had been molded from Zoro's template—its physical ability, its combat instincts, all copied perfectly.
With its mastery of the Three-Sword Style fully replicated, its power was nearly identical to the real Zoro.
If it couldn't crush a mere Fish-Man officer, then it wasn't worth summoning in the first place.
"…Looks like I'll have to use that move."
Kuroobi's teeth ground together as he steadied himself, one hand extended, the other cocked at his hip, stance shifting into a sharp kata.
"Fish-Man Karate: 1,000 Tile True Fist!!"
The punch carried terrifying weight, bursting through the air with a thunderclap.
The Blade Demon's twin swords scraped against the ground, sparking as it lunged forward to meet the strike. At the last instant, it dropped low, coiling power in its legs—
And then, in a blur, it leapt past him.
Two shadows crossed paths.
A chilling gleam split the air, followed by the deep rumble of steel.
The Blade Demon slowly turned, flicking blood from its blades.
"Two-Sword Style: Draw Slash—Cross Cut."
Twin slashes carved across Kuroobi's chest in an X. Blood fountained as his body crumpled to the ground.
"Now all that's left is Arlong."
Reiner's eyes turned toward the massive tower-like building—the last place where battle still raged.
Luffy and Zoro were driving Arlong back, the tyrant clearly struggling to keep pace.
Reiner dismissed the Blade Demon and Chainsaw Devil, leaving only the Wolverine undead, crafted from Kuro's template, to lurk in the shadows.
With its explosive speed, a sneak attack was guaranteed to land—even Arlong wouldn't be able to react under this pressure.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
"Shark… Saw!"
Arlong bent his knees, kicking off the ground like a fired cannonball, his massive jaws gaping wide with rows of razor teeth aimed straight at Zoro.
But Zoro didn't flinch—he raised his swords behind him, stance coiled tight.
"Tiger Hunt!"
As they crossed paths, a deep slash tore across Arlong's chest.
But the Fish-Man's monstrous vitality kept him moving. Landing hard, he snarled through the pain, surging toward Zoro's exposed back.
"Gum-Gum… Spear!"
Luffy's legs snapped together like a javelin, driving into Arlong's stomach and halting his charge.
"Damn you!"
Arlong's eyes burned with fury, yet his thoughts raced—if this went on, he would die here.
His gaze swept the battlefield until it landed on Nami. A cruel idea flashed in his mind.
If I can just grab her as a hostage…
At the next opening, when Luffy knocked him back, Arlong twisted mid-air, turning his charge toward Nami's group.
But—
Slash! Slash!
Agonizing pain exploded in his waist, his legs buckling beneath him.
He looked down in disbelief. Several sharp claws had sunk deep into his side!
Arlong's eyes darted up, meeting the cold, expressionless face of a twisted man—Reiner's Wolverine, undead.
It had no killing intent, no presence—like a stone or a leaf, invisible until it struck.
Arlong roared, his hand morphing into a blade, chopping down with full force at its neck. The strike knocked its head to a grotesque angle.
"Arghhh!!!"
Arlong staggered, clutching the undead's claws, ripping them free before stumbling forward again toward Nami.
But—
Slash! Slash!
That same searing pain returned. Arlong spun around in horror.
"W-why…? How!?"
His pupils shrank. The creature, neck still grotesquely bent, had stabbed him again in the same spot.
Even Reiner winced. Usopp covered his mouth, trembling.
Why the hell is it always the kidneys!?
Did Kuro have this kind of twisted hobby in life… and the undead inherited it!?
Shhhk!
The Wolverine undead ripped its claws free once more. Blood sprayed.
Arlong collapsed, his body drained, no longer able to rise.
Wounded over and over in battle against Luffy and Zoro, his stamina nearly gone, the final two kidney strikes had broken him completely.
"Arlong… fell?"
Nami stared, stunned. The nightmare that had haunted her since childhood—the monstrous tyrant who slaughtered her mother, who shackled her entire village—was finally down in a pool of blood.
"…It's over. Let's go."
Reiner's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Over… it's really over…"
Tears welled in Nami's eyes, but she held them back, nodding firmly.
"Let's go!"
Reiner led Nami and Usopp out from behind the wall.
"Nice work, Luffy, Zoro… and Reiner's undead."
"You'd better give me proper credit, Nami."
"Hehehe, fine, fine, you're strong, happy now?"
"So half-hearted…"
"At last, under my brilliant leadership, we've defeated Arlong! Well done, crew!"
"Yeah, yeah… you're amazing, Usopp."
"So half-hearted again!"
The group gathered around Arlong's crumpled body. Reiner handed his pistol to Nami.
"…Do you want to finish it?"
Nami hesitated, her eyes locked on Arlong. Slowly, determination hardened her gaze. She took the gun.
The others stayed silent.
All of them had seen blood before.
Luffy had watched Higuma, the mountain bandit, get his head blown off at age six.
Zoro had lived by cutting down bounty targets.
Nami had been forced to watch her foster mother, Belle-Mère, executed in front of her at just eight years old.
No one was naive enough to think piracy was a child's game. Each of them had put their lives on the line for their dreams.
Click.
Nami pulled the slide back, aiming the gun at Arlong's head.
Her eyes, filled with hatred and grief, finally blazed with resolve. For years, she had dreamed of this moment, longed for this devil's death.
Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The shot echoed.
And at last, the crushing weight she had carried for so long shattered into nothingness.
Nami let out a shaky breath, her body collapsing as the pistol slipped from her fingers.
"…Wipe your face."
Reiner handed her a cloth, patting her shoulder.
Then he crouched down, summoning green flames to engulf Arlong's corpse.