章節 4: Dealing with Arlong and Unexpected Rewards
The tension in the air thickened as I approached Arlong Park. Even from a distance, I could hear the faint crashing of the waves against the imposing stone walls of the compound. The towering gate, adorned with the grotesque insignia of Arlong's crew, loomed ahead, flanked by two large fish-men guards.
My eyes narrowed as I took in the scene. The place was a fortress, but that didn't matter. I wasn't here for subtlety anymore.
Chibi chirped quietly on my shoulder, sensing the cold focus in my demeanor. The air around me began to chill, tiny snowflakes swirling in the breeze as I let my powers seep out. I could already feel the weight of the fight that was about to come.
As I approached the gate, the two fish-men noticed me. One was a hulking brute, easily ten feet tall, with scales the color of mud and a mouth full of jagged teeth. The other was leaner but still imposing, his skin slick and green like a sea snake.
"What do we have here?" the larger one sneered, stepping forward, his muscles rippling under his thick skin. "You lost, little human?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I raised my hand, and with a flick of my wrist, a thin line of snow spiraled out from my fingertips, slicing through the air with a razor's precision. It passed by the brute's face so quickly that for a second, he didn't even realize what had happened.
Then, blood erupted from his throat.
The fish-man gurgled in surprise, his hands shooting up to clutch the deep gash that had appeared across his neck. His eyes bulged in shock as he fell to his knees, blood pouring onto the ground in thick, dark streams.
The smaller one, now wide-eyed, took a step back. "What the—?!"
Before he could finish, I moved.
I shot forward like a bullet, my speed catching him off guard. He barely had time to react as I closed the distance between us in an instant, my knee driving into his gut with bone-crushing force. The impact sent him hurtling backward into the stone wall, the sound of his ribs shattering echoing through the courtyard.
He crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood, his body twitching from the shock of the blow. I stood over him, snowflakes still swirling lazily around me, the cold air biting into the warmth of the tropical island.
I didn't bother with any further theatrics. I raised my hand again, and this time, the snow gathered into sharp, spear-like formations above his head.
With a simple gesture, the spears shot downward, impaling him through the chest, arms, and legs, pinning him to the ground like an insect caught in a web. His body jerked violently as blood poured from the wounds, staining the snow that now covered the ground beneath him.
I stared down at the dying fish-man, my voice cold and emotionless as I spoke. "You should've run when you had the chance."
Chibi chirped approvingly from my shoulder.
The gate to Arlong Park fell with a deafening crash as I blasted it apart with a Snownado, the swirling vortex of snow and ice tearing through the stone like it was paper. As the dust settled, I stepped through the wreckage, my breath calm and steady despite the carnage I had already wrought.
The courtyard was filled with more of Arlong's crew—dozens of fish-men, each one a hulking brute in their own right. Their eyes locked onto me as I entered, a mix of confusion and anger spreading across their faces.
"Who the hell is this?!" one of them barked, stepping forward, his hand already gripping the massive hammer slung over his shoulder.
Another fish-man, with shark-like features and a mouth full of jagged teeth, growled low in his throat. "Doesn't matter. He's dead meat for messing with us!"
They charged at me in unison, a wave of brute force and savagery that would have overwhelmed most. But I wasn't most.
I raised my hand again, and this time, I unleashed Winter's Fury.
The air around me erupted into a blizzard of deadly snow and ice. Hardened snowflakes, sharp as knives, swirled in a violent storm around me, slicing through flesh and bone with ease. The first few fish-men to reach me were torn apart, their bodies shredded by the storm before they even realised what was happening. Limbs were severed, blood spraying in thick arcs as they fell, screaming, to the ground.
One of the larger fish-men, a massive brute with the head of a hammerhead shark, swung a spiked club at me with all his might. I ducked under the swing, the club passing harmlessly over my head, and retaliated with Fists of Flurry—a barrage of snow-formed fists that pummelled his body with relentless force. His skin, tough as it was, couldn't withstand the onslaught. His bones cracked and broke under the impact, his chest caving in with a sickening crunch.
He staggered backward, coughing up blood, but before he could fall, I grabbed him by the throat. His eyes widened in fear as I drained the heat from his body with Winter's Kiss, his flesh turning pale and brittle as frostbite spread through him. With a simple squeeze, his neck snapped, and I tossed his lifeless body aside.
The courtyard was quickly becoming a slaughterhouse. Blood pooled on the ground, mixing with the snow that now covered every surface. The remaining fish-men were hesitant, unsure whether to continue their assault or flee.
"Pathetic," I muttered, taking a step forward, my boots crunching over the frozen bodies. "Is this all Arlong has to offer?"
One of the fish-men, desperate to escape, turned and tried to run toward the inner gate, but I was already on him. In a flash, I formed a spear of ice in my hand and hurled it with deadly accuracy. It pierced through his back, skewering him to the ground, his screams echoing through the courtyard before they were abruptly cut off.
I glanced at the remaining fish-men, who were now trembling in fear. Their bravado had melted away, replaced by the cold reality of death that surrounded them.
"Tell your captain," I said, my voice as cold as the snow that fell around us, "he's next."
But before any of them could respond, a familiar voice cut through the silence.
"That's enough."
I turned to see Arlong himself standing at the entrance to his throne room, his towering form casting a long shadow across the courtyard. His eyes, sharp and predatory, locked onto mine, a sneer spreading across his face.
"So, you're the one causing all this trouble," he said, stepping forward. His voice was deep and filled with contempt. "I've heard about you… the 'prettiest demon of East Blue,' huh?"
I didn't answer. I simply stared at him, my body tense with anticipation.
Arlong's sneer widened into a grin, revealing his rows of sharp, serrated teeth. "You've got guts, human. I'll give you that. But you're a fool if you think you can take me down."
Behind him, more of his lieutenants emerged—Chu, Kuroobi, and several other high-ranking fish-men, each one exuding an aura of dangerous confidence. At a quick glance, the only one I couldn't spot was Hatchan, but I would deal with him when the time comes.
I glanced at Chibi, who chirped softly, her tiny eyes gleaming with excitement.
"This is going to be fun," I muttered under my breath as I stepped forward, the air around me growing colder with each passing second.
Arlong's grin faltered slightly as he noticed the shift in the atmosphere. The snowflakes that had been lazily drifting down from the sky began to pick up speed, swirling in a growing storm around me.
"You should've stayed in your pond," I said, my voice low and icy.
The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough you could cut through it with a knife.
The courtyard went deathly silent as Arlong and his high-ranking fish-men stepped forward. My grip on the cold around me tightened. This was it—the real fight.
I raised my hand slowly, the air growing denser and heavier with the chill. A thick fog began to form, swirling around the battlefield like a coiling serpent. It was more than just snow—it was a technique I had crafted over the years, a derivative of the Hidden Mist Jutsu— Frozen Veil.
The fog, infused with my Snow-Snow Fruit powers, not only obscured vision but carried with it an unbearable, biting cold that would sap the strength of anyone who wasn't prepared for it. The fish-men were formidable in their own right, but this wasn't just a physical battle—it was psychological. It also allowed me to seamlessly integrate into my surroundings while drastically increasing my speed, as I use the snow as a medium to travel between targets. For someone with Observation Haki, this method wouldn't be as effective. Now, however, it is their death sentence.
"Where is he?!" Chu, one of Arlong's strongest lieutenants, barked as he swung wildly, his eyes darting around the mist. His voice was filled with frustration and fear as his hammer struck nothing but air.
From within the mist, I made my move. Swift and silent, I appeared behind Kuroobi, another high-ranking officer. His broad, muscular back was completely exposed, and he had no idea I was there. A flick of my wrist sent icy projectiles darting toward his unprotected spine, striking him with a force that sent him stumbling forward.
"F-Frost…?" Kuroobi muttered as his limbs suddenly began to seize up, the icy tendrils of my Frostbite technique spreading through his veins. This was a perfected version of Winter's Kiss, but unlike before, I no longer needed to touch my target. The freezing aura of my attack seeped into his body through the very air he breathed, locking his joints and freezing his insides.
He let out a choked gasp, collapsing to his knees. The powerful fish-man, known for his skill in Fish-Man Karate, was reduced to nothing more than a frost-covered statue. His skin turned an eerie pale blue as his blood vessels froze solid.
Chu swung again, shooting water projectiles, trying to pinpoint my location in the mist, but I was already gone. My movements were fluid, precise, and silent, as befitting the ninja training I retained from Haku's memories. I danced through the mist like a wraith, always one step ahead, always striking from the shadows.
I leaped from the fog, landing in front of Chu just as his hammer whistled past me. His eyes widened in shock as I summoned a spear of ice with a twist of my hand, driving it into his shoulder before he could react. He howled in pain, staggering backward, his blood spraying onto the snow-covered ground.
"You… bastard!" Chu roared, his massive hands wrapping around the shaft of the spear in an attempt to pull it free. But before he could muster the strength, I summoned another barrage of ice spikes, each one piercing his body from different angles. His scream was cut short as his throat was impaled, blood spraying in all directions.
The mist thickened once again, enveloping the battlefield in an impenetrable shroud. But for me, it was crystal clear. I could sense their every movement, the vibrations of their bodies in the air. This was my domain.
Kuroobi, still frozen in place, barely managed to gasp for air as I reappeared in front of him. My eyes never left the target. I moved my hands as if strangling something intangible, the icy tendrils of Frostbite tightened their grip around him while bringing him closer to my mask. With a simple exhale, I froze his internal organs solid. The fish-man's eyes bulged in horror as his body shattered like brittle glass, breaking into countless frozen pieces on the ground. I starred at the mosaic for a second, before once again disappearing within the veil.
I was relentless. Each move, every strike, was calculated and efficient. I darted between the remaining lieutenants, using the mist to my advantage, striking from the shadows and leaving nothing but corpses in my wake. Kuroobi, Chu, and the rest of Arlong's officers were no match. They fell one by one, their bodies crumbling under the weight of my power. Blood and ice covered the ground in equal measure.
All that was left now… was Arlong.
The towering shark-man stood at the edge of the battlefield, his sneer long gone. His yellow eyes glinted with fury and disbelief as he watched his crew—the crew he had built with his own hands—be utterly decimated before him. His sharp teeth ground together in a snarl as he stepped forward.
"You think I'm scared of a little snow?" he growled, cracking his knuckles. His massive, shark-like body radiated raw power as he flexed his muscles, veins bulging with rage. "You've made a mistake coming here, human. I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart."
I said nothing, my body calm, but the air around me thickened with tension. The fog receded as I allowed Arlong to see me clearly, standing tall amidst the broken bodies of his crew.
"Arlong," I said, my voice cold and measured, "you fucked around long enough. Die."
With a furious roar, Arlong charged at me, his massive hands raised, aiming to crush me with a single blow. His speed, despite his size, was impressive—he was fast, faster than any of the fish-men I had faced before. But I was faster.
I sidestepped his charge, and as his fist slammed into the ground, I retaliated with a precise strike—a spear of ice shot upward from the earth, piercing his side. Arlong grunted in pain but didn't slow down. His other hand swung at me, but I ducked under it, driving my knee into his ribs with a sickening crack.
Enraged, he swung again, this time catching me with a glancing blow. Expecting me to be sent me skidding across the courtyard, he almost let out a sigh of relief, only to turn pale as his blows sent chunks of snow flying across the yard.
Elementalisation.
I couldn't help but marvel at the sensation, instinctively gnashing my teeth as I expected to feel the sting of the impact, only to quickly regained my footing as I took a few steps back. This was no ordinary fight. Arlong may be more dangerous than his underlings, but I'm worse. He starred at me in reluctance and horror as my torso got patched back before his eyes.
"You'll have to do better than that," I taunted, while preparing a move to finish this fight.
Arlong yelled out in fear and panic, and lunged at me again, this time rotating wildly with his nose aiming to pierce through me in desperation. I could feel it- this was his last gambit. But this time, I was ready.
With a deep breath, I focused my energy, the cold around me intensifying as I prepared my next move. I clapped my hands together and called upon the full extent of my powers.
"Frost-Dragon Bullet!"
The air exploded with icy power as a massive dragon formed from the snow around me, its serpentine body coiling in the air before roaring to life. The beast's eyes glowed with an eerie, cold light as it shot toward Arlong with terrifying speed.
Arlong barely had time to react. He swung his arm in a desperate attempt to adjust his trajectory and block the attack, but the Frost-Dragon Bullet was unstoppable. The dragon's maw opened wide, engulfing him in a torrent of freezing snow and ice. His screams of rage and pain were swallowed by the storm as the dragon slammed into him with the force of a tidal wave, freezing everything in its path.
The sheer power of the attack tore through Arlong's body, freezing him from the inside out. His muscles seized, his bones shattered, and within seconds, he was encased in a towering pillar of ice.
I stood there, breathing heavily, as the battlefield fell into silence once again. The once-mighty Arlong, the terror of the East Blue, was now nothing more than a frozen corpse, shattered into pieces like the rest of his crew.
Chibi chirped softly from my shoulder, breaking the silence with her tiny voice.
I let out a long breath, the tension finally leaving my body. The fight was over.
Arlong… was dead.
The terror that had gripped Cocoyashi Village for so long was finally broken.
The silence following Arlong's death was palpable, broken only by the sound of the frozen chunks of his body settling into the snow around me. My staggering breath fogged the air, and I could feel the weight of the battle lifting off my shoulders. The fight took a toll on me, but nothing I couldn't handle. I picked up Arlong's torn out head, with evident frosty bite marks at the base of his neck, and stuffed it into a previously prepared bag and continued looking over the scene. But as I surveyed the carnage, my Observation Haki tingled— feeling a presence beneath the waters of the pool in Arlong Park.
I glanced at the large water reservoir at the center of the park, the place that connected the fortress to the sea. The surface of the pool rippled violently, as if something large stirred beneath it.
Moments later, a colossal form burst out of the water—Momo, the massive sea cow. His huge, almost comical face emerged first, followed by his enormous body, water streaming off him as he stood on the edge of the pool. His wide eyes scanned the scene of destruction, and then his gaze landed on me.
Beside Momo, Hatchan, the six-armed octopus fish-man, clambered out of the water with a nervous grin, clearly unsure of what was going on. As his eyes swept over the frozen remains of Arlong and his crew, his cheerful expression quickly vanished, replaced by raw terror.
"Oh no…" Hatchan muttered, all six arms trembling as he backed up, glancing at the massive sea cow beside him. "Momo, we need to get out of here! This guy—he's dangerous!"
Momo let out a panicked moo, his massive body shaking in fear as he glanced from Hatchan to me, then back to the carnage surrounding them.
Without waiting for me to make a move, both of them turned tail and tried to dive back into the water, desperate to escape. Hatchan flailed his arms and leaped toward the pool, and Momo attempted to submerge his massive form, but I was faster.
With a flick of my wrist, the air around me thickened, and a dense wall of snow shot up around Momo, encasing him in a Snow Burial before he could fully submerge. His gigantic form froze in place, his legs trapped beneath a mound of snow, preventing him from diving any deeper.
Momo let out a panicked whine, his legs kicking uselessly as he tried to break free, but the snow held firm. I wasn't trying to kill him—just stop him from running.
"Stay," I muttered, casting a glance at Hatchan, who had already managed to get one of his six arms into the water. With a twist of my fingers, icy tendrils snaked out from the ground, wrapping around his legs and arms, instantly freezing them.
"Wha—what is this!?" Hatchan yelped, his body seizing up as the chilling effects of Frostbite spread through him. His breath came in shallow gasps, and his wide eyes darted to me in pure fear.
"I'm not interested in killing you," I said coldly, stepping forward, each step crunching on the snow-covered ground. "But if you keep running, you'll force my hand."
Hatchan winced, his trembling face betraying the desperation in his voice. "W-What do you want?! We didn't even attack you!"
"I know," I replied calmly. "That's why you're still alive." My eyes narrowed behind my mask, the cold bite of my voice carrying an authority that made Hatchan flinch. "You want to live? There's one thing I need from you."
"Anything! Anything! Just don't freeze me like the others!" Hatchan begged, all six arms straining against the ice holding him down.
"Arlong's stash," I said simply. "The one hidden in the sea."
Hatchan's eyes widened in surprise. "H-How do you—?"
"Don't play dumb. Arlong's a fish-man, and hiding his treasure under the sea is exactly the kind of thing he'd do. You bring it to me, and I'll release you and Momo."
Hatchan's tentacle-like brows furrowed, but seeing no other choice, he nodded frantically. "O-Okay! I'll get it! Just—just give me a moment!"
I waved my hand, releasing the icy grip of Frostbite from his limbs, allowing him to move freely. Hatchan let out a relieved breath, shaking off the residual cold from his body. He glanced nervously at Momo, who was still whimpering in his Snow Burial, but then dived back into the water pool without another word, disappearing beneath the surface.
Minutes passed, the eerie silence only interrupted by Momo's occasional whines of distress. Chibi flapped her wings and hopped onto my shoulder, chirping softly as if reassuring me that everything was under control.
"Calm down, Chibi," I said with a faint smile. "I'm not planning on killing them."
After what felt like an eternity, Hatchan finally resurfaced, dragging several large chests with him. His six arms clutched tightly to the haul as he struggled to climb out of the water.
"There! There! This is all of it!" Hatchan exclaimed, panting heavily as he laid the treasure at my feet. "Arlong's stash… everything he's stolen from the village and beyond. I-I'm telling the truth!"
I stepped forward, inspecting the chests. With a casual flick of my fingers, I opened one, revealing stacks of Berries inside. It was far more than I expected—a massive fortune stolen from the hard-working people of Cocoyashi and other nearby villages.
Satisfied, I waved my hand again, releasing the Snow Burial from Momo. The giant sea cow let out a grateful moo, shaking off the remaining snow that clung to his body.
"All right," I said, crossing my arms. "You've fulfilled your end of the bargain. You're free to go."
Hatchan looked up at me in shock, blinking rapidly. "Y-You're really letting us go?"
"Did I stutter?" I said coolly, my gaze piercing.
Without another word, Hatchan scrambled to his feet, grabbing hold of Momo and pulling him toward the water. "Come on, Momo! We're getting out of here!"
Momo, still trembling in fear, followed Hatchan's lead, the two of them making a hasty retreat toward the sea. They scrambled over each other in their rush to escape, and in a matter of seconds, they had both disappeared into the water, leaving only a trail of bubbles behind.
I watched them go, my expression unreadable beneath my mask. Chibi chirped in amusement, and I let out a small chuckle.
"Well, that went smoother than expected," I said, turning to the treasure. "Let's see how much good this can do for the village."
I left the chests be and turned around to face the massive tower before me, now standing quite dull without its usual imposing splendour. I wide grin got plastered on my face as I couldn't help but rub my palms together while releasing a slightly creepy giggle.
"Come, Chibi, let's see what goodies we can find!"
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票