The moment Kuroobi saw Kouta and the others appear, he knew they weren't ordinary humans.
There was something in their eyes. Too calm. So calm, it bordered on indifference. The way they looked at him… it was as if he were already dead meat. A fish waiting to be gutted.
He hated that look.
It was the same look he'd grown up with back home. One he'd learned to dread.
So, before Kuina could even turn her head just as she dodged Chu's water bullet Kuroobi lunged forward.
With all his battle-hardened instincts, he wouldn't let an opening like this slip by.
He was going to take out this human girl in a single strike—and then move on to the silver-haired boy, the one who gave him that chilling sense of danger. His beastlike instincts screamed at him: that one was the real threat.
"Fishman Karate: Power Arm Slash!"
Kuroobi, towering over Kuina like a giant, was far larger and broader than any normal human. His massive frame cast her completely in shadow.
He raised one muscular arm. On his elbow, a wing-fin jutted out like a serrated blade. With brutal strength, he swung it down diagonally, aiming to cleave her neck in one stroke.
But Kuina's eyes flashed crimson.
She twisted, dipped her head low, and dodged the deadly strike with chilling ease, gliding under Kuroobi's arm in a single smooth motion.
Shing!
She now stood behind him, sword already drawn in a blur. With her right hand, she twirled the blade, reversed her grip, and slashed upward at a diagonal angle—then flicked the blood from the edge and moved on without even sparing him a second glance.
She walked past him. Three, four steps.
Behind her, Kuroobi remained frozen mid-strike, still locked in the motion of his downward swing. It was as if time had stopped.
Then, his knees buckled.
His body collapsed forward like a felled tree.
Thud.
A dull, heavy impact. Dust stirred.
Kuroobi's eyes were wide open, full of disbelief and rage.
He was a Fishman. How could he, how could he fall so easily to a mere human?
He tried to move. Useless. The more he struggled, the faster his life drained away.
Blood streamed from his mouth, eyes, ears. A crimson flood that pooled beneath him, growing rapidly.
His body convulsed a few final times before lying still. The last light in his eyes faded into nothingness.
Only then did the others notice the diagonal wound across the back of his skull—clean, deep, fatal.
"Kuroobi…"
Chu, his comrade from the Grand Line, paled as he stared at Kuina. The disbelief in his eyes turned to horror.
This feeling… this aura…
It was like he was back on Fishman Island. Back when he was a weak little minnow hiding behind Captain Arlong's back.
Since arriving in the East Blue, he hadn't felt this kind of fear, not once.
There were no vicious pirates here, no slave traders, no Celestial Dragons. Compared to the Grand Line, this place was paradise.
But now...
Behind the village path, the villagers stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Y-you've got to be kidding me! One slash? Just one slash, and she took out a high-ranking officer of the Arlong Pirates?"
Aken, standing next to Kouta, stared at Kuina's retreating back in stunned silence.
"She's really that strong? Kuroobi could crush navy patrols with one strike…"
He turned to Kouta, eyes burning with awe.
Kouta didn't look back. He just patted Aken lightly on the shoulder and repeated calmly:
"Told you, we're strong. Just watch."
For the first time, Aken truly believed it.
They could really beat Arlong.
He turned back to Kuina, his face flushed with excitement.
That human girl hadn't just dodged deadly attacks from both Chu and Kuroobi—she'd cut Kuroobi down with a single blow.
The Fishmen behind Chu were trembling, equal parts rage and terror.
Since coming to the East Blue, no human had ever posed a threat to them. None.
Even the navy cooperated with them, resistance was met with swift and brutal death.
Over time, they'd grown arrogant. Merciless. Cruel.
To them, the humans of the East Blue were nothing but cattle. Inferior beings to be enslaved, slaughtered, and discarded.
They'd forgotten.
They'd forgotten how small they were on the Grand Line.
How terrified they'd been of powerful humans.
Kuina's arrival was like ice water on their delusions—reminding them, all too vividly, of the monsters that roamed the Grand Line.
"You… you're not from the East Blue."
Chu stared at Kuina, his eyes bloodshot and bulging.
Kuina's gaze was cold, steady. She kept walking forward.
That look. He hated it. He feared it.
"You inferior human! Die!"
His roar was raw and desperate—as if screaming loud enough could drown the fear inside him.
"Hundred Shot Water Gun!"
He sucked in a sharp breath, puffed out his cheeks, and his lips began to tremble violently like the barrel of a machine gun.
Beads of water fired out in a torrent, each one sharp and fast as a bullet, all aimed directly at Kuina.
But Kuina didn't flinch.
She ran straight into the storm of bullets, blade flashing in a blur.
In the blink of an eye, each deadly droplet was sliced in two, veering off to land harmlessly on either side of her, leaving small craters in the ground.
And then...
She was in front of Chu.
He saw her, clearly now, sword in hand, eyes devoid of emotion. His blood-red eyes met hers, wide with terror.
She gave him no time to react.
With a swift upward stroke, she slashed cleanly across his throat.
"Guh…!"
Chu's hands flew to his neck. His skin turned purple, then crimson. He tried to scream—but no sound came out.
Then, like a puppet with its strings cut, he fell to his knees and pitched forward.
Thud.
He joined Kuroobi in death.
Kuina stood beside his body, face expressionless. She gave her blade a quick shake, flinging the blood from the edge.
"Chu!"
The remaining Fishmen cried out. Horror took over.
They turned and ran, screaming, stumbling over one another in their panic—like prey before a predator.
From the moment Kuina stepped forward to the moment both officers lay dead, only ten seconds had passed.
Behind them, the villagers watched as the Fishmen charged in their direction—then quickly moved aside, pressing against the walls of the path.
Their fear gave way to awe.
Two slashes. Just two.
With two strikes, this girl had brought down two of the Arlong Pirates' strongest warriors.
They had never seen a human this powerful.
And never had they seen Fishmen look so terrified.
Fishmen can be scared? They can panic? They can run away?
Kuina stood still, watching the retreating Fishmen, her eyes cold and distant.
There was no mercy in her heart.
Not for them.
She sheathed her blade.
Left knee bent. Sword hand tightened. Her gaze locked on the Fishmen ahead.
She launched forward.
Fwoosh!
Her body vanished, reappearing instantly in front of the fleeing Fishmen, as if by teleportation.
A single arc of steel sliced the air.
Each Fishman froze where they stood, as if caught in a spell.
Cling.
"One-Sword Style: Cleave All Things."
The sound of her sword returning to its sheath echoed in the wind.
And with it
Splurt!
A crimson line appeared across every Fishman's waist.
Their upper bodies slid cleanly to the side, blood erupting in fountains.
Kuina turned away, ignoring the pile of severed bodies behind her. She stepped lightly past the spreading river of blood, walking calmly back toward Kouta.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 100, 200, 300 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!