Ch-41 The Destruction of the Arlong Pirates.

The sudden turn of events left every fishman in the Arlong Park in wide-eyed astonishment.

After a brief moment of shock, the fishmen turned their gazes toward Li Fan, their expressions now filled with anger and hostility.

"You scoundrel! How dare you kill Kuroobi!" one of the cadres with thick lips bellowed. He spat out water bullets with the force of bullets, aiming to assault Li Fan.

Li Fan simply waved the long knife in his hand, conjuring a gust of wind that dispersed the water bombs launched by Chew.

"You disgusting creature," Li Fan retorted. He brandished the knife and maintained his stance, ready for whatever might come next.

"Where did this guy come from!?"

"Nami, is he the ally you've summoned?"

"Are you planning to betray us?"

The fishmen's voices blended into a chorus of anger and accusation.

"This is peculiar. It seems you've never truly regarded Nami as a comrade, and Nami herself has never desired to be part of your group."

"Why are you so quick to believe that Nami betrayed you?" Li Fan quipped, his tone mocking.

"You insolent brat, I'll make sure you pay for this!" Incensed by Li Fan's taunts, the murlocs were about to rush forward and attack him.

In the midst of the brewing chaos, the imposing figure of fish-man Arlong appeared, his countenance dark and stern.

"Captain Arlong..."

"Stand down, let me handle this man." Arlong approached Li Fan with a resolute expression.

After casting a measured look at Li Fan, Arlong shifted his gaze to Nami, who was still standing behind Li Fan.

"Nami, let me ask you, did you truly bring this man here?"

Arlong's words caused Nami to visibly tremble.

"What if... what if I say I did?" she replied hesitantly.

Arlong's lips curled into a sinister smile, revealing his menacing set of sharp teeth.

"Of course, I will kill you..." Arlong's voice remained eerily calm, as if discussing the demise of a mere animal. "This man killed my partner, and now it's a fight to the death."

"Very well, let's begin with you," Arlong declared.

With lightning speed, Arlong raised his right fist and aimed a powerful punch at Li Fan's face.

"Snapped!"

The sound of the impact echoed through the park, but it was not the outcome Arlong had expected. Li Fan had effortlessly raised his palm and caught Arlong's fist, preventing the attack from landing.

"What?!" Arlong's eyes widened in shock, looking at Li Fan in disbelief.

"Is this the strength of fish-men, several times greater than that of ordinary humans? It seems rather ordinary to me," Li Fan commented, tilting his head slightly. In the blink of an eye, the long knife in his right hand sliced swiftly from the bottom up, cutting through Arlong's arm.

"Ah! My hand, my hand!" Arlong howled in agony, clutching his severed arm as he stumbled backward.

"No, Arlong lost his hand."

"What kind of man is this?"

The fishmen watched in horror, their invincible Captain Arlong now disabled and incapacitated. They dared not advance any further.

"Who are you?!" Arlong demanded, his face covered in cold sweat.

It was only now that Arlong realized that the man before him was anything but ordinary. The sheer pressure he felt was akin to what he'd experienced in the hands of Navy Admiral Kizaru.

"Haha, feeling frightened now?" Li Fan shook his head in amusement. "You're quite the coward, Arlong."

"But it makes sense. Traveling all the way from the New World to the weakest place, the East Blue Sea. It merely highlights the weakness within your hearts."

"Fleeing from the strong and choosing to oppress the weak. In the end, you're just a group of weaklings."

"You're a disappointment, but I'm not interested in prolonging this conversation."

"Now, it's time to tally up your sins."

"Projection, commence!"

Li Fan raised his hand to the sky, and with a surge of magical power, dozens of longswords materialized in the sky above the Arlong Park.

As Li Fan made a sweeping gesture downwards, the longswords descended upon the fish people in the park, propelled by the considerable amount of magic power he had invested.

Faced with the onslaught of these magical blades, the fishmen were utterly powerless to resist. Within a matter of seconds, they all fell to the ground, their lives extinguished.

"All right, Nami, you can open your eyes now," Li Fan said as he gently patted Nami on the shoulder.

In response to his words, Nami slowly opened her eyes, which had been tightly shut due to fear.

"This... Li Fan, are they all dead?" Nami asked, her voice tinged with astonishment as she surveyed the murlocs lying lifeless on the ground with swords impaled in their bodies.

Her gaze finally settled on Arlong, who had received special attention from Li Fan. His body was nearly covered in swords.

"Hey, they're all gone," Li Fan affirmed. "Didn't I tell you? I'm very strong."

"Truly, they're all gone," Nami murmured, her head lowered, shoulders trembling slightly. "Bell-mère, did you see that? These fishmen are finally gone."

Drip—

Nami's tears fell to the ground, each drop making a soft "drip" sound.

"Nami..." Li Fan sighed and reached out to embrace her. "If you need to cry, just let it out, Nami."

"Woooo..."

In the vast expanse of the now empty Arlong Park, Nami's sobs resonated far and wide.

....