"Hm?" Arlong furrowed his brow, glancing at Luffy a short distance away.
With his heightened Fishman senses, he couldn't detect when a child had appeared nearby.
The small stone that shattered his pistol had clearly come from the direction of this child.
Dropping the broken gun handle, Arlong focused all his attention on Luffy.
Arlong's idol and former leader, Fishetag, had once tried to return a human girl to her family. Betrayed by her relatives, Fishetag was surrounded by Marines and barely escaped—though he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Since then, Arlong had developed a deep hatred of humans, particularly human children.
"You—who are you?" Arlong asked in a deep voice.
"…" Luffy simply smiled at him, saying nothing.
At this moment, Luffy was counting the number of Fishmen present, too busy to reply.
He needed to tally them first, to make sure none slipped by—every bit of experience counted!
The remaining members of the Arlong Pirates were left unharmed by Luffy.
Spotting a larger pirate ship docked nearby, Luffy had the survivors take the old ship and leave.
Whether they returned to piracy or lived peaceful lives was no longer Luffy's concern.
Bellemere, having survived the earlier chaos, slowly opened her eyes. She hadn't fully realized what had happened, her gaze vacant, unsure whether she was alive or not.
Relaxing for a moment, her body suddenly went weak, and she slumped to the ground.
The cigarette she had been holding rolled on the floor, still emitting a thin wisp of smoke.
"Aunt Bellemere…"
"Bellemere…"
Nojiko and Nami ran over, embracing her tightly and crying.
"You…"
Feeling the warmth and love from her daughters, Bellemere's spirits began to recover.
"Not good!"
Seeing Arlong's group moving toward Luffy, Bellemere realized the child was in danger.
Having just closed her eyes, she didn't know exactly what had happened—only that it was because of this boy that Arlong had temporarily paused his violent intent.
She couldn't allow any more innocent lives to be at risk!
Bellemere quickly released Nami and Nojiko.
Picking up the remaining stub of her cigarette, she stood and called out, "Hey! Pirates!"
She prepared to step forward and confront Arlong's group.
A hand grabbed her from the side.
Aken, holding his still-bleeding injury, shook his head. "Don't act rashly, Bellemere. That child… he's not ordinary."
At this moment, Arlong and his Fishmen surrounded Luffy, blocking any escape.
Each Fishman towered over two meters tall. Untrained, Luffy's frame wasn't even as thick as a single leg of one of them.
"Kid, my boss is asking you something!" a blue-skinned Fishman with a long kiss-shaped mouth stepped forward.
He was one of the Arlong Pirates' top three officers—Jiu.
Seeing the massive figure approaching, Luffy's confident smile didn't falter. He said nothing, his greedy gaze sweeping over Jiu.
"Damn brat!"
Jiu's eyes burned red, remembering the fellow humans enslaved by humans, feeling the same contempt.
"I'll crush you!"
Jiu raised his fist high, swinging with full force toward Luffy, not caring if the boy would be hurt.
Bellemere tried to intervene, breaking free of Aken's grip, even knowing it was likely futile—but her sense of justice would not allow her to stand idle.
"You fool! Stop!"
Using her uninjured hand, she grabbed a stone from the ground and hurled it at Arlong's direction.
But it was useless. Jiu's punch struck Luffy.
"Thud…"
The impact sent dust swirling, obscuring everyone's vision.
Arlong and the other Fishmen grinned, preparing to mock.
Bellemere closed her eyes, tilting her face skyward, tears streaming, teeth clenched, full of regret.
It was her weakness that had caused this!
She couldn't even protect a child!
"Be… Bellemere, look!"
Nami, with her heightened instincts, had initially felt no danger, even finding comfort in the boy's presence.
Unlike the others, she could hold her gaze.
Her eyes widened, fixed on the center of the dust cloud.
Slowly, the dust settled.
A figure emerged.
Luffy held up one arm, stopping Jiu's punch with only a fraction of the size.
Despite his small frame, Jiu could not advance.
Luffy still smiled. Jiu's eyes were red, his body hunched, fear and fury filling his gaze.
Luffy narrowed his smile, concentrating his strength in the other arm. He twisted, channeling his waist and arm in a strike.
Jiu, sensing danger, instinctively stepped back.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Luffy's fist smashed the ground Jiu had just occupied.
Cracks tore through the earth, wind surged, and countless stones flew into the air.
Jiu was sent flying by the force, stones striking his skin.
Blood dripped, and he weakened, unable to rise easily.
Under the bright blue sky, Arlong's eyes widened, his icy stare fixed on Luffy.
"You little brat! How dare you strike my comrade! Unforgivable!" Arlong's rage intensified as his subordinate was bested.
Luffy glanced at the furious Arlong, stepping calmly out of the surrounding Fishmen. They instinctively backed off, bodies trembling.
He approached Bellemere and the others.
Looking up at Nami, her small but striking orange hair, Luffy's wide grin returned.
He extended a hand, smiling warmly. "Hi, I'm Luffy."
His confident, friendly expression made Nami momentarily forget the looming threat of the Arlong Pirates, and even the previous near-death encounter with Bellemere.
Instinctively, Nami reached out, taking Luffy's hand. "I'm Nami…"
"Ah!"
She pulled back suddenly, realizing the situation wasn't suitable for friendship gestures.
Bellemere's arm was still bleeding, and Aken sat nearby, exhausted from his injuries.
Luffy turned to Bellemere. "Ma'am, you're Nami's mother, right? How about we make a deal?"
"What kind of deal? Who are you?" Bellemere demanded, wary despite Luffy saving her and the children.
Luffy calmly introduced himself. "Once again: I'm Luffy, a pirate."
As for the deal, his tone dropped slightly, carrying an edge that made those listening instinctively tense. "If Nami comes with me to sail as a pirate, I'll make sure all the Fishmen here are defeated!"
"No!" "Fine!"
Two voices, large and small, echoed simultaneously.
Bellemere quickly shielded Nami behind her. "You have no right to take Nami! I will never hand her to a stranger like you!"
Nami peeked from behind Bellemere, tears glistening. "I accept the deal. As long as you defeat them all, I'll go with you and become a pirate!"
Bellemere wanted to stop her, but Nami added, "Please, Bellemere… if we don't, we'll all die today…"
"…"
Bellemere looked at the terrifying Fishmen, then at the seemingly harmless yet even scarier small boy, remaining silent for a moment.
Luffy grinned. "Then the deal is officially made."
"Watch out!"
Nojiko, who had been quiet, shouted suddenly.
"Bastard!"
Black Belt Fishman Kuroobi saw Luffy ignore Arlong, injure his comrade, and even stand casually.
Having endured enough, he acted without Arlong's permission for the first time.
"Fishman Karate!"
Kuroobi assumed a stable stance, arms aligned with his chest, palms aimed at Luffy's head. Before Luffy could react, he struck downward.
"Smack!"
Luffy didn't even turn, extending a hand to block Kuroobi's strike and grab his arm.
"You dare disturb my chosen navigator? Bold of you."
Luffy's gaze hardened, a faint aura of pressure radiating from him.
The air seemed to freeze, a subtle metallic scent emanating.
He tugged Kuroobi's arm, forcing the Fishman off balance. Luffy's other hand formed a fist, aimed at Kuroobi's head.
"First one."
"Thud…"
The headless Fishman collapsed to the ground.
[Ding! Host defeated a Fishman officer, gained 890 XP.]