"Lin Xiu… this might be a bit forward, but can I ask you for one favor?"
Seeing Nojiko looking so cautious and nervous, I played along perfectly. "Eh? What is it?"
"You… can you defeat Arlong?"
Nojiko's eyes were already starting to well up with tears.
"Huh? Why?" Even though I felt bad for her, for the sake of my own happiness, I had to keep up the act.
Then Nojiko broke down crying and told me everything: Seven years ago, the fishman Arlong came to Cocoyasi Village and forced everyone to pay "protection money" to buy their lives. Anyone who couldn't pay was killed on the spot. Nami and Nojiko's adoptive mother, Bell-mère, couldn't afford it, so Arlong murdered her right in front of the two sisters. Because Nami had an outstanding talent as a navigator, Arlong kept her alive to draw sea charts for him. He told her she could only regain her freedom after collecting 100 million Berries. Forced to join the Arlong Pirates, Nami had their tattoo inked on her shoulder. Nojiko, not wanting Nami to suffer alone, got the same tattoo herself.
As she spoke, my gaze unintentionally drifted to Nojiko's chest—right where that tattoo would be.
Noticing where I was looking, Nojiko's face flushed red. Then she gritted her teeth and said, "If you can defeat Arlong… I'm willing to give myself to you!"
I immediately choked, coughing awkwardly in embarrassment. Then I quickly switched to an outraged, furious act to change the subject.
"That damn fishman Arlong deserves to die! How dare he make my Nojiko cry! I'm going to beat the hell out of him right now!"
Nojiko's pretty face turned even redder. Ignoring my teasing words, she wiped her tears and softly said, "Thank you, Lin Xiu…"
Nice. The plot is progressing perfectly. Next step: "barely" take down Arlong.
Suddenly it hit me—Nojiko said Arlong invaded seven years ago. From what I know of the canon timeline, Luffy only arrives here eight years after the invasion to defeat him. That means I'm one full year ahead of the main storyline!
Yosh! Sorry, Straw Hat—I'm claiming some of your destiny. I won't steal your other crewmates, but Nami and Robin? Those two are definitely mine!
…
When Nojiko and I returned to the village, we could already hear a commotion in the distance—yelling, cursing, and a girl's desperate cries.
We ran faster and saw the scene: Arlong was beating up Genzo. An orange-haired girl was sitting on the ground, sobbing and begging him to stop.
This had to be the original story moment where Arlong attacks Genzo for holding a weapon, and Usopp tries to intervene—but it triggered early here. Or maybe Arlong just beats him up regularly. While I was thinking, I'd already rushed right in front of them.
Without a word, I swung at Arlong—while secretly condensing an invisible fist with my telekinesis right in front of my hand, smashing it toward him.
"Hands off!" Boom!
As expected, Arlong blocked it.
On the surface, it looked like a normal punch, but the real attack was my invisible telekinetic fist—so I felt zero recoil.
I did it this way to hide my true strength. A cautious person like me knows you can't reveal your full power too early. Plus, it looks way cooler and is better for winning a girl's heart.
"You bastard! How dare you hit me! I'll—"
Boom! Another punch—straight to the left side of his face. Poor Arlong spat blood and flew backward, probably biting his tongue mid-sentence.
"Sorry, I don't have the patience to wait for you to finish talking."
I tilted my neck dramatically, cracked my knuckles, and struck a cool pose. I guarantee that one move alone made Nojiko fall even harder.
Sure enough, when I glanced back, she was staring at me with burning eyes. The moment our gazes met, she blushed furiously and looked away. Hehe, jackpot!
Nami had stopped crying too—she just stared at me in shock. This first impression was definitely unforgettable. Those two punches were worth every bit.
"AAAAAARGH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Arlong charged at me in a complete rage. Yeah, looking cool always comes at a price.
We started trading blows.
I quickly realized this hot-headed fishman who only knows brute physical techniques was no match for me. His attacks could be completely blocked by layering an invisible telekinetic barrier over my body. Every now and then, I'd throw a "normal" punch his way to keep up appearances.
I couldn't make it look too easy, or winning over the Nami-Nojiko sisters would be harder.
So I fought while pretending to struggle—taking a few hits on purpose, grunting in pain, acting injured. After dragging it out for a while, Arlong suddenly leaped back, panting heavily, glaring at me.
"You bastard… just you wait!"
Then he turned and ran off, still acting all arrogant and smug. I almost couldn't resist hitting him with some lightning therapy.
Sigh… why do villains everywhere run away and call for backup the moment they start losing?
I pretended to be exhausted, dramatically collapsed backward onto the ground. Time for the classic bitter-flesh ploy—act weak to gain sympathy!
"Lin Xiu-kun!"
"Lin Xiu!"
Nami, Nojiko, Genzo, and all the villagers rushed over.
"Lin Xiu-kun, are you okay?"
"Lin Xiu, are you hurt?"
…
Being fussed over like this actually feels pretty damn good.
Looking at Nojiko's teary eyes, I felt a twinge of guilt.
But a voice in my head said: Keep acting. A little scheming is necessary to win her over!
Heh… turns out I'm not exactly a saint either.
What I didn't notice was the six-pointed star mark on my chest glowing with a faint red light.
…
Dinner was at Genzo's house—super hearty and delicious. Nami and Nojiko came too. Two gorgeous girls right there; if you ignore Genzo being a massive third wheel, it was pure bliss.
"Lin Xiu-kun, are you really okay? No injuries at all?" Nojiko kept piling food onto my plate while asking. This girl is totally smitten—hehe.
"Lin Xiu, you're really strong—you even drove Arlong away. But he has a whole crew of dangerous guys. They'll definitely come back for revenge," Genzo said worriedly.
Nami stayed quiet, lost in thought about something.
…
After dinner, Nami left in a hurry, leaving Nojiko behind. I sighed inwardly. Still a bit of a challenge…
"Lin Xiu-kun… can you walk with me for a bit?"
"Sure."
We strolled along the beach, chatting about random, light topics.
She was still as cheerful and warm as ever, but the usual sadness in her eyes had faded a lot. Probably because today's fight gave her real hope.
Suddenly she sped up, stepped in front of me, and turned around—her face bright red.
"Lin Xiu-kun…"
Eh? Wait… is this… a confession?
"Hm? What's up?"
"…Nothing… just… thank you…"
Emmm… girls really are shy, huh. No rush—I'll take my time wearing you down, hehehe.
After walking Nojiko home, I returned to Genzo's house and went to bed. Today's fight had consumed a lot of mental energy, but a good night's sleep would fully restore it.
…
The next morning, I opened my eyes to the wooden ceiling, raised my hand, and watched electric arcs dance across my fingers. Hehe, definitely not a dream.
Arlong's revenge should come today. Should I go proactively wipe them out?
Nah… too domineering, no drama. Getting beaten badly then making a limit comeback is the best way to capture a girl's heart.
"Eh, better keep training."
Along the way, villagers greeted me warmly. Being a hero feels pretty good, hehe.
So I continued my training.
Strangely, Arlong didn't show up all day. Even Nojiko didn't come looking for me. Did Arlong get scared? Or is the little cutie just shy? Thinking about it made my lips curl into a smile.
Dinner was still at Genzo's. Nami came too, bringing a bottle of red wine to "celebrate." Nojiko didn't show—Nami said she wasn't feeling well.
"Ohhh~" I got it instantly.
"Lin Xiu, try this wine—it's got some age on it. You'll love it."
I, having zero wine knowledge, just chugged it like a barbarian, making Nami laugh nonstop while she kept pouring more.
Thud. Genzo face-planted on the table.
"Haha, what the hell? Your tolerance is terrible—"
Then my eyelids grew heavy, my head spun—not like normal drunkenness. This wine…
Everything went black.
…
My head hurts… damn, how many times have I passed out now?
My whole body ached terribly.
I opened my eyes—holy crap, what the hell?
This looked exactly like Arlong Park from the manga.
Arlong and his crew were having an open-air barbecue, drinking and laughing. And… Nami was there too?
I tried to sit up and ask what was going on, but I couldn't move. Looking down, my body was wrapped in layer after layer of wrist-thick iron chains. Pain from multiple spots told me I'd been beaten badly.
WTF? Last thing I remember: drinking with Nami, then blackout. Did she drug me? Why?
"Hey, Nami!"
Her body visibly trembled at my voice, but she didn't turn around.
"Yo, you little punk's awake?" Arlong swaggered over with a wine glass.
"What's going on? Nami?" I already guessed, but I needed to hear it.
"What's going on? Haha, how was the red wine last night? I had Nami bring it to you specially."
I ignored the idiot.
"Nami, tell me—what's really happening? Did they threaten you?"
"You meddling idiot! I'm the Arlong Pirates' navigator—Cat Burglar Nami. I drugged you on the captain's orders. Can't you see that, moron?!" Nami still wouldn't face me, speaking with her back turned.
Emmmm… what the hell is this?
"Well done, our navigator! Kid, this is what happens when you mess with the Arlong Pirates! We'll chop you up and feed you to the fish soon."
Arlong kept talking trash. Sigh, really not worth responding.
"Nami, where's Nojiko? Is she okay?"
At Nojiko's name, Nami suddenly collapsed to the ground, covering her face and sobbing.
I get it now.
I extended my divine sense to max range—quickly spotted Nojiko in a second-floor storage room, chained to the wall corner, unconscious. Good, no major injuries.
"Hmph!"
Lightning form! My body turned into a bolt of electricity, instantly breaking the chains. The next second, I appeared in front of Arlong.
Telekinesis!
An invisible giant hand clamped around Arlong's throat and lifted him off the ground. Caught off-guard, he struggled helplessly from suffocation.
Divine Sense Pressure!
Solidified mental force crushed him from all sides, freezing him in place.
Invisible Spear!
Four unseen spikes pierced his shoulders and knees, leaving fist-sized holes.
Finally, an invisible blade cleanly sliced off his proud fishman nose.
Releasing all restraints, Arlong dropped to the ground and finally screamed.
"AAAAAARGH!"
"Big bro!"
"Captain!"
The surrounding fishmen finally reacted.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
Yeah, fishmen should be terrified of electricity.
1 million volts—full discharge!
My strongest move in current range, unleashed without holding back.
I was genuinely pissed this time. Nojiko is mine now—daring to threaten her means death!
Ten seconds later, no one was left standing.
I collapsed from exhaustion—this time for real, not acting. Zero strength left.
"This time I really overdid it…"
"Nami! Nojiko's in the second-floor third room! Please!"
Then I passed out.
Damn, why do I keep fainting in this transmigration? How many times now…
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