Two days later, at dawn.
Genzo hummed a little tune as he pushed his bicycle along the field path outside the village entrance. The weather was comfortable, making it perfect for patrols.
Suddenly, a strong gust blew past, sending his broad-brimmed police hat flying again. He hurriedly stopped his bicycle, bent down, and went to retrieve it.
Little Windmill had gotten wet again. It took him ages to wipe it dry, and Genzo somewhat aggrievedly put it back on.
He had only finished making it again last night. The one he had made a year ago had mysteriously vanished without a trace a few days earlier.
Why on earth—and just who—would keep targeting a worthless little windmill?
Genzo still couldn't figure it out.
Just as he straightened up, he suddenly saw several children who often played around the docks running toward him from a distance. They were flustered, glancing back repeatedly as they came.
The moment they saw him, they hurriedly shouted, "Uncle Genzo! This is bad, this is bad!"
"Pirates! A pirate ship has arrived over by the docks!"
What?!
Genzo turned pale with shock. He immediately swung onto his bicycle. "I'll go take a look. You head to the village at once and tell everyone to hide in the mountains..."
Wait, the mountains?
He suddenly froze, then abruptly realized that Cocoyasi Village was no longer in an era when it would be helpless against just any pirate who came along.
There was an incredible monster stationed in the mountains!
"Get the adults you meet along the way and go find Xia Nuo!" he immediately changed his instructions. "Tell him to get to the docks as quickly as possible. This is the most urgent matter—there's no time to waste. Got it?"
"Got it, Uncle Genzo!"
Genzo watched the children run off before continuing toward the docks on his bicycle. He gritted his teeth, still feeling vaguely uneasy.
The peace of Cocoyasi Village had lasted for many years. What level of pirate would come this time?
What if—what if their luck was terrible, and it was a hegemon-level crew like the Krieg Pirates?
Could Xia Nuo really hold them off?
Deep in the mountains.
The black-haired youth gripped a giant tree weighing two or three tons and swung it around like the Golden Cudgel, thoroughly enjoying himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of a white figure streaking across the sky.
"Geppo!"
—Whoosh!
Xia Nuo shot into the air and, after several flashes, arrived midair, blocking the News Coo's path.
"Caw!!!"
The News Coo let out a startled quack, its feathers standing on end.
It was responsible for this region of the East Blue. It had only heard its companions talk about humans who could fly in the Grand Line, and had never seen one with its own eyes!
"Give me today's paper, please." Xia Nuo flicked a finger, sending a fifty-Beli coin into the mailbag hanging in front of its neck.
His perfected Geppo was enough to support him in the air for several seconds. However, he had only just taken out the newspaper and had yet to unfold it when his body began to fall.
The News Coo caught the coin in its beak and stared blankly down at the falling figure.
This guy actually has time to leisurely open the newspaper and read it? Isn't he afraid of falling to his death?
"Queen Otohime assassinated?"
Xia Nuo stared at the headline on the front page, gripping the newspaper without moving as he allowed his body to free-fall.
A few seconds later, he crashed onto the mountaintop with a boom, blasting out a huge crater and sending dust flying in every direction.
By the time the dust settled, he had nearly finished reading the report as well. He couldn't help frowning.
So Arlong's arrival in the East Blue and Hody Jones's assassination of Queen Otohime had happened in the same year?
Two generations of scum... No, fish scum. Truly, depravity ran in the family. Whenever they did something evil, they were always in perfect sync.
He put away the newspaper and stepped out of the crater he had blasted into the ground. Arriving at the southernmost point, he did what he had repeated countless times over the past year and habitually gazed toward the docks from afar.
"Arlong, Arlong, why haven't you come yet..." he murmured almost unconsciously.
But in the next moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he stood rooted to the spot.
At the end of the horizon, a massive pirate ship had appeared from who knew where and was sailing toward the docks.
Beneath its waving skull flag, the ram at the bow had been carved into the shape of a shark's saw-like snout, making it look exceptionally ferocious.
The sea breeze swept past. The figure atop the mountain remained motionless for a long, long time.
After a while.
"Arlong..."
A voice that sounded both tearful and amused finally drifted out, full of resentment. He stretched his body, and the muscles all over him twisted and trembled with spine-chilling sounds. "You finally came..."
"I really, really missed you..."
The instant his voice fell.
Crack, crack. As the arches of his feet gradually tensed, countless web-like cracks suddenly spread from beneath his feet, racing down the mountainside. The entire cliff let out a groan under its unbearable burden.
Boom—!!!
In the next instant, layers of ripples suddenly exploded through the air. The enormous, muscular figure vanished from the spot, and the cliff collapsed completely.
When he appeared again, he had already teleported to the top of a coconut tree several dozen meters away. He stomped the trunk into a bow bent to its absolute limit, then used the recoil to shoot violently toward the distance once more!
Boom!
Amid the sound of impact, the Shark SB forced its way into the dock, ruthlessly crushing the wooden pier into splinters.
Thud, thud, thud. Several dozen exceptionally burly figures slowly disembarked, stepping over the debris and onto the land.
"So this is Cocoyasi Village?"
Looking at the village in the distance, where wisps of cooking smoke drifted into the air, Chuu, the kissing fish-man officer, raised his brows.
"It's quite a bit larger than it looked on the map, chuumy~ Looks like if we search carefully, we can still squeeze quite a bit of money out of it."
"I think it's a shame."
Another officer, Kuroobi, wore a cold expression as he folded his arms and said flatly, "There isn't a single surprise. I haven't stretched my muscles in a long time, but there's nothing to be done. In a little backwater village like this, finding someone qualified to trade punches with me is practically impossible."
He wore an indigo martial-arts uniform, his muscles powerfully built. A black belt symbolizing his karate rank was tied around his waist, and his hair was tied into two small knots. He looked extremely dangerous.
Smack.
A purple hand suddenly settled on the shoulders of the two fish-man officers.
"Shahahahaha! Enough with the pointless chatter, boys."
Arlong bared his teeth, revealing a mouthful of fangs. "We've already set foot on land. It's time to follow me and shout out the declaration of the Arlong Pirates."
He suddenly spread his arms wide. Behind him, the fish-man pirates also grinned viciously and drew their blades.
"Boring, insignificant humans!"
Arlong threw his head back and laughed wildly at the distant village. "From this moment onward, this village... No! This entire island will be ruled by us!!!"
"Shahahahaha—!!!"
Amid their arrogant laughter, the Arlong Pirates left the docks and strode toward the village.
However, just after they rounded a bend,
they discovered four fallen coconut trees lying across one another, perfectly blocking the road to the village.
"Hm? Deliberately placed?"
Kuroobi narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Did they see the pirate ship from a distance and get scared witless? How naive! Do they think this sort of thing can block our path?"
"Look closely. There's someone sitting on top, chuumy~"
Chuu giggled beside him, looking toward the black-clad figure sitting on the tree trunks.
"Hey, little brother, are you planning to protect your village all by yourself? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Setting everything else aside, that courage of yours really is worthy of praise!"
The other party remained seated in silence, his head lowered and not making a sound. Both fists were clenched and trembling slightly, as though he were desperately overcoming his fear.
Only after hearing the praise did he finally raise his head, revealing a clean, handsome young face.
Under the mocking gazes of the many fish-men, he smiled shyly and awkwardly.
"...Thanks."