You're Finally Here

The morning two days later.

Genzo hummed a little tune as he walked his bicycle along the ridge outside the village entrance. The weather was pleasant, perfect for patrolling.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew past, and his wide-brimmed police hat flew off again. He hurriedly stopped his bike and bent down to pick it up.

The little windmill was wet again. He spent half the day cleaning it before putting it back on, feeling a little wronged.

He had just finished making it last night. The one he made a year ago, the new one, had mysteriously vanished without a trace a few days ago.

Why, and who exactly, would repeatedly target a worthless little windmill?

Genzo couldn't figure it out.

Just as he straightened up, he suddenly saw a few children he often saw playing by the docks in the distance, running towards him in a panic, glancing back as they ran.

As soon as they saw him, they shouted urgently, "Uncle Genzo! It's bad, it's bad!"

"Pirates! There's a pirate ship at the docks!"

What?!

Genzo's face turned ashen. He immediately swung his leg over his bicycle. "I'll go take a look. You guys go straight to the village and tell everyone to hide in the mountains..."

Wait, the mountains?

His movements suddenly froze. He suddenly realized that Cocoyasi Village was no longer in an era where they couldn't handle any pirate who showed up.

There was a formidable monster residing in the mountains!

"Gather the adults you meet on the way and go find Xianuo!" he immediately changed his mind. "Tell him to come to the docks quickly. This is the most important thing, no time to delay. Did you hear me!"

"Got it, Uncle Genzo!"

Genzo watched the children leave before continuing towards the docks on his bicycle. He gritted his teeth, still feeling a vague sense of unease.

The peace in Cocoyasi Village had lasted for many years. This time, what level of pirate would actually arrive?

What if, what if they were unlucky enough to get a hegemon-level threat like the Krieg Pirates?

Could Xianuo really withstand them?

Deep in the mountains.

The black-haired youth was swinging a giant tree weighing two to three tons like a Ruyi Jingu Bang, thoroughly enjoying himself. His peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a white figure flashing across the sky.

"Geppo!"

Whoosh!

Xianuo leaped from the ground and, with a few flashes, appeared in mid-air, blocking the News Coo.

"Caw!!!"

The News Coo squawked in surprise, its feathers ruffling.

It was responsible for the East Blue region. It had only heard from its companions about humans who could fly in the Grand Line, but it had never seen one with its own eyes!

"A copy of today's newspaper, please." Xianuo flicked his finger, and a 50 Belly coin dropped into the mailbag hanging around its neck.

His perfected Geppo was enough to keep him suspended in the air for a few seconds. However, just as he took out the newspaper and before he could unfold it, his body began to fall.

The News Coo picked up the coin and stared blankly down at the falling figure.

This guy actually has the time to leisurely open a newspaper and read it? Isn't he afraid of falling to his death?

"Queen Otohime assassinated?"

Xianuo looked at the headline on the front page, clutching the newspaper, and remained motionless, letting his body freefall.

A few seconds later, he crashed onto the mountaintop with a loud thud, creating a huge crater and sending dust and smoke flying in all directions.

By the time the dust settled, he had almost finished reading the report. He couldn't help but frown.

So Arlong came to the East Blue and Hody Jones killed Queen Otohime in the same year?

Two generations of scum... no, fish-scum, truly a bloodline passed down. They both did bad things without hesitation.

Putting away the newspaper, he took a few steps out of the crater he had created and went to the southernmost point. He did what he had repeated countless times over the past year, habitually gazing towards the docks from afar.

"Arlong, Arlong, why haven't you come yet..." he muttered almost subconsciously.

But the next moment, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he froze on the spot.

At the edge of the horizon, a massive pirate ship had appeared from somewhere and was sailing towards the docks.

Beneath the fluttering skull flag, the figurehead was carved into a shark's maw, looking incredibly ferocious.

The sea breeze blew past. The figure on the mountaintop remained motionless for a long time.

After a while.

"Arlong..."

A voice, sounding like a mix of crying and laughing, finally drifted out filled with resentment. He stretched his body, his muscles emitting a chilling tremor, "You've finally come, haven't you..."

"I really, really miss you..."

The moment the words fell.

Crack, crack, as the arch of his foot gradually tensed, countless spiderweb-like cracks suddenly spread wildly from beneath his feet, down the mountainside. The entire cliff groaned under the unbearable weight.

BOOM--!!!

The next instant, the air suddenly exploded with ripples. The massive muscular humanoid instantly vanished from its spot, and the cliff completely collapsed.

Reappearing, he had already teleported to the top of a coconut tree dozens of meters away. He stomped the trunk into a bowstring stretched to its limit, using this rebound force to shoot fiercely towards the distance once more!

THUD!

Accompanied by the sound of impact, the Shark SB forcibly docked at the pier, crushing the wooden jetty into powder without mercy.

Tap, tap, tap, dozens of exceptionally burly figures slowly disembarked, stepping onto the land over the scattered debris.

"So this is Cocoyasi Village?"

Looking at the distant village with wisps of smoke rising from cooking fires, the Fish-Man executive named Chuu raised an eyebrow:

"It's quite a bit bigger than it looked on the sea chart. It seems if we search thoroughly enough, we can still squeeze out some money, chūmi~"

"I find it a shame."

Another executive, Kuroobi, had a cold expression. He crossed his arms and said indifferently:

"No surprises at all. I haven't stretched my muscles in a long time, but there's nothing I can do. In a small village like this, finding someone worthy of exchanging punches with me is as difficult as reaching the heavens."

He wore indigo martial arts attire, his muscles were well-defined, and a black belt indicating his karate rank was tied around his waist. His hair was tied into two small buns, making him look quite formidable.

Slap.

A large purple hand suddenly landed on the shoulders of these two Fish-Man executives.

"Sha ha ha ha--! Enough with the pointless chatter, my lads."

Arlong grinned, revealing a mouth full of fangs. "We've set foot on land now. It's time to follow me and shout our Arlong Pirates' declaration."

He suddenly spread his arms wide. The Fish-Men pirates behind him also grinned menacingly and drew their swords.

"Boring, insignificant humans!"

Arlong roared with laughter towards the distant village, "From now on, this village... no! This island will be ruled by us!!!"

"Sha ha ha ha--!!!"

Amidst their rampant laughter, the Arlong Pirates stepped off the pier and formally marched towards the village.

However, just around a corner.

They found four fallen coconut trees laid across each other, blocking the path to the village.

"Hmm? Man-made?"

Kuroobi narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Are they scared out of their wits seeing the pirate ship from afar? How naive! Do they think something like this can stop us?"

"Look closer, there's someone sitting on top, chūmi~"

Chuu next to him giggled and looked towards the figure in black sitting on the tree trunk.

"Hey, little brother, are you trying to protect your village all by yourself? Tsk tsk tsk, I won't say anything else, but your courage is truly commendable!"

The other party had been sitting quietly, head bowed, not saying a word. His fists were clenched and trembling slightly, as if he were desperately trying to overcome his fear.

Hearing the praise at this moment, he finally looked up, revealing a clean and handsome young face.

Under the mocking gazes of the many Fish-Men, he smiled a little shyly and bashfully:

"...Thank you."