Upon hearing this, many members of the Fish‑Man Pirates — or rather, those who were about to become the Fish‑Man Pirates — were instantly terrified out of their wits.
Arlong had just attacked him!
Although news traveled slowly in Fish‑Man Island, they all knew exactly what a wanted poster meant.
Aside from Whitebeard in the New World, they had never heard of anyone with a bounty exceeding 1.3 billion Berries — and this man was worth over 2 billion.
"Lord Grimm! This must all be a misunderstanding! I swear Arlong meant no harm!"
Ivankov stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation, sensing the killing intent radiating from Grimm.
At this time, Ivankov's body was not yet as massive as it would be in the future, though it was still imposing enough.
He pressed his sharp fingernails into the pressure points behind his neck, and instantly his large frame shifted and transformed — turning into a shapely, beautiful woman with voluminous hair, though his distinctive chin remained impossible to hide.
Quite a useful ability… I'll definitely leave Momonosuke in your care in the future.
"Oh? No harm? Are you sure about that?" Grimm replied coldly.
"If I had charged at him swinging a blade, would you also say I meant no harm? Besides… I honestly do want to kill him. Let's just say… it's a personal grudge."
As he spoke, Grimm summoned Truthkeeper directly into his hand.
"Whoa, come on… don't be so vindictive!" Fisher Tiger stepped in to mediate. He knew Grimm was usually reasonable and fair — this level of hostility seemed completely out of character.
Jinbe spoke in his signature deep, gravelly tone. "Look at that murderous aura… I'm afraid reason has left the building. There's no talking him out of it now."
"Anyway — Arlong, run for it! He's dead set on killing you! All of you, get away from here too! We've already rescued most of the people inside Mary Geoise; the Marines will turn their full attention this way very soon!"
"I'm not running away! Why does he get to decide to kill me? Hmph! I'M going to kill HIM! You might be an Emperor… but I, Arlong, am not afraid of you!"
As soon as Tiger loosened his grip, Arlong started shouting recklessly again. Tiger was so frustrated he nearly slammed Arlong's face back into the dirt.
Tiger simply couldn't understand why Grimm wanted Arlong dead so badly. The two had never even met before!
Was it really just because Arlong had tried to cut him down just now? Granted — any normal person would want revenge for that… but this felt different.
---
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host: Mission Triggered — Nami's Nightmare."
Mission Description:
If the fish‑man Arlong is not eliminated today, he will go on to become the source of trauma and misery for one of the main characters — Cat Burglar Nami — throughout her childhood. Kill him now.
Mission Reward:
Achievement Unlocked: Plot Alteration A
Upon completing all Plot Alterations A through J: One designated Retainer Card (choose one out of five).
---
No choice then… Arlong is definitely dying today.
"Tell you what," Grimm said, waving his hand casually.
"I'll give you all a chance. If you can defeat me together within ten minutes, I'll spare Arlong's life today. If you fail… well, don't blame me. I'm giving you a fair shot, aren't I?"
"Lord Grimm! We are in the process of establishing friendly relations with Fish‑Man Island! Acting like this will destroy all goodwill and trust!" Ivankov argued.
His transformation had changed his voice into that of an ordinary woman's. Before the echo faded, his entire body blurred into a purple afterimage as he charged forward.
"Lord Grimm… I must ask you to forgive this!"
It seemed that changing his form had also shifted his fighting style — focusing entirely on strength, speed, and defense.
But both Grimm and Ivankov knew perfectly well: this was just an act — a performance to show the fish‑men that the Revolutionary Army had done everything possible on their behalf.
The Hancock sisters were about to rush in and help, but Grimm spoke calmly without turning around. "Just having a little fun here. Stand down, all of you."
"Newkama Kenpo Secret Art: Springtime Recollection Attraction!!"
Shouting out a rather ridiculous‑sounding move name, Ivankov — still in female form — landed a solid kick straight into Grimm's abdomen.
But that alone was far from enough. In the next instant, Ivankov's legs became a blur of motion, striking with impossible speed from every angle.
Everyone watched as Grimm's shield moved just as fast, deflecting every single blow from those stiletto‑clad feet.
"Hee‑hee!"
Ivankov let out a strange laugh, leaped back to where Tiger and the others stood, and reverted to his original form, his voice shifting back to that androgynous tone.
"As expected of Lord Grimm… I couldn't land a single hit at all!"
Ivankov pulled a comical, helpless face. The Revolutionary Army is full of drama kings and queens, honestly…
"Everyone attack together! And Arlong — run while you have the chance! We cannot defeat him!" Tiger roared the order.
As a seasoned traveler, he knew exactly who Grimm was. He knew that the title Four Emperor meant he stood far above them, on a level they could hardly comprehend.
But Arlong was his brother. No matter how foolish or reckless Arlong had been, Tiger could not simply stand by and let him be killed — that would destroy the morale and loyalty of everyone else.
"Take this… Shield Strike!"
Grimm suddenly leaped high and swung his shield straight down toward Tiger's head.
Tiger reacted quickly enough, throwing himself backward. The shield smashed hard into the ground, leaving a massive crater where it landed.
"Fish‑Man Karate!"
Jinbe shouted, raising his left hand edge‑on and clenching his right fist tight as he gathered his strength.
"Wild Rose Tile True Punch!!"
The motion looked slow, but in reality it unleashed an omnidirectional shockwave covering a full 360 degrees.
By the time you saw the fist move… the attack had already hit you.
But as Jinbe threw his full‑powered strike, shock registered in his eyes. Wait… why isn't he dodging?!
BOOM!
Grimm simply raised his shield. The blast slammed into it with earth‑shaking force, sliding him backward dozens of meters before he finally stopped.
Mid‑slide, Grimm kept his right hand gripping the shield, while his left hand condensed a spear of holy light which he hurled straight at Ivankov.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three spears in a row pierced Ivankov's left shoulder, forearm, and abdomen — forcing him to halt his pursuit instantly.
Staggering for several steps, Ivankov gasped and collapsed to his knees, speaking with great difficulty.
"I… I'm hit… I can't go on… I'm done for… this time I'm really going to die…"
The last word had barely left his mouth when Ivankov suddenly sprang back to his feet, throwing both hands high in the air.
"Hahaha! Just kidding! But seriously Lord Grimm… you really are incredible!"
"Ultra Cure! Healing Hormones!!"
Ivankov shouted again, driving his sharp fingernails into his neck.
The wounds pierced by the holy spears began closing and healing at a terrifying speed — matching or even exceeding Grimm's own regenerative abilities.
"That technique shortens your lifespan… are you really okay using it on yourself?"
Grimm asked, genuinely surprised. He jumped up onto a large rock, looking down at Ivankov.
Ivankov waved it off casually. "No worries! When I use it on myself, the side effects aren't nearly as bad!"
"You let your guard down!!"
Suddenly a figure darted right behind Grimm, swinging a massive blade downward. It was Arlong!
"After all… you're nothing but a lowly human! You want to kill me?! Then YOU go to hell!!"
CLANG!!
The impact rang out loud and clear to everyone present.
Arlong instantly felt the weight and resistance in his hands drop drastically.
He looked down — and saw his prized saw‑toothed cutlass had snapped cleanly in two.
All he held now was barely a third of the original length.
And the rest of the blade… was firmly gripped in Grimm's hand.
__________________
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