For Nami, Battle Arlong

In the East Blue, somewhere at sea, a fleet was sailing.

"Nami, stay calm!" Moya soothed Nami, who was trembling. He couldn't tell whether she was scared or nervous!

Looking at these familiar waters, Nami recalled one painful memory after another. When they couldn't afford the protection money, her adoptive mother, Bell-mère, had been shot dead by Arlong right in front of her as she tried to protect Nami and Nojiko.

And to buy back her village, Nami had been forced to join the Arlong Pirates and draw charts for them. She thought of the villagers, oppressed by Arlong day and night.

She had gone to sea and become a thief to scrape together the hundred million Beli needed to buy back her village as soon as possible.

Now she had found where she belonged. Leading her companions, she was returning to her hometown in force, ready to rescue its people from their plight.

"Full speed ahead! Snipers, gunners, archers, watch the water!"

"Arlong, we've got trouble! A fleet is heading our way!"

A Fishman underling rushed over to report to Arlong.

"Is there someone in the East Blue who dares challenge me? Did you get a good look at their flag?"

"It's a blood-red flag we've never seen before, with only the words 'Moya' on it! They have seven ships and several hundred people!"

"Damn it, what pirate crew doesn't know when to quit? Men, sink their ships! I want them at the bottom of the sea!"

"Yes, Boss Arlong!"

"Provide covering fire! Everyone, prepare to land!" Moya calmly issued his orders.

El Drago led the artillery unit in bombarding the attacking Fishmen. Blue sonic energy cannons blasted across the surface of the sea.

Even the Fishmen dozens of meters beneath the surface couldn't escape. They were blown to pieces.

"Arlong, our brothers are taking heavy losses! They have a Devil Fruit User who can fire energy cannons! Our men died horribly. The enemy is about to land!"

A Fishman underling who had made it back cried as he reported to Arlong.

"What!! A Devil Fruit User! Damn it! I'll go slaughter them myself!"

Arlong grabbed his Sawtooth Blade and charged out.

Led by Nami, the Moya Adventure Group had landed and was heading straight for Arlong Park, leaving over a hundred crew members to secure the coastline.

The Arlong Pirates' three top officers—Kuroobi, the octopus Hatchan, and the kissing gourami Fishman Chew—followed Arlong as they charged toward the enemy.

Hatchan had a bad feeling. This was the first time so many members of the Arlong Pirates had gone into battle together.

The two groups collided head-on outside Arlong Park...

"Ha~ You're quite the welcoming host, Arlong. You finally decided to come out and greet us!" Moya said with a hint of disdain.

"Brat, who are you? I don't think we've met."

Arlong spotted Nami beside Moya, and his expression darkened.

"So it's you, Nami. Looks like you've forgotten how terrifying Fishmen are! After this, I'll have to destroy Cocoyasi Village, hahaha!"

Nami looked at Arlong, trembling uncontrollably, fear plain on her face.

Just then, a large hand wrapped around her. "I'm here, Nami! I'll crush this filthy fish myself!"

Moya turned his cold gaze on Arlong, as if he were looking at a dead fish.

"Hahaha~ He says he'll crush Boss Arlong! That brat still wet behind the ears has never seen a Fishman's strength, ten times that of a human!"

"Heh~ Ten times the strength? Moya Adventure Group, hear my command! Attack! Show no mercy!"

Moya didn't even feel like trying to talk them down. He went straight to battle.

Hatchan leaped forward. "No need, Boss Arlong! I can take care of you myself!"

With that, he charged at Moya, holding six swords. He was a swordsman of the Six-Sword Style.

"Let the king fight the king and the generals fight the generals. A captain isn't someone trash like you can challenge!"

Buggy charged forward with a dagger in hand.

'Swish, swish, swish~'

Buggy was chopped into who-knew-how-many pieces by the six swords. But before Arlong and the others could be surprised or laugh at how weak Buggy was, they saw the "dismembered" Buggy's two daggers plunge deep into Hatchan's back.

'Chop-Chop Spinning Kick'

Buggy kicked Hatchan out of the main battlefield and chased after him.

"Hatchan!!"

Kuroobi was shocked and started forward to rescue him.

Just then, an angry voice reached Kuroobi's ears.

"Your opponent is me!"

Kuroobi turned around. A masked man in spiked armor, carrying a massive lance, had appeared behind him without making a sound.

With no time to think, Kuroobi hurriedly dodged the Golden Armored Man's lance, but it still cut a gash across his back.

"Coward! How dare you sneak up on me!"

The kissing gourami Fishman Chew puffed up his cheeks, ready to fire a penetrating water shot at the Golden Armored Man.

But just then, an overwhelming sense of danger suddenly filled the air.

A huge blue beam of energy, crackling with sparks and lightning, shot toward Chew at incredible speed. He was about to be obliterated by El Drago's Sonic Cannon.

"Watch out!"

Arlong kicked Chew out of the way, saving him from the attack.

"Damn it! They have two Devil Fruit Users!" Arlong cursed.

"You're wrong! Can't you see me?"

Moya spoke calmly.

'Slip-Slip Fruit: Glazed Ground'

A strange energy spread across the ground beneath Arlong and his crew, making the surface slick.

The underlings standing within the Glazed Ground's range began slipping and falling one after another. Arlong plunged his Sawtooth Blade into the ground and barely managed to stay upright.

Arlong's ability to break through Moya's Glazed Ground directly showed just how great his strength was.

"Deal with the Fishman underlings! Nami, go clear out Arlong Park!"

Moya gave the orders to his squad leaders and Nami.

The squad leaders Gin, Cabaji, and Golass, along with the Cat Brothers, attacked the Fishman members, who were ten times stronger than ordinary people.

With over three hundred members of the Moya Adventure Group, they faced off against more than a hundred Fishmen.

Meanwhile, Nami led Pearl the Invincible and the Beast Tamer Mohji, protected by Richie the Lion and the others, as she began clearing out the wealth Arlong had stolen from the people over the years.

"Damn it! Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

Watching his Fishman brothers being slaughtered, Arlong shouted in fury.

"I'm just an adventurer. And as for why I'm attacking you, Nami is my woman now. Is that reason enough?"

Moya looked at the vicious Arlong and spoke coldly. He hated anyone who slaughtered innocent civilians, and Arlong was exactly that kind of fish.

"Ah~~"

Arlong yanked up his Sawtooth Blade and hurled it fiercely at Moya. Then, using all his strength, he drove his limbs into the ground with every step, doing his utmost to break through Moya's Slide Ground.

With Arlong's frenzied power, he burst forward at a shocking speed.

Moya narrowly dodged the Sawtooth Blade Arlong had thrown. Then he saw Arlong rush toward him. With Moya's physique, he didn't dare take Arlong's bite head-on.

'Slip-Slip Fruit: Silent Instant Slide'

Moya vanished from where he stood, leaving Arlong to lunge at empty air. But that was exactly what Arlong wanted. His main goal was to break through head-on and get outside the range of Moya's Glazed Ground.

As expected, there were no weaklings beneath a fearsome reputation. Arlong had plenty of combat experience and immediately thought of how to break through Moya's Glazed Ground: force his way to the outer edge.

But Moya wasn't bad either.

"Trying to run? Not a chance!"

Moya activated the Slip-Slip Fruit again, extending the range of the Glazed Ground farther in Arlong's direction, and his hands moved just as quickly.

'Silent Instant Slash'

He drew his sword and slid behind Arlong in an instant, slashing him across the back.

Wounded, Arlong became even more ferocious. Ignoring his injuries, he kept unleashing his full strength, making it difficult for Moya to find an opening.

Compared to Moya, Arlong was like a warrior with high defense, a deep health pool, and powerful attacks.

Moya, on the other hand, was like an assassin with control and speed. But because he hadn't had much time to train, he lacked an assassin's high attack power.

"Looks like I can only wear him down. Inside my Glazed Ground, Arlong's energy use is several times higher than usual, maybe even ten times. I just have to hold on to win."

Moya had overlooked one thing: although Arlong was using up a lot of energy, he had a powerful physique to back him up.

Moya's own energy use wasn't nearly as high as Arlong's, but he was maintaining the Glazed Ground over such a huge area for so long.

And he still had to keep Arlong occupied. Could his stamina outlast Arlong's?

Half an hour later, after dodging another of Arlong's lunges, Moya was already panting. Seeing him like that, Arlong attacked with even greater desperation.

Just then, Buggy, El Drago, and Krieg returned, dragging Hatchan, Chew, and Kuroobi—the three officers they had defeated.

Seeing his officers, his brothers, neither alive nor dead, Arlong finally lost the last of his reason.

His veins bulging and his eyes bloodshot, he suddenly drove his limbs into the ground and shot toward Moya like an arrow.

"Captain, look out!"

The three men shouted.

Nami had just finished looting the place. Seeing Arlong's fierce attack, she couldn't help but shout too.

"Moya, look out!"