Cocoyasi Village

"Twenty million Beri..."

What a considerable bounty, Lina couldn't help but think.

It's a shame they're pirates, so they can't collect bounties. But Arlong has been hoarding wealth, so there's probably a lot of treasure to be had.

As for whether he could defeat Arlong, Lina admitted that in the original story, Arlong's performance was indeed very strong, but...

Lina stated he could handle it easily.

He was very confident. Even if it came down to a direct confrontation, just deploying Wolverine would be enough.

Since he was undead, he didn't have the concept of life. He could repair himself no matter how much damage he took.

Even if he were tied up, Lina could simply recall his undead and summon it again.

With his high speed and attack power, as long as he could inflict damage, he could wear Arlong down to death.

As Nami recounted their story, the group gained some understanding of Arlong's strength.

"He can flip houses with his bare hands??"

Usopp immediately collapsed on the ground, clasping his hands tightly over his chest. "This is bad! I've come down with a strange illness that will kill me if I leave the ship!"

"Arlong is up to you guys then."

"Are you okay, Usopp!"

Luffy turned around and saw Usopp suddenly collapse, panicking and shaking him.

Seeing these two goofballs, Nami and Zoro's faces darkened. They sighed, holding their foreheads. "This idiot..."

"In conclusion, Arlong is very strong."

Nami said worriedly, "I know you guys are also strong as monsters, but honestly, I'm not sure. If you fail... we'll all die!"

"Don't worry, Nami,"

Lina said with a smile to comfort her. "They are very strong, and besides, there's me... and my undead. It'll be fine."

This wave is totally stable!

"Besides Arlong, he has a few subordinates worth noting: Hachi, Kuroobi, Chuu..."

Nami began introducing Arlong's executive officers to them.

Lina didn't remember any of the characters Nami mentioned, only having a vague impression of Hachi.

But speaking of which, there were quite a few of them.

Fish-Men naturally possessed ten times the arm strength of humans. Collecting them one by one to use as cannon fodder wouldn't be bad.

And they were all expert swimmers, a rare asset at sea.

Thinking of this, he felt happy again.

Sailing at sea is very boring, and now Lina had his undead handle all the chores.

The group's activities were limited. Luffy and Usopp passed the time by fishing.

Nami drew sea charts in her room, using some high-end blueprints and ink she got from Kaya.

Lina, meanwhile, was lifting weights with Zoro. He usually exercised diligently, as his ability couldn't collect targets much stronger than himself.

Like Garp, for example.

Plus, to reach the threshold for learning both types of Haki in the future, physical training was essential.

"Speaking of which, Zoro, your strength is truly outrageous."

Lina looked at the massive barbell in Zoro's hands and couldn't help but sigh.

Roughly estimating it at two tons, and Zoro was actually doing nearly a thousand squats with it!

It was truly absurd.

"Ah~, it's because I've been training since I was a child."

Zoro glanced at Lina. "On the other hand, your stamina is outrageous."

Lina's barbell weighed one ton, far inferior to Zoro's, but he had already done two thousand squats.

"Because my undead's actions consume my stamina, I've focused heavily on this area."

"Of course, it's mainly because I have the power of a Devil Fruit, so my recovery ability far surpasses that of ordinary people."

"Is that so? Devil Fruits have abilities like that?"

"Ah, Zoan-type Devil Fruits can greatly enhance the user's physical capabilities."

In the East Blue, Devil Fruits were still the stuff of legend for many.

They were completely unaware of their classifications.

Lina patiently explained to Zoro.

"Wait a minute! If what you're saying is true, then Logia-types are invincible!"

Zoro looked surprised after listening.

Being able to elementalize one's body sounded like a complete fantasy.

"It's not like they're invincible, though. There are ways to counter them."

Lina further explained Haki and Sea Prism Stone to Zoro, leaving him stunned.

"Well, you'll see for yourself eventually."

"Is that so? The sea truly holds endless wonders."

Zoro said with great interest, "That man probably has the power you mentioned too, doesn't he? I was thinking of setting sail to challenge him, but it seems I'm still far from ready."

"You mean the World's Greatest Swordsman, right? He could probably beat you without even using a sword, hahaha.

"If he appeared before you right now, would you still challenge him?"

Zoro looked at Lina upon hearing this and pondered for a moment before replying, "I don't know. I probably still would."

"Is that so... As expected of you, Ironhead King."

"Huh?"

"No, it's nothing."

Lina yawned and silently grumbled in his heart.

In ancient times, there was Zhao Zilong, who was full of courage.

But you, my friend...

You are entirely Zhao Zilong!

Two days passed like this, and the Merry finally carried them to the waters near the Konomi Islands.

It was composed of over twenty small islands, each with a village.

All of them were under Arlong's rule without exception. Everyone was forced to pay a tribute, and those who couldn't were killed.

Several villages had even been completely wiped out.

"Let's head to Cocoyasi Village first. If we go directly to Arlong Park, our ship will likely be destroyed before we even get there," Nami said in a low voice, her face grim.

Her emotions were evident, and the others remained silent.

Lina summoned two undead to control the ship's helm, and under Nami's guidance, the Merry slowly sailed towards Cocoyasi Village.

"It's pirates! Pirates are here!"

"Quick, go find Genzo!"

"Wait, look! Isn't that Nami up there?"

The villagers noticed the Merry and became flustered, then quickly spotted Nami standing at the bow of the ship.

"I'm back, everyone!"

"Nami's back!"

"Quick, go tell Genzo and Genzo!"

"No need, we can just go over directly."

"Is that so? Speaking of which, Nami, these pirates behind you..."

Several villagers at the port cast their gazes upon the group, their eyes filled with a hint of wariness.

Nami smiled and waved her hand, "Don't worry, they aren't bad people. They're all my nakama."

"Is that so? Well, as long as you're alright, Nami, that's what matters."

"In that case, I'll be heading back now, everyone. Goodbye."

Nami said as she led them into the village.

Inside the village, they could occasionally see houses that had been completely overturned.

Although Nami had told them, seeing it with their own eyes still made them marvel at the Fish-Men's incredible strength.

"Hey... are you kidding me? Are we really going to fight monsters like this?"

Usopp was already starting to tremble.

Nami led the way, saying without looking back, "Arlong and his crew don't know we've arrived yet. If you want to back out, now's your chance. I won't say anything if you leave."

"You really look down on us, you smelly woman. I can handle this much."

The only one on the ship who dared to call Nami a "smelly woman" was Zoro.

Lina had no doubt that Zoro could flip houses. In terms of raw strength, even Luffy couldn't compare to Zoro.

However, when Luffy fought, he could significantly increase his actual attack power by utilizing the tension generated by his rubbery limbs.

"We told you we wouldn't give up on asking you to be our Navigator."

Luffy wore a rare look of seriousness on his face.

Lina lit a cigarette and leisurely followed behind. Soon, the group arrived at Nami's orange grove.

As they approached, they could hear arguing coming from inside.

"...Stop it! This is all money Nami worked so hard to save."

"Money she saved? This is stolen money! It's ill-gotten gains and should be confiscated!"

"Bastards! Can you even call yourselves Marines?"

"This is bad..." Nami's heart leaped as she heard the commotion inside. Gritting her teeth, she rushed into the orange grove.

"Damn it!"