Cocoyasi Village.
The deafening explosions from moments ago and the panic-stricken look on Arlong's face as he fled had completely rekindled the long-extinguished hope in the villagers' hearts.
From afar, they could vaguely see Arlong Park—the monstrous structure that had loomed like a mountain at their village's gate—now crumbling under a fierce bombardment.
Soon after, the disorganized sound of gunfire rang out from the distance, stirring the villagers even more. Having endured years of torment, their emotions surged uncontrollably.
"Has Nami's boyfriend finally arrived?"
A villager's face flushed red with excitement, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"If someone that powerful is here to help, the Arlong Pirates are as good as finished!"
"This..."
Nojiko, Nami's older sister, gazed at the plumes of smoke rising in the distance and murmured softly, "Let's hope that's true."
She gently tucked a few loose strands of her blue hair behind her ear and smiled faintly.
"Nami's only been out at sea for a month, and she's already brought a man back?"
"I'm really curious now—what kind of guy did she find?"
"Hmph!"
Genzo, however, was feeling oddly irritated, his expression clouded with frustration.
Even though his village was about to be liberated, he couldn't bring himself to feel happy.
As the villagers waited anxiously for good news, the gunfire grew increasingly closer—and amidst it, footsteps began to echo, clear and distinct.
"Someone's coming!"
Still holding onto his instincts as the village's sheriff, Genzo—who was already upset about the "pig stealing his cabbage"—shouted to the others with urgency, "Everyone, hide—quickly!"
Years of living under Arlong's unpredictable raids had made the villagers seasoned in taking cover. At the first sign of danger, they scattered swiftly and orderly to find hiding spots.
But they were already too late.
Arlong had run so fast, not even his fish-man crew could keep up—how could the frail villagers hope to outrun him?
In no time, Arlong's towering figure, nearly three meters tall, crashed into Cocoyasi Village.
The villagers were instantly paralyzed with fear.
But Arlong looked completely disheveled. His flashy, open-necked floral shirt was tattered from branches as he fled through the woods. He panted heavily, his breath erratic. Beads of sweat glistened on his blue face—whether from fear or exhaustion, no one could tell.
After a few labored breaths, Arlong swept his bloodshot eyes across the crowd with a predatory glare.
Anyone who met his gaze shuddered uncontrollably.
But his gaze finally settled on the beautiful blue-haired girl.
"You!"
"Get over here!"
With that, Arlong began striding toward Nojiko.
Seeing the towering fish-man approach, Nojiko's face stiffened slightly.
"Stop!"
"Don't touch her!"
Genzo charged forward in a panic.
But Arlong didn't even bother with him. He lunged forward, seized Nojiko with one hand, and locked her slender neck tightly in his steel-like arm.
Genzo froze, unable to take another step, watching helplessly from several meters away, his heart filled with panic.
"Heh..."
Surprisingly, Nojiko didn't look afraid at all. Instead, she sneered.
"Woman!"
Arlong growled furiously, "What are you laughing at?!"
"Haha..."
Nojiko laughed even more mockingly. "You look just like a dog with its tail between its legs!"
"You rushed here to take me hostage... you must be completely desperate."
"Y-You bitch!"
Arlong's face turned red with fury, and his grip tightened. "I'll kill you!"
"If you do, your death will be even worse."
Nojiko stood her ground, unafraid, her eyes glinting with the thrill of vengeance.
Arlong's face contorted with rage, but he still didn't dare do anything too reckless.
Just then, more footsteps approached.
Hatchan arrived with a few panicked fish-man underlings.
"Big Bro Arlong!"
Hatchan cried out with grief, "Our brothers were all killed by the Marines!"
"Even Kuroobi…"
Led by Captain Smoker and the righteous and fierce Tashigi, the Marine forces had utterly crushed the fish-men with ruthless efficiency.
When Hatchan barely managed to reach Cocoyasi Village, only a few fish-men were still with him.
These fish-men were clearly shaken, their faces full of despair and fear.
Seeing them in such a pathetic state, the villagers' fear of the fish-men unconsciously began to fade.
As Arlong looked at the sorry remnants of his crew, his façade of confidence completely collapsed.
Soon, Cocoyasi Village welcomed more visitors.
First came Smoker, gliding through the air in a cloud of smoke. Then came Garen, charging in with his bloodstained greatsword.
Behind them followed Tashigi, sword drawn, and Nami, clutching her long staff, along with a battalion of fierce, battle-hardened Marines.
The village was quickly surrounded by over a hundred determined Marines, cutting off any escape route for Arlong's gang.
"Nojiko!"
As soon as Nami landed, she spotted her sister in Arlong's grasp.
"Nami!"
Nojiko, seemingly unfazed by her danger, waved casually.
"You really came back!"
Nami's eyes narrowed. She turned to Arlong and shouted furiously, "Arlong! Let her go!"
But Arlong only responded with a cruel, crazed grin.
"You want your sister to live?"
"Then you'll have to let me go free!"
"Hah…"
A voice dripping with mockery rang out.
"And you call yourself a superior race?"
"A so-called higher species who doesn't even have the guts to fight head-on—just grabbing hostages to stay alive?"
Arlong instinctively wanted to lash out.
But when he turned to look—he shut his mouth immediately.
The one mocking him was the East Blue Knight, the man known to fight Admiral Garp on even ground.
"You don't even dare speak?"
Garen chuckled, eyes full of disdain.
"Garen?"
Nami whispered near his ear with concern, "My sister's still in his hands…"
She worried that Garen's aggressive stance might provoke Arlong into doing something rash.
"It's okay. Leave it to me."
Garen replied calmly.
He took two steps closer, sword in hand, causing cold sweat to drip even more heavily from Arlong's forehead.
Looking Arlong up and down with visible contempt, Garen casually said:
"I'll give you a chance."
"Fight me like a man."
"If you win, I'll let you go."
"..."
Arlong's face darkened, and he finally couldn't hold back his anger.
"Pah! Have you no shame?!"
"You're seriously trying to scam me with your strength?!"
"Ugh…"
Garen sighed, sounding helpless. "Why are you such a coward?"
"Come on—give it a shot. You might even win."
"Win my ass!"
Arlong, finally losing his temper, cursed loudly.
He shamelessly admitted defeat without hesitation.
At that moment, even the surrounding Marines and villagers began to look down on Arlong with open contempt.
Only his remaining fish-man lackeys could understand their leader's mindset—
There's no shame in surrendering to someone with Admiral-level strength.
"Well, then."
Garen gripped his greatsword tightly and took a solid combat stance.
Arlong, however, shuffled two steps backward.
"If you have even a shred of pride," Garen said coldly, "then let the girl go!"
"If you're a man—come fight me!"
Arlong instinctively opened his mouth to argue: "Do you think I'm an idiot—?"
But then... "Eh? What's going on…"
Without realizing it, Arlong released Nojiko, then charged at Garen with a brave, heroic stance.
"Boss Arlong!"
"He actually…"
The fish-men underlings stared in shock, then couldn't help but exclaim in awe:
"Big Brother Arlong really is an iron-blooded man!"
(End of Chapter)