Chapter 52: The Great Sword Sweeps the Field

Sea Cow Moo-Moo hesitated for only half a second before making the wisest decision. It squeezed its eyes shut, pretending to be a salted fish resigned to the current, and allowed itself to plunge entirely into the sea.

Yet, after “fainting,” Moo-Moo didn’t float to the surface but instead sank deeper and deeper toward the seabed in a peculiar posture. In no time, the great sea cow vanished into the currents, leaving only a vast cloud of pale red blood to dissolve into the water.

The fish-men’s faces darkened considerably. Moo-Moo was considered one of the strongest fighters in their pirate crew, yet it had been sent fleeing, clutching its head, by a single strike. With their captain Arlong absent, the fish-men were uncertain whether they should attempt to retaliate against such a terrifying foe.

Garen, however, was not entirely unscathed. With Moo-Moo “fainting” beneath his feet, he lost his footing and quickly plunged into the sea. His heavy armor and greatsword made swimming nearly impossible; he had to rely on his powerful physique to keep himself afloat, kicking at the water with all his might. The result was an awkward, clumsy struggle, much like a land duck flailing desperately to survive in the water.

But with enough force, even a brick could be launched skyward. And Garen’s tireless, digitized body served as just such an engine. Under the astonished gaze of the fish-men, Garen powered through the water like a human torpedo, churning up towering white waves as he sped straight toward the still-stunned fish-men.

He redefined the very concept of swimming through sheer action, improving efficiency by no less than 1,400%.

“Don’t panic!” barked Crooby, the fish-man karate expert and officer left to guard the base, managing to steady his nerves and rally his companions. “In the water, we fish-men are invincible! Drag him down—then we win!”

The fish-men exchanged glances. Years of “fish-man supremacy” indoctrination finally rekindled their courage. Instead of retreating, they surged forward to meet Garen head-on.

“Oh?” Garen’s expression became one of anticipation, and he charged toward them without the slightest hint of defense.

These fish-men truly were creatures of the sea; their speed and strength in the water far surpassed the average human. But only the average human. Garen could clearly sense that these fish-men were still far from a real threat.

The fish-men seemed to realize this, too. Though they swarmed him, they didn’t attack directly but instead coiled around him from all sides, limbs entwined like writhing water snakes.

Garen didn’t resist, allowing the fish-men to close in and wrap themselves tightly around his body. Seven or eight low-ranking fish-men grappled him from every direction, binding his arms and legs.

Soon, Garen’s upper body, which had been floating on the surface, was dragged down into the depths by their combined efforts.

This was a classic fish-man sea battle tactic: drag a powerful human opponent into the water and use their innate ability to breathe underwater to hold the enemy down until the human suffocated.

The fish-men clung to Garen like sticky glue, determined to keep him from surfacing. Once submerged, a human enemy would inevitably panic. All that remained was to wait for him to drown...

A short while later...

“Hey, hey?” Garen said with a hint of amusement. “How long do you plan on hugging me like this? We’re all men here—try to maintain some decorum, will you?”

“You!” The fish-men’s faces twisted with terror. “How can you talk underwater, just like us?!”

Not only was Garen not drowning, he was chatting casually in the sea.

“Well...” Garen replied, a bit conflicted. “I’m not sure myself!”

Once his digitized body was activated, it was no longer a human form at all. He was now the player, and his body was merely a character model within a game—unable to be injured, unable to drown, able to speak under any circumstances, even with his mouth closed. After all, no matter the status of a character in a game, the player can always use voice chat.

“If you refuse to let go...” Garen’s eyes flashed with a cold gleam as he regarded the still-bewildered fish-men. “Then don’t blame me.”

Though his body was governed by unscientific digital properties, it was still subject to basic physical laws. For example, swinging a sword underwater naturally diminished its power, as if the sea itself were parrying the blow.

But there was one skill that ignored such restrictions:

“Judgment!”

Despite being tightly bound by the fish-men, Garen gripped his greatsword and spun at lightning speed.

Neither the sea nor the fish-men’s bodies could impede the sword’s furious whirlwind—nothing could even slow it by a fraction.

Golden arcs of sword-light traced perfect circles through the water, resembling a meat-grinder spinning at full tilt. The fish-men who had wrapped themselves around him had no hope of escape.

Their muscular bodies, so proud and powerful, were sliced cleanly in two the moment the blade touched them.

The water, already tinged pale red, was instantly transformed into a deeper, more vivid crimson.

When Garen finally ceased his whirling blade, the fish-men had become nothing more than an unspeakable mass of organic fragments.

“Ah...” Garen, floating in the blood-stained water, wrinkled his brow in distaste. “This move is rather disgusting.”

Judgment, a skill famous for mowing down foes, harvested real lives here. The fish-men were cut down like stalks of chives, severed into pieces...

The sight was so gruesome that Crooby, the minor officer, felt his scalp go numb. His fellow kin, in the very environment where fish-men were supposed to reign supreme, had been slaughtered so effortlessly...

Crooby, who had boasted of the fish-men’s invincibility at sea, now found himself utterly bereft of courage.

“Crooby!” called Octo, the octopus fish-man and fellow officer left behind at Arlong Park. “We should retreat for now and wait for Brother Arlong to handle this!”

“Agreed!” Crooby didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately swam away. “Everyone, fall back—let’s go find Brother Arlong!”

The fish-men, now like stray dogs, hurried after Crooby in their desperate retreat.

Garen made no move to pursue, instead surfacing to greet the approaching navy ship.

As the vessel drew near, Garen kicked powerfully at the water and leapt directly onto the deck.

“Are you alright?” Nami asked with concern, noticing that not even the seawater could wash the blood from Garen’s armor. She already knew he couldn’t be hurt, but still she worried.

“I’m fine!” Garen replied with a gentle smile. “It’s only the blood of those small fry.”

Nami said nothing more, but there was a glint of hope and satisfaction in her eyes. For the first time, she realized the fish-men she’d feared for so many years were so easily defeated.

“All hands, listen up!” Smoker, who had flown back from above, gave a resounding order: “Prepare for an amphibious assault!”

“Yes, sir!” The marines, witnessing how easily Smoker and Garen had routed the fish-men, were more motivated than ever. The navy ships surged toward the beach of Arlong Park.

Taking advantage of the landing preparations, Smoker turned his attention to another pressing matter.

“Bring that disgraceful navy officer up here!” Smoker commanded gravely.

A group of sailors immediately dragged over Colonel Nezumi, bound tightly like a rice dumpling. Behind him followed a crowd of “witnesses”—soldiers who had bravely accused their corrupt superior.

Before Smoker could speak, these “righteous men” began shouting:

“I hereby report that Nezumi has always been Arlong’s protector!”

That was the calm version; the more dramatic ones added strong emotion to their voices:

“Nezumi is corrupt, lawless, and has built his own little fiefdom right under our noses!”

“We who serve justice have been oppressed for years by this tyrant!”

A few exceptionally theatrical soldiers now cried out with genuine tears:

“Sir, you’ve finally come to give us justice!”

“We’ve been waiting years for this day!”

The tense atmosphere of the battlefield suddenly became lively and spirited.

“Bah!” Nezumi, his heart hopeless, couldn’t help but snarl, “Didn’t you all get a share when I took the money?!”

“What money?”

“What are you talking about?!”

The lieutenant who had personally apprehended Colonel Nezumi shouted righteously, “Those were your ill-gotten gains! We endured for years just to preserve the evidence!”