"Revenge, Luffy...? What the hell are you talking about...!"
No sooner had Luffy uttered the word "revenge" than Usopp sprang to his feet and shouted.
"I just figured you guys should know, so I said it now."
"But I'm not asking for help—this is my own personal matter."
"I'll tell you all the details when the time is right."
"Come on, Luffy, still—"
As Usopp spoke, Zoro entered the cabin through the doorway.
"Enough, Usopp."
"Zoro, but we're comrades—"
"Usopp..."
He shot Usopp a fierce glare.
"Alright, Zoro."
"Zoro, did something happen outside?"
"Well, that too...but you just said something I couldn't ignore, so I came in."
"What the heck, Zoro! You're worried enough to come in, so why are you giving me a hard time too!"
"Captain Luffy said he'd tell us when the time was right! You're the one who couldn't wait and started grilling him...!"
"Knock it off. Our captain looks like he's about to fall apart just moving an inch—why you two gotta fight?"
"Just both of you, say it to me. Honestly, that'd be better."
Luffy's words brought Zoro and Usopp to silence. Then Sanji spoke up at Luffy.
"Revenge as a dessert... If you miscalculate, you might end up spending more effort on it than the main course."
"It'd be like spending more time on dessert than on the main dish."
"I said it's not mandatory, so there's no need for you to make it yourself."
"You treat me just like that old man… it really pisses me off."
"That's not exactly a compliment."
"If you say I should or shouldn't make the dessert, you're poking at my pride as a cook."
"Just wait and see if I have the skill to make your dessert when the time comes."
"…Glad to have you, Sanji."
After Sanji answered Luffy, Luffy saw Zoro and Usopp smile at Sanji's attitude, and then Luffy spoke.
"Usopp, how long do you think it'll take to get to Cocoyasi Village?"
"I think we're not that far away…"
"'Not far away' and 'not that far away' are pretty different, aren't they?"
"My navigation skills are basic… I wasn't born with a gift for it like Nami."
"I already miss Nami."
While they were talking, Zoro spoke up.
"Luffy, why are you—no, Usopp, anyway, is it true that Nami went to that… Cocoyasi Village?"
"Chances are high, Zoro. Up until I passed out, Nami was looking at Arlong's bounty poster on the ship."
"I heard that Arlong has been more active lately, so I told Nami what I had heard when she was checking his wanted poster."
"Arlong's wanted poster, Nami. That guy's bounty is 20 million Berries."
"T-That's right, Usopp."
"But I heard that guy's been running wild again recently."
"I hope nobody from Syrup Village or our friends there get hurt because of guys like that…"
"Yeah… I hope so."
"Thinking back, Nami's reaction was strange when she heard that. She must be linked to Arlong somehow, for better or worse."
"That's why I suggested we head to Cocoyasi Village, the known base of Arlong."
"Arlong's dangerous, Zoro—he's rumored to be sworn brothers with Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"…What are the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"Zoro, you don't know what the Seven Warlords of the Sea are?!"
"Don't patronize me like I'm clueless."
"Hey, cook—do you know what that is?"
"No, I don't."
"Even Sanji…Luffy, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. But they're all up in the Grand Line, so folks here wouldn't know them."
"Zoro, Sanji… the Seven Warlords of the Sea are seven pirates the World Government officially sanctions to operate."
"Those seven don't get prosecuted for their past crimes, but in exchange, they must pay a cut of their plunder to the government."
"That's why other pirates treat them like government lapdogs, but it also means all seven are strong enough to be recognized by the World Government."
"Dracule Mihawk, the one you fought, is also one of the Seven Warlords. Rumor has it that Arlong has been sworn brothers with Jinbe, another Warlord, for a long time."
"Usopp, Mihawk is one of the Warlords—that means there are seven guys as strong as him?"
"There are seven more guys like that…?!"
"No, Sanji, like Zoro said, not all of them are that strong."
"Luffy, how do you… oh, you met him before."
"I've only crossed paths with him a few times… anyway, not all seven are that powerful."
If all seven were that powerful, they wouldn't need to be under the World Government. Mihawk's the exception.
By the way, Usopp has learned more than in the original, even though he's only been to one more island.
"Anyway, Arlong's tied to those Warlords, so everyone be careful…"
Ka-boom!
Suddenly, the floor of the Going Merry's cabin and everyone standing on it rocked violently.
"Why is the ship shaking all of a sudden...!"
"Oh, right… Luffy, I saw something huge coming this way from a distance earlier."
"Hey, Zoro, say stuff like that faster!"
"We weren't in a situation to talk about that just now!"
"Dammit! How am I supposed to know what's more important... Ugh!"
"Shut up, Luffy! Worry about your own body instead of talking!"
After Zoro answered Luffy's blood-spattered words, Usopp pulled the wheelchair Luffy was sitting in and headed out of the cabin.
Before the Going Merry, a sea-beast that looked like a six-meter-tall cow emerged from the water, towering over the deck and staring down at Luffy in his wheelchair.
That's a sea-beast, a mammal that lives in the ocean.
Unlike Sea Kings, which are mostly reptilian, sea-beasts resemble various land mammals.
Their main trait is lower intelligence compared to Sea Kings, so they do a lot of dumb things.
The head alone is about five to six meters across, and its total length, as I estimated with Observation Haki, exceeds thirty meters.
It's smaller compared to the sea-eel at Fusha Village whose head was at least ten meters wide. We can take this one no matter our current condition.
Roaaaar!
"If it picked a fight first, we need to make it pay."
"Hold on, swordsman."
"What're you doing, cook? And what's with the chunk of meat in your hand?"
Sanji, a large hunk of meat in his right hand, passed by Zoro and spoke:
"If a hungry person can do it, why can't an animal?"
"Bottom line, hunger is the issue. If it eats, it'll calm down."
"Sanji, that meat and the stuff I ate earlier are pretty much the same."
"In a world where it's hard enough to hand a rice ball to a starving person on the street, caring for an animal that can't even understand you is pointless."
"I know what you mean, Luffy… but hunger is a pain even animals that can't communicate can feel."
"When you've felt that same pain, it's hard to turn away."
"Sanji…"
"Sorry, Luffy. Dragging my restaurant stubbornness all the way here…"
"No, you idiot! That thing is about to eat you!"
"Huh?"
As Sanji heard Luffy's words, a dark shadow passed over his body.
Sanji turned around and saw the sea-beast right in front of the ship, its jaws wide open,
Thud!
Sanji kicked the beast square in the face, sending its head reeling.
Kuaaaargh!
"You damn beast...!"
"Sanji, next time think about feeding people before feeding animals with that meat."
"A prime example is your captain, Monkey D. Luffy, right here."
"He's coming again, Luffy! At that size, he could flip the whole ship!"
"Don't worry, Usopp."
Luffy lifted his head and bared his teeth as he looked up at the sea-beast staring down at them once more.
Seeing that, Zoro and Usopp each drew his sword and gun, and Sanji stepped back into a fighting stance.
"Usually creatures like that understand when you beat some sense into them."
****
On the outskirts of Cocoyasi Village stands a large building.
The five-story building was topped with a structure resembling the head of a saw-toothed shark, pointing skyward.
The building was surrounded by walls, and a large swimming pool lay in front of it.
This was Arlong Park, the main base of the Fish-Man Pirates. Someone stood in front of the building,
"Bring Arlong here right now!"
"Y-You came to kill our boss?"
The one shouting was a young boy wielding a dagger, and in front of him stood Hatchi, the octopus Fish-Man.
"Uh… kid, our boss isn't so weak that you could take him out."
"Shut it! You'll find out soon enough!"
"Stop yelling! The others will try to kill you on sight!"
"So stop acting like this here…"
"Die, you damn Fish-Man!"
"W-Wait…!"
Thud!
The boy lunging at Hatchi collapsed onto the ground.
It wasn't Hatchi who did it, but Nami, who had appeared holding a long staff.
Nami looked down at the boy bleeding from his lip and said,
"Can't even kill a single woman, and you wanna kill Arlong?!"
"The beast he commands… it killed my father and the people of our village."
"And then it slaughtered the Marines the survivors called for!"
"Don't create a mess for me to clean up, get lost—that's been my job since I was a kid."
"…Damn!"
The boy ran back toward the village with tears streaming down his face. Hatchi looked at Nami and said,
"Hey, Nami…"
"Hatchi, act like nothing happened, okay?"
"O-Of course, Nami."
"Thanks."
"…I just remembered something I need to do, so I'm off."
With that, Hatchi turned and, glancing at Nami one last time, ran toward the entrance of Arlong Park.
Inside, Hatchi reached the pool area and saw a group gathered there.
There, Arlong sat at a table with his officers standing behind him. He placed a bundle of bills on the table opposite him,
"Thanks as always, Arlong, for taking care of me like this."
"No need to thank me again, Nezumi. In a good world, money keeps flowing, so it's natural."
The person Arlong called Nezumi was a Marine officer wearing a coat emblazoned with the kanji for 'Justice.'
With thin whiskers like a rat's, Nezumi had three Marines standing at attention behind him. Pocketing Arlong's money, he said,
"Sorry about this, but I was just promoted to Vice Admiral, and my superior is too headstrong for me to handle things on my own."
"Still, I'm relieved you killed them. Also, I heard Clik, the one with a 17-million-Berry bounty, died in some weird place recently."
"If we say that the Vice Admiral and those Marines died battling Clik and his men, none of this will reach the Marines' records about your pirate crew."
"Can you really pull that off, Nezumi? Even if it's a branch office, it's a Vice Admiral."
"Is it really possible to hide it?"
"It is... even if it's not possible, I'll make it possible."
"Good. Of course it has to be."
"You've been covering for us with the Marines for eight years now."
"When there's mutual benefit, we share it; when there's damage, we fix it together—that's what a symbiotic relationship is, isn't it?"
"…Naturally."
"Hahaha! We really do understand each other!"
"I hate humans, but you're an exception because you speak my language!"
"I should get going now. Leaving this spot too long will arouse suspicion."
"Understood. Prepare yourself, Hatchi."
"Got it, boss. By the way, that Colonel dude always looks like a rat, you know?"
"…You always look like an octopus."
"Of course—I am an octopus Fish-Man."
While Nezumi and his three men climbed into large jars by the pool, Nami walked toward them.
"Arlong, we have a precious guest?"
"You're here, Nami. I heard you arrived ages ago—where have you been?"
"There was someone causing a fuss out front, so I swung by to let off some steam."
"Hahaha! You really are one fiery woman!"
As the two chatted, Nezumi, now inside the jar, looked at Nami and spoke.
"Oh… you're that Nami?"
"You know me?"
"I saw you coming and going a few times. A pretty girl like you stands out in a place like this."
"And you've collected that much money over eight years…"
"Hey."
As Nezumi spoke, Arlong glared at him and said,
"Ahem, I have business to attend to, and you've been idling too long."
"Hey, hurry up and go, octopus!"
"Got it, rat-faced Colonel."
Both of these Fish-Men look so disgusting that even after eight years I can't get used to it.
I put up with it because it's profitable.
While Nezumi was thinking this in the jar with his men, Arlong approached Nami and spoke.
"You said you wouldn't come back until you brought 20 million Berries, Nami."
"But you're back—why do you think?"
"Hahaha! That means you've gathered the full 100 million!"
"Impressive, Nami!"
"Keep your promise. You said you'd free our village once you had 100 million."
"Of course I will… but I heard something odd recently."
"They say someone in your village was hiding a weapon, and Chuu and the others saw it?"
"What are you talking about…!"
"It's true, Arlong. I saw the village chief stowing away a weapon with the others."
"No, Chuu, that man…!"
"You'll see for yourself once we go. So come along, Nami."
"Everyone grab your weapons—let's head to Cocoyasi Village!"
"Right away, boss!"
"Any human who disobeys us is sentenced to death!"
As soon as Arlong finished speaking, the Fish-Men around him shouted in agreement.
Two of the officers, excluding Hatchi, fell in behind Arlong, and the Fish-Men followed them.
Before they knew it, they were at the entrance of a village. Chuu, now ranking officer, looked at a middle-aged man in front of Arlong and said,
"Human, I saw you, the village chief, hiding a weapon three days ago."
"I'm a weapons collector. Is it not allowed to gather them and admire them?"
The man called Genzo wore a brown uniform with short sleeves on his arms and legs.
He sported thick walrus-like mustaches and, oddly, wore a brown uniform cap with a small pinwheel attached.
"Possessing weapons breeds defiance. That's why the folks in Gosa Village recently ended up the same way."
"That's why they died at our hands. The Marines that the survivors called, too."
"All the Marines were wiped out...?"
"You didn't know?"
Next to Chuu, Kuroobi heard Genzo's words and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground.
"Um… given what you said just now, the question should be how you knew about that."
"W-What are you talking about!"
"Your reaction makes it look like you've been in cahoots with the Gosa Village folks."
"What should we do, Arlong?"
"We need to nip any signs of resistance in the bud, Kuroobi. That'll keep other villages paying their protection fees in line."
"Right, Nami?"
"No, this is a misunderstanding—!"
"Cut it out, you bastards!"
"Nojiko…!"
In the tense atmosphere, a woman with light blue hair swept to one side dashed out.
The young woman Nami called Nojiko wore a red headband across her forehead.
"For eight years, we've paid your protection fees every single month without fail!"
"Don't step in, Nojiko!"
"I'm not wrong, sir! What kind of rebellion is this so late?"
"Yes, that's how you stay in your place."
Arlong replied to Nojiko by slamming his fist into Genzo's stomach while he was being held by the collar.
"Ugh!"
"Uncle Genzo!"
"Not all creatures are equal from birth."
"Humans like you are naturally meant to serve Fish-Men like us!"
As soon as Genzo collapsed to the ground at Arlong's hands, the villagers who witnessed it cried out.
"Stop! He didn't even use a weapon!"
"We haven't missed any protection payments like the other villages!"
"Why are you going this far!"
As the people shouted, Arlong pointed his dagger at Genzo lying on the ground,
"Everyone watch this! This is what happens to those who show even a flicker of resistance…!"
Bang!
At that moment, a gunshot rang out.
"What the hell is this…!"
Arlong said, dropping the dagger he had been holding onto the ground.
A small hole had been pierced in the center of his palm, and blood seeped from it,
"I'm Captain Usopp! A brave warrior of the sea, and I can no longer stand by and watch your evil deeds!"
Shouting that, Usopp appeared brandishing a pistol in his hand.
"What is that?!"
"He's not one of the villagers!"
"That human's nose is ridiculously long! I've never seen anyone with a nose as long as our boss's!"
"What did you just say!"
"S-Sorry, boss!"
As the Fish-Men shouted, a man walked past Usopp toward them.
"I was about to step up first… but you're quick, Usopp."
"No, Sanji… we agreed you'd just watch, didn't we?"
"If you were going to step in like this, you should've had your rifle ready from the start…"
"Never mind. What you did just now was brave enough."
"O-Of course! I'm a brave warrior of the sea!"
"Who the hell are you guys?!"
"One of you said it: 'brave warrior of the sea.'"
At Arlong's shout, Sanji lit a cigarette and walked toward them.
"I'm the partner of a brave warrior of the sea. If there's a woman in need anywhere in the world, I'll run to her side."
"A warrior of love—that's who I am."