I sat cross-legged on a sturdy branch just outside Cocoyashi Village, watching as the forest around me blazed. Sweat trickled down my forehead, and my heart raced as I observed Arlong's forces struggling within the fire. The sun hung high in the sky, casting intense light over the battlefield, while a slight ocean breeze carried the salty scent of the sea. But the tension was palpable—this was no ordinary skirmish. Arlong's pirates were unlike any enemies I'd ever faced.
So far, I'd primarily dealt with the small fry, aiding Kaya as best I could.
Let's rewind a bit. Before the battle began, I devised a plan with the alluring, Latina-looking Nojiko. I proposed turning this forest into the fishmen's graveyard, intending to let Carmen's fires consume it. Though she and Dr Nako, the local doctor, were reluctant, they ultimately agreed.
That morning, I set up tripwires hidden under leaves, buried compact explosive bombs beneath the dirt, and strung nets high in the trees—all designed to thin Arlong's ranks once the villagers lured them into the burning forest. I knew we couldn't take on all of Arlong's forces head-on; instead, we'd have to outthink and outmaneuver them.
A few minutes before the villagers, acting as bait, lured the fishmen into the forest, Carmen ignited the trees, setting the forest ablaze, and my traps sprang into action. Nets hoisted several weaker fishmen high into the trees while others stumbled into tripwires that detonated explosive devices. Smoke and debris filled the air as the traps eliminated the weaker fishmen before they even realized what hit them. Screams and shouts of confusion echoed through the forest as the fire raged like a blitzkrieg—fast, fierce, and devastatingly effective.
My grin widened beneath my faceless mask.
I couldn't relax, though, because even with the success of my plan, I knew that the strongest and wisest of Arlong's crew had avoided my traps, and Arlong himself was at the center of them. The monstrous saw-shark fishman was as fearsome as the stories claimed: very tall, heavily muscled, and exuding confidence that only the truly dangerous predator possessed.
And I was about to face him alone.
Arlong towered above the battlefield as he strode into the clearing where I sat cross-legged, waiting, his sharp, jagged teeth glinting in the dimming light. His domineering aura pulsed through his body, making his menacing presence overwhelming. He was radiating raw power, like a wild Shark, alive, ready to tear me apart.
"So, you're stirring up all this trouble, huh?" Arlong's deep voice rumbled as he cracked his knuckles, echoing like distant thunder. His cold, calculating eyes locked onto me. "Shahahahaha! I'll make this quick, weakling."
My heart pounded. How Luffy had faced this monstrous creature alone baffled me. I could feel the villagers' fear but couldn't let it show now. Adjusting my faceless mask, I rose slowly on the branch, leveling my crossbow at Arlong.
"You're not strong; you're just a pathetic bully. True strength doesn't hide in a pond—it conquers the ocean," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the pressure of his presence. "What's a so-called strong fishman even doing here in the East Blue?"
Arlong snorted, unimpressed. "Shahahahahah! Brave words for a weak, pathetic human with a filthy mouth. Weak. Pathetic. Filthy. Without all your trickery, you'd be nothing."
I swallowed hard but kept my breath steady. I had to stay calm. My observation haki and smelling sense had been sharpening through my battles as the ghost of east blue, and now, as I faced Arlong, I could feel the subtle shifts in the air, the way his muscles tensed before his every move.
Arlong lunged forward, leaping swiftly onto the tree branch where I stood, his arm swinging down like a hammer aimed at my head. My Haki flared, giving me enough time to dodge as I jumped to another branch. The one I'd just left splintered under Arlong's powerful strike.
I fired a barrage of explosive bolts at him. They detonated in a dazzling light and sound, momentarily blinding him.
But the fishman was unfazed. Even as Arlong staggered back, his grin never wavered. "Shahahahaha! You'll have to do better than that, human!" he roared, leaping at me again.
I jumped to another branch, flames crackling around us and smoke thickening the air, making it hard to breathe and see. But Arlong's speed caught me off guard. His heavy fist connected with my lower abdomen, sending me crashing into a tree a few meters away. I landed with a sickening thud, pain shooting through my lower ribs, and for a moment, darkness threatened to take over.
Focusing on the pain, I pulled myself back onto my feet, standing unsteadily on the leaf-strewn forest floor.
I could feel my observation haki was still active; I could feel Arlong's intention. But Arlong was too fast, too agile and unpredictable.
Arlong sneered, his sharp teeth gleaming. "Shahahaha! You're just delaying the inevitable."
Arlong reached into his mouth with a vicious grin, pulled out jagged and sharp teeth, and hurled them at me like stars.
I dodged to the side, but one of Arlong's teeth grazed my left shoulder, slicing through my bearskin jacket. Blood welled up, and a sharp jolt of pain shot through my shoulder, but I gritted my teeth and kept moving. I needed to think—I had to outsmart him.
Watching Arlong regenerate his teeth, an idea sparked.
"You're pretty fond of those teeth, huh?" I taunted. "Let's see how you like them when they're gone!"
I pulled a special projectile from one of my pouches—a heavy iron ball coated with a strong adhesive I'd crafted, thanks to notes from the journal. I took careful aim, letting my Haki guide me, and hurled the iron ball straight at him.
The iron ball flew through the air and struck Arlong in the mouth just as he opened his jaws. The adhesive quickly hardened, binding his teeth together and sealing his mouth shut. Arlong's eyes widened in shock as he tried to open his mouth but couldn't.
I grinned. I felt a surge of confidence.
But Arlong's fury only grew. With a roar of frustration, he flexed his muscles and shattered the adhesive with sheer force. His teeth were already regenerating, sharp, and deadly as ever.
Arlong charged again, this time faster and more relentless. His eyes turned into something else. I barely had time to dodge as the fishman's fists slammed into the ground, sending tremors through the earth. My observation haki flared, warning me of another attack just in time for me to roll out of the way.
But Arlong was too fast. His jaws snapped, and I felt searing pain as the fishman's teeth sunk into my back. I cried out; my body wracked with pain as Arlong lifted me off the ground and tossed me aside like a ragdoll.
I hit the ground hard, gasping for air. Blood trickled down my battered back, and my vision blurred for a moment. Kaya's voice echoed faintly in the distance, calling my name, but I struggled to focus. Arlong was closing in, and I was running out of options. Dying sucked—it reminded me of my time in the abandoned garage, trying to perfect my reactor, only for me to end up dead. My long career as the Ghost had probably made me a bit overconfident.
I glanced at Kaya, her angelic face etched with worry. In my previous life, love had been absent; my last ex had married her first option because she couldn't wait, leaving me to bury myself in my hobby of inventing weapons. But with Kaya, the frail-looking beauty brimming with warmth and kindness, I felt wanted—truly wanted. And then there was Sham, with her peculiar charm, and Carmen, with her vibrant eccentricity.
I forced myself to my feet. My observation haki flared again and became stronger this time. I could feel every movement Arlong made, every shift in his muscle.
And then, something clicked. A surge of solid will flickered within me, a strength I hadn't known I possessed. I focused on that power, feeling it flow through me as I pulled out a bolt. It was a regular bolt, but my instincts told me I could channel my will into it.
I loaded the will-infused bolt onto my crossbow, aiming at the approaching Arlong. Was this the power of Infused Armament? With little success, I had tried to learn armament haki before, yet here I was, coating my bolt in newfound energy—a freshly awakened armament.
The armament-coated bolts flew through the air faster and more powerfully than anything I had ever fired. The force of the impact struck Arlong square in the chest, sending him staggering back.
Arlong snarled, blood dripping from the wound. I launched another attack, this time aiming for his opened mouth.
The bolt hit its mark, and Arlong's teeth exploded into shards, leaving the fishman howling in pain. He tried to regenerate them, but I was relentless, firing again and again; each shot hit his opened wounded mouth.
Finally, with one last shot, hitting his mangled, unrecognizable mouth, Arlong was down to his knees. I shot one last time to make sure he didn't move. His breathing stopped, and I couldn't read his intentions with my haki. Even my strong sense of smell couldn't smell him. He was dead.
I stood over his hulking body, panting, my body shaking with exhaustion. I beat Arlong, but the toll on my body was immense. My vision swam, and I could feel myself slipping away, but I fought to keep awake. I looked around me; I almost forgot that the forest was still on fire.
"Carmen?!" I called," Could you please extinguish your fire?"
With the fire dissipating, I walked toward where Kaya was a moment ago.