Chapter 6
The next morning, Arlong Park.
"You little punk, who the hell are you?! Lying in Big Bro Arlong's deck chair! Did you kill my brothers?!"
A furious roar woke Zoro from his sleep.
He was already pissed at being disturbed.
"Shut up. Who dares interrupt my nap?"
Without even opening his eyes, Zoro lifted one leg high and stomped the shouting fishman flat beneath his foot.
"S-sorry! My voice was a bit loud just now!"
The one pinned underfoot was a piranha fishman. He instantly caved and apologized.
Zoro yawned long and loud, stretched, then finally opened his eyes and sneered.
"Heh. I actually preferred your rebellious attitude."
"Chew!"
A hidden projectile whistled through the air.
Zoro flipped aside to dodge. Before he could steady himself, more came—one after another.
Chew! Chew! Chew…
Zoro leaped and twisted, never staying in one spot. From the corner of his eye he saw a long-lipped fishman spitting saliva at him like bullets.
This was so ridiculous it looped back around to impressive.
After years as a bounty hunter, this was the first time Zoro had seen someone weaponize spit.
The piranha fishman saw Zoro scrambling and suddenly felt brave again.
"You're dead, punk! How dare you step on the great piran—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
Zoro was already charging, a sword in each hand.
"Don't come any closer!"
The piranha fishman panicked and hid behind the cartilaginous fishman Kuroobi.
"Cadre Kuroobi, take care of this swordsman!"
Kuroobi said nothing. Arms folded, he stared intently at the fast-moving figure, expression grave.
He recognized the man—Roronoa Zoro.
The guy was strong.
Kuroobi didn't join the fight not out of fairness; he just didn't want to get hit by Chew's spit.
"Disgusting technique!"
Zoro kept trying to close the distance but couldn't. Growing annoyed, he seized an opening and unleashed a slash.
"Two-Sword Style: Hawk Wave!"
A wave of cutting force shot toward Chew and Kuroobi.
Both cadres dodged. The unlucky piranha fishman took the full brunt and was sent flying.
"Aaaah—"
His scream echoed across Arlong Park.
Chew leaped into the pool to escape.
Zoro seized the chance and charged with blades raised.
"Two-Sword Style: Sand Pattern!"
"Chew, behind you!" Kuroobi shouted.
He lunged at Zoro, but he had been on the opposite side—too far to help in time.
Chew turned mid-air and saw the terrifying slash coming. His face went white.
Unable to dodge in mid-air, he twisted desperately to protect his vitals.
Splash!
A figure burst from the water—six arms, six swords—and unleashed a counterattack.
"Six-Sword Style: Sheathed Hoof Wonder Sword!"
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Zoro blocked all six strikes, using the recoil to flip backward and create distance.
Only then did he get a clear look at the newcomer—the goofy octopus from yesterday, Hatchan.
"Hey, aren't you the guy I gave a ride to yesterday?"
Hatchan looked baffled. "Why are you fighting Cadre Chew?"
Chew's face darkened.
Bam!
He punched Hatchan on the head.
Hatchan stumbled, clutching his skull and roaring angrily, "Why'd you hit me?!"
"You idiot! That's the bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro! You brought the enemy straight here!"
Hatchan finally realized what happened and glared at Zoro. "You tricked me!"
With that, he swung all six swords and charged.
Chew and Kuroobi provided support from the water.
"Chew~!"
"Fish-Man Karate: Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Facing three opponents at once, Zoro quickly fell into a disadvantage and was forced to retreat.
…
Meanwhile, at sea
"Yo-hoooo!"
Luffy was shouting excitedly on the small boat racing toward the island.
The one pulling the boat was Momoo the sea cow, looking utterly wronged.
All he wanted was a snack—how did he end up getting beaten and turned into a pack animal?
He was a sea beast second only to Sea Kings!
This was unacceptable!
Bam!
Another huge lump appeared on Momoo's head.
"Faster!" Luffy urged.
Momoo flinched and immediately swam harder.
Soon the island came into view.
Momoo's big cute eyes lit up. Instead of slowing down, he accelerated and charged straight for land.
"Stop, you idiot!"
Sanji noticed the danger and ran to the bow, yelling.
When the sea cow ignored him, Sanji raised his leg for a Concasser.
Momoo suddenly dove, snapping the rope. The little boat shot forward like an arrow.
"We're gonna crash! Hold on tight!" Sanji warned.
Zoro's three little followers screamed in terror.
"AHHHH!"
Luffy, however, was ecstatic. Legs wrapped around the bow, one fist in the air, the other hand holding his straw hat, grinning wildly.
"Woo-hoo! Takeoff!"
Luck was on their side—there was a sandy beach ahead.
The boat slid along the sand, barreled into the forest, and actually sped up thanks to the slick grass.
Suddenly a figure darted out from the side and was hit head-on by the boat.
Sanji: "Shit, I think we just ran someone over."
One of Zoro's followers nodded. "Green hair, just like Big Bro Zoro."
Luffy: "Full speed ahead!"
"You idiots! You hit me and you're just gonna run?!"
Zoro cursed as he climbed up from the ground, drew two swords, and chased after the boat tracks.
He had barely escaped a three-on-one beating at Arlong Park, only to get run over by his own crew.
If he didn't get revenge, he was no swordsman!
…
Nojiko's house
"Waaah…"
Nami and Nojiko had their heads buried in their knees, sobbing.
Losing their purity was secondary; the real pain was feeling they had betrayed Bellmere.
Arlong was woken up and instantly irritated.
"Enough! People will think I used you and tossed you aside."
Nami Affection -1… Nojiko Affection -1…
"Waaah…"
They kept crying.
"If you don't stop, I'll slaughter the entire village."
Arlong threatened outright.
He was a pirate—coaxing wasn't his style.
Surprisingly, it worked perfectly.
The crying stopped immediately.
Not only that, affection points started climbing fast.
Arlong: O_O
These two wouldn't happen to have Stockholm syndrome, would they?
After one night of "communication," both were finally in positive affection territory.
Nice.
In a great mood, Arlong took the Slip-Slip Fruit out of his system storage and asked,
"I've got a Devil Fruit here. Which one of you wants it first?"
At the words "Devil Fruit," both sisters looked up.
"Big Bro Arlong, stop lying. That's clearly a pig brain."
Nami saw what was in his hand and instantly stopped crying, laughing through tears.
"No, no, it looks more like a peach."
Nojiko tilted her head, puzzled. "But why does the peach have patterns? Is it a new variety?"
Arlong: (′Д｀)