A moment later.
The beach, which had long since returned to calm, was once again visited by unexpected guests.
A small boat rowed in and came to a slow stop in the sand.
The two people aboard promptly jumped down.
One wore a straw hat and raised a hand to his forehead, curiously looking around.
The other had green hair and rested his left hand on the three swords at his waist, scratching his cheek with a puzzled expression.
Apart from the occasional bird taking flight in the woods ahead,
the entire island looked unusually peaceful.
Seeing no one around, Luffy immediately grew bored and stuck a finger up his nose, wiggling it with an exasperated look.
"Hey, Zoro, didn't you say you knew where there was a town around here?"
"Where have you brought me? I don't see a soul."
Zoro was looking around at their surroundings, thoroughly confused.
Hearing that, he furrowed his brow and replied impatiently,
"Quit complaining, Luffy. You can't go wrong if you follow me."
Then he looked around again, rubbing his chin as he muttered to himself,
"That's strange. I remember there being a town around here."
"How'd we end up in a place like this...?"
Luffy blinked, but didn't dwell on it. With his hands on his hips, he looked curiously toward the forest ahead and grinned.
"Hehe, whatever. We're here now, so let's go have a look in there!"
"Zoro! Let's go!"
Without waiting for Zoro to answer, he set off toward the dense woods.
"Hey! Luffy! Wait for me!"
"Don't go running off on your own!"
Worried Luffy would get lost by himself, Zoro hurried after him, his hand on the swords at his waist.
As the two disappeared into the woods one after the other, the beach grew quiet again.
The next morning.
Will was eating with Nami and Carina.
Having lost what little hope he had left for the strength of pirates in the East Blue, he suddenly looked up and said to the two women,
"We won't be stopping at any other towns to resupply. We'll head straight to Arlong Park."
"Mm." Nami nodded, not particularly bothered by the idea.
"Huh?" Then she suddenly realized what he'd said. She jerked her head up, her face full of shock.
"What did you say? You're going to Arlong Park?!"
For a moment, she'd almost thought she'd misheard him.
"That's right."
Will wasn't surprised by Nami's reaction. He nodded slightly.
"I want to see whether those so-called fishmen really are stronger than humans."
After easily dealing with Clown Buggy's crew, he'd lost all interest in the other pirates of the East Blue.
There was only one he still had any interest in.
That was the fishman Arlong, who, as far as he remembered, was the strongest pirate openly operating in the East Blue.
Part of him wanted to test just how strong the fishmen were as a race.
He also wanted to help Nami deal with this problem and free her from the heavy burden she'd carried for all these years.
After all, Will didn't want his navigator to have anything weighing on her during their voyages.
Carina, however, didn't seem worried at all. Resting her head on one hand, she spoke casually.
"Speaking of Arlong Park in the East Blue, I've secretly looked into those fishmen myself."
"The strongest among them should be their leader, the fishman Arlong."
"But as I see it, those fishmen are only capable of bullying ordinary people."
"They wouldn't stand a chance against someone as strong as our captain."
Although she hadn't seen the fishmen's strength with her own eyes,
she didn't think they could possibly be stronger than Will, no matter how powerful they were.
Not only had Will easily dealt with two Devil Fruit Users,
but she'd also felt his physical strength for herself. His entire body was practically like iron.
Carina couldn't imagine anyone being able to break through Will's defenses.
On top of that, Will had that terrifying ability to sense things. His enemies could barely land a hit on him, let alone penetrate his defenses.
But Nami was unusually serious as she looked at Will and tried to dissuade him.
"Fishman Arlong and the fishmen under him aren't as simple as you think."
"His bounty reached 20 million Berries a long time ago. Plenty of people have gone after him."
"Yet not one of them managed to leave alive."
"And the fishmen under him are all incredibly strong. They're born with strength several times, even more than ten times, greater than that of ordinary humans."
"Even if you're strong, going there so recklessly could still get you killed."
After spending this time with Will, Nami knew how strong he was.
But the psychological scars she'd carried since childhood still made her believe the fishmen were even more terrifying.
When she was little,
Hachi had exposed the fact that there were three people in her family, indirectly leading to her mother's cruel death...
Arlong had brutally shot her mother in front of her when she was still a child...
Hachi had accidentally discovered her talent for navigation, prompting Arlong to order that she be taken away...
Hachi had gripped her by the neck and lifted her up, snatching her away while she was too young to fight back...
The people of her village had been spared the fishmen's murderous attacks because of her, but they still had to endure the fishmen's bullying and humiliation...
She had never forgotten those memories, etched into her heart.
If anything, as time passed, they had only grown clearer and more deeply ingrained.
So Nami believed that
even if Will really managed to defeat Arlong, he would probably be badly injured.
Then the other fishmen could seize the opportunity to swarm him and kill him.
That was the last thing she wanted to see.
After spending this time with Will, Nami felt he was very different from the detestable pirates who roamed the seas.
He was, in a word, a rare good person.
She really didn't want anything to happen to him.
And she didn't want the fishmen to take their anger out on the surrounding towns afterward just because she'd brought someone to take Arlong down.
She only needed a little more money to fulfill her agreement with Arlong and save her entire village from him.
Just a little more...
So she didn't dare take the risk.
After Nami finished speaking, Carina saw her expression shift uncertainly and couldn't help asking,
"Nami, what's wrong?"
"Have you dealt with those fishmen before?"
Will didn't say anything. He simply watched Nami in silence, seeming to wait for her to speak.
Sitting back in her chair, Nami lightly bit her lip, her eyes shifting as she struggled with her thoughts.
After a long silence,
she suddenly raised her left sleeve to her shoulder, revealing the tattoo that had been hidden beneath it.
"What's this...?" Carina took a closer look, then said, uncertain,
"That's the symbol of the Arlong Pirates!"
"Nami, you... You're a member of the Arlong Pirates?!"
Before you continue