"Pirates! Pirates!"
A shrill cry of terror rang out by the edge of the otherwise peaceful island village. The person who shouted sprinted toward the village, yelling as he ran.
For pirate novels, visit Taiwan Novel Network, t̴̴w̴̴k̴̴̴a̴̴n̴̴.c̴̴o̴̴m̴̴ for easy reading
Everyone who heard the shout ran outside and watched as the person crying "Pirates!" rushed past.
Then those closer to the shore looked out to sea and saw a pirate ship approaching in the distance.
A strange pirate flag fluttered in the wind, bearing a red shark where two crossed bones met.
The entire village erupted into chaos.
The village was close to a Marine Base, and most pirates had avoided attacking it before. It took time, after all, and the Marines might intercept them.
But now, the villagers remembered how terrifying pirates could be.
Some tried to flee by boat from the other side of the island. Others grabbed metal objects like pitchforks to use as weapons, hoping to fight back.
Boom!
The pirate ship charged in at full speed without stopping at the shore. It plowed straight onto land and continued barreling into the village.
The massive ship smashed through houses, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.
"Men, round everyone up! Kill anyone who resists or tries to escape!"
Arlong waved the Kiribachi in his hand and roared.
The cheering Fishmen poured off the pirate ship and charged into the village.
In an instant, cries and screams rang out through the village.
Arlong stood on the bow with his sword in hand, watching excitedly as he waited to see what they would get this time.
Humans were greedy.
He had a plan.
Since there was a Marine Base nearby, they might be able to negotiate once the Marines arrived.
If they went too far, they could attract a large Marine force, which would hurt his plan to conquer the East Blue.
If he could work with the commander of the nearby Marine Base, everything would be much easier.
"Shahahaha! I'm a genius!"
Arlong congratulated himself on coming up with the idea.
Hatchan was aboard the ship too, alongside Arlong.
As he listened to the wails and screams below, Hatchan shrank back and quietly contacted Jinbe.
Jinbe had arrived in the East Blue a few days ago. He should be close by now.
I hope Big Brother Jinbe gets here soon.
If Big Brother Arlong kills too many people, Big Brother Jinbe will be in a difficult position.
Buru buru.
Arlong's ear twitched. He spun around and looked toward the sound, then slung his sword over his shoulder and walked toward it.
"Big Brother Jinbe, hurry! Arlong's started. He's attacking a human village."
Hatchan lowered his voice as he spoke into the Den Den Mushi.
"Can't you stop him?"
Jinbe's voice came through, clearly serious.
"Big Brother Jinbe, I can't talk Big Brother Arlong out of it."
Hatchan's tentacles twitched uneasily as he answered.
"I understand. I'll be there soon."
After Jinbe spoke, he hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Hatchan sighed and turned around. His body suddenly stiffened.
"Hatchan, who were you talking to? You dare betray me?"
A murderous glint flashed in Arlong's eyes as he glared at Hatchan.
Hatchan shuddered, then fixed his gaze on Arlong.
"Big Brother Arlong, humans are far stronger than we are. Whether it was Boss Fisher or Big Brother Jinbe, they both wanted Fishmen and humans to live together in peace. If you do this, you'll destroy all the effort Big Brother Fisher put in."
Hatchan mustered his courage and shouted.
"Idiot! Humans will never live in peace with us. Big Brother Fisher treated them well, but he still died at their hands. Even when he was dying, he refused to accept human blood.
"I'm the one who inherited Big Brother Fisher's will. Jinbe is just a coward."
Arlong glared viciously at Hatchan, swinging his sword wildly in his rage.
"If Big Brother Jinbe hadn't become a Shichibukai, the Marines wouldn't have released you, Big Brother Arlong."
Hatchan continued.
But those words seemed to strike a nerve with Arlong.
Until then, he had only been swinging the Kiribachi through empty air to vent his anger. But as soon as Hatchan said that, Arlong gripped the sword and brought it down on him.
Hatchan clearly hadn't expected Arlong to attack him. He tried to dodge, but couldn't get out of the way in time.
The three tentacle-arms on his left side were severed with a single slash.
The pain sent Hatchan tumbling to the ground, rolling and screaming.
Arlong came to his senses. He looked at Hatchan's severed tentacles, his expression shifting uncertainly, but in the end, he didn't attack again.
Arlong turned and walked away, leaving Hatchan writhing on the ground.
The Fishmen were rampaging through the island village.
Anyone who dared resist was killed.
Even ordinary Fishmen were far physically stronger than ordinary humans.
It was simply how they were born.
The villagers were ordinary people, most of them fishermen. Naturally, they were no match for the Fishmen.
As the village chief watched the villagers being killed, he suddenly remembered the Den Den Mushi the young man had left behind a short while ago.
He couldn't afford a Den Den Mushi himself.
He clearly remembered what the young man had said: if pirates attacked, use it to get in touch.
Thinking of that, he pulled the Den Den Mushi from his clothes as though it were a lifeline and fumbled to make the call.
Buru buru.
The Den Den Mushi seemed to have just woken up. As the village chief operated it, it let out a few sounds.
The call connected quickly.
"We're under attack by pirates?"
"Yes, they're Fishman pirates."
Hearing the voice from the Den Den Mushi, the village chief hurriedly answered.
But the next moment, a Fishman carrying a sword rushed in. He saw the village chief holding the Den Den Mushi and flew into a rage. He swung his sword, severing the arm holding the Den Den Mushi, then stepped forward and struck again.
The Den Den Mushi remained connected, and the village chief's screams carried through.
A ship drifted across the calm sea. Dunn quietly listened to the screams coming through the Den Den Mushi. One was close—the village chief's dying cry. Many others sounded farther away.
Boom!
Flames burst into being around Dunn. He bent his knees slightly, then shot into the sky.
Fire engulfed his body. His legs became blazing jets, and Dunn seemed to transform into a meteor streaking across the sky, trailing a long tail of fire as he flew toward his destination.
Dunn had given a Den Den Mushi to every village nearby.
His purpose here was to save Bell-mère.
Of course, it wasn't because he had any particular feelings for Bell-mère or Nami.
He had thought of it, he had the ability, and he needed the training anyway, so he did it.
Now, the one he'd been waiting for had arrived.
Flames streaked across the sky.
Just as Dunn had expected, this way of moving was indeed fast. It might not match Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit, but if he didn't mind burning through huge amounts of stamina, he could briefly exceed several times the speed of sound.
In just a few minutes, Dunn spotted the smoke rising above the village where the fire had taken hold.
Before you continue