Watching his Fish-Men kin retreat in panic, Arlong shot to his feet, eyes bloodshot, jaws wide. "Out of my way!" he roared.
Relieved, the Fish-Men scattered, their usual arrogance gone, replaced by desperation.
Kuina ignored the fleeing Fish-Men and Arlong, her gaze locking back onto Colonel Mouse.
Mouse shuddered under her stare, legs buckling. He collapsed, sprawling backward, and screamed, "What's with you, woman? We've got no grudge! Why're you after me?"
Fear and grievance consumed him. Why me? I'm human too! Why not the Fish-Men? Why me?
Arlong, seeing Kuina dismiss him, boiled with rage. "You human wench, so eager to die? I'll grant your wish!"
He yanked a massive, serrated saw-blade sword—Kiribachi—from behind a pillar. Glaring at Kuina, he kicked the table aside and charged. Her knife skills were sharp, but no one in East Blue could best him, Arlong, captain of the Arlong Pirates, the region's highest-bounty pirate.
Closing in, he raised Kiribachi with both hands, slashing down. "Die!"
He was certain no one in East Blue could block his strike.
Kuina's eyes met his for the first time, a cold glint flashing. Her sword, moving last, met Kiribachi first, intercepting it.
Clang!
A shockwave burst from the clash, rippling outward.
"Guh!" Arlong froze, staring at his blade, feeling a force rivaling his own. "Impossible! No human in East Blue can block my strike!"
Meeting Kuina's icy gaze, his voice grew heavy. "You're not from East Blue. You're from the Grand Line."
Only that explained her strength matching his.
Kuina stared, unyielding, her expression unchanged—cold. "You talk too much."
Her left hand gripped the hilt, both hands now on her sword. With a heave, she forced Arlong's blade upward.
Veins bulged on Arlong's forehead and arms, his skin reddening, teeth gritted, feet digging into the ground. "A lowly human, stronger than the great Fish-Men? Impossible!" he bellowed.
Kuina ignored his rant, inhaling deeply. She drew her sword back slightly, then unleashed a fiercer push, lifting Arlong and Kiribachi off the ground.
CLANG!
A louder clash echoed, the shockwave intensifying.
Mouse, slumped on the ground, squinted against the gust, desperate to flee but paralyzed, his body drained.
Arlong's feet scrabbled to anchor him, but the force was relentless, hoisting him skyward. Once airborne, he had no leverage against Kuina.
Her unstoppable strength sent his massive frame hurtling backward.
CRASH!
His arched back slammed into the rear wall, carving a deep crater. With a rumble, the wall collapsed, burying him in rubble.
The Fish-Men gaped at the debris mound, eyes blank, shaking their heads in disbelief. A human overpowering Arlong? She can't be human.
Sora, meanwhile, glanced at the pool behind Kuina. "That's Hachi, right?"
He'd sensed something missing. Hachi, the six-armed octopus Fish-Man, was hiding there, likely planning to ambush Kuina when her guard was down.
Hachi could blend into the sea like a real fish, tough to spot. But not for Sora.
Sora didn't care about Hachi's past—saving Rayleigh or seeming "good" in the anime. Hachi was as guilty as any Arlong Pirate, his goofy demeanor a mask. If Rayleigh sought revenge, Sora would cut him down too.
As Hachi surfaced, Sora drew Zankuu and slashed casually at the pool.
A silver-gray flying slash streaked toward the water, striking Hachi head-on as he emerged.
Clang!
The slash didn't pause, slicing through Hachi's raised dual swords, his body, and beyond, racing along the waterway to the distant sea, vanishing.
Hachi froze, swords raised. A wave hit, and his blades snapped with a ding. A bloodline traced from his brow downward, widening.
With a splurt, his body split in half, blood staining the water red.
The waterway itself bore a silent gash, stretching to the ocean, sea water pouring into the rift, unable to close, like a knife through jelly.
"Hachi!" The Fish-Men, fixated on Arlong's rubble, snapped to, shouting at the waterway. They whirled to Sora, trembling, eyes bulging, terror absolute.
"Great swordsman?"
"A great swordsman!"
They'd never seen one, but they'd heard tales—monsters who split mountains, cleaved seas, sank ships. Even in the fearsome New World, they were titans.
Frozen, chilled to the bone, they knew: they were doomed.
Kuina ignored the chaos behind her. With Sora there, she only needed to press forward. She lowered her gaze to Mouse, her cold eyes burning with disgust.
Mouse, now witless with fear, shook violently. Propping himself on his hands, he scrambled backward, feet scraping the ground.
"I… I…" he stammered. "I'm navy! Kill me, and you'll be wanted!"
"Wanted, huh?" Kuina tilted her head, shrugging. "Let them try."
(End of Chapter)