Chapter 90

Bloodied by Luffy's blows, Arlong concedes the Straw Hat captain has strength, yet warns that surviving the sea only means facing his fury over his crew. As onlookers tense up, Sanji bluntly notes everyone dies if Luffy loses, and Nojiko adds that all of East Blue would fall too. Arlong demands Luffy name the difference between them; Luffy sincerely answers it is their body parts, like noses, baffling Johnny and Yosaku and enraging the fish-man, who insists it is race as he lunges to bite.

Luffy barely twists clear of Arlong's snapping jaws, even stretching his neck loose when pinned to a pillar, and the bite splinters the stone column instead. Arlong crows that humans lack such power, but Luffy retorts that he can simply crush rock with his fists. Snatching two swords from Arlong's downed men, Luffy flails them wildly; Arlong knocks one away with his nose and the other shatters against it, only for Luffy to follow with a cartwheel punch that flings the fish-man back and smashes his teeth. Luffy openly admits he cannot fence, navigate, cook, or lie like his crew, and would die without them, yet declares the one thing he can do is beat Arlong. His allies cheer. Annoyed, Arlong regrows a stronger set of teeth, pulls out two sets to wield as handheld weapons, and attacks, drawing blood only to find Luffy had used a fish-man as a shield, sparking a new idea.

Arlong's teeth regenerate like a shark's, each replacement growing stronger than the last. The cover continues the Diary of Koby-Meppo feature, with Helmeppo spotting something approaching the ship while he and Koby haul equipment.