Chapter 25: Unworthy of a Single Blow
"You foolish, lowly human!"
Arlong grinned ferociously, preparing to crush Genzo's skull.
Just as he was about to exert force, a sharp pain shot simultaneously through his abdomen and arm. His body flew uncontrollably into the air, his grip involuntarily loosening.
Thud!
He plunged headfirst into a nearby house, the structure crumbling around him.
Three figures suddenly appeared between the Fish-Men and the villagers of Cocoyasi Village.
The sudden arrival made everyone freeze in their tracks.
"Lucky I felt something was off and came to take a look. Otherwise, we would have had big trouble," Apollo said with a hint of relief.
Genzo was like a father figure to Nami. If he died, the joy of this victory would be greatly diminished for her.
The two girls, who had been buried in his arms during the high-speed flight, finally looked up. When they saw their surroundings, their faces showed a trace of confusion.
Just seconds ago, they were sitting at the table. Why did they suddenly feel their bodies lift into the air, hear the wind whistling in their ears, and then find themselves in the village square?
"Lord Arlong!"
"Nami?! Nojiko?!"
The Fish-Men and the villagers of Cocoyasi Village came to their senses and shouted in surprise simultaneously.
Nami and Nojiko finally processed their surroundings, and their expressions changed.
"Arlong? How did we get here?"
"Genzo! Are you alright?"
Patting the girls' shoulders, Apollo chuckled. "Save the questions for later. You two go to the back for now; I'll handle this."
"Okay."
Nami didn't argue. She glanced at him and, along with Nojiko, helped Genzo retreat to safety.
The villagers gathered around them immediately.
"Nami, what's going on? Who is he?"
"Is he that young man you brought?"
"Nami, we know everything! We'll fight together!"
Nami shook her head firmly. "Please, everyone, trust me. Don't make a move. Apollo can handle this alone!"
Crack.
Debris shifted as Arlong broke through the ruined wall and walked out of the house. He looked disheveled, a trace of blood staining the corner of his mouth.
His face was grim as he asked coldly, "Who are you?"
Apollo clenched his fist and said indifferently, "The one who will kill you."
A Fish-Man stared at his face for a few seconds, then realization struck. "Lord Arlong! That's the famous Pirate Hunter who's been active recently—'Iron Fist' Apollo!"
"Another Pirate Hunter?"
Arlong raised his chin slightly, glancing askance at Nami with a ferocious smile on his lips. "Nami, is this the helper you found? When did you become so naive? How could these lowly humans be a match for us Fish-Men?"
"However... I never thought you would betray me at this critical moment. You must have almost saved up the 100 million Berries, right?"
Nami looked at him coldly. "Arlong, your time is up!"
"Shahahaha!"
Arlong laughed wildly. "Just him? Or those other two inferior humans?"
Nami was startled. "The other two?"
"Roronoa Zoro and that long-nosed pest. Didn't you invite them? Shahahaha!"
Zoro? Usopp? Nami's expression changed drastically as she looked at Apollo.
"Those two idiots."
Apollo shook his head, speechless. "They're fine; they've just been locked up in the dungeon."
He had swept the area with his divine sense the moment they arrived.
Nami breathed a sigh of relief, though her expression remained a little uneasy. Strictly speaking, she had abandoned them earlier.
"Don't worry. I'll kill those two lowly humans later to accompany you in death!"
Before he finished speaking, Arlong charged.
He pushed off with his toes, going from absolute stillness to explosive motion, shooting forward like an arrow straight toward Nami.
His speed was terrifying, covering several meters in a single stride as he extended his large, webbed hand to grab her face.
"Watch out!" Nojiko instinctively cried out, reaching out to shield Nami.
Smack.
A long, powerful hand appeared out of nowhere and gripped Arlong's wrist like a steel vice.
Nami's face was within reach, but Arlong could no longer advance a single inch.
"Apollo!" Nojiko's eyes gleamed with surprise and relief.
Someone so trusted by Nami was indeed not simple!
"'Lowly human' this, 'lowly human' that... Who gave you the courage to be so arrogant?"
Apollo looked at Arlong with a half-smile, then squeezed hard with his right hand.
Crack.
"Damn human!"
Arlong's expression twisted in pain. Like a cornered beast, he opened his massive jaws and lunged to bite Apollo's neck.
Apollo dodged with casual ease. At the same time, he raised his palm, flattening it into a blade, and lightly chopped down.
Squelch.
A cold flash passed, and Arlong's left arm was cleanly severed from his shoulder.
He staggered back a few steps, hunched over, clutching the stump. He howled in pain, "Who are you?! Who exactly are you?!"
The Fish-Men and Nojiko were all stunned.
The difference was that the former were stunned with terror, while the latter were stunned with joy.
In a matter of seconds, Arlong's wrist was crushed, and his entire other arm was severed. Both his hands were crippled.
How was this possible?
Everyone except Nami found it unbelievable. Some villagers even pinched their thighs, wondering if they were dreaming.
Apollo didn't answer the question. Instead, he mused to himself, "Should I call you arrogant or just pathetic? If you Fish-Men were truly a superior race, why would you hide in the East Blue, barely scraping by?"
"Shut up!" Arlong roared, eyes bloodshot. "You just have numbers on your side! One day..."
"Self-deception."
Apollo interrupted him unceremoniously. "You must have seen it with your own eyes in the Grand Line—there are countless people who can crush you with a flick of their finger! You know that deep down, which is why you ran to the East Blue, the weakest sea, to play the local tyrant."
"Heh... looking at it that way, I guess you do have a brain."
"Go to hell, you inferior scum! I am the highest-ranking Fish-Man! How could I possibly lose to you?!"
Arlong pushed off with both feet, head tilted back, his body launching toward Apollo like a torpedo sword. Even with his hands crippled, his nose was a weapon.
"Then... let me make you feel true despair!"
Apollo sneered. He didn't dodge. He raised his palm and slapped it straight toward Arlong's face, aiming directly for the nose.
Arlong revealed a bloodthirsty smile.
"My nose is the hardest part of my body; it can even pierce steel! This is a superior talent that humans don't possess! Watch me cripple your hand, too!"
Crack.
The sound of bones shattering rang out sickeningly.
Arlong flew backward faster than he had arrived, smashing through two large trees before hitting the ground.
When he lifted his head, everyone gasped. His iconic saw-like nose was completely gone. The entire nasal area was caved in, the surrounding bones shattered, scarlet blood flowing down his face like a river.
Arlong gasped for air. "You... inferior..."
Apollo's figure flickered, vanishing and instantly reappearing beside him. He raised his foot and stomped down on Arlong's head.
Thump!
Arlong's remaining words were stifled in his throat. His head was flattened against the earth.
However, he wasn't dead yet. Fish-Man vitality was tough.
Apollo grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him up. "Meeting me is your bad luck."
In the original story, after being defeated by Luffy, Arlong was imprisoned. Although he lost his freedom, he kept his life. Apollo didn't intend to leave trouble for the Marines.
"Stop! Do you know who Lord Arlong is?" a Fish-Man shouted in panic.
"I don't care who he is," Apollo said flatly.
The Fish-Man quickly stammered, "You know Jinbe, right? One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Lord Arlong and he were once in the same crew! They are sworn brothers!"
"You mean Jinbe, huh?" Apollo smiled.
"That's right! If you dare to kill Lord Arlong, Jinbe will definitely not—"
Crack.
Halfway through the sentence, Apollo twisted his wrist, snapping Arlong's neck. He tossed the limp corpse aside like trash.
"If Jinbe wants revenge, let him come. I'd like to test how strong a Warlord really is."
Everyone stared blankly at the scene.
The first feeling the villagers of Cocoyasi felt wasn't excitement, but disbelief.
The shadow that had loomed over them for eight years... had just dissipated? Like that?
Ten minutes ago, they hadn't even dared to resist. Three minutes ago, they were preparing to die fighting. Then, this young man appeared, and before they could fully process it, Arlong was dead.
It was too... too easy.
To put it bluntly, it looked easier than killing a rat.
The Fish-Men weren't handling it any better. It took them a full dozen seconds to snap out of their shock. Then, blind rage took over. They grabbed their weapons and charged at Apollo.
"Arlong... Lord Arlong was killed!"
"Damn human! Kill him!"
"Avenge Lord Arlong!"
"Commendable courage," Apollo noted calmly. "I'll give you a quick end."
He spread his five fingers, and visible air currents began to flow between his palm and fingers.
"Taste my newly developed move... Sky-Splitting Palm!"
He let out a low roar and pushed his palm forward. The air currents swirling around his fingers compressed into a single point, then rapidly expanded.
BOOM!
A massive crescent-shaped shockwave swept forward, tearing up the ground.
The Fish-Men who had charged forward didn't even stand a chance. They were hit by the wall of pressure, spewing blood as they were blasted backward, turning into corpses before they even hit the ground.
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