Chapter 13: Do You Even Understand Assassins?!
"Watch out behind you!"
"Brother Hachi!"
Two Fish-Men by the pool screamed in terror watching Reiner, but before their warning could reach Hatchan's ears, the bullet arrived first.
Hatchan, who was charging forward, didn't even have time to feel the pain in his back before he stumbled and fell heavily to the ground.
*Whirr— Whirr—*
*Schlick! Schlick!*
The two Fish-Men by the pool were also quickly dispatched by the Chainsaw Devil.
Hatchan pushed himself up with his arms, laboriously turning his head to look at the sinisterly grinning Reiner, a trace of unwillingness on his face.
"You... you... Despicable!"
With that, he passed out.
*What's that? What did he just say!?*
Reiner walked over indignantly, reversed his grip on the rifle, and tapped Hatchan's octopus head again for good measure.
"Who could be more despicable than you guys?" Reiner scoffed.
He scanned the area; the Fish-Men were basically dealt with.
Those who dared to fight were all lying on the ground; the rest had almost all fled.
Zoro had already defeated the Fish-Man officer Chew and joined Luffy in his battle against Arlong.
Reiner then looked towards the Katana Devil fighting Kuroobi.
"Damn ghost thing!"
Kuroobi cursed under his breath, staring grimly at the Katana Devil before him.
He was being suppressed in both speed and strength, and his opponent's sword skills were superb.
*This terrifying wrist strength, combined with this bizarre appearance... is it a Devil Fruit user or a cyborg?*
Kuroobi charged forward automatically, swinging the massive sword-shaped fin on his arm towards the Katana Devil.
"Fish-Man Karate: Arm Blade Slash!"
The Katana Devil crossed its twin swords, meeting the incoming fin head-on with a powerful slash.
*Schlick—!*
The long swords sliced through, directly severing Kuroobi's sword-like fin.
The Katana Devil didn't stop, raising its sword again and adding another gash to Kuroobi's chest.
"Ahhh!!!"
Reiner wasn't surprised. This summon was made from Zoro's template; its physical stats and combat techniques were 100% replicated.
Combined with the highly compatible three-sword style, its strength was infinitely close to Zoro's.
It would be a waste if it couldn't even suppress one Fish-Man officer.
"Looks like I have to use that technique."
Kuroobi gritted his teeth, his expression grave. He extended one hand straight forward, placed the other at his waist, and assumed a formal karate stance.
"Fish-Man Karate: Thousand Tile True Punch!"
A heavy fist carrying immense force shot out, even creating an explosive sound as it broke the air.
The Katana Devil dragged its twin swords along the ground, striking sparks, and rushed towards Kuroobi's fist.
Just as they were about to collide, it abruptly bent its knees, crouched low, gathered power, and leaped forward in a single bound.
The two figures instantly crossed paths.
A cold glint of steel accompanied by the low hum of a blade.
The Katana Devil slowly turned back, flicking the blood from its sword onto the ground.
Two-Sword Style Iai: Cross Slash!
Two intersecting wounds appeared on Kuroobi's chest. Blood spurted out suddenly, and his body went limp, slowly collapsing.
"Only Arlong left now, huh."
Reiner looked towards the base of the giant tower-like building, the only place where there was still movement.
Luffy and Zoro were locked in fierce combat with Arlong, who was clearly at a disadvantage.
Reiner recalled the Katana Devil and Chainsaw Devil, leaving only the Wolverine undead (made from Kuro's template) to melt into the shadows.
With its explosive speed used for sneak attacks, even Arlong under normal circumstances wouldn't be able to defend against it, let alone while being pressed in a fierce battle.
---
Meanwhile, on the battlefield.
"Shark on Darts!"
Arlong bent his knees and suddenly pushed off the ground, launching himself towards Zoro like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, opening his bloody maw wide, ready to bite down hard with his rows of sharp teeth.
Zoro didn't dodge, instead raising his twin swords behind his back, poised to strike.
"Tiger Hunt!"
As their figures crossed, a deep gash had already appeared on Arlong's chest.
However, Arlong, possessing incredible vitality, gritted his teeth against the pain upon landing and immediately charged towards Zoro's back.
"Gum-Gum... Spear!"
Luffy slammed the soles of his feet together, delivering a powerful and heavy kick that struck Arlong's abdomen, interrupting his charge.
"Damn it!"
Arlong roared through gritted teeth, his eyes fixed intently on the two, desperately trying to think of a way to break the deadlock.
*"If this continues, I'll definitely die here."*
Arlong parried their attacks while scanning his surroundings.
Suddenly, he spotted Nami outside the main fight. A glint flashed in Arlong's eyes.
*"Although there are two others with her, they don't look strong. If I can just grab her as a hostage..."*
Making up his mind in an instant, Arlong used the momentum from being knocked back by Luffy again to turn and charge towards Reiner's group.
However, just at that moment...
*Schlick! Schlick!*
Arlong, poised to charge, suddenly felt his legs weaken as intense pain shot through his waist.
Looking down, he saw several sharp claws embedded deeply into his side!
Arlong looked up in disbelief, following the claws to their owner – a ferocious-looking man staring coldly and silently at him.
Arlong hadn't sensed any presence from this person, not even a hint of killing intent.
If he hadn't moved, Arlong wouldn't have even registered him as a living being, like a pebble or a leaf incapable of drawing his attention.
Arlong formed his hand into a blade and struck down with all his might at the man's neck, knocking the Wolverine undead's head completely askew.
"Ahhh!!!"
Arlong gritted his teeth, grabbed the Wolverine undead's hands, and painfully ripped the claws out, staggering as he continued his charge towards Nami.
However...
*Schlick! Schlick!*
The familiar, intense pain flared up from his waist again. Arlong turned his head back in disbelief.
"Wh-why?"
"But I..."
Arlong's pupils contracted. The 'man' whose neck he had seemingly broken was now, with his head hanging crookedly, plunging his claws into Arlong's waist *again*.
Reiner winced just watching; Usopp covered his mouth, trembling.
*Why does this guy keep going for the kidneys!?*
*Did Kuro have this kind of quirk in life?*
*Did his fighting style get preserved too?*
*Shing—!*
The claws were ripped out once more. Blood surged, and Arlong collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.
He had already sustained too many injuries fighting Luffy and Zoro, and his stamina was nearly depleted.
These final two stabs to the waist were the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"Arlong... is down?"
Nami stared incredulously at Arlong lying motionless in a pool of blood.
That powerful, brutal figure, the lingering nightmare that had haunted her for so long... had actually fallen one day?
"It's over, it's over. Let's go."
"Is it over?"
Nami looked at Reiner, who had jumped out from behind the wall, as if waking from a dream.
Her eyes suddenly felt moist. Forcing back tears of overwhelming joy and relief, she nodded firmly.
"Let's go!"
Reiner led Nami and Usopp out from behind the wall.
"Nice job, Luffy, Zoro! And Reiner's undead."
"You'd better get that right, Nami."
"Heeheehee, yeah, yeah, I know, *you're* strong."
"So perfunctory."
"Finally, under my brilliant leadership, we defeated Arlong! Good work, you guys."
"Ah, right, right, couldn't have done it without you, Usopp."
"You're being perfunctory too."
Reiner, Nami, and Usopp walked over to Arlong's body, meeting up with Luffy and Zoro. The group gathered around.
Looking at the barely breathing Arlong on the ground, Reiner handed his gun to Nami.
"You want to do it?"
Nami hesitated for a moment, looking down at Arlong. Her gaze gradually hardened with resolve, and she took the gun.
The others watched silently.
Everyone present had seen blood before.
Luffy, at age six, had witnessed Lucky Roux execute a mountain bandit with a point-blank headshot.
Zoro had spent the last two and a half years making a living by hunting down wanted criminals.
And Nami... Nami didn't even need mentioning. She had witnessed Bell-mère being shot and killed by Arlong while protecting her and Nojiko.
She was only eight years old at the time!
No one here was naive enough to think being a pirate was child's play. They had all staked their lives to go out to sea for their own goals and dreams.
*Click-clack!*
Nami racked the slide, pressing the muzzle against Arlong's head.
Facing her mother's killer, the demon who had subjected Cocoyasi Village to years of oppression, Nami's eyes showed unprecedented determination.
She had dreamed countless times of Arlong dying. Without any hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
*BANG—!*
After the gunshot echoed...
It felt as if a giant boulder that had been crushing her, making it hard to breathe for years, had finally shattered and vanished without a trace at that very moment.
Nami let out a long sigh of relief. Her body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed onto the ground, the gun falling loosely beside her.
"Wipe the blood off your face."
Reiner handed her a handkerchief and patted her shoulder.
He crouched down, and an azure flame emerged from his palm, covering Arlong's body...
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