"For Justice!"
The Marines roared, drawing their blades as they charged toward the Fish-Men trapped in the encirclement.
"Damn you, humans!"
Eyes bloodshot, Kuroobi adopted a Fish-Man Karate stance and slammed a nearby Marine with a palm strike, sending him flying back and coughing up blood.
But more Marines surged forward!
"Die!"
A long sword swung down!
"Clang!"
Kuroobi immediately raised his right arm, using the external fins on his shoulder to block the blade. His skin was cut, and a trickle of blood flowed.
Triangular fins grew from his elbow to his shoulder, with fish bones as hard as steel beneath the skin. They were his best defense and his strongest weapon.
"Ha!"
He spun, using his fin to easily deflect the Marine's blade. Then, with a shout, Kuroobi unleashed a straight punch.
"Fish-Man Karate: Five Hundred Tile Fist!"
"Boom!"
Several Marines directly in front of him screamed as they were sent flying backward, knocking over more than a dozen others. The incredible strength of his wrist shocked the Marines.
This was a Fish-Man!
"Show some courage! The enemy is Kuroobi, an officer of the Arlong Pirates with a bounty of 9,000,000 Berries! It's only natural that he possesses this kind of power!"
"The wounded fall back! The rest of you, take their place!"
"Don't give the enemy a chance to breathe!"
"Show them the results of your Training!"
Without orders, the Marines organized their assault on their own.
Before the battle, Major Roya had given them detailed information about the enemy. Although the enemy was incredibly powerful, they held an absolute advantage in numbers. As long as they exhausted the enemy's stamina, victory would surely be theirs.
They had graduated; they were no longer Rookies who needed protection!
"For Justice!"
"Ooooh!!!"
The Marines charged fearlessly, their high morale shocking the Fish-Men.
"These Marines are insane!"
Kuroobi's face was covered in blood as he furiously knocked away all the surrounding Marines. The increasing injuries on his Body made him want to retreat.
Where did such elite Marines come from?!
"Get away! Don't come near me!"
"Aaaah, I'm injured!"
"Save me, Brother Kuroobi!"
As time passed, his comrades fell one by one.
Kuroobi's eyes were bloodshot. He knew that if he didn't find a way out, not only his comrades but he himself would die at the hands of the Marines.
The Marines outnumbered them dozens to one!
Pain, exhaustion, fear…
All kinds of negative effects gnawed at him.
"Escape!"
Abandon his comrades and flee!
That was the only way. As long as he returned to Arlong Park and delivered the message, Captain Arlong would definitely bring his Pirate Crew and kill all these Marines!
"Get out of my way, humans!"
Kuroobi roared in fury, unleashing his strongest technique!
"Thousand Tile Fist!"
"Boom!"
The shockwave from the punch sent more than a dozen Marines flying!
A gap appeared in the encirclement!
Kuroobi crossed his arms to protect his vital points, allowing the Blades to cut into his Body as he desperately charged toward the gap, his narrow eyes fixed on the blue Coast ahead.
As long as he reached there!
"Hey, where do you think you're going?"
Just as he was about to break through the encirclement, a Man with his hands in his pockets appeared in front of him, his fluttering Justice Cloak a blinding sight.
It was the enemy's leader!
Kuroobi's pupils contracted. Before he could react, the Man's shoe slammed into his face!
"Bang!"
The powerful kick sent Kuroobi flying backward, his face a mess. He tumbled violently across the ground for more than a dozen rotations before returning to the center of the Marine encirclement.
All his efforts had been in vain!
The next moment, more than a dozen Marines surged forward again, stabbing their Blades into his limbs and pinning him to the ground!
"Take them away!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Warship quickly sailed into the Sea.
----
Evening, Arlong Park.
The comrades who went to collect Tribute returned one after another, but Kuroobi's group had not yet returned. The unusual situation made Arlong uneasy.
"Hachi, go to Chacha Village!"
"I'll be back soon, chirp."
Ten minutes later, Hachi returned to Arlong Park, his face filled with terror. "Something bad's happened, squawk! Kuroobi's been captured by the Marines!"
"Marines?!"
Arlong was stunned for a moment. The figure of Rat Colonel subconsciously appeared in his mind, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
That greedy Human wouldn't do such a thing, and he certainly wouldn't have the guts to attack his comrades!
"Just what idiot did that?!"
Arlong's face contorted with rage.
How dare mere inferior races capture his comrades?
Absolutely unforgivable!
Even if they were Marines, he would kill all those who captured Kuroobi. He would let Humans know the tragic consequences of resisting him!
"Contact Rat immediately!"
"Got it, squawk!"
----
16th Branch.
"What?!"
"Someone captured an officer of the Arlong Pirates?"
"Just what idiot did that?!"
Upon receiving the news, Rat Colonel's eyes immediately turned red with anxiety. The Arlong Pirates were his cash cow!
The Adjutant was terrified. "Rat Colonel, Arlong said that if he can't find the culprit, he'll make the 16th Branch disappear completely!"
"Damn it, what does this have to do with us?!"
Rat Colonel was filled with uncontrollable terror.
Although he looked down on those dirty, stinking, lowly Fish-Men, their terrifying power was real.
If he couldn't find the culprit, Arlong would really destroy the 16th Branch!
"Quick, investigate immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Rat Colonel was sweating profusely, even considering running away with his assets. However, to his surprise, his subordinates actually found a clue.
"The Marines from Logue Town!"
According to his subordinates' investigation, a Warship from Logue Town had appeared near Cocoyasi Village. The culprit was most likely them.
"Rat Colonel, there's only half a day left. The Logue Town Warship hasn't gone far; we should be able to contact them!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Tell them to release him!"
"Yes, sir! I'll contact them immediately!"
Every Marine Warship was equipped with high-performance Den Den Mushi, which could not only remotely contact the Branch but also receive radio waves from Den Den Mushi in nearby waters and even eavesdrop.
"Bruu Bruu~"
The signal from the 16th Branch was quickly transmitted to the Warship Roya was on.
"Here they come!"
Roya's eyes were cold as he answered the Den Den Mushi.
"This is the Logue Town Warship. I am Major Roya of the Logue Town Branch!"
"Major Roya, this is the East Blue 16th Branch. We recently received information that you captured an officer of the Arlong Pirates. Is this true?"
"That's right."
Roya replied coldly.
After a brief silence of several seconds, an officer from the 16th Branch said in a deep voice, "Major Roya, Chacha Village is under the jurisdiction of the 16th Branch. Your Arrest of Pirates in Chacha Village is an Act of Overreach and has seriously interfered with our 16th Branch's operation to Arrest the Arlong Pirates. Please immediately return the members of the Arlong Pirates to our 16th Branch for processing!"
Logical, well-founded, and impeccable!
Roya almost laughed out of anger.
"The Arlong Pirates have been entrenched in Cocoyasi Village for years, and you bunch of good-for-nothings haven't done anything, you're worse than dogs. And you have the nerve to teach us our job?!"
"Tell your Base Commander that this Arrest operation was ordered by Commodore Murak, the Supreme Commander of Logue Town. Don't you dare tell the Commodore what to do!"
"Furthermore, the members of the Arlong Pirates that we captured will be executed tomorrow evening in the Execution Square of Logue Town!"
"If you want them, then come to Logue Town to collect their corpses!"
"Do you understand?!"
"Ka-chak—"
The Den Den Mushi hung up.
Rat Colonel's face twitched, and he slammed his fist on the table in uncontrollable rage. "Damn Murak, how dare he look down on me like this!"
"Immediately tell Arlong the news!"
"I want them to die!"