Cocoyasi Village! The Butterfly Effect

BOOM!

Arlong's pirate ship crashed from the mountain waterway down into the sea below.

"Big Brother Arlong, Big Brother Jinbe is calling again, telling us to go back."

A Fish-Man rushed over, clutching a Den Den Mushi.

Arlong, who had been wearing an excited expression, saw his face darken immediately upon hearing this.

"Big Brother Arlong, Big Brother Jinbe says you'll be in mortal danger this time."

Seeing Arlong's expression, the octopus Fish-Man who had rushed over spoke with some trepidation.

"Bastard! Jinbe is just a coward who doesn't want to avenge Big Brother Tiger, and he even joined the Navy!"

Arlong gritted his teeth and roared in fury.

The other Fish-Men, who had been full of excitement, fell silent.

The ship beneath them also stabilized after the recent turbulence.

Big Brother Tiger!

The former captain of the Sun Pirates was the shared idol of all these Fish-Men who had set out to sea.

Under Big Brother Tiger's leadership, these Fish-Men had hoped to change the relationship between Fish-Men and humans, but what was the final result?

He saved a human and wanted to send her back to her hometown, only to be betrayed, and even Big Brother Tiger died.

"Humans are creatures that cannot be trusted! We of the Fish-Man Race are the superior race! To us, those humans are nothing but weaklings—a lower race!"

Arlong turned to look at the group of Fish-Men and roared loudly.

"Only by being tough will those humans fear us. Jinbe is a coward, but I, Arlong, will lead you to rise up in the East Blue and overturn the world, starting with becoming the overlord of the East Blue!"

Most humans in this world were simple-minded brutes.

Of course, this also had to do with the education and environment of this world; most humans couldn't even read, let alone these Fish-Men.

Arlong's speech, which lacked any real substance, immediately whipped the group of Fish-Men into a frenzy.

All the Fish-Men cheered.

"Hatchan, cut off contact with that bastard Jinbe immediately."

"Yes, Big Brother Arlong!"

Upon hearing this, the octopus Fish-Man Hatchan quickly stood at attention.

"Boys, let's begin! Conquer the East Blue!" Arlong nodded in satisfaction, then turned and drew his Kiribachi, pointing it forward.

Amidst the cheers, the ship sailed straight ahead.

Grand Line.

Jinbe put down the Den Den Mushi in his hand.

"Big Brother Jinbe, will Shyarly's prophecy really come true?"

Although that guy Arlong was extreme, he had been a comrade in the Sun Pirates after all.

The Fish-Men on this ship knew why Jinbe had agreed to become a Shichibukai, and they knew he had endured immense criticism.

"Shyarly's prophecy is very accurate."

Jinbe shook his head and looked toward the front of the ship, his expression grave.

That bastard actually ran off to the East Blue to hatch some plan for hegemony. Setting aside whether Arlong had the strength for it, just causing trouble would make humans hate Fish-Men even more.

And at that point, the situation for Fish-Men would become even more difficult.

"Increase speed! We must reach the East Blue before Arlong gets into trouble."

Jinbe gave the order.

The one good thing was that although Arlong had ordered Hatchan not to contact him again, Hatchan had already promised to report their location.

East Blue, Cocoyasi Village.

"Sir, are you really taking them all?"

Bell-mère, sporting a strange hairstyle and a cigarette in her mouth, looked at Dunn in surprise.

"Yes, I'll take them all. Your oranges are very fresh. I'll be spending quite a while at sea, and I can't be without fruit."

Dunn nodded.

He had actually been staying in these waters for quite a few days, originally intending to find Arlong and collect the bounty directly.

However, after scouting around, he determined that Arlong probably hadn't arrived yet.

But according to the timeline, it should be within this year.

Dunn didn't intend to waste this time, though; he prepared to sweep through the nearby pirates to save up for his expenses after heading to the Grand Line.

Today was his first time visiting Cocoyasi Village.

"Huh? Aren't you a merchant?" Bell-mère asked, stunned by Dunn's remark.

"Do I look like a merchant?" Dunn looked down at himself, dressed in an ordinary white shirt and white trousers.

"If that's the case, I can't sell you that many!" Bell-mère shook her head, her expression turning serious.

"Why?" Dunn asked, curious. He remembered that after returning to her hometown, Bell-mère's life didn't seem easy; she often went hungry, relying on her orange grove to survive while raising two adopted daughters. Sometimes she had to fill her stomach with oranges, and whenever Nami and the others grew curious, she would jokingly claim that eating oranges was good for the complexion.

"Because these fresh oranges won't keep for long. If you want them to last, sir, you should go buy some rum," Bell-mère explained with a earnest look.

"I see!" Dunn nodded upon hearing this. Seeing that Dunn understood, Bell-mère smiled. "But I still want all of them. My appetite is quite large; I'll finish these oranges in a few days." As he spoke, Dunn tossed down a stack of Belly. "However, you'll need to help me deliver them to my ship by the shore."

Bell-mère froze, looking at the departing Dunn and then back at the Belly he had left behind. Finish them in a few days? Was he planning to use these oranges as a meal? Although fresh fruit was essential at sea, one couldn't just live on fruit alone, could they? Bell-mère felt a bit bewildered.

"What's wrong? Did that bastard give you a hard time?" A middle-aged man wearing a windmill hat approached. Seeing Bell-mère's dazed expression, he asked with concern.

"No, nothing like that! You've come at the right time; help me move these oranges to the ship by the shore," Bell-mère said, snapping back to reality when she saw it was Genzo.

"All of them?" Genzo's eyes widened; there were a lot of oranges here.

"All of them! If you can help me finish, you can come to my place for dinner tonight," Bell-mère said with a smile.

"No problem!" Seeing Bell-mère's smile and hearing her offer, Genzo perked up instantly. After giving a salute, he immediately set to work.

Meanwhile, Dunn wandered through the village. Basically, every household sold fruit, mostly oranges, which made them appear difficult to sell. After all, fresh fruit really couldn't be stored for long. The nearby 16th Marine Branch would buy in bulk, but even they couldn't consume this much. The surrounding island villages were in much the same situation, as the climate here was quite favorable for fruit trees. As for meat, it was entirely fish.

Dunn procured some basic supplies and paid to have them delivered to his ship. He couldn't change this situation; such circumstances weren't unique to this place. That kind of grand undertaking was better left to the Revolutionary Army. They were the ones who handled that sort of thing.

Dunn thought to himself, then paused, lifting his gaze to look ahead. Two little girls of similar height were walking side by side, each carrying a basket filled with oranges. One had blue hair, the other orange; they were about ten years old and looked rather thin. It was Nojiko and Nami. Dunn's eyes lingered for a moment before he withdrew his gaze and brushed past them.

Hmm, if I take out Arlong, Bell-mère won't die. If she doesn't die, Nami won't need to go out to sea to raise ransom money and become a little cat burglar, which means she won't meet Monkey D. Luffy. So, Monkey D. Luffy will be without a navigator? Dunn thought, rubbing his chin.

And that guy Zoro, his future experiences will likely change as well.

The future has become an unknown.

Oh, and if Ace doesn't obtain the Mera Mera no Mi, perhaps he will focus on developing his Haki instead, and might even become a master swordsman or a martial arts expert.

With that in mind, Dunn felt a bit more anticipation for how the future would unfold.

But thinking about it now is still a bit premature; there is still a long time to go.

Perhaps his intervention in this world will trigger even greater changes.

The butterfly effect, was it called?

However, Dunn wasn't overly worried; he would just do what he wanted to do, and as for the rest, to hell with it.

Thinking this, Dunn returned to his small boat by the shore after finishing his supply run.

Setting sail to wander about.

Just as Dunn set sail and left Cocoyasi Village, Nami and Nojiko returned home to find the table spread with a more lavish meal than usual.