Chapter 6: Murloc Karate

Arlong looked at Chu Yang’s bloodshot eyes, wanting to say something to beg for mercy, but the fear of death left him too terrified to speak.

Arlong’s mouth hung open, trembling uncontrollably.

Watching the blood continuously spilling from Arlong’s body, Chu Yang suddenly recalled the agony of the Celestial Dragon’s branding iron being pressed hard against his chest.

The fury of being treated like livestock because of his weakness ignited the murderous intent in the depths of Chu Yang’s heart.

He would never again let others trample upon him!

“You… what do you want?!”

Arlong, on the verge of fainting, was jolted back to full consciousness by the chill radiating from Chu Yang.

“If you kill me, you won’t be able to stay on this ship! Brother Tiger will never allow someone who kills a comrade to remain!”

Arlong shrieked hysterically, attempting to awaken Chu Yang’s reason.

“Just now…” Chu Yang said coldly, “If I hadn’t agreed to you, would you have let me go? Would you have let an ordinary human go?”

Arlong was instantly rendered speechless. Just as Chu Yang had guessed, he had no intention of letting him go; even if he didn’t kill him, he would have thrown him into the sea to fend for himself.

Afterward, Arlong would only need to lie and say that Chu Yang had left on his own. While he might not necessarily fool Tiger, Tiger wouldn’t be able to do anything about it either.

Arlong was certain that Tiger would not turn against his own kin for the sake of one person.

“You are no different in essence from the humans you despise…” Chu Yang sneered, abandoning his plan to kill Arlong and beginning to loosen the wooden vines binding him.

It wasn’t that Chu Yang was soft-hearted; if he killed Arlong here, he truly wouldn’t be able to stay on the ship.

More importantly, someone had arrived…

The burly blue-skinned man stood right behind Chu Yang, his hands, covered in Armament Haki, pressed firmly onto Chu Yang’s shoulders, ready to save Arlong at any moment.

Chu Yang dispelled his Wood Release and turned to look at Jinbe, asking calmly, “How long have you been here?”

Jinbe glanced at the blood-soaked Arlong, a flash of shock crossing his eyes.

He lowered his voice as much as possible, trying to appear composed. “When Arlong said he was taking you to rest, I felt something was wrong. That isn’t his style. Just in case, I followed you.”

Jinbe gave a bitter smile. “I was afraid he would do something foolish, and as it turns out, I was right. I just didn’t expect…”

Chu Yang let out a breath, as if trying to exhale all the pent-up frustration in his heart. “Didn’t expect that I almost killed him in return?”

Jinbe nodded, saying in a tone of realization, “No wonder Brother Tiger said you saved him. So, you are a Devil Fruit user.”

Frequent use of Wood Release had drained Chu Yang’s chakra to the bottom. He was extremely exhausted now, his eyelids drooping as he spoke weakly, “If you don’t intend to kick me off the ship, then take me to rest.”

“I just want to lie on a bed and get a good sleep right now.”

Before leaving the lower storage room, Jinbe looked helplessly at Arlong, who was leaning against the door, severely injured and unconscious, and sighed with a complex expression.

Arlong’s hatred for humans was more severe than most fish-men on the ship. If he didn’t correct his mindset in time, he would likely suffer a great loss at Chu Yang’s hands in the future.

Out of consideration for Chu Yang, Jinbe specifically arranged for him to stay in a single room before quietly departing.

After settling Chu Yang, Jinbe hurriedly sent the ship’s doctor to treat Arlong. Soon after, the news that Arlong had been severely injured and knocked unconscious by Chu Yang spread like wildfire.

At first, Jinbe thought about covering for Arlong, but he later dismissed the idea.

Because there were not a few fish-men on the ship who shared Arlong’s sentiments.

To keep this group from doing anything stupid, a necessary deterrent was essential. Thus, Jinbe felt it was better to let the news out.

Chu Yang, fast asleep on his bed, did not know that because of this incident, Arlong had become the laughingstock of the entire ship.

The next day, Chu Yang, who had slept until noon, appeared on the deck under the scorching sun. He noticed that the way the fish-men looked at him was distinctly different from yesterday.

The disgust had diminished significantly, replaced by astonishment and panic.

There was a very clear sense of distance between the two sides.

“It seems they already know.” Chu Yang looked around, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. From now on, the noise in his ears could finally be reduced a little.

Chu Yang had no intention of mingling with this group of fish-men; the Sun Pirates were merely a temporary stop for him.

“It was my responsibility that such a thing happened yesterday.” Tiger walked over from the direction of the bow, looking exhausted as he apologized to Chu Yang.

“I’m not the one who got hurt, so there’s no need to apologize.” Chu Yang replied indifferently. “Though that guy named Arlong probably won’t be able to get out of bed for ten days or half a month.”

“That’s for the best, it saves him from always looking for trouble.” Tiger looked troubled. Although he was a fish-man, he didn’t like Arlong’s violent and radical way of doing things.

“If you need anything, just let me know at any time.” Although he had announced the formation of the Sun Pirates, Tiger clearly didn’t treat Chu Yang as a member of the pirate crew, remaining very polite.

They were partners traveling the same path for a short distance, unable to walk hand-in-hand to the end. Both of them had a tacit understanding of this.

Chu Yang thought for a moment, then spoke up: “I want to learn some combat techniques from Jinbe. Could you ask him to teach me?”

“Jinbe?” Tiger was stunned for a moment, then laughed: “Of course. You have a good eye; that kid’s strength and potential are extraordinary. In a few more years, he’ll likely become a leader among the fish-men.”

Chu Yang smiled.

No kidding!

That’s Jinbe, the “mere” Warlord of the Sea! The title of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea wasn’t given for nothing!

What Chu Yang wanted to learn from Jinbe wasn’t just Fish-Man Karate, but more importantly, Haki. He had already witnessed the other’s Armament Haki yesterday.

Not long after, Tiger found Jinbe and explained that Chu Yang wanted to learn combat from him.

At this time, Jinbe still held deep wariness toward humans, but because Chu Yang had done a favor for Tiger, he treated him specially.

Jinbe reluctantly agreed to Chu Yang’s request.

Jinbe began hellish training for Chu Yang that very day.

Whether it was because Jinbe harbored a certain desire for revenge or simply wanted to finish this task sooner, his teaching style was quite rough and wild.

Almost every time training ended, Chu Yang had to be carried into his room.

Miserable as it was, it only took Chu Yang three days to complete the introduction to Fish-Man Karate, and his proficiency climbed like a rocket.

The progress was so fast that Jinbe found it incredible. In Jinbe’s view, Chu Yang’s learning speed for Fish-Man Karate surpassed that of most fish-men.

But Chu Yang was a full-blooded human…

If he didn’t know that Tiger would certainly not allow it, Jinbe would have really wanted to cut Chu Yang open to see if he had fish-man organs inside.

“This is insane!”

Refusing to believe it, Jinbe continued to intensify the “torture” of Chu Yang, but Chu Yang was now like a sponge with no limit, crazily absorbing everything beneficial to him.