"What's going on!"
"Didn't we just pay the protection fee the day before yesterday!"
"Could they be here because of that pirate crew from earlier?!"
Panic rippled through the villagers.
Genzo, however, had other thoughts. He stepped forward, looking at the long sword in his hand, and said in a deep voice:
"No, I'm afraid they are coming for me. It's about the weapons I've been hiding. Everyone, go back inside your houses. Leave this to me."
With that said, Genzo looked into the distance, where several bizarrely shaped silhouettes were gradually approaching.
Judging by their aggressive posture, he feared this would end badly for him.
Genzo's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He suddenly thought of the pirate crew from earlier; if only they could truly take Nami away, that would be for the best.
With that thought in mind, Genzo let out a long sigh, then boldly strode forward.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"That went way too smoothly. I thought it would take a lot of convincing."
"Hehehe, I didn't expect it to be this easy to get the location of that navigator's house. Let's hurry up, recruit her, and then go start a war with Arlong."
"I wonder how much treasure we'll rake in this time. Come to think of it, I've never even seen what a Fish-Man looks like."
Buchi and Sham bantered back and forth. The thought of Allen leading them into another massive brawl filled the two with an inexplicable sense of excitement.
Ever since they started following Allen—especially after witnessing his battles and seeing him recruit two powerful fighters, Sanji and Gin, in such a short time—the Nyaban Brothers' confidence had steadily inflated.
Their minds were completely filled with thoughts of living the high life under Allen's wing and conquering the world along the way.
"Don't get carried away, you idiots. If only it were that simple. Judging from what that sheriff said, this navigator probably won't be so easy to recruit."
Sanji spoke up to burst their bubble, carefully pondering the conversation they just had.
*'Ultimately, we are the ones dragging her down,' 'If she wanted to leave, she would have left on her own long ago,' 'Staying in that place of suffering.'*
Just those few phrases were enough to string together several tragic tales of a beautiful girl being bullied by Fish-Men in his mind.
Sanji said indifferently, "I have a feeling there are a lot of hidden secrets behind all this."
"Eh? Really? How come I didn't notice?"
Buchi scratched his head in confusion.
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, rolling his eyes at him in exasperation.
"Idiots, you guys weren't even listening properly in the first place."
"Hehehe, as expected of Sanji-aniki, you saw right through it," Buchi chuckled foolishly.
Suddenly.
Just as they walked out of the village entrance, Allen, who was leading the way, stopped in his tracks without any warning.
"What's wrong, Boss?"
Buchi asked with a puzzled look, "Did you forget the way?"
Smack!
"Idiot! Do you think the Boss is as stupid as you?"
Sham slapped the back of his head and scolded him irritably.
Allen didn't speak. He simply raised a hand to signal them to be quiet, his ears twitching slightly.
A moment later.
"Heh, let's head back."
As if he had heard something, the corners of Allen's mouth curled up slightly. With a sweep of his cape, he turned around and headed back into the village.
...
At the same time, in a tangerine orchard on the edge of the village.
Pat, pat.
Setting down her shovel and looking at the freshly leveled grass in front of her, Nami happily clapped her hands to brush off the dirt.
"Done. Now it's perfectly safe. As long as I can earn a few more million Berries..."
"This is bad, Nami! Something happened to Genzo!"
Suddenly, a panicked shout echoed from outside the orchard, rapidly drawing closer.
Hearing that name, Nami hastily turned her head toward the sound, only to see Nojiko rushing over in a hurry.
"What happened?!"
"It's... It's Arlong!"
Having just sprinted over, Nojiko rested her hands on her knees, her chest heaving violently as she panted heavily and shouted rapidly:
"They found out... about Genzo hiding weapons... Now he's brought his officers to the village to make trouble for him!"
"Those bastards...!!"
Bang!
Slamming an angry fist against a tree trunk, Nami cursed through gritted teeth, then immediately sprinted outward.
"I'm heading there right now! Wait for me at home!"
"No... way...! I'm going too!"
Before she could even catch her breath, Nojiko leaned against the tree to stand back up and hurriedly chased after Nami.
...
Back in the village.
Crack!
"Guaah!!"
Accompanied by the crisp sound of breaking bones, a miserable wail pierced the sky.
Genzo lay on the ground in agony, his face deathly pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.
At this moment, his arm was being ruthlessly crushed against the dirt by a blue, sandal-wearing foot.
Following the leg upward, a tall, muscular Fish-Man with blue skin, a long jagged nose, and a ferocious face was looking down at him with a cold sneer.
"Arlong...!"
Blood seeped from his trembling teeth as Genzo glared fiercely at Arlong with bloodshot eyes.
Behind the Fish-Man stood a row of other bizarre-looking Fish-Men. Every single one of them sneered at him, their gazes so contemptuous it was as if they were merely looking at an ant.
"Genzo-san!"
"Let him go! Why are you doing this? He didn't even use the weapons to fight!"
"He just kept a sword as a collectible! Are you going to kill a man over a reason like that?!"
The nearby streets were packed with villagers. They stared at the Fish-Men with furious eyes, tightly gripping hoes, pitchforks, and other farming tools, desperately wishing they could charge forward and fight these monsters to the death.
"I've said it before, haven't I? Hiding weapons is equivalent to plotting a rebellion. The punishment he's receiving now is exactly what he deserves."
Arlong scoffed with a disdainful expression. His powerful hand clamped onto Genzo's face, lifting him entirely off the ground.
"Humans only need to live like humans. Pay your tributes properly. Becoming the stepping stones for the Fish-Man Empire I am building is your greatest honor."
"The Arlong Empire... So that is your true ambition..."
Genzo forced the words out of his hoarse throat, his face covered in blood and his eyes showing utter exhaustion.
The surrounding villagers couldn't bear to watch any longer. Biting their lips almost to the point of bleeding, they tightened their grips on their makeshift weapons and tentatively shuffled forward.
Noticing the commotion around him, Arlong didn't get angry; instead, he laughed. His mocking gaze swept across the crowd.
"Oh? What's this? You want to raise your hands against me? You all know what consequences that will bring to the village, right?"
"Everyone... don't do anything rash... Cough, cough!"
Genzo coughed up a mouthful of blood with a pained expression. Facing the villagers, he struggled to speak through his hoarse throat:
"Don't forget... the oath we swore. No matter what happens, we must endure. As long as we are still alive..."
"Only if we stay alive...! Will hope not completely disappear!"
Even with his head battered and bleeding, Genzo still used every ounce of his strength to shout.
The villagers lowered their heads and clenched their jaws, their tightly gripped hands trembling uncontrollably.
Arlong gradually wiped the smile off his face, staring coldly at Genzo.
"Hope? Heh, take your hope straight to hell. Anyone who harbors thoughts of rebellion... this is your fate!!"
With a furious roar, Arlong hoisted Genzo high into the air by his head, then viciously slammed him toward the ground!
"Genzo-san!!"
"Ah!!"
All the villagers present screamed in terror.
Just as Genzo's head was about to smash into the dirt, a dark silhouette instantly materialized in front of Arlong, flashing by under the shocked gazes of everyone present!
The anticipated gruesome scene never occurred. Arlong suddenly felt the weight in his hand vanish, and his expression froze in bewilderment.
Recovering his senses, he realized that Genzo had disappeared from his grasp. Catching something out of the corner of his eye, Arlong looked up.
He saw a muscular, black-haired man half-crouching by the side of the street, holding the half-dead Genzo who was supposed to be in his hand.
"A human?"
Arlong voiced his confusion. He looked down at his own palm, clenched it, and frowned.
To be able to snatch someone right out of his hand, even as a sneak attack, was no simple feat.
Arlong's gaze couldn't help but turn serious.
Opposite him.
Genzo half-raised his bloodstained eyelids. Through his blurred vision, he still managed to recognize Allen's face and spoke weakly:
"You... why... are you here?"
"Well, I forgot the way, so I came back to ask again. Just don't speak for now."
Allen replied casually, gently setting Genzo down and propping him up against the corner of a house.
After doing this, Allen slowly stood up and turned around, looking expressionlessly at the gang of Fish-Men.
Want more chapters? 50+ extra chapters are available on my Patreon :
<< patreon.com/Aragai_Sama >>