*Boom!!*
Sent flying at high speed, Arlong plummeted straight down and crashed into the towering building.
Allen landed steadily on both feet. Spinning his pistol around his index finger, he looked into the tower with a teasing gaze.
"My, how pathetic. So the so-called superior race is actually afraid of bullets?"
*Boom!!*
A loud crash echoed from inside the tower as Arlong kicked through the wall, exposing the room within. He glared back with ruthless eyes and said coldly,
"Don't get carried away, human. You just got lucky and took a cheap shot. Don't tell me you actually think you can beat me with a toy like that."
"Why don't we test it out and see? I just hope your skull is as hard as your mouth."
Allen shot back mockingly.
Arlong's eyes darkened. He turned his head to glance at the massive, jagged sword hanging nearby, [Peak Cutter], and let out a cold sneer.
"I don't know how that woman bewitched you into provoking me, but it doesn't matter anymore. In just a moment, you'll pay the price for your stupidity and arrogance."
The cold blade gleamed with a chilling light. Taking the massive jagged sword down from the wall, a sharp glint flashed in Arlong's eyes, and his aura grew increasingly ferocious.
"Perfect timing. The warm-up is over."
Seeing this, Allen curled his lips into a smirk and finally got serious.
He slipped off his coat and tossed it aside by the pool. Spreading his legs, he lowered his center of gravity into a half-crouch, assuming a combat-ready stance.
"Captain..."
"Is he finally going all out?"
Seeing him like this, the pirates behind him couldn't help but turn solemn.
Although they had seen Allen fight a few times, this was the first time they had ever seen such a serious expression on his face.
This reaction made Nami frown. Unable to hide her confusion, she asked,
"Going all out? What do you mean? Is he going to use some kind of ultimate move?"
"Well... we don't really know how to explain it to you."
Prompted by her question, the pirates didn't know how to describe it either, so they simply said,
"Anyway, just watch closely. You're about to see the Captain's miraculous combat martial arts."
"That's right. No matter how strong that guy Arlong is, he can't possibly be a match for the Captain."
"Is that so..."
Nami cast them a skeptical glance.
She knew Arlong's terrifying power better than anyone, but to be honest, the strength of this pirate crew had also vastly exceeded her expectations.
She had heard of both Gin the Demon Man and the Nyaban Brothers, and even Sanji—a man whose name she had never heard before—was able to easily defeat one of Arlong's officers.
To be able to bring all these formidable fighters under his command, Allen's own strength couldn't possibly be lacking.
Now that things had reached this point, even if she wanted to submit to Arlong again, she would never regain his trust. She could only pray that Allen truly had the power to defeat him...
In the brief moment of her contemplation, the two men on the battlefield finally made their move.
Gripping his massive jagged sword, Arlong crouched down with furious eyes, then pushed off with a violent leap!
*Bang!*
A small crater violently exploded beneath his feet as Arlong shot forward like a speeding arrow. In an instant, he crossed the entire pool, arriving right in front of Allen and bringing his jagged sword crashing down in a rage!
"Meat Grinder!"
Facing this heavy, momentum-filled attack, Allen's gaze narrowed. He had already read his opponent's simple, straightforward movements in his mind, and he pushed off the ground to sidestep out of the way.
*Boom!!*
The massive jagged sword missed its mark and smashed into the ground. Flying debris pelted his body, but Allen remained completely unfazed. He reached out, grabbed his opponent's bent, elongated nose, and drove his knee upward!
*Bang!!*
The heavy knee strike slammed into his abdomen. Arlong's eyes bulged in agony as a churning wave of nausea rapidly surged from his stomach to his throat.
Gritting his teeth to suppress the sickening feeling inside him, Arlong glared back and thrust out his massive hand, aiming straight for Allen's head!
It was the simplest of movements, yet this time, Allen didn't dodge. Instead, he countered by reaching out and grabbing his opponent's face in return!
"Oh no!"
Seeing this, Nami instantly paled in panic.
Fish-Men were born with ten times the arm strength of a human, and Arlong's power was exceptional even among them. Once caught in his grip, even solid rock would be easily crushed to dust.
"Shahahaha! Are you trying to test your grip strength against mine, you idiot?!"
Arlong couldn't help but burst into laughter. The moment he grabbed Allen, the battle was already over in his eyes.
"In my hands, even solid granite can be crushed with ease! This is the supreme gift bestowed upon Fish-Men by the heavens!"
As his five fingers gradually exerted force, Arlong's gaze grew increasingly vicious.
However, in the very next second, he suddenly froze.
"How can this be...!"
Arlong stared at Allen in utter disbelief. It felt as though he were squeezing a solid lump of iron; his fingers couldn't press in at all.
*Are this guy's bones made of steel?!*
"Opening and closing your mouth, it's always about humans this and Fish-Men that. You really have a massive inferiority complex, Arlong."
Even though the flesh on his face was being squeezed together, Allen's expression didn't change in the slightest. Instead, he let out a sinister chuckle.
"I hope your head can compare to steel too. Because if it can't..."
As his words fell, Allen's five fingers clamped down, and he finally began to exert his own strength.
In just a single second, a look of sheer agony washed over Arlong's face, and his eyes became completely bloodshot.
Five fingers clamped down on his skull like a vice. It felt as if his head had been placed inside a pair of steel pliers and was being ruthlessly crushed!
"Bas... tard...!!"
Arlong gritted his teeth, his face twisting into a hideous grimace. Veins bulged on his arm as his five fingers pushed harder, desperately trying to turn the tables.
Under this explosive grip strength, Allen finally felt the pressure. The air around his head seemed to materialize, frantically squeezing inward.
Yet, he had no intention of giving up this contest. With a ruthless glint in his eyes, he unleashed his full grip strength all at once!
*Crack—Crack!*
"Arghhh—!!"
Arlong's eyes looked ready to burst from their sockets. Accompanied by the crisp sound of fracturing bone, crimson blood seeped from his gums and eye sockets simultaneously!
A trace of genuine fear surfaced deep within his eyes. If this continued, his head might actually be crushed to a pulp!
It had only been a few seconds, but the agonizing torment felt like it had lasted for over ten minutes. Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
"Let go of me, you bastard!"
Unable to endure the dual torment of pain and fear any longer, Arlong furiously swept his sword horizontally!
*Whoosh—!*
The jagged sword howled through the air. Forced to let go, Allen leaped backward and landed on the ground, staring at Arlong with a contemptuous expression.
"My, why did you give up on our little grip contest? Is the great Fish-Man Arlong admitting defeat to a human?"
"Arlong actually lost in a test of grip strength... Is this guy really even human...?"
Nami muttered to herself, her pupils unfocused from the sheer shock.
She couldn't believe the reality of the scene unfolding before her, much less imagine that a human could suppress Arlong with sheer brute force.
Even the Fish-Men on the opposite side had disbelief written all over their faces, their mouths hanging open in a daze.
"Boss Arlong..."
"...How could this happen? That guy must have used some kind of underhanded trick!"
"B-But... Boss Arlong really did lose, didn't he...?"
"All of you, shut up!!"
Arlong roared in a violent rage. With vicious eyes that looked as if he had completely lost his mind, he gripped his sword and charged ferociously at Allen!
"A Fish-Man! Will absolutely never lose!"
*Boom!!*
The massive jagged sword smashed explosively into the floor, sending debris flying and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Allen skipped backward to retreat, but Arlong immediately stepped forward, raising his sword in relentless pursuit.
*Boom!!*
*Boom!! Boom!!*
"And I will certainly never lose to a lowly, treacherous, ungrateful, and despicable race like humans!!"
Arlong vented his fury until his voice grew hoarse. His two rows of sharp teeth looked terrifyingly hideous as he swung his jagged sword in wide, chaotic arcs without any technique.
Facing this maddened, haphazard onslaught, Allen remained expressionless. He simply continued to jump back and dodge, a hint of disappointment faintly showing on his face.
In his eyes, this battle was already over.
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