Two days later, early morning.
Genzo hummed a tune as he pushed his bicycle along the ridge outside the village entrance. The weather was pleasant, perfect for patrolling.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew by, and his wide-brimmed police hat flew off again. He hurriedly parked his bike and bent down to pick it up.
The small pinwheel was damp again, and it took him a while to clean it. Genzo pouted slightly as he carefully put it back on.
He had just made this one last night. The new one he had made a year ago had mysteriously disappeared a few days ago.
Why? And who would repeatedly target a worthless little pinwheel?
Genzo still couldn't figure it out.
As he straightened up, he suddenly noticed a few children who often played by the dock running toward him in a panic, occasionally glancing back.
As soon as they saw him, they shouted urgently, "Uncle Genzo! Something bad has happened!"
"Pirates! A pirate ship has arrived at the dock!"
What?!
Genzo's face turned pale. He immediately swung his leg over the bike and said, "I'll go check it out. You all hurry back to the village and tell everyone to hide in the mountains…"
Wait, the mountains?
He suddenly froze, realizing that Cocoyasi Village was no longer the kind of place that couldn't handle just any pirate.
In the mountains, there was a terrifying monster stationed there!
"Tell any adults you meet on the way to go find Xiano!" he quickly corrected himself. "Tell him to come to the dock immediately. This is urgent, no delays, understand?"
"Got it, Uncle Genzo!"
Genzo watched the children run off before pedaling his bike toward the dock. He gritted his teeth, a faint unease lingering in his heart.
Cocoyasi Village had enjoyed peace for many years. What level of pirates had come this time?
What if, by terrible luck, it was one of the strongest pirate crews in the East Blue?
Could Xiano really handle it?
...
Deep in the mountains.
The black-haired boy was swinging a massive tree weighing several tons like a staff, thoroughly enjoying himself, when he caught a glimpse of a white figure streaking across the sky.
"Moon Walk!"
—Whoosh!
Xiano shot into the air, appearing in front of the News Bird in a few flashes.
"Caw!!!"
The News Bird let out a duck-like squawk, its feathers bristling.
It was responsible for the East Blue region and had only heard from its companions about humans who could fly in the Grand Line. It had never seen one in person!
"Today's newspaper, please," Xiano said, flicking a 50 Berry coin into the mailbag hanging around the bird's neck.
His mastery of Moon Walk allowed him to hover in the air for a few seconds, but just as he retrieved the newspaper and was about to unfold it, his body began to descend.
The News Bird picked up the coin, staring dumbfounded at the figure falling below.
—Was this guy really leisurely reading the newspaper mid-air? Wasn't he afraid of falling to his death?
"Queen Otohime Assassinated?"
Xiano stared at the headline on the front page, holding the newspaper motionless as he let his body freefall.
A few seconds later, he crashed onto the mountaintop with a loud boom, creating a massive crater and sending dust flying in all directions.
As the dust settled, he had nearly finished reading the report, his brow furrowing in thought.
So, it turns out that the year Arlong came to the East Blue and the year Hody Jones killed Queen Otohime were the same?
Two generations of scum… no, fish scum, truly cut from the same cloth, both committing evil deeds as if by some unspoken agreement.
Putting away the newspaper, he stepped out of the deep crater he had created and walked to the southernmost edge, doing what he had done countless times over the past year—habitually gazing toward the distant harbor.
"Arlong, Arlong, why haven't you come yet…" he murmured almost unconsciously.
But the next moment, his eyes suddenly focused, and he froze in place.
At the edge of the horizon, a massive pirate ship had appeared out of nowhere, sailing toward the harbor.
Beneath the fluttering Jolly Roger, the ship's prow was carved into the shape of a shark's saw, looking utterly menacing.
The sea breeze blew past, but the figure standing at the mountain peak remained motionless for a long time.
After a while.
"Arlong…"
A voice that seemed both tearful and mocking finally drifted out, filled with resentment. His body stretched, his muscles twisting and trembling with a sound that sent chills down one's spine. "You've finally come, haven't you…"
"I've really, really missed you…"
The moment his words fell.
Crack, crack—as the arches of his feet gradually tightened, countless spiderweb-like fissures suddenly spread from beneath him, crazily extending down the mountain. The entire cliff let out a groan of unbearable strain.
BOOM—!!!
In the next instant, the air exploded with rippling waves, and the massive muscular figure vanished from the spot. The cliff completely collapsed.
When he reappeared, he had already teleported to the top of a coconut tree dozens of meters away, bending the trunk into an extremely taut bow. Using the rebound force, he shot fiercely toward the distance once more!
...
Thud!
With a crashing sound, the Shark Spab forcibly docked at the harbor, mercilessly crushing the wooden pier into splinters.
Tap, tap, tap—dozens of exceptionally burly figures leisurely disembarked, stepping onto the land amidst the scattered debris.
"This is Cocoyasi Village?"
Looking at the distant village with its rising smoke, the Kissing Fish-man officer named Chew raised an eyebrow:
"It's quite a bit larger than it looked on the sea chart. It seems if we search thoroughly enough, we can squeeze out quite a bit of money, chewy~"
"I think it's a pity."
Another officer, Kuroobi, spoke coldly, his arms crossed. His expression was indifferent.
"There's no excitement at all. I haven't had a chance to stretch my muscles in a long time, but there's no helping it. In a small rural village like this, finding someone worthy of exchanging fists with me is as difficult as reaching the heavens."
He was dressed in a dark blue martial arts outfit, his muscles robust, with a black belt tied around his waist representing his karate rank. His hair was tied into two small buns, making him look quite intimidating.
Thud.
A large purple hand suddenly rested on the shoulders of these two Fish-man officers.
"Sha ha ha ha—! Enough with the chatter, boys."
Arlong grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "We're on land now. It's time to follow me and shout the declaration of the Arlong Pirates."
He suddenly spread his arms wide, and behind him, the Fish-man pirates all drew their swords with sinister smiles.
"Pathetic, insignificant humans!"
Arlong laughed wildly toward the distant village. "From this moment on, this village… no! This entire island will be under our rule!!!"
"Sha ha ha ha—!!!"
Amidst the wild laughter, the Arlong Pirates stepped off the dock and began their march toward the village.
However, just after turning a corner.
They found four fallen coconut trees, stacked on top of each other, effectively blocking the path to the village.
"Hmm? Man-made?"
Kuroobi narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Did they get scared out of their wits when they saw our Pirate ship from afar? How naive! Did they really think something like this could stop us?"
"Take a closer look, there's someone sitting on top of them, Chew~"
Chew, standing beside him, chuckled and looked toward the figure in black sitting on the tree trunk.
"Hey, kid, are you trying to protect your village all by yourself? Tsk tsk tsk, I have to say, your courage is truly commendable!"
The figure had been sitting quietly, head bowed and silent, fists clenched and trembling slightly, as if desperately trying to overcome his fear.
Only upon hearing the praise did he finally raise his head, revealing the clean and delicate face of a young boy.
Under the mocking gazes of the Fish-men, he smiled shyly and somewhat awkwardly:
"...Thank you."
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