Gojo, despite everything, found the fish-man's loyalty to Arlong faintly admirable. Loyalty that strong is rare… even if it's wasted on the wrong person. But the open disdain Take had shown toward humans made one thing absolutely clear—he would never have treated humans kindly. He was exactly the type who enjoyed seeing humans suffer.
So Gojo felt not even an ounce of regret for killing him.
He didn't bother interrogating the remaining two fish-men. If Take—who had been the boldest—refused to speak even under death's grip, then the others surely wouldn't reveal anything either.
Soon, Gojo steered his ship toward the shore. The keel scraped lightly against sand, and as the ship settled, he jumped down onto the land.
He stretched his arms over his head, rolling his shoulders. "Feels really good standing on land after four days on a ship," he muttered. He drew in a long breath, letting the earthy scent of soil and the faint aroma of nearby trees fill his lungs.
Ahead, a dirt road stretched into the distance—clearly shaped by years of human footsteps. With a simple nod to himself, Gojo followed it. Just walk straight—there has to be a village somewhere along this path.
After about half an hour of steady walking, the outline of buildings finally came into view.
Gojo had reached a village.
The villagers froze the moment they saw an unfamiliar young man entering their settlement. Shock spread across their faces, followed immediately by fear. Their eyes darted nervously toward their village entrance—as if any outsider could bring danger upon them.
Gojo walked toward one of the men standing nearby and asked, "Can you tell me which village this is?"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed a young boy—likely his son—into his arms and sprinted away without a word.
Gojo blinked, touched his own face, and muttered, "Do I look like a monster or something?"
But the reaction spread. One by one, villagers began rushing into their homes, slamming doors and shuttering windows. Clearly, none of them wanted to risk speaking to him and inviting the wrath of the Arlong Pirates.
Just as Gojo was about to give up on getting any information and turn around to leave the village, a man with a thick mustache and a worn police uniform began walking toward him with steady steps.
Gojo let out a small sigh of relief. "Finally… finally someone willing to talk, I guess."
The man approaching was Genzo—the sheriff and village chief of Cocoyashi Village.
But before Gojo could even greet him, Genzo spoke sharply, "Leave Cocoyashi Village immediately." His voice carried tension and urgency. "We don't want to affect you, and we don't want to be affected by you. So please—leave at once. We don't want any trouble."
Gojo blinked at the mustached man's tense, almost panicked tone. The words were so abrupt and confusing that he frowned slightly. "I… don't know what you're talking about, mister. But can you please tell me where the base of the Arlong Pirates is—or where I can find them? I've been looking around, but I can't seem to locate them."
Genzo froze for a moment, completely thrown off. "Why are you searching for the Arlong Pirates?"
"I'm a pirate hunter," Gojo replied casually. "I hunt pirates for their bounties. I'm here to hunt Arlong. So can you tell me where to find him? If you tell me, I'll give you a reward. How about ฿10,000? Will that be enough?"
The offer made Genzo stare at him more closely. His eyes traveled from Gojo's sunglasses to his clothes, then to the confident posture he carried so effortlessly. It was as if Genzo was trying to see if there was any chance—any—that this young man could accomplish such a suicidal task.
After a moment of silent assessment, Genzo shook his head firmly. "Young man, you should leave. Immediately." His voice had lost the earlier anger—replaced now with genuine concern. "You don't understand the terror and strength of Arlong and his subordinates."
He took a step closer, lowering his voice. "He is extremely powerful. If you go looking for the Arlong Pirates… you'll be throwing your life away for nothing."
Gojo listened to Genzo's warning, and a dull headache began forming behind his temples. These kinds of people… always talking in circles. He had asked a simple question—just one—and instead of answering, they drowned him in fear and unnecessary speeches.
But he forced himself to calm down. He let out a slow breath and looked directly at Genzo.
"You don't need to worry," Gojo said, tone steady. "If I'm here to kill Arlong, that already means I'm strong enough to challenge him. You don't believe me? Then let me tell you something that might boost your confidence."
He lifted a finger toward the sea behind him.
"Right outside this island, there was a sea beast guarding the waters—probably under Arlong's control. It tried to scare me off, but I injured it badly enough that it ran away. And there was a scout team of fish-men too. I killed one. One escaped. Two… dead or alive, I don't know. But you see any harm on me?" He spread his arms slightly. "No, right? I'm perfectly fine."
His voice softened into something almost reassuring. "So believe me when I say—I'm strong enough. You just need to tell me where the base of the Arlong Pirates is."
Genzo's eyes widened, shock hitting him like a wave. For a moment he wondered if the young man was bluffing. But then he remembered—this boy had reached Cocoyashi Village alive after killing members of Arlong's patrol. And he had walked here calmly, uninjured, unfazed.
The more Genzo looked at him, the more he realized… this young man might actually be telling the truth.
But as Genzo processed Gojo's words more, a horrifying realization struck him—
If this young man fails to defeat the Arlong Pirates, Arlong will assume the villagers helped him… and the entire Cocoyashi Village will be punished for it.
The thought alone made Genzo's body tremble. Sweat formed on his forehead, and he swallowed hard. He wasn't the only one shaken—hidden behind doors and windows, the eavesdropping villagers had heard every word. Slowly, fearfully, they emerged from their homes, their legs trembling as they stepped into the open.
One man, voice shaking, pointed at Gojo. "Why? Why did you have to come to our village? Couldn't you have gone somewhere else? If Arlong finds out you were here… he'll kill all of us!"
His fear spilled out like a broken dam, and it was the same fear everyone else held inside. Their already pale faces somehow turned even whiter. Mothers clutched their children. Old men leaned on shaky legs.
Then suddenly—another man shouted, "W–what if we capture him? If Arlong comes, we can say we weren't helping him! We can say we caught him ourselves!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, it was like a spark of desperate hope ignited among the villagers. Their eyes brightened—not with courage, but with panic-driven survival instinct.
They scattered in every direction, scrambling to find anything they could use as a weapon.
A stick.
A kitchen knife.
A gardening hoe.
Even broken pieces of wood.
Whatever they could grab, they picked it up with shaking hands.
Within moments, a crowd of terrified villagers—armed with whatever makeshift weapons they had—stood facing Gojo.
Even though their legs trembled uncontrollably, their fear of Arlong was stronger than their fear of him.
Gojo looked at the terrified villagers surrounding him. Despite them clutching sticks and kitchen knives, despite their trembling attempts to look threatening, he didn't feel even a hint of anger. He understood. They weren't attacking because they wanted to—
they were attacking because Arlong's shadow forced them to.
Because they were trying to survive.
Not a single one of them had the courage to actually strike. Their fear was directed more at Arlong than at him.
Gojo let out a long breath and shook his head. "I really shouldn't have come to your village… or any village. I should've just searched on my own."
Without another word, he bent his knees and jumped—straight into the air.
It wasn't a normal jump. Gojo soared upward like a white blur, rising higher and higher until the entire village shrank beneath him. He reached a height from where the whole island spread out like a map.
From up there, the Konomi Islands stretched across his view. And with the precision of his Six Eyes, every detail sharpened—every house, every tree, every coastline.
He scanned the landscape.
Within moments, he found it.
A massive structure. Wide, tall, distinctive.
Bright letters displayed clearly at the entrance:
"ARLONG PARK."
A slow smile curved across Gojo's lips. "Found it."
He was just about to move through the air—ready to head directly toward Arlong Park—when something below caught his eye.
A group of fish-men.
Heading straight toward Cocoyashi Village.
And fast.