Kroobi sensed it the moment Sora and Kuina appeared—they weren't ordinary humans. Their eyes were too calm, coldly indifferent, as if sizing up fish for the slaughter.
He loathed that look. It echoed the disdain he'd endured in his homeland.
As Kuina dodged Chew's water bullet and turned, Kroobi seized the moment. A seasoned fighter, he wouldn't miss this chance. He charged, aiming to kill the girl swiftly before facing the silver-haired boy, whose danger pricked his beastly instincts.
"Fish-Man Karate: Wrist Slash!"
Towering over Kuina like a giant, Kroobi's muscular frame cast her in shadow. Raising his arm, he swung his elbow's razor-sharp fin like a machete, slashing diagonally at her neck.
Kuina's eyes flashed red. She ducked, evading the ferocious strike, and stepped forward under his arm.
Clang!
Behind Kroobi, Kuina drew her sword, twirling it in her right hand. Gripping it backhand, she slashed upward and back, then strode toward the Fish-Men without a glance.
Three steps later, Kroobi—frozen mid-slash—collapsed, legs buckling, crashing face-first to the ground.
Thud!
Dust stirred faintly. Kroobi's eyes blazed with defiance. I'm a Fish-Man! How could a human fell me so easily?
He struggled, but his life drained faster with each twitch. Blood gushed from his mouth, eyes, and ears, pooling beneath him. His body convulsed, then stilled, the light in his eyes fading.
A diagonal gash ran through his skull, visible to all.
"Kroobi!" Chew, fellow officer and ex-Sun Pirate, paled, staring at Kuina in horror.
This dread, this sense of facing a superior foe, hurled him back to Fish-Man Island, cowering behind his captain and Arlong. Since arriving in East Blue, he'd never felt such trembling terror. No ferocious pirates, no slavers, no Celestial Dragons— it was such a paradise.
Villagers gaped, stunned. "No way! One slash took down an Arlong officer?" Genzo, beside Sora, stared at Kuina's back. "That strong? These monsters sink warships in one blow!"
He turned to Sora, eyes blazing with hope.
Sora didn't look, just patted Genzo's shoulder, repeating, "Told you, we're pretty strong. Keep watching."
Genzo began to believe they could defeat Arlong. His face lit with excitement. This girl dodged Chew and Kroobi's attacks effortlessly and felled Kroobi in one strike.
The remaining Fish-Men, enraged yet terrified, stood behind Chew. In East Blue, no human had ever challenged them. Even the navy cooperated, lest they be crushed like ants.
Their unchecked dominance bred arrogance and brutality. To them, East Blue's humans were inferior, mere livestock for slaughter, while they, the glorious Fish-Men, were masters.
They'd forgotten their fear and subservience on the Grand Line.
Kuina's arrival was a bucket of ice water, reviving memories of the Grand Line's terrifying humans.
"You're no East Blue human," Chew growled, eyes bloodshot.
Kuina stared coldly, her pace unbroken.
That look—he hated it, feared it. "Die, inferior!" he roared, as if volume could banish his dread.
"Hundred-Shot Water Gun!"
Sucking air, he puffed his lips, trembling like a machine gun barrel. Water bullets fired at Kuina like a hail of shots.
Kuina didn't dodge. Advancing, she swung her sword in a blur of steel.
A flash of blade light.
Each bullet, meant for her, was sliced in half, crashing into the ground on either side, cratering the earth.
In a heartbeat, Kuina closed the gap, standing before Chew. Ignoring his blood-red eyes and panicked expression, she gave no quarter. Her blade arced upward, slicing his throat.
"Guh…!" Chew froze, clutching his neck. His skin flushed from blue to red. Unable to speak, he collapsed to his knees, then pitched forward.
Thud!
He joined Kroobi in death.
Kuina stood beside him, expressionless. She flicked her sword, shaking off blood. "Chew!" the remaining Fish-Men cried, then fled in panic, as if pursued by a beast.
From Kuina's approach to Kroobi and Chew's deaths, mere seconds had passed.
Villagers parted as the Fish-Men fled toward them, then stared at Kuina, electrified. Two slashes—two officers down. They'd never seen such power, nor Fish-Men so afraid, so desperate.
Fish-Men could fear, could flee.
Kuina stood, cold eyes on the escaping Fish-Men. No mercy stirred for these oppressors. She sheathed her sword, bent her left knee, and gripped the hilt tightly, locking onto the fleeing pack.
Whoosh!
She shot forward, appearing ahead of them like a teleport.
A single blade flash cut through every Fish-Man. They froze, as if petrified.
Clink!
"One-Sword Style: All Things Severed!" Kuina's voice echoed as she sheathed her blade.
The sound broke their stasis.
Splurt!
Bloodlines appeared at each Fish-Man's waist. Their upper halves slid off, blood spraying in torrents.
Kuina turned, sidestepping the crimson river, and walked toward Sora, ignoring the bisected corpses.
(End of Chapter)