The Thunder Robbery Knife remained gripped in Rin's hand, its blade humming faintly with residual sword energy. Rin stood coldly above Arlong's body, eyes devoid of hesitation or mercy.
Then—he brought the blade down in a clean, fluid motion.
'Poof.'
Arlong's head was severed cleanly, separated from his body in a single stroke.
His eyes frozen wide open—still retained the burning fury of his final moments.
In the distance, a dozen or so remaining Fish-Men who had been locked in combat with Casa and Artoria suddenly noticed.
Their eyes bulged with disbelief and pain.
"Arlong-aniki!!"
"Boss Arlong!!"
"You damn human scum—how dare you kill Brother Arlong?!"
They howled with fury.
The red haze of vengeance clouded their vision as they prepared to charge in a frenzy—
But Rin turned calmly—
And with a cold flick of his arm, he swung the Thunder Robbery Knife.
"Sword Qi Slash."
'Ugh!'
The condensed arc of sword energy tore from the blade and ripped through several Fish-Men, slicing through them mid-charge.
Their bodies split apart with surgical precision, falling in two.
The remaining Fish-Men froze in place—shaking.
Silence fell like a stormcloud.
None of them dared shout again.
———
On the left flank—
"Die!" roared Casa, his boot slamming into Aqiu—a burly Fish-Man with hammer-like fists—driving him to the ground.
Before Aqiu could even react, Casa delivered a second, savage kick—his leg now coated in a jet-black sheen.
Armament Haki.
The blow struck Aqiu's skull with explosive force—
'CRACK—SPLAT!'
His head burst open, fragments flying.
Mercy had no place here.
This was the Grand Line.
Even if pirates carried dreams—they would kill without hesitation when faced with enemies.
———
On the opposite side, Artoria's blade swept through the air—decapitating Black Belt, the Karate Fish-Man.
His head hit the ground before his body knew it was dead.
Now, only Hatchan (Xiao Ba) and four or five terrified Fish-Men remained alive.
Rin walked slowly toward Hatchan.
He stopped in front of him—eyes sharp, voice steady.
"Want to keep your comrades alive?"
"Gulp..."
Hatchan swallowed hard, his usually silly grin completely gone.
A deep fear rose inside him, stronger than he had ever felt during Arlong's reign.
"Y-Yes... they're my nakama. Please, sir... I beg you. Let them live."
"Fine." Rin said. "But I need you to do something for me first."
"Anything! I'll do it!" Hatchan said quickly.
**"Call Colonel Nezumi. Tell him to come here—in Arlong's name."
Rin's eyes gleamed. With Arlong dead, the next to fall was the corrupt Marine who protected him.
Hatchan hesitated—then nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes!"
He ran back into the Arlong Park building, pulled a dusty black Den Den Mushi from a desk drawer, and dialed.
Within seconds—
The Den Den Mushi's eyes opened, mimicking a face with sharp buck teeth.
"Mushiiii... This is Colonel Nezumi speaking."
Hatchan spoke quickly.
"This is Hatchan, under Arlong-aniki! The boss wants to speak with you! He says he has a contribution for you!"
There was a pause.
Then—
"Oh?"
Nezumi's voice suddenly turned greedy.
A "contribution" from Arlong meant money. And for a man like Nezumi, who only wore his Marine coat for bribes, this was a jackpot.
"I'm nearby. I'll be there within two hours."
"Understood!" Hatchan replied, then quickly hung up.
He walked back to Rin, bowing slightly, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"S-Sir... may we leave now?"
Rin simply waved a hand.
"..."
Hatchan didn't wait for a second signal.
"Go! Go, now!!" he barked at the other surviving Fish-Men.
The survivors scrambled away from Arlong Park like rats from a sinking ship.
Revenge?
Not when the enemy was beyond their reach.
No one resisted a force they knew they couldn't defeat.
———
As Hatchan and the others fled, Casa and Artoria regrouped with Rin.
"So, Colonel Nezumi's on the way?" Casa asked.
"Yeah," Rin nodded, sneering.
"That rat's the perfect stepping stone. We kill him, get a bounty, and earn our place among real pirates."
"Hmm." Artoria nodded, brushing blood from her blade. "But… he's a Marine Colonel. He must be strong, right?"
Rin laughed and shook his head.
"No, Artoria. You're overestimating him.
"Not all Marines are warriors. Nezumi is nothing but a corrupt official who lines his pockets with bribes. If Arlong wanted him dead, he could've crushed him with a finger."
"And we?" Rin's eyes narrowed.
"We're much more dangerous."
———