At the east gate of Arlong Park.
A sharp gust of wind suddenly cut through the air.
Will's figure appeared at the grand entrance of a European-style mansion.
From here, he could see a striking tower-like structure inside the courtyard.
At the very top of the tower sat a shark-head sculpture with jagged teeth.
A pirate flag swayed beneath it.
At this moment, a dozen or so fish-men were making their way toward the mansion's main entrance. Judging by their demeanor, they weren't guards.
"So this is Arlong Park? Looks pretty extravagant."
Will paid no attention to the fish-men, instead taking his time to observe the mansion before him.
His mind briefly recalled the dilapidated village he had passed earlier.
The stark contrast between the two places made the cold glint in his eyes grow even sharper.
The fish-men in front of him quickly noticed that something was amiss and turned to check.
It was only then that they realized, at some point, an unusually tall human had appeared behind them.
One of them, a fish-man with a skirt-like hairstyle and the kanji for "gold" tattooed on both his forehead and chest, stepped forward cautiously, his gaze filled with vigilance.
He raised a hand and pointed. "Who are you?!"
Will shifted his gaze, briefly scanning the grotesque fish-men before him but made no effort to respond.
With his hands still in his pockets, he continued walking forward at a leisurely pace.
His utter disregard for them was as if they were nothing more than ants on the roadside—unworthy of his attention.
"Damn lowly human, how dare you ignore me?!"
The fish-man with the skirt-like hairstyle, Jinsei, darkened with rage.
He waved his hand furiously and shouted, "Everyone! Get him! Kill this guy!"
As the dozen fish-men lunged at him, Will remained unfazed, strolling ahead at the same steady pace.
Only now did he slowly withdraw his hands from his pockets.
A grand feast was still underway.
Suddenly, the eastern gate creaked open halfway.
A terrified fish-man stumbled in, crawling frantically toward Arlong, who lounged on a recliner.
"Boss Arlong! A giant human is attacking at the front gate!"
"The dozen companions who came with me for the feast... all dead!"
"Even the shipwright Jinsei got taken out instantly!"
Hearing this, Arlong's eyes widened in shock, his expression contorting into a furious snarl.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"A mere human? A lower species?"
"And just one of them? There's no way he could defeat us, the mighty fish-men!"
The fish-man, seeing Arlong's disbelief, frantically pointed toward the eastern gate, his voice trembling in desperation.
"It's true! Boss Arlong! That guy is right outside!"
He had seen it with his own eyes—the brutal slaughter of his comrades. His heart was already consumed with terror.
And just as he finished speaking—
The eastern gate suddenly exploded into rubble, sending debris flying as a cloud of dust billowed into the air.
Amidst the wreckage, a body dropped heavily onto the ground.
It was none other than Jinsei, the fish-man with the "gold" tattoos on his chest and forehead.
His eyes had rolled back, blood streaming from every facial orifice. His limbs had been grotesquely snapped in half.
Through the swirling dust, a towering figure emerged, slowly advancing.
"Aahh! He's here! That damn human!"
The fish-man who had fled inside collapsed onto the ground, shaking uncontrollably as he scrambled backward with his hands.
Arlong immediately stood up from his recliner, his face darkening as he gazed toward the eastern gate.
Octopus Hatchan pulled out six swords from nowhere, gripping them tightly.
Fish-man Kuroobi placed his hands at his sides, poised to strike at any moment.
Fish-man Chew withdrew his right hand from his pocket, his once-sluggish demeanor replaced with intense focus.
Even the fish-men lounging in the pool clambered onto the deck, assuming combat stances.
They could all sense it.
Whoever had barged in... was no pushover.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to challenge them so brazenly.
From within the dissipating dust, a figure gradually came into view.
A tall, muscular man stepped forward, unscathed, appearing before the gathered fish-men.
Having annihilated every fish-man blocking his path, Will had used one of their bodies to blast open the gate before striding inside at his own pace.
His gaze swept across the fish-men before finally settling on a particular individual in the center.
A purple-skinned fish-man with a distinctly jagged, saw-like nose.
Will arched a brow and coldly confirmed, "So you're Arlong?"
"Damn... this wretched human...!"
Arlong scowled but did not respond. His eyes brimmed with killing intent as he clenched his teeth in frustration.
As he stared at the towering human before him, a long-buried memory surfaced—a humiliating defeat.
Back then, another tall human, a sleazy-looking Marine in gray, had defeated him effortlessly.
That disgrace... he had never forgotten!
Will, unfazed by Arlong's silence, continued speaking.
"A mere fish-man dares to occupy villages in the East Blue, ruling over humans?"
"You must think you're invincible."
A fish-man to the side immediately roared in outrage and charged.
"How dare you insult Boss Arlong?! Die, human!"
Without even sparing him a glance, Will casually threw a punch, sending the fish-man flying and smashing a hole into the nearby wall.
The gathered fish-men stared in shock.
They had never expected this human to take down one of their own in an instant.
They turned to the fish-man embedded in the wall—motionless. Lifeless.
Will remained indifferent.
As he observed Arlong's darkening expression, he raised a brow in mock surprise.
"What, you actually believe humans can't defeat fish-men?"
"That might fool others, but don't deceive yourself."
"Fish-men may not be human, but the word 'man' is still in your name."
"And all men—when killed—die. Fish-men are no exception."
Arlong's expression twisted with rage. He glanced once more at his fallen comrade before turning back to Will, his voice seething with fury.
"Enough of this nonsense!"
"You came here to fight, didn't you?!"
"For years, countless humans have challenged me, and they all ended up dead!"
He pointed a clawed finger at Will, his face contorted in a menacing grin.
"You will be no different!"
Hearing this, Will's expression flickered with amusement before he corrected him.
"I think you misunderstand something."
"Let me remind you..."
"Between the two of us, you are the challenger."
more advance and fast update Chapters on
pat reon . com/yuuwand