As one warship after another docked along the shore, the villagers quickly got word and gathered in the center of Cocoyasi Village, staring toward the coastline as more and more Marines disembarked.
"What's going on? Why have so many Marines suddenly arrived?"
"Are they here to arrest Arlong and his gang?"
"No way. The Marines and Arlong are in it together. Why would they ever go after him?"
As more villagers crowded into the square, the whispers grew louder and louder.
But almost none of them looked excited.
After years of being oppressed by Arlong and his crew, they had long since lost all faith in the Marines. None of them truly believed these suddenly arrived officers were here to save them.
Among the crowd stood a young woman with a tattoo on her arm.
The moment she saw the Marines pouring ashore and heading into the village, she instinctively slipped toward the back of the crowd, clearly intending to sneak away.
"Nokjiko!"
A figure suddenly appeared at the corner and blocked her path.
"Genzo!"
Looking up at the middle-aged man who had stopped her, the blue-haired girl named Nokjiko quickly lowered her voice.
"Have you seen Nami today?"
The middle-aged man, whose hat was decorated with a pinwheel, shook his head. Then he turned to look at the Marines still landing at the shore, excitement creeping into his voice.
"Nokjiko, this might be our chance to save Nami! These Marines suddenly showing up in Cocoyasi Village—it has to mean they've finally discovered Arlong's crimes!"
"Nokjiko, you're being too naive."
Wait—correction: the speaker is Nokjiko, addressing Genzo.
"Genzo-san, you're being too naive."
She pulled a newspaper from her bag and handed it to him.
"They're not here to arrest Arlong. This is probably connected to this news story."
"News?"
Genzo blinked and quickly looked down at the headline.
The moment he read that a Celestial Dragon had been killed by a rabbit, his entire face turned pale.
He was the local sheriff of Cocoyasi Village. Even if he had been unable to protect the village from Arlong's tyranny, he still understood perfectly well what the Celestial Dragons were.
They enjoyed every privilege. They called themselves descendants of the gods.
For one of them to be killed—
That was a world-shaking catastrophe.
And if these Marines had come here to hunt down the red rabbit who killed that Celestial Dragon, then Cocoyasi Village itself might end up dragged into the fallout.
It might even be swept up in a brutal Marine crackdown.
The thought alone made Genzo feel the same crushing despair he had once felt when Arlong first landed in Cocoyasi Village and forced the villagers to pay for their lives.
But despair or not, the responsibility he carried wouldn't let him hide behind the villagers now.
As the village sheriff, he had to step forward.
Taking a deep breath, Genzo looked at Nokjiko with determination.
"Nokjiko, whether they came here to arrest Arlong or not, we still have to try!"
"This may be our best chance to save Nami and drive Arlong's gang out!"
"Come with me. We're going to meet the commanding officer."
With that, Genzo stopped hesitating. He grabbed Nokjiko's hand and strode back toward the village center.
At the Same Time
The first group of Marines had already entered the square.
Leading them was none other than Vice Admiral Gion.
Escorted by a group of Headquarters officers, Gion slowly surveyed her surroundings. Seeing the fear on every villager's face, a trace of confusion flickered through her eyes.
Under normal circumstances, whenever Marines appeared in a place, the local people should have welcomed them.
After all, the Marines represented justice in this world.
But the villagers before her not only showed no excitement—
They were clearly afraid of the Marines.
"Vice Admiral Gion!"
Just then, a Headquarters captain hurried over to her, visibly excited.
"The large seaside structure the traveler mentioned really does exist! I'll lead a squad over there immediately!"
Hearing that the village truly did have a large building built right along the coast, Gion made her decision without hesitation.
"Until we've confirmed the situation, no unnecessary harm."
"First, secure everyone inside that building."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The captain immediately led dozens of Marines and rushed toward Arlong Park.
The other Marine officers, even without receiving direct orders, quickly followed after him.
Within moments, only a few officers remained standing behind Gion.
One of them was Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch.
He hadn't gone along because he already knew that Arlong Park had been emptied out. Following the others would accomplish nothing.
More importantly, he needed to stay beside Vice Admiral Gion.
If the villagers used this opportunity to expose what Arlong had done in Cocoyasi Village and the surrounding region—and reveal Nezumi's collusion with him—he would be finished.
At that same moment, Genzo and Nokjiko emerged back into the square.
And the instant Genzo saw Captain Nezumi standing quietly behind Vice Admiral Gion, whatever fragile hope had remained inside him was instantly crushed.
He had known for a long time that Nezumi was colluding with Arlong.
If Nezumi could stand so comfortably at the side of a Headquarters vice admiral, then to Genzo, it meant only one thing:
They were all the same.
Still—
He had to try.
Drawing in another deep breath, Genzo gathered his courage and suddenly rushed out of the crowd, stopping directly in front of Vice Admiral Gion.
"Vice Admiral! I am Genzo, the sheriff of Cocoyasi Village!"
Without giving Gion—or the rat-faced Nezumi beside her—a chance to respond, he forced the words out in one breath:
"Please, I beg you—bring justice to the people of Cocoyasi Village!"
The moment he finished speaking, Genzo dropped to both knees with a heavy thud.
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto