Chapter 22: Arlong Park – The Final Showdown Begins
"Waaaaah! Don't come after meeee!" Usopp screamed in terror, dragging Johnny and Yosaku as they sprinted in circles around the grounds.
Chew chased relentlessly behind, sneering viciously. "Stand still! Just die quietly!" His cheeks puffed out. "Puff puff puff!" A barrage of high-pressure water cannons erupted, blasting deep craters into the ground.
"Only an idiot would stop!" Usopp yelled while running, pulling a coil of rope from his bag and shoving it into Johnny and Yosaku's hands. He whispered urgently, "Wait for my signal—you two flank left and right, trip him! I'll draw his attention!"
He spun around sharply, slingshot firing rapidly. "Sure-Kill: Harassing Steel Pellet Barrage!" A dense rain of steel pellets shot toward Chew.
Chew scoffed. "Child's play!" He tilted his head back and fired water arrows, precisely knocking every pellet out of the air.
But the next second—
Splat! Chew's foot landed squarely on an egg Usopp had secretly dropped earlier. Sticky, foul-smelling liquid instantly coated his webbed foot.
"Urgh—! What the hell is this stuff?!" The pungent stench made tears stream from his eyes—he nearly vomited his breakfast.
"Now! Johnny! Yosaku!" Usopp shouted.
"Got it, Big Bro Usopp!" The two had already positioned themselves on either side. They yanked the rope taut with a fierce "Heave—yah!" Like a bear trap, it snapped tight. Chew—dazed from the stench and off-balance—tripped hard. Thud! He face-planted with a dog-eat-shit crash.
"Sure-Kill: Fireworks Star!" Usopp seized the moment, slingshot drawn full. A blazing explosive shot hit Chew square in the back of the head—pop!—exploding in a cloud of black smoke.
"Is… is it over?" Johnny swallowed nervously.
Suddenly, a grinding voice came from the smoke. "You… filthy humans…" Chew staggered up, trembling, forehead veins bulging. "I'll make you—"
"Wah! He's still moving?!" Usopp panicked again, fumbling for his hammer. "Usopp Hammer Combo! Bang bang bang!"
"We're in too!" Johnny and Yosaku charged forward, unleashing a storm of kicks on Chew. "Die, you fish-man bastard!"
"Aaaah!" Under the trio's frenzied assault, Chew's eyes finally rolled back. Thump. He collapsed unconscious.
"Hah… hah…" Usopp braced his knees, panting hard—then straightened up proudly, slinging arms around Johnny and Yosaku as they laughed triumphantly. "Ahahahaha! See that?! Even we can take down a dangerous fish-man like this!"
Yosaku wiped blood from his nose, grinning. "Of course! We're the strongest of the Usopp Pirates—"
"Stop getting cocky! Run—more fish-men are coming!" Usopp's face paled instantly. The trio reverted to their cowardly selves, screaming as they fled again.
After enduring Sol's hellish special training, Sanji's combat ability had reached a whole new level. Kuroobi's proud Fish-Man Karate was full of openings in his eyes.
"Fish-Man Karate: Tangled Vine Straight Fist!" Kuroobi roared, right fist whipping through the air toward Sanji's face.
"Too slow." Sanji's cigarette flared. His right leg struck like a viper—snap!—hitting the nerve cluster on Kuroobi's wrist with perfect precision.
"Wha—?!" Kuroobi stared in shock as his right arm trembled uncontrollably, his gathered force scattering.
"Looks like your karate… hasn't graduated yet." Sanji's cigarette glowed in the dim light. In Kuroobi's horrified gaze, a devastating upward kick smashed into his chin. Bang! The massive fish-man's body launched skyward.
"Fish-Man Karate: Water Strike!" Kuroobi flailed mid-air, unleashing a dense rain of water bullets—but Sanji strolled casually through them, cigarette never falling, dodging each one perfectly.
As Kuroobi began to fall, Sanji had already predicted the landing spot. "Mouton Shot!"
A gorgeous spinning kick tore through the air, slamming into Kuroobi's chest. Crack! The bone-snapping sound was clear. The Fish-Man Karate master's eyes rolled back—he flew like a ragdoll and crashed into a pool with a massive splash.
Sanji landed lightly, brushing nonexistent dust from his suit. "Like I said… seafood belongs in the water."
"Six-Sword Style: 'New Spring Opening Sheath – Body Breaker'!" Hatchan's six arms wove a dizzying sword net, blades whistling through the air.
"My six-sword style is invincible! On all of Fish-Man Island—except that one guy—no one's swordsmanship surpasses mine!" he boasted loudly.
Zoro, wielding Johnny and Yosaku's dual blades, precisely blocked attacks from all six directions. Sparks flew with every clash.
"Enough." He suddenly exploded with force, knocking all blades away, then pointed his long sword at Hatchan's throat. "This is nothing but wild swinging."
"Damn—! You dare insult my swordsmanship?!" Hatchan's tentacles quivered in rage. He shifted all six swords into a special stance. "Then witness the true secret technique!"
He leaped high, blades glinting blindingly in the sun. "Six-Sword Style Secret Technique: 'Six-Sword Waltz'!" His body spun rapidly into a deadly bladed tornado, bearing down on Zoro.
"So…" Zoro slowly bit down on Wado Ichimonji, eyes sharpening. "Don't embarrass yourself with circus tricks!"
"Three Sword Style: Tornado!"
Zoro's figure became a green whirlwind—his sword gale even fiercer than Hatchan's. Metal snapped repeatedly—Hatchan's six swords shattered on contact! The violent sword storm hurled the octopus fish-man away, crashing wounded into distant ruins, all six arms limp.
Zoro sheathed his blades, shaking his head at the unconscious Hatchan. "Can't even hold six swords steady—and he calls himself a swordsman."
"Zoro! Heeeelp—!" Usopp came running with Johnny and Yosaku, dust clouds billowing behind them as dozens of fish-man pursuers chased with weapons raised.
Just as the fish-men closed in, a black shadow streaked overhead.
"Gum-Gum Whip!"
Luffy's right leg stretched long like a broom—boom!—sweeping horizontally. The pursuers scattered like bowling pins, crashing into surrounding buildings.
"Usopp—Arlong's not in here either?" Luffy retracted his leg, pressing his hat and scanning around.
BOOM!
The central building's doors burst open. A tall blue figure stepped out heavily. "What's all the noise…?" Arlong rubbed his temple sleepily. "I was just taking a quick nap…"
When he saw the scene—his men sprawled everywhere, the base in ruins, and the Straw Hats standing in the wreckage—his vicious grin froze.
"…"
Arlong's brain short-circuited. Veins bulged on his forehead, pulsing wildly. His gaze slowly swept over the unconscious Chew in the pool, Kuroobi floating face-down, and the battered Hatchan—finally locking on Luffy.
"You… inferior humans…" Arlong's sharp teeth ground audibly, nails digging into his palms. "How dare you… do this to my Arlong Park…!!"
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