Amon's sudden strike made the entire scene fall silent.
Arlong stared at him, eyes locked on the young man holding the great blade. His pupils tightened sharply.
Because he realized he had not even seen how Amon moved. That alone made Arlong deeply wary. He loosened his foot from Bell-mère, then probed carefully, testing the waters.
"Who are you, exactly? Why are you interfering with our business?"
"You don't need to know that.I never explain anything to the dead."
Amon had no goodwill toward Arlong, the one who had tormented Nami for over a decade.
"Hah."
Arlong sneered, forcing arrogance back into his tone.
"You're overestimating yourself. You're just a little faster, that's all."
"In front of true strength, speed is worthless."
With a sharp wave of his hand, Arlong ordered several of his officers to go forward and test Amon.
"Sorry."
Amon lifted the corner of his mouth, eyes cold.
"Speed really can do whatever it wants."
The moment those fish-man officers approached, Amon moved again, and the crowd barely had time to blink.
Slash slash...
Blade up, blade down.
In the next instant, the fish-man officers who had been stepping forward were already finished.
They did not even understand what happened. Their bodies split open as blood sprayed, the cuts appearing so clean and sudden it felt unreal.
This second display of power drove fear straight into Arlong's bones.
Those officers were not random fodder.
They were veteran fighters who had followed him from the Sun Pirates. Arlong knew their strength better than anyone.
If someone could erase them this easily, then that person was absolutely not someone Arlong could handle.
"Who are you?"
Arlong's voice grew strained.
"Did you come from the Grand Line?"
"I told you."
Amon raised the blade again.
"I don't explain things to the dead."
As he lifted the weapon, Arlong's composure finally cracked.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
He threw up both hands in panic, his voice turning urgent.
"Let's talk. We didn't know you were on this island. We'll leave immediately."
"And we'll give you all the Beli we collected, all of it!"
Genzo and the other villagers stared, stunned.
Just moments ago, Arlong's crew had been strutting around like kings. Now they were suddenly begging.
They could barely believe their eyes.
They also could not believe that the young man who arrived with Nami possessed strength so terrifying that even Arlong's crew, the fiercest pirates they knew, dared not speak out of line.
Bell-mère, now freed, gathered the trembling Nojiko into her arms.
At the same time, she watched Amon with intense curiosity.
This young man had appeared out of nowhere, bringing Nami back at the most critical moment.
Little Nami, too, stared at Amon with shining eyes, excitement burning through her tears. When she had seen Bell-mère under Arlong's foot, it felt like her heart had shattered.
She never imagined that Mr. Amon, the man she met by the rain-soaked dock, would be this frightening.
Just two moves, and Arlong's crew was terrified into silence.
But as everyone stood frozen in shock, one of Arlong's remaining officers suddenly stared at Amon's back and jolted as if struck by lightning.
"It's him. It's him!"
"Hm?"
Arlong leaned toward him, whispering quickly.
"Nochi, what is it? You know him?"
"It's him, Arlong-boss. Don't you remember that highest bounty poster in the East Blue?"
"That merchant with a bounty of one hundred million Beli!"
"What?"
Arlong's face went pale.
"One hundred million Beli?"
"And he's the one that Marine Captain Nezumi talked about?"
"The man who even defeated Admiral Kizaru, the one person in the East Blue you absolutely cannot provoke?"
As soon as Arlong said that, his legs nearly gave out.
He knew more than that officer did.
Just a few days ago, he had met Nezumi, and Nezumi had warned him clearly.
If Arlong wanted to survive in the East Blue, there were certain people he must never touch.
Amon Nagi was one of them.
A bounty of one hundred million Beli was not what terrified Arlong.
It was that Amon could defeat an Admiral.
Arlong had lived in the Grand Line. He understood what an Admiral truly represented.
Even the strongest fish-man, Jinbe, could not last more than a few exchanges against that kind of power, let alone Arlong himself.
So the moment Arlong confirmed who this was, his legs went soft.
Any thought of resisting evaporated.
Right now, he only prayed that Amon was in a decent mood. Otherwise, everyone here would die.
"O… one hundred million Beli? Mr. Amon is worth one hundred million Beli?"
Nami's voice was loud, and the villagers of Cocoyasi Village heard it clearly.
They erupted in shocked cries.
They had all seen bounty posters before. Once Arlong's crew shouted the name out, many of them recognized him too.
"My god, little Nami brought back someone with a hundred million bounty?"
"What is going on? A hundred million bounty man is here?"
"I heard he once sliced a Celestial Dragon's ship in half!"
"It's him, it's him! I've seen that bounty poster before. That's that silhouette!"
"Thank goodness, thank goodness. We're saved. Cocoyasi Village is saved!"
The villagers spoke over one another, excitement and hope rising like a wave as Amon's identity spread through the crowd.
Nami listened to their cries, then looked up at Amon with awe.
So Amon was this strong. He even beat up Celestial Dragons!
That meant Bell-mère and Nojiko were truly saved. But while the villagers were thrilled, Arlong's crew turned ashen. They looked like men already standing at the edge of their graves.
"We… we didn't expect someone like you to be here."
Arlong forced a stiff smile, doing everything he could to suppress his terror.
"We'll leave. We'll leave right now."
Amon did not answer him. He simply walked straight toward Bell-mère and Nojiko.
Bell-mère's eyes were hard as iron, refusing to show weakness. Nojiko trembled in her arms, purple hair damp, small shoulders shaking.
Arlong instinctively shrank back when he saw Amon approaching.
But then he realized Amon was not coming for him. He was going to Bell-mère.
Arlong exhaled silently, relief loosening his chest.
"Hahaha, since everything's fine, we'll be going."
Arlong laughed awkwardly, trying to act casual.
"In the future, we'll never step foot in this village again."
"Nochi, put the Beli down. We're leaving!"
Arlong spoke as if it were a graceful retreat, then started to turn away.
"Hm?"
Amon's voice came softly.
"When did I ever say I was letting you go?"
Arlong's body stiffened.
Amon's lips curved, playful and cold at the same time.
"I already said I don't explain things to the dead. That means I'm definitely going to slaughter all of you. One must keep their word."
The moment his words fell...
Amon reversed his grip on the great blade he had taken.
And in the next heartbeat, Haki erupted.
A terrifying, boundless pressure exploded outward, flooding the world like a crushing tide. The blade intent pierced into every corner of space, shaking the air itself until it seemed the void trembled slightly.
Arlong's crew, who had been turning to leave, saw that scene and went completely limp with fear on the spot.