As soon as the words fell, a burly figure, carrying a foul wind, charged in front of Ivan, roaring:
"Lowly human, die—Shark·ON·Gear!"
His entire body resembled a truck as he rushed toward Ivan, his sharp teeth continuously gnashing, seemingly intent on tearing Ivan apart with them.
Faced with this scene, a deep blue glow appeared on Ivan's palm.
Not only did he not dodge, but he instead surged forward.
The next moment, Ivan's five fingers pressed against Arlong's face as he grinned ferociously:
"Hahaha, then I'll return the favor—Blue·Shark Brake!"
Boom!
A terrifying force mercilessly crushed Arlong's face. He had no time to react before his body was easily flipped over, his head slamming heavily into the ground.
Immediately after, the teeth in Arlong's mouth, comparable to refined steel, shattered inch by inch, falling mixed with blood.
He felt his vision go dark, the intense pain nearly causing the entire fish-man to fall unconscious!
At the same time, a sharp whistling sound suddenly erupted!
Arlong felt a bone-chilling cold shoot up his spine. With all his might, he struggled to break free from Ivan's grasp, rolling to the side, but he was still half a step too slow!
A flash of cold light swept past, accompanied by a piercing scream, as a bloody arm soared into the sky.
Looking at Arlong again, his left arm had already vanished—it had been severed by Ivan with a single slash!
Ivan casually swung his longsword, flicking off the blood droplets clinging to it, then tilted his head, his gaze falling on the continuously wailing Arlong as he feigned confusion:
"You keep saying humans are lowly, but I don't see where you're any nobler?
On the contrary—you're just too weak!"
"Damn it, damn it, you lowly human, I'll definitely kill you!"
Arlong glared fiercely at Ivan, his eyes surging with overwhelming hatred, yet even this hatred couldn't conceal the deepest fear.
In a daze, it seemed as if he had returned to those dark, sunless days on the Grand Line.
His Fish-Man brothers were constantly hunted and killed by humans.
Even though Fish-Men possessed greater arm strength than humans, this rule didn't hold at all in front of those monsters.
They wielded Haki, capable of shattering a large ship with a single punch.
No matter how they resisted, it was ultimately futile. They could only watch helplessly as their brothers fell one by one, and even Boss Fisher Tiger died tragically in a human conspiracy.
And now, after just one exchange with Ivan, Arlong felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
Arlong realized that this guy, who previously wasn't his match, had somehow completely surpassed him and become one of those monsters!
He was absolutely no match for Ivan, and if he were defeated, his Fish-Man brothers would only be slaughtered.
No, such a thing must never be allowed to happen!
Arlong's face showed determination as he removed his teeth, gripping them in his palm, and roared with grief and indignation to the many Fish-Men behind him:
"Run, run now! I'm no match for him. Run as far as you can!"
As he spoke, he charged tragically toward Ivan, his entire being exuding a sense of solemn sacrifice:
"Lowly human, I won't let you harm my Fish-Man brothers—Shark·ON·DARTS·Iron Teeth Technique!"
"Pathetic trick!" Faced with Arlong charging at him again, Ivan shook his head, clapped his hands together, and softly shouted: "Wood Release·Violent Spear Tree!"
With a thunderous roar, four sharp tree trunks erupted from the ground, piercing Arlong's arms, legs, and abdomen respectively, pinning his body firmly in place.
Amid Arlong's screams, Ivan strode past him, mocking: "Just watch as your Fish-Man brothers die... Now, listen to the sword's gentle hum!"
Ivan took a step forward, instantly vanishing from his spot. When he reappeared, he was beside a Fish-Man.
The next second, Ivan's figure vanished again, leaving only that Fish-Man standing still.
However, that Fish-Man would never move again; even the look of terror on his face had frozen.
A second later, his head suddenly began to slide slowly, detaching from his neck before he finally died!
Blue Shave!
This was a unique physical technique Ivan created by merging Shave with Blue.
He used Blue's gravitational pull to replace the explosive thrust Shave required from repeatedly stomping the ground. Not only was the speed far beyond the original, but it could also be used continuously without any lag.
In the eyes of the surviving Fish-Men, Ivan was like an elusive ghost.
His figure flickered unpredictably among the crowd, and each time he appeared, he would inevitably reap one or two lives.
Piercing screams rose and fell continuously. The Fish-Men dying one after another couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
In just a short while, the ground was stained red with blood, and only Octopus Hachi remained on the battlefield, barely clinging to life.
Ivan slowly stepped forward, looking down at Hachi, who had collapsed on the ground, his eyes showing not a ripple of emotion.
As a transmigrator, Ivan naturally knew that Hachi had once saved Rayleigh's life.
If he killed Hachi today, he might incur the wrath of that legendary pirate in the future.
But so what?
Hachi might be naive and simple, but he was by no means a good person, nor could he be considered kind.
He had abetted tyranny, watching the villagers of Cocoyasi Village suffer under Arlong's rule.
Burning justice allows no trace of filth to remain!
A cold glint flashed in Ivan's eyes as his longsword sliced through the air.
The blade fell, and Hachi's head soared into the sky!
Thus, aside from Arlong, all the pirates of the Arlong Pirates were dead!
Seeing this, Arlong completely broke down.
His body twisted frantically, heedless of the mangled flesh and exposed bones at his impaled wounds:
"No, no, why are you so cruel?
You'll go to hell, you'll definitely go to hell!"
Ivan's handsome face was dotted with specks of blood. He approached Arlong, severed his remaining three limbs, and smiled:
"When you tortured and killed those villagers, you should have expected this day would come."
Ivan walked past Arlong again, coming before the many villagers, and beamed brightly: "Villagers, I leave Arlong to you!"
The villagers stared blankly at Ivan. After a brief silence, the fear, grief, and despair that had built up over seven years finally erupted like a volcano.
They dropped their hoes and sickles, their eyes red as they roared and charged toward Arlong.
"Aaaaaah!"
Whether it was the excitement of revenge or the weeping of liberation, hoarse howls filled the sky.
A moment later, the clamor returned to silence, leaving only low sobs.
At some point, the dark clouds that had shrouded the Conomi Islands completely dispersed. Brilliant sunlight pierced through the clouds, quietly spilling down, casting a warm golden edge on the orange trees behind the village!
...
The news of the Arlong Pirates' annihilation quickly spread to every corner of the Conomi Islands.
To thank Ivan, the villagers from surrounding settlements spontaneously organized a grand banquet.
Ivan did not decline their enthusiasm, but he also didn't want the already impoverished villages to suffer further for this feast.
Before the banquet began, under the expectant and curious gazes of everyone, Ivan pressed his palms together and solemnly shouted:
Wood Release・Continuous Pillar Houses Technique!"