Haki Monster in One Piece World - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Arlong, a Monster!
The air in the clearing crackled. Standing before me, radiating an aura thick with cold fury and the distinct, briny scent of the sea, was Arlong. The Saw-Shark Fishman. The tyrant of Conomi Island. The monster I knew I had to beat. My heart hammered against my fractured ribs, adrenaline momentarily washing away the bone-deep weariness from the Kuroobi fight. There was no escape, no hiding. This was it.
(First Person POV – Mike)
Okay, okay, deep breaths. Don’t panic. Analyze. My Observation Haki flared instantly, defaulting to Level 3 despite the energy cost. I needed every edge I could get. His presence washed over my senses – immense, brutal, leagues beyond Kuroobi or Chew. System, give me numbers! No, damn it, gotta do this myself. My Haki probed, assessed. Physique signature… massive. Got to be Level 60, maybe even a bit higher. That raw strength is terrifying. Remember the lore – teeth that bite through steel, durability to match. He wasn’t just strong; he was built like a living tank shark.
What else? Fishman Karate? I scanned for the tell-tale signs of focused spiritual energy, the kind Kuroobi wielded. There’s something… raw power, yes, but not refined Haki. He uses his body’s abilities. Water bullets – I remembered reading about that. Kiribachi Same? He could supposedly draw moisture from the air, from his own body, compress it, and fire it like cannonballs from his hands. Deadly at range, but it had to have a cost, right? Dehydration, maybe, if he wasn’t near the sea? A potential weakness if I could drag this out, force him to spam it.
And Haki? I pushed my Observation sense, searching for the tell-tale shimmer of Armament, the aware presence of Observation, the overwhelming pressure of Conqueror’s. Nothing. A wave of relief, sharp and immediate, cut through the fear. He doesn’t have it. No Haki skill. Thank every god I didn’t believe in. That leveled the playing field considerably.
But why? My mind raced. Grand Line veteran, former Sun Pirate, fought alongside Jinbei… he should be stronger, should have Haki. Then it clicked. Eight years. Eight years ruling this isolated chunk of the East Blue, crushing terrified, Haki-less humans. Complacency. Lack of challenge. Like a blade left unused, his Grand Line edge must have dulled. He was still a monster, still easily Lv.60 in raw power, but maybe… just maybe… not the unbeatable monster he might have been years ago.
Speed? He felt… fast for his size, explosive, but not fluid. Slower than Kuroobi’s trained movements. My Physique was Lv.40 now, Haki Attribute Lv.48 fueling my reactions. Speed and agility were my biggest advantages. I had to use them. Avoid direct hits from that monstrous strength, use Observation precog to stay ahead, use Armament Lv.2 to counter or block when necessary, look for an opening. Okay. Plan is… survive the first onslaught, use speed, find a weakness. Don’t get hit. Don’t get grabbed. Don’t let him bite. I mentally checked my status: Fatigue 0%, Condition ‘Injured’ but manageable. Armament Lv.2 ready. Observation Lv.3 active. Let’s do this.
(Third Person POV)
The tense silence stretched for only a heartbeat before shattering. Arlong’s saw-nose wrinkled in a sneer of utter contempt, his eyes burning with cold fire.
“YOU!” he roared, the sound echoing through the clearing, laced with hatred. “Human filth! I smelled the blood near the pier! Kuroobi! And Chew hasn’t reported! Answer me! Did YOU kill my loyal brothers?!”
He didn’t wait for a reply. With a speed that seemed impossible for his bulk, he lunged. His massive fist, easily the size of Mike’s head, blurred towards its target, aimed at splattering the human against the nearest tree.
Mike moved a fraction of a second sooner. Observation Haki screamed the trajectory, the raw, simple power behind the blow. He didn’t try to block; that would be suicide. He threw himself sideways, enhanced agility carrying him low and fast. Arlong’s fist slammed into the thick trunk of the tree Mike had been standing in front of, embedding itself several inches deep with a sickening crunch of protesting wood. The entire tree shuddered.
Mike scrambled back, putting distance between them, knife flashing into his hand, Armament Haki instantly coating the blade. The sheer destructive force of that missed punch sent a fresh wave of cold fear through him.
Lv.60 Physique was no joke.
Arlong wrenched his fist free, splinters flying, his eyes fixed on Mike with murderous intensity. “Fast,” he growled. “Faster than scum like you should be. Doesn’t matter. I will crush you!”
He charged again, this time launching into a furious barrage of straightforward, powerful attacks. Huge fists hammered down, thick legs lashed out in brutal kicks, each blow carrying enough force to shatter stone. Mike was forced into a desperate dance of evasion. He used the trees, the rocks, the uneven ground of the clearing to his advantage, his smaller frame and superior speed allowing him to weave and dodge around the Fishman’s onslaught. Observation Haki was burning through his fatigue reserves at the Lv.3 rate, but it kept him alive, showing him the intent behind each blow, giving him the precious milliseconds needed to react. Left hook coming… duck! Low kick… leap back! Headbutt… side-step!
He tried a counter-attack, darting in after dodging a wide swing, driving his Armament-coated knife towards Arlong’s exposed side. The blade struck thick, scaled skin. It cut, drawing dark blood, but shallower than he’d hoped. Arlong roared, more in annoyance than pain, and swatted Mike away with a backhand that sent him tumbling across the clearing, Haki flaring on his arm just in time to prevent serious damage but still leaving him breathless.
(First Person POV – Mike)
Damn it! His durability is insane! The knife cut him, but it felt like trying to stab leather armor. Armament Lv.2 wasn’t enough to pierce deep without a perfect shot at a vital point. And getting that close was suicide. He hits like a freight train, and he takes hits like one too. I scrambled back to my feet, ribs screaming in protest from the impact.
(Third Person POV)
Arlong paused his physical assault, seeing Mike scramble away again. A cruel grin finally spread across his face, revealing rows of razor-sharp, triangular teeth. “Tired of running, human?” he sneered. “Fine! Let’s see how you handle this!”
He thrust his webbed hands forward, palms open. The humid air seemed to shimmer around them as moisture coalesced, drawn by Arlong’s innate Fishman ability. Small spheres of water formed, compressing rapidly, glowing faintly with contained pressure.
“Kiribachi Same! (Shark Dart)”
With flicks of his wrists, Arlong launched the water bullets. They shot across the clearing with incredible speed and force, impacting the trees Mike dodged behind with sounds like rifle shots. Wood splintered, bark flew, leaves shredded. Mike felt the impacts vibrate through the ground, felt the near misses whistle past his ear. This was bad. The ranged attack completely negated his speed advantage if he kept his distance.
He ducked behind a large boulder as another volley slammed into it, spraying rock chips. He needed to close the distance again, get past the water bullets. But how?
During a momentary pause in the barrage – perhaps Arlong conserving moisture, just as Mike had theorized – the Fishman’s voice echoed across the clearing, dripping with venom. “I know it was you now, human maggot! That Haki… faint, but I felt it when I found Kuroobi’s disturbed grave! Tell me! Was it YOU?! Did you kill Chew?! Did you kill my loyal officer Kuroobi?!” His rage was a tangible force, pressing down on the clearing.
Mike peered around the boulder, panting slightly, Armament Haki ready on his knife. Lying was pointless. Let the rage consume him. Maybe it would make him sloppy.
Screw it. Let him know. I took a steadying breath.
“Yeah,” I called back, my voice hopefully sounding colder than I felt. “It was me. Chew squealed like a stuck pig before he died. Kuroobi,” I allowed a grim smirk, “put up more of a fight. But he learned pretty quickly that his precious Karate wasn’t enough.”
Arlong let out a sound that wasn’t human, a strangled bellow of pure, unrestrained fury. His gills flared, his eyes seemed to bulge, veins standing out thick and dark on his neck and temples.
“YOU KILLED THEM?!” he screamed, the sound inhumanly loud, filled with disbelief and absolute hatred.
“MY OFFICERS?! My loyal brothers?! You insignificant piece of human TRASH!” He radiated killing intent so potent it felt like a physical weight, making the very air seem thick and hard to breathe.
“I will tear you limb from limb! I will make your death scream echo through this island! I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER!”
He gathered himself, preparing to launch another, even more devastating attack, fueled by righteous fury. But just as he inhaled sharply, ready to unleash hell, a cheerful, completely out-of-place voice cut through the tension.
“Ooooh! A fight! Is that a shark-man? Cool!”
Both Mike and Arlong froze momentarily, turning towards the source of the interruption. Standing at the edge of the clearing, beaming with oblivious excitement, was a young man in a straw hat, red vest, and blue shorts. Monkey D. Luffy. He must have followed the sounds of combat while foraging.
“Hey, mister!” Luffy called out, waving enthusiastically at Mike. “Got any meat?!” He then turned his attention to the enraged Fishman tyrant. “Wow! He looks super strong! You gonna beat him, mystery guy?” Luffy completely ignored the bloodlust, the danger, the tension, and plopped himself down comfortably on a mossy rock, looking back and forth between the two combatants with the eager anticipation of someone settling in to watch a particularly interesting show.
Mike stared, dumbfounded. ‘Where the HELL did HE come from?! Is he TRYING to get killed?!’
Arlong registered Luffy’s presence with a flicker of confused annoyance, then dismissed him entirely. Just another worthless human to be slaughtered after he finished tearing Mike apart. If anything, the interruption only stoked his fury further.
He turned his burning gaze back to Mike, ignoring the spectator. “Your pathetic friend can watch you die!” Arlong roared, and launched himself forward again, abandoning the water bullets for now, intent on ripping Mike apart with his bare hands and teeth.
Mike braced himself, Observation Haki screaming warnings, Armament Haki flaring. The fight resumed with renewed ferocity, Arlong driven by incandescent rage, Mike fighting desperately for survival, while Luffy watched from the sidelines, occasionally shouting encouragement or asking about meat, utterly oblivious to the life-and-death stakes of the brutal clash unfolding before him.