On what should've been just another ordinary day, where Arlong Park stood like a castle of terror for all the people of the Conomi Islands, today it was filled with screams, smoke, and destruction.
Nami, who watched that nightmare of a place burn, could barely hold back her tears.
She still remembered it clearly. She had lived with her adoptive mother, Bell-mère, and her sister, Nojiko, when she was just a child. It had taken time for them to adapt, and at first they didn't trust Bell-mère, but in the end the woman had won over both sisters' hearts.
They spent several peaceful and happy years together until Arlong and his crew arrived.
They were like a plague. They killed and destroyed until the entire population submitted.
Arlong demanded that every citizen pay to live.
Yes, they had to pay for their own lives.
Bell-mère only had enough money to pay for two people, and like any mother, she paid for her daughters and defied Arlong, who, feeling insulted, murdered her in front of Nami and Nojiko.
Nami's only hope had been the Marines, but she quickly realized her mistake. The Marines could notice that the entire population of the Conomi Islands had been taken hostage, and yet they still didn't act because of corruption.
The Marines accepted bribes in exchange for "ignoring" Arlong's pirates.
That cruel reality made Nami realize that no one would help them, so, to protect her village, Cocoyasi Village, she made a deal with Arlong: the infamous payment of one hundred million berries in exchange for her people's freedom.
That was an astronomical amount that an ordinary person couldn't gather even in three lifetimes, which was why Nami knew she had to become a thief if she wanted to obtain that money.
But Nami wasn't stupid. Over the years, she came to understand that Arlong would never keep his promise, and yet she chose to ignore that reality and continue gathering the money. It was the only thing she could do.
That was until she met Allen.
Nami looked away from the burning castle and turned toward Allen, who stood silently with a cold expression.
She had been a lone wolf. She knew she couldn't form bonds with anyone because sooner or later she'd be forced to break them. She had no freedom, which was why she avoided doing so for years.
That changed when he entered her life. This young man who acted as if no one mattered except himself, this guy who seemed to have a screw loose, had seen through her facade with ease, and with no other choice, she had been forced to reveal everything.
Once she did so, to her surprise, he stayed by her side.
Nami's eyes became watery.
No... that wasn't it.
Deep down, she had wanted someone to notice her pain and suffering, someone to reach out their hand and tell her that she no longer had to suffer alone.
The night before, that was exactly what happened.
Not through words, but through actions.
After hearing her story, Allen silently hugged her.
Nami didn't know why, but she broke down crying.
The next morning, without saying a word, Allen sailed toward the Conomi Islands with a clear intention and an objective that even the dumbest person could understand.
Nami tried to convince him not to do it. She knew Allen was strong, she knew he possessed a treasure beyond all logic, but Arlong was her trauma. He was the monster from her nightmares. Nami had placed him on a pedestal, which was why she was terrified of facing him and even more afraid that something might happen to Allen and Kaya.
She didn't want that, which was precisely why she had decided to leave the ship as soon as she got the chance, but unfortunately, she underestimated how closely Allen observed her.
A wave of warmth spread through Nami's chest, but at the same time, she worried.
"Believe in me..."
"...!" Nami was surprised when she heard Allen's words. He wasn't even looking at her, yet he had read her thoughts.
That was the same thing he had told Kaya.
Believe in me.
"I may not be the most trustworthy person, and maybe I wouldn't have been until recently, but even so, believe in me." Allen glanced at Nami from the corner of his eye.
She nodded while Kaya stood beside her in support.
....
Arlong Park was located near Cocoyasi Village. It was a curse, but it was practically right next to Nami's hometown, which made them the people who suffered the most under Arlong's tyranny out of all the villages on the Conomi Islands.
But on the other hand, they were also the first to learn that something had happened, and they even heard the explosions.
Nojiko rushed out of her house in shock. She wore a yellow blouse and denim shorts.
Nami's sister was a beautiful young woman with blue hair and eyes. Despite not being biologically related to Nami, she greatly resembled her.
"What's happening?!"
Nojiko could see smoke rising from Arlong Park. She didn't believe it was the Marines. Years ago, she had already lost faith in that corrupt organization.
"Nojiko!"
A middle-aged man with a mustache ran toward her.
He was dressed like a soldier and his body was covered in scars. Curiously, despite his intimidating appearance, he wore a hat with a toy windmill on it.
"Genzo-san..." Nojiko looked stunned.
"Did something happen?!"
Genzo felt the same way. To them, Arlong Park represented absolute tyranny, and their lands had been abandoned by the world under Arlong's rule. There was no way they would've imagined it was being attacked.
"We should go..." Nojiko said with a bead of sweat on her cheek.
"No, it's dangerous."
Arlong's hatred toward humans was so great that he had killed many people simply because he was in a bad mood. Going there out of curiosity alone was asking for trouble.
"But... if there's even the slightest possibility that something happened to them, we have to go."
Nojiko knew that having hope at this point was ridiculous, but even so, deep down everyone wished for the same thing.
Genzo sighed and nodded. He felt pathetic. He had been like an adoptive father to Nami and Nojiko, but he had never been able to protect them. Instead, Nami had carried that burden for years.
The only reason Genzo didn't grab a rifle and charge at Arlong despite knowing how it would end was that he had promised Bell-mère to watch over her daughters, and because he didn't want to waste Nami's efforts.
Both nodded and ran toward Arlong Park.
....
On the Black Pearl, Allen slightly narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised.
'Lenalee, aren't the explosions a little too strong?'
Part of the main building had disappeared, several fishmen had died, and the entire place was engulfed in flames. No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem possible for the small cannons on Allen's caravel to cause something like this.
[Well, what did you expect after three upgrades?]
Last night, Allen had decided he needed to be direct. There would be no truce, no mercy, and no need to be fair with someone like Arlong, so he upgraded the Black Pearl's cannons to Level Four.
One coin to increase the blast radius, two coins to increase destructive power, and one final coin to add remote-control functionality. That last feature also came from another legendary ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of Davy Jones.
As a result, after spending four million, even though the Black Pearl's cannons looked the same as before, their destructive power was comparable to that of Marine warships.
'Whatever.'
Allen prepared to attack, but not before looking at Nami one last time.
"It's time... Nami."
The girl nodded and wiped away her tears before running toward the helm, aligning the ship, and charging toward Arlong Park at full speed. There was determination in her eyes. No matter the outcome, she wouldn't spend another day following Arlong's will.
That made both Allen and Kaya smile.
"Now then..." Allen looked into the distance. They were still far away, but he could already hear the curses and shouts of Arlong's pirates.
The cannon attack had accomplished its purpose. Beyond the damage it caused, it had been a declaration.
And a warning of what was coming.
The rest would be hand-to-hand combat. It had to be that way to make sure Arlong's shadow disappeared from Nami's mind, and also because Allen himself wanted to crush Arlong with his own hands.
"Kaya, get inside the captain's cabin. We have company..."
Kaya put on a determined expression and obeyed. She knew she couldn't help in this situation, and staying outside would only make Allen worry.
Half a dozen figures moved beneath the water, and when they reached the Black Pearl, they leaped out of the sea using the momentum granted by their fish-man physiology.
Seeing the fish-men emerge from the water and land on the deck filled with rage, Allen smiled mockingly.
"Good morning, gentlemen. Can I help you with something?"
"You damned bastard! You dare attack us in such a cowardly way and still act like this?!" shouted Chew, leading the attack. However, the moment he saw Nami at the Black Pearl's helm, he froze in shock.
"Bitch, you've betrayed us?!"
"How dare you?!"
"I knew we should've killed her!"
"Humans are always like this!"
Allen's gaze turned cold. There was no room for jokes or mockery anymore. These bastards truly were despicable.
"Traitor?" Allen laughed, but that laugh was filled with fury. "You bastards, after kidnapping her village, murdering her mother, and treating her like a tool for years, you dare call her a traitor?!"
Allen no longer gave them a chance to speak and vanished using Soru. When he reappeared, he was standing right in front of Chew, yet the fish-man didn't counterattack.
He couldn't.
When Chew looked down, he saw Allen's five fingers piercing through his chest.
"Shigan..."
"W-what?"
Chew coughed up blood before collapsing onto the deck. The rest of the fish-men were in shock. One of Arlong's officers had fallen in an instant without even being able to defend himself.
"Sorry if I wasn't specific enough," Allen said with such a cold expression that it sent chills through the other fish-men. "This isn't a war, and I'm not here to negotiate. It's just a little karma. Live like a beast... expect to die like one."
The remaining fish-men stepped back in fear.
Yes, fear.
Fear toward a human, someone they considered an inferior being.
Nami watched Chew bleed out on the floor and didn't feel the slightest bit of pity. On the contrary, she felt disgust toward all the fish-men as she remembered their laughter and mockery while they forced her to draw maps day after day with chains around her ankle.
There wasn't even the smallest trace of compassion left.
"What are you doing?! Attack him!" shouted one of the fish-men.
"That's right! He's alone, we can take him!"
Arlong's brainwashing was incredible. Even after witnessing Allen kill Chew effortlessly, they still considered him an inferior being.
"..." Allen remained silent, which only increased the fish-men's confidence.
"Kill him—"
The words of one fish-man were cut short when he noticed a small green sphere floating beside him.
No... it wasn't just one.
There were dozens of them floating around all the fish-men.
"Firefly..." Allen muttered.
After spending four million on the Black Pearl, he still had five million left to use on himself, and of course, he did.
This is bad!
Without giving them time to react, Allen snapped his fingers, and the Fireflies exploded, burning all the fish-men alive. He then walked past them and stood at the figurehead of his ship while observing Arlong Park, which was now only a few hundred meters away.
"I'll be right back," Allen said before jumping.
His current strength allowed him to leap high into the air with a single jump. Upon seeing Arlong Park, his gaze swept across everyone present before stopping on the shark fish-man.
'This must be Arlong... he definitely looks like a villain...'
[Yeah, he looks like a nasty guy.]
Arlong also identified Allen as the one responsible for the attack, and when he saw him arrive at Arlong Park, he understood that Chew had failed and was probably dead.
That only enraged him further.
Allen landed in the middle of Arlong Park, with Hatchan and Kuroobi standing to his left and right, ready to attack him.
"I'm going to hang your head at the entrance, insignificant human!" Arlong growled while clenching his teeth so hard that they even cracked.
"Even after I destroyed your home and killed your men, you're still saying that?" Allen raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
Fish-men were naturally stronger than ordinary humans. Even if they had never trained a day in their lives, they would still be stronger. That created a false sense of superiority in Arlong and his pirates, making them view humans as inferior creatures. However, just as there were ordinary humans, there were also monsters among them, so it was strange that even now Arlong still looked down on him.
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Allen cracked his neck. Against Kuro, he hadn't been able to test his full strength because the power gap had been too large, but against Arlong things might be different. After all, despite only having a bounty of twenty million, that was because Arlong had bribed the local Marines, causing his bounty to stagnate for many years.
....
At that very moment, Nojiko, Genzo, and several other villagers from Cocoyasi Village arrived. All of them were stunned to see Arlong Park in such a miserable state.
But the greatest shock was seeing several fish-men lying on the ground, some motionless while others writhed in agony from burns. And in the middle of it all stood a young man with a calm expression, surrounded by Arlong and his strongest men.
"Who is he?" Nojiko gasped while her pupils filled with disbelief.
"He's a pirate!" Genzo growled. He could see the Black Pearl not too far away. The jet-black ship gave off an imposing feeling despite its small size.
"Why is he attacking Arlong?" Nojiko asked.
"Who knows? Is there really any reason for one pirate to destroy another?" Genzo wasn't happy. Even if Arlong was defeated, nothing guaranteed the next pirate would leave them alone.
"Nojiko!"
"Huh? Nami?!"
Nojiko and Genzo saw Nami shouting at them from the Black Pearl, and both were stunned at the sight of her.
For a moment, they thought she had been kidnapped by the pirates aboard that ship, but after seeing her wide smile, Nojiko realized that wasn't the case.
And once she looked back at Allen, her gaze changed.
Even without knowing anything, she understood that this young man had come to help them.
....
"You'll pay for what you did to Momoo!" Hatchan shouted while grabbing swords with his six arms. The octopus fish-man had a tattoo of the Sun symbol on his forehead.
Allen couldn't have cared less.
"Momoo? You mean that weird giant cow fish that tried to sink my ship?" Allen mocked him. "You have some nerve acting like the victim after trying to kill others..."
Hatchan felt as though he had been slapped across the face, but he still attacked Allen. He was the strongest swordsman among the Arlong Pirates.
"Die!"
Hatchan charged forward and attacked Allen, but when his swords struck, instead of cutting flesh, the sound of metal clashing against metal echoed out.
"What?"
"Tekkai" Allen muttered.
The second Rokushiki technique.
While Soru was a movement technique, Tekkai was a hardening technique that made the body as tough as iron.
"Impossible!" Hatchan stepped back, but Allen didn't let him escape. He pointed two fingers at Hatchan like a gun.
"Higan."
Hatchan's abdomen was pierced by a bullet of fire.
But it didn't stop there.
Allen fired several more times. Hatchan was powerless. Every bullet pierced through him and burned him from the inside.
There was no compassion in Allen's eyes as he watched Hatchan collapse. This bastard, just like the others, had caused Nami suffering.
[Higan is pretty impressive. I underestimated its power.]
Just like Hiken (Fire Fist) and Firefly, Higan (Fire Gun) was one of the techniques of the Mera Mera no Mi, specifically from its current user.
According to Lenalee, obtaining a related technique increased the chances of gaining another technique from the same person. That was also why he obtained Tekkai and Shigan after already acquiring Soru.
"Gyojin Karate!"
Behind Allen, Kuroobi attacked him by striking his back with his palm hard enough to make his body arch forward.
"...?" Allen hardened his body with Tekkai before the impact, but even then, he still felt slight pain.
"Surprised, human? Fish-Man Karate is a martial art designed to use our superior strength to its absolute limit!" Kuroobi declared while preparing to attack again.
"I see."
Allen turned toward him and threw a punch.
Kuroobi sneered.
Not only was it an ordinary punch, but it lacked technique and left Allen completely open. It was obvious Allen had never practiced martial arts.
The fish-man prepared to deflect the attack and counter with a fatal strike to Allen's neck, but the moment Allen's fist collided with Kuroobi's arm, it bent unnaturally and shattered.
"What?"
Kuroobi could only stare in disbelief as that seemingly normal punch possessed enough force to destroy his bones—bones hardened by decades of training—as if they were paper.
"Surprised, fish-man?" Allen mocked before kicking Kuroobi and sending him crashing into a wall, blasting straight through it.
There was no skill involved.
No trick.
Just pure brute force.
The strength Allen had gained through the Chest.
Nojiko covered her mouth, Genzo nearly fell backward, while Nami watched with clenched fists and determined eyes.
In only a few moments, Arlong's strongest men had been defeated.
"Now you're the only one left, Arlong the Saw."
Allen's gaze turned toward Arlong, who gritted his teeth in fury but also caution. He clearly understood that Allen wasn't an ordinary human and that if he didn't take this seriously, he would die without being able to resist.
"Tsk..."
Arlong pierced the wall of his building with one hand and pulled out a saw-like sword resembling the teeth of a shark.
"Fine, human. We'll fight to the death!"
Allen narrowed his eyes as he faced Arlong in silence, showing not the slightest trace of fear.
"That's why I'm here"
====
A/N: I hadn't realized how short the first arcs of One Piece are. 👀
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