Young Natsuya, the Merfolk's Solemnity!

The coast of Cocoyasi Village.

Nojiko, also only eleven or twelve years old, was fishing here alongside the village sheriff, Genzo.

Although she owned an orange grove, it was nowhere near enough to pay the protection money, so she had to take on odd jobs to earn extra cash.

Most importantly, she wanted to earn enough to cover her younger sister's share as well, hoping to lighten her burden a little.

Thinking of her sister Nami, Nojiko worked even harder.

But a moment later, Genzo suddenly stopped what he was doing.

Nojiko was a bit puzzled, but seeing Genzo staring out at the sea, she followed his gaze and was instantly stunned.

On the surface of the sea not far away, a pirate ship had appeared.

And Nami was, quite clearly, on that pirate ship.

Besides her, there was also a handsome youth dressed in a suit.

"Nami?"

Nojiko's eyes lit up.

Genzo's expression, however, darkened.

He sensed that something was wrong.

He was very clear about what Nami had been doing all these years.

It was nothing more than stealing, swindling, and even dealing with those pirates.

But this was the first time Nami had returned here with someone else.

Although the youth had a calm temperament and dressed elegantly, the backdrop of the pirate ship made Genzo instinctively feel that something was amiss.

"Nojiko, you stay here, I'll go notify the villagers."

"No, wait—Nojiko, I'll stay here, you go notify the villagers and have them bring weapons over immediately."

As Genzo said this, his face grew grim.

He felt that Nami might be in trouble, so he immediately wanted to rally the villagers for help.

But it was already too late.

Because the two people on the pirate ship had also looked over and spotted them.

With no other choice, Genzo had to pull Nojiko back and stay where they were, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Nami."

As the ship drew closer, Genzo immediately called out to Nami on board.

Natsuya glanced at Nami with a half-smile, then asked a question he already knew the answer to: "Do you know them?"

In truth, when she spotted Nojiko and Genzo, Nami's eyes had lit up.

But soon, her expression turned cold again, and she feigned indifference.

That was the case now as well.

"They are also from Cocoyasi Village. This is the sheriff, Genzo, and this one is my sister, Nojiko."

Nami introduced them with a flat expression.

In reality, she didn't want Natsuya to have any contact with Nojiko and the others.

But she couldn't exactly take Natsuya directly to the Arlong Empire, so she had no choice but to land on this coast first.

She hadn't expected Nojiko and Genzo to be right here.

She couldn't very well pretend not to see them, lest Natsuya harbor any misunderstandings that might prove unfavorable to Nojiko and the others.

"Oh, what a coincidence. Since it's our first meeting, you can just call me Natsuya."

Natsuya naturally pretended not to notice Nami's little schemes and smiled without a change in his expression.

He looked like an elegant youth from a noble background, which greatly lowered the guard of Nojiko and Genzo.

Nojiko immediately stepped forward, a smile appearing on her face.

Genzo, however, furrowed his brows slightly.

He felt that the name "Natsuya" was somewhat familiar.

It felt as if he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it for the moment.

But soon, Genzo's attention was drawn to something else.

At this time, Nojiko asked, seemingly offhandedly: "Nami, how come you came back on a pirate ship?"

Genzo immediately pricked up his ears.

Fearing that Nojiko and Genzo might provoke Natsuya, Nami couldn't bother with feigning indifference anymore and hurriedly explained: "I was being hunted by pirates at sea, and this big brother Natsuya saved me."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Nojiko and Genzo changed instantly.

A look of heartache flashed through both their eyes, and as they looked at Natsuya, their gazes held a touch of gratitude.

With that, the presence of a pirate ship was no longer a surprise.

Of course, that was no longer important; what mattered was that the young man before them was Nami's benefactor.

And Nami's benefactor was, by extension, the benefactor of their Cocoyasi Village!

Coming back to his senses, Genzo immediately approached with a smile on his face to strike up a conversation: "Brother Natsuya, thank you so much!"

"If something had happened to Nami, it would have been a failure of duty on my part as the sheriff."

"You must be tired from your journey. Let's find a place to rest and grab a bite to eat; I really must thank you properly."

Natsuya wore a perfectly measured smile as he engaged in a harmonious and friendly conversation with Genzo.

Having come from the CP Department, he was proficient in far more than just combat.

In fact, every qualified CP agent was an all-around operative; handling a minor social situation like this was a piece of cake.

Naturally, the most important thing was that Natsuya had come here specifically to "rest," so Genzo's proposal suited him perfectly.

Thus, Natsuya did not refuse and went along with the flow, following Genzo toward the village.

Nojiko, however, lingered behind and hurriedly pulled Nami aside to ask carefully: "Nami, who exactly is that person, and how did you two meet?"

Although she had already explained it once just moments ago, Nojiko still felt a bit uneasy.

Yet Nami was unwilling to appear too intimate with Nojiko; after all, she had brought Natsuya back with ill intentions this time.

If Natsuya were to notice anything, Nojiko might also be in danger.

Driven by this thought, Nami didn't say much more and hurriedly chased after them.

Nojiko frowned, having no choice but to follow as well.

Just as Natsuya and the others left the shore, they failed to notice several faint, looming figures hovering on the surface of the sea not far from the coast.

These figures had strange appearances and bore distinct fish-like features; they were none other than Kuroobi, Hatchan, and the others.

"Kuroobi, what do we do now?"

Hatchan looked toward the shore, a trace of shock appearing in his eyes.

Just a moment ago, they had spotted Nami and were about to go over to say hello when they suddenly discovered the presence of Natsuya!

At first, the group hadn't paid much attention, but suddenly, Kuroobi's expression had shifted, and he had immediately ordered everyone to submerge beneath the sea.

Hatchan and the others had been confused at first, but after Kuroobi explained the situation in an incredibly grave tone, they had suddenly realized the gravity of the situation!

It turned out that the young man appearing by Nami's side was someone Kuroobi recognized!

No, to be more precise, they all recognized him!

Because that young man was none other than Natsuya, the 100-million Beli bounty criminal who had caused a stir throughout the East Blue not long ago!

As the overlords of the East Blue, they could hardly be unaware of or dismissive of such an entity suddenly rising within their territory.

Arlong had even specifically warned them that if they ever encountered this person, they must absolutely not act rashly!

However, since some time had passed, Hatchan and the others had somewhat forgotten what Natsuya looked like.

After all, even among different people, there was a general sense of face-blindness, let alone between different races.

In other words, to them as Fish-men, human faces all looked pretty much the same!

Kuroobi, however, was relatively more reliable; not only had he memorized Natsuya's appearance, but he had also recognized him at a glance.

Once they identified the youth with Nami as that same Natsuya, they naturally dared not act rashly and remained hidden underwater, only daring to surface once Natsuya and the others had disappeared from the coast.

Hearing Hatchan's question, Kuroobi didn't even think twice before turning to swim away.

"Let's go tell Arlong this news first!"

Hatchan and the others were stunned for a moment before quickly following suit.

And so, shortly thereafter.

Upon learning the news of Natsuya's appearance, Arlong's expression darkened.