"Impossible!"
"How could you possibly have become this strong?!"
Seeing Nami slaughter two of his subordinates with his own eyes, Arlong no longer dared to look down on her the way he once had.
At the same time, countless doubts surged through his mind.
"Even with the power of a Devil Fruit, it's impossible for Nami to grow this strong in such a short time!"
Having fled from the New World, Arlong knew this all too well—
Devil Fruit powers were indeed extraordinary, but their effectiveness depended heavily on the user's own strength and aptitude.
Just like Sugar, the user of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit in the Donquixote Family.
If an ordinary person had eaten that fruit, they never would have been able to use it at the terrifying level Sugar did.
In fact…
Even without the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, Sugar still had a high chance of becoming one of the Donquixote Family's officers—just not as crucial as she was now.
A single Devil Fruit alone could never make Nami this powerful.
"So then… is that weapon in her hands amplifying her Devil Fruit ability? Or is all her power coming from that weapon in the first place?!"
Believing himself to be a seasoned veteran, Arlong immediately fixed his gaze on the Clima-Tact in Nami's hands.
"There's no mistake! From the very beginning, that damn woman has been using this rod to release something!"
"It has to be the rod!!!"
A vicious glint flashed through Arlong's eyes, as if he had finally discovered Nami's fatal weakness.
Facing her cries, he suddenly split into a feral grin, baring his sharp fangs as he burst into a laugh that was hard to even describe.
"Nami, your weakness has already been exposed!!!"
"Weakness?"
In response to Arlong's rage-filled roar, Nami merely lifted the corner of her lips into a cold smile.
"How laughable."
"You haven't even seen my full strength yet, and you dare say something like that?!"
"And what's even more laughable…"
Nami clenched the Clima-Tact tightly with both hands, her eyes growing wet once more.
"That Bell-mère died at the hands of filth like you!!!"
Her childhood memories flooded back all at once.
Endless lightning flashed as Nami swiftly raised the Clima-Tact, guiding the thunderous power toward the sky.
But right at that moment—
"There's an opening!!!"
Though years of indulgence had dulled his combat instincts, Arlong still spotted the chance to strike in this life-or-death moment.
Seizing the instant Nami raised her staff, his legs tensed as he stomped down with explosive force.
Boom!!!
Under Arlong's full power, the already shattered stone floor cracked apart like a spiderweb.
His body shot forward like an underwater torpedo, charging straight at Nami's arm.
"Shark on Darts!!!"
Shhk!
Blood sprayed forth.
Arlong's razor-sharp teeth clamped down hard on Nami's left arm.
Because of his race, even among fish-men his bite force was terrifying—it was precisely this strength that had earned him a position as an officer in the Sun Pirates.
"What—?!"
The sudden pain made Nami grunt sharply.
In the next instant, Arlong straightened from his crouch, using his towering height to lift her slender body with his jaws and hurl her aside.
Boom!!!
The injured Nami was slammed into the ground, the Clima-Tact flying from her grasp.
Seeing this, Arlong immediately kicked the staff far away.
Only then did he look down at Nami like a victor, sneering coldly.
"Without that weapon, let's see how arrogant you can be now!"
"Nami-swan!"
Aboard the Going Merry, Sanji cried out in alarm the moment he saw Nami attacked. One foot stepped onto the railing as he moved to leap over and rush to her aid.
Raging flames burned in his eyes, as if he wanted to incinerate Arlong on the spot.
But at that moment, Luffy reached out and grabbed his ankle, stopping him mid-jump.
Concern filled his eyes as well, but he said firmly,
"Nami's fight isn't over yet, Sanji!"
"Luffy…"
Sanji clenched his fists in fury, teeth grinding as his body trembled for several seconds—before he slowly relaxed his hands.
Though he was worried sick about Nami, he understood even more the importance of respecting a woman's choice.
In truth, it wasn't just Sanji.
Everyone in the Straw Hat crew—except Red—looked grim.
Watching their companion suffer such a heavy blow, how could anyone feel at ease?
As for Red…
He did feel for Nami's injuries.
But compared to the others, he had already witnessed far too many scenes of Nami getting hurt in the game world.
Electrocution, burns, collisions, surprise attacks…
In her quest to grow stronger as quickly as possible, Nami challenged one powerful Pokémon after another.
Though victory was always hers, she had long since grown covered in wounds along the way.
It was only thanks to Pokémon Centers that none of those injuries ever left lasting marks on her body.
More importantly, Red had a clearer way than anyone else to see Nami's current condition.
[HP: 88/99]
As expected of a pirate from the New World—Arlong had taken off that much of Nami's HP with a single strike.
Although HP numbers, aside from reaching zero to indicate death, didn't fully reflect a person's true state…
It was enough to prove that Arlong had indeed dealt her significant damage.
Still…
"She could've dodged using Zippy Zap, but instead she chose to take it head-on?"
"Is she just toying with him before killing Arlong… or is it something else?"
Watching Nami lie on the ground, clearly still in good condition yet wearing an expression of pain, Red frowned slightly.
On the other side, inside the Arlong Empire—
Sanji's shout had successfully drawn Arlong's attention to the Going Merry.
He froze for a moment, then broke into a wide grin.
"How interesting!"
"That ship approaching over there… you're the one who fired that cannonball, aren't you?"
"There seem to be several humans aboard. Are they the helpers you brought from outside?"
As though struck by some amusing thought, Arlong laughed cruelly and scoffed at the fallen Nami.
"You used those filthy tricks again, didn't you—lying to them to lure them here?!"
"Humans really are stupid!"
"Don't worry!"
"Before you die, I'll make sure they learn the truth—how miserably you deceived them!"
"Because I'll slaughter every last one of those humans… right in front of you!!!"
"But before that…"
Arlong turned his gaze back to Nami at his feet, eyes sweeping over her limbs.
"Your screams will be the first tribute—to console the souls of my compatriots!!!"
"Feel the pain, Nami!!!"
He raised his foot high, face twisted with savagery, and stomped down toward her arm.
Boom!!!
A thunderous crash echoed out.
Sand and stone exploded as the ground shattered beneath his strike.
It was easy to tell just how much power Arlong had poured into that single blow.
But in the very next second—
"Huh?!"
Arlong stared at the fading afterimage beneath his foot, panic instantly filling his face.
"Impossible! When did—?!"
He cried out in shock.
And then, from behind him, a teasing girlish laugh rang out once more.
"Hehehe…"
Arlong whirled around, only to see Nami—somehow already having picked up the Clima-Tact again—smiling casually at him.
"When did you start thinking I wasn't using Mirage Tempo?"
"And besides…"
"Who told you that without the Clima-Tact, I can't act arrogant anymore?"
Nami suddenly hurled the Clima-Tact straight toward Arlong.
Click!
A faint mechanical sound rang out.
The spinning staff split into three segments midair, connected by two long metal chains, slamming directly into Arlong's body.
In the next instant, white mist sprayed from both ends of the Clima-Tact, causing the chained segments to whirl rapidly around him.
In the blink of an eye, Arlong's body was tightly bound by the metal chains.
"Damn it! What is this?!"
Being restrained out of nowhere, unease surged through Arlong's heart.
He immediately gathered all his strength, trying to break free.
But Nami snorted coldly.
"Don't waste your effort!"
"These chains are made from special metal from the Grand Line—just a step below Seastone in hardness! Usopp paid a fortune for it!"
"Although I think that merchant was definitely exaggerating…"
"With your strength, there's no way you're breaking out!"
"Die!!! Fish-man Arlong!!!"
Zzzzzz!!!
Brilliant lightning exploded around Nami once more.
"No, impossible!"
"You can't be this strong!"
Arlong struggled desperately, disbelief etched across his face.
But Nami had already had enough of him.
She raised one finger, forming it into the shape of a gun, and smiled in relief.
"It's over."
"Thunderbolt!!!"
Boom—!!!
Terrifying lightning burst forth like a coiling divine dragon, surging from Nami's body and instantly piercing straight through Arlong.
In the next moment…
The entire Arlong Empire echoed with his agonized, despairing screams:
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
(End of Chapter)