Starting with two Kamui, they raised the flag of rebellion in One Piece.

Underwater, Ah Long was adjusting his breathing with his cheeks, staring intently at the scene above the water.

He released the spot where Li Mingyuan's knee had struck him, looked down, and saw a deep crater under his ribs. The wound was also unnaturally swollen, and he could vaguely see some strange, twisted muscle shapes.

In this condition, at least several ribs were broken, and the internal organs were severely impacted.

No wonder, after that one blow he immediately coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to move, as if all his strength had been drained.

"Huff... huff..."

"There's no mistake, that strange movement, there must be something there."

Ah Long muttered to himself with a sullen face.

Just as Li Mingyuan had guessed, the reason why Ah Long was diving into the water was not only to conceal his presence, but also because he was indeed suspecting that Li Mingyuan might be a power user.

Not only can he freely copy and use Croobi's Thousand-Watt Punch, but he can also accurately hit vital points with every strike as if he can see through Croobi's movements. Even though Croobi only used his Shark Arrow twice, the second one was completely ineffective.

Unlike the Observation Haki that is often heard of in the Grand Line, this is a completely different kind of ability.

Because Ah Long noticed that the man's actions were less a "subconscious" crisis prediction and more a result of having complete control over his every move.

He is actively observing himself!

Although Arlong didn't know what kind of Devil Fruit could have created this situation, his intuition told him that the man had definitely used some special ability. This chilling insight could not be described as a simple talent at all.

"Even the strongest ability user will have their abilities rendered ineffective underwater, and may even become completely powerless."

"He wouldn't willingly jump into the water to fight me."

"Even if we take a step back and assume he's not actually a power user, underwater is still our area of ​​advantage as fish-men. There's no reason for us to lose!"

Ah Long wiped the congealed blood from the corner of his mouth, a sinister smile gradually spreading across his face.

This was the answer he had just come up with while racking his brains to figure out how to defeat his opponent. He hadn't thought of these things before, but if anyone was to blame, it was his opponent for revealing a flaw. When the man injured him again, his strange movements immediately reminded him of a superhuman, and then he remembered the brilliant strategy of fighting in the water.

After floating in the water for a while, the long-awaited action in the sea made Ah Long feel much better physically. Even the injuries from the battle earlier didn't seem to hurt as much anymore.

Victory will ultimately belong to the fishmen!

Ah Long swam down to the sea near the estuary and began to secretly observe Li Mingyuan's current location.

During this time, not only was Ah Long fully prepared and ready to launch his shark arrows again, he even took out his full set of fangs and held them in his palm as substitute weapons. As a shark fishman, he, like Hachi, also had his own innate racial characteristics, namely the ability to continuously regenerate his teeth. Even if they fell out, they would quickly regenerate. Moreover, his fangs were no less hard than steel, and with his terrifying bite force, they could even crush cannonballs.

Ah Long was certain that he was fully prepared. Although he didn't know what the other party would do next, he was determined to pierce the other party's body the moment the other party showed a weakness.

At the same time, at Alon Amusement Park, main building.

Li Mingyuan walked back to the large hole that faced the estuary at the beginning, bathed in the refreshing sea breeze blowing from afar, and looked down at the unfathomable darkness below the estuary.

"What a refreshing sea breeze."

Li Mingyuan said softly.

"Well then, it's about time to wrap this up."

Her clear eyes reflected everything before her.

By this point, Li Mingyuan had witnessed most of Ah Long's skills from the original story, and not only had he successfully countered them all, but he himself had not suffered even the slightest injury.

However, after severely injuring Arlong, the last tactic the opponent came up with was to hide in the sea, hoping to gain some advantages that might not even exist. He could probably tell that this fishman really had no other means.

Since they could no longer resist, it was only natural that they would be beheaded by the enemy.

Li Mingyuan slowly drew the sword from his hand.

After Ah Long completely abandoned the land-based confrontation, the weapons in Ah Long Paradise were naturally at his disposal.

Of course, he wouldn't go into the sea at this moment to foolishly fight the fish-men. However, if the other party really regarded him as a power user, then Arlong, who hadn't given up on winning, would definitely try to counterattack immediately and desperately try to turn the tide while he had the 'advantage'.

In any case, that means that the other party's choice will become predictable.

"If you can outwit me even under these circumstances, then so what if I unleash my first 'divine power' in this world here?"

"But, if you can't..."

Holding a long sword in one hand, Li Mingyuan spread his arms wide.

At that moment, he took a small step forward, and his body naturally began to fall down the stairs.

The location directly opposite is above the estuary of Alon Amusement Park.

The sound of the wind passed by my ears.

"They're here!!"

Beneath the surface of the sea, Ah Long stared wide-eyed at the crimson ocean. He looked in surprise at what was happening before him, never expecting that the human would fall straight towards the estuary.

Could it be that he really intends to enter the water and try to compete with the fish-men?

Since he's deliberately courting death, then he'll grant his wish!

"Shark ON Gear—!"

Underwater, Ah Long spun rapidly with an almost terrifying acceleration, the ocean currents swirling in his hands, forming a waterspout that he controlled in his palms. At the same time, Ah Long opened his blood-red maw, his fangs, serrated teeth, and arrow-shaped nose all aimed at Li Mingyuan, who was still in mid-air.

If he were a power user, the seawater flowing through his hands would render him powerless. Even if he weren't a power user, with the power of the fish-man in the water, his attacks would be something no mere human could withstand.

Ah Long intends to unleash all his abilities this time, leaving the opponent no chance to retaliate!

At that moment, Li Mingyuan, who had fallen from the building, was already very close to the water inlet.

Like a torpedo.

Suddenly, Ah Long spun out of the sea and lunged at Li Mingyuan!

"Pity."

Upon seeing Ah Long's figure suddenly come into view, Li Mingyuan murmured.

"It seems that you didn't exceed my expectations until the very end."

Li Mingyuan's body was about to be pierced by A Long, but he showed no panic. Instead, his gaze became even calmer, reflecting the scene before him like a deep, unseen spring.

The instant they made contact.

Li Mingyuan suddenly swung the long sword in his right hand and silently swept past in front of him.

boom!!

With an unprecedentedly violent explosion.

Immediately following, the impact of the heavy object falling into the water stirred up waves throughout the estuary.

Both Li Mingyuan and A Long were now submerged in the water without a trace. But a moment later, a scarlet color gradually rose from the sea surface with the bubbles, adding a touch of solemnity to the estuary that was already stained with blood.

"call!!"

Suddenly, a figure abruptly emerged from beneath the water.

The seawater soaked his body, and the black hair at his temples clung to his cheeks, making the man look slightly disheveled and unruly for a moment.

Li Mingyuan leaned against the shore at the estuary and looked back.

As he emerged from the water, another body now rises from the surface.

It was a decapitated corpse with lifeless eyes.

The head and body were separated, rising and falling on the churning water. The cut at the neck was extremely clean and sharp, and a large amount of blood was gushing out from the separation point, making the surrounding seawater murky.

Li Mingyuan remained expressionless as he watched the scene unfold before him, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

If it were truly going to be a protracted war, or if there were some unexpected underhanded tricks, it would be quite troublesome for Li Mingyuan.

After all, as long as he stays here around the clock, and the vigilance time exceeds 24 hours, the body's natural need for sleep will create an opening for him. With no one else here able to deal with Ah Long, there will be countless opportunities to counterattack.

Even if we only consider underhanded tactics, Li Mingyuan could think of many possibilities.

This is Ah Long Paradise, the lair of the fish people, the world beneath the sea, another space that Li Mingyuan cannot fathom or predict. Logically speaking, it would not be surprising if anything happened here.

But ironically, just as he was about to enter the water, Ah Long charged straight up.

He was ultimately severed in two by his own blade, his head flying off on the spot.

Is this all there is to it?

Li Mingyuan thought to himself.

He was barely a decent opponent, but I couldn't even force him to unleash his true power, and the battle ended there. In the end, that's about all the power the East Sea has to offer.

Perhaps it is his overestimation of himself as the overlord of the East China Sea that makes him more problematic.

Li Mingyuan was unwilling to stay in the pool full of blood any longer. He propped himself up, picked up A Long's head, and climbed back to the shore.

Meanwhile, Karina and Nami, who had been hiding somewhere, reappeared in the chaotic Arlong Paradise. They were completely shocked when they saw Li Mingyuan holding Arlong's head.

"Are you out yet?"

"Sorry, now is not the time to talk to anyone. I'm feeling a little tired, so I'll rest for a bit. We can talk about it after I get up."

Li Mingyuan casually tossed A Long's head to the two people in front of him. Ignoring Nami, who was catching the head in a flurry, he dragged his tired body and slowly walked to a dilapidated wall in the main building.

Leaning against the wall, Li Mingyuan let out a long breath and closed his eyes to calm his mind.

The amount of chakra consumed this time was also considerable. Although he didn't use Kamui until the very end, in a sense, it was precisely because he couldn't use Kamui that he used too many minor techniques to defeat the enemy, which resulted in even greater chakra consumption.

Especially that last instantaneous slash.

Although it's not as terrifyingly energy-consuming as on a cargo ship, it's still enough for him to use his right eye Kamui many times under normal circumstances. Even with his left eye Kamui, he could easily use it once.

Now that the battle had suddenly ended, the belated fatigue overwhelmed Li Mingyuan like a tidal wave, leaving him unable to muster the energy to think or converse for a moment.

Looking at Li Mingyuan like this.

Not far away, Nami and Karina looked at each other and nodded slightly in tacit understanding.

Not daring to disturb Li Mingyuan, who looked exhausted after the great battle, Nami, carrying Arlong's head, led Karina to the main building of Arlong Paradise, the hall where a banquet had been held not long ago.

"Now that we're here, the conversation shouldn't affect that person anymore."

Nami took a deep breath.

She turned around and looked at Karina with a serious expression. "Karina, what exactly happened? Shouldn't you explain it to me now?"

"Who exactly is that man? Why did you come here with him to fight the Arlong Pirates?"

"And why is he so amazing?"

Nami looked down at Arlong's head in her hand. Her expression shifted between wanting to cry and wanting to laugh. In the end, all these complex emotions turned into a resolute look on Nami's face.

"There is no one in the East China Sea who can help us. I know that better than anyone else."

"I stopped believing in luck suddenly falling from the sky a long time ago."

Nami's voice was firm and powerful.

Seeing this, Karina could only manage a wry smile.

"To be honest, I don't really know who that man is."

"But if I had to say, I'd say I'm a bounty hunter, at least not a pirate."

Karina hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "As for why I'm here with him now, you must have heard me when I stopped him from attacking you, right? There's no point in hiding it. It's just like that, I got caught when I tried to attack."

"I owe him 20 million Berries to redeem my life, and that's why he takes me with him to Aaron Park now."

"I might disappoint you, Nami. Although I really want to say that I knew about your situation all along and deliberately led him here, the truth is that before I got here, I didn't expect you to have so many complicated circumstances. On the contrary, I was the one who was forcibly brought here."

"As for why that man came here, it was probably his goal from the beginning. He was probably after the heads of the Arlong Pirates. After all, the total bounty of these fishmen is not low."

Nami was immediately shocked after hearing Karina's words.

Unexpectedly, the reality was so different from what was expected.

"You got caught stealing!?"

"Isn't that man one of your hired employees?"

Nami's forehead was slightly sweaty, and she said in disbelief, "That man is the guy who even defeated Arlong the Fishman, why would you steal his things?"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean Karina, your current situation is quite precarious?"