Arriving Just in Time

Outside Arlong Park.

Hundreds of villagers lay sprawled across the ground, surrounded by more than a dozen sneering fish-men.

Though they had prepared themselves for defeat, they had never expected to lose so badly.

The combined strength of the entire village had not even allowed them to see Arlong.

A mere fish-man grunt had defeated them all in less than five minutes.

Fish-men possessed physical abilities several times greater than ordinary humans. They had no ability to resist.

Were the Arlong Pirates truly unbeatable?

The villagers lay on the ground, their eyes vacant and filled with despair.

"Hang these inferior humans from the flagpoles and dry them into jerky!"

"Let everyone else on this island know what happens to those who resist."

Kuroobi's face twisted viciously as he gave the cruelest order without hesitation.

Inside Arlong Park.

Captain Nezumi and Arlong drank merrily on the balcony.

Having just obtained Nami's one hundred million Beli, the enormous sum had put them both in an excellent mood.

Seeing Nami's furious and despairing expression, they felt no guilt whatsoever. Instead, it gave them a thrill of sadistic pleasure.

"Arlong, are you going to wipe out another village? It'll be troublesome if the higher-ups ask questions."

Captain Nezumi looked displeased as he watched the villagers lying defeated below.

Arlong had already wiped out quite a few villages before this, nearly ten thousand people altogether.

The disappearance of so many people could easily draw the attention of other Marines.

"Don't worry. I'll add another twenty percent to your share."

After eight years of working together, Arlong had long seen through Captain Nezumi.

Human lives meant nothing to him. He merely wanted more Beli.

"Then, happy cooperation!"

Captain Nezumi nodded in satisfaction, his already unpleasant face becoming even more lecherous.

As long as the Beli was there, anything could be discussed.

If the higher-ups held him accountable, he would simply say that other pirates had come to raid the place and the Marines had arrived one step too late.

"That little thief girl came with someone. That's..."

Captain Nezumi's eyes widened.

"It's that strongest Bounty Hunter. He's here to deal with us!"

Captain Nezumi instinctively wanted to run. He had long heard of Luo Wen's reputation.

He was immensely powerful and hated evil with a passion.

Not long ago, he had even received orders from above to do everything possible to recruit Luo Wen into the Marines.

If Luo Wen discovered what he had been doing, he would be finished.

"What are you afraid of? He's just an East Blue rookie. I'm a great pirate who returned from the Grand Line."

Arlong was utterly disdainful.

He did not believe the East Blue could produce any strong fighters. The so-called strongest Bounty Hunter was merely a stronger ant.

"If he dares interfere with our business, make him disappear!"

"Besides, he won't even get past my men."

Arlong had immense confidence in his fish-man subordinates.

They were all elite soldiers brought from Fish-Man Island, with physical abilities several times beyond those of ordinary humans.

The three officers in particular had, like him, come from the Sun Pirates.

In Arlong's eyes, any one of them could defeat Don Krieg.

"That would be perfect. Let the strongest Bounty Hunter disappear here!"

Captain Nezumi settled down and focused on the battlefield below.

Outside Arlong Park.

"Release the villagers immediately! The man beside me is the strongest Bounty Hunter in the East Blue!"

Seeing the villagers on the ground, Nami was filled with rage and wished she could kill every last member of the Arlong Pirates.

But there were more than a dozen towering fish-men across from them, as well as three officers of the Arlong Pirates.

On their side, there were only Luo Wen and her. The disparity was enormous.

Nami suppressed her anger and tried to use Luo Wen's reputation to frighten off the Arlong Pirates. She wanted to save the villagers first.

"Hahaha, the strongest Bounty Hunter in the East Blue? We're so scared!"

"I thought it was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

All the fish-men burst into laughter.

They had returned from the Grand Line. Only powerhouses like the Seven Warlords of the Sea or the Four Emperors' crews could make them afraid.

"Nami, run! You two are no match for these fish-men!"

The battle against the fish-men had driven the villagers into complete despair. More than a hundred of them had not been able to defeat even one fish-man.

What could Nami and Luo Wen possibly do by themselves?

Every villager on the ground was anxious. They knew they were doomed, but they did not want Nami to die here as well.

"Sir, please take Nami away. Don't worry about us!"

Gin, the head of the village security force, looked anxious, hoping Luo Wen could free Nami from the Arlong Pirates' clutches.

The other villagers felt the same way. To save the village, Nami had endured eight years of humiliation alone.

They did not want Nami to die here either. Such a kind girl deserved a better life.

Without villagers like them holding her back, Nami would no longer have to struggle so hard.

Only Nami's sister, Nojiko, still held onto hope.

She and Nami had seen that newspaper together. The sight of Luo Wen destroying an entire pirate ship with one strike had shocked her deeply.

The fish-men of the Arlong Pirates were powerful, but they were far too weak compared to that kind of strength.

Perhaps even Arlong was no match for this man.

But the fish-men did not think so.

They had already surrounded Luo Wen and Nami, while the three top officers of the Arlong Pirates stared intently at Luo Wen.

They did not care for Luo Wen's reputation, but they were not blind.

Luo Wen's powerful physique, along with the black berserk aura curling around him, made it clear that he was no weakling.

"Leave Nami behind, and we'll let you go."

Kuroobi spoke first, eyeing Luo Wen warily.

If possible, he did not want to fight Luo Wen.

Even if they won, they would have to pay a price.

Beside him, Hachi, the octopus fish-man, swung his six arms, whirling six long swords in an impenetrable blur and shredding a tree into pieces.

Chew, the kissing fish-man, opened his mouth and spat water bullets at another large tree, blasting it apart as well.

The other fish-men also stretched and displayed their Fish-Man Karate.

Clearly, these fish-men were demonstrating their strength to Luo Wen.

"Well? Are you scared now?"

"Leave now, and we can still spare you."

Kuroobi looked smug. These were their proudest techniques.

The villagers on the ground stared in shock, growing even more fearful of the fish-men's strength.

Nami's expression changed when she heard that.

She cautiously looked at Luo Wen, afraid that he would simply leave.

But Nami had no intention of stopping him. This had never been Luo Wen's problem. Whether he stayed or left was his own decision.

Only when she saw that Luo Wen's expression had not changed did Nami let out a breath of relief.

Nami made up her mind. If they survived this crisis, she was willing to give Luo Wen everything.

"In fact, I'm not afraid, because you're far too weak!"

The strength these fish-men had deliberately displayed was terrifying to the villagers, but in Luo Wen's eyes, it was nothing more than a clown show.

Heracles had mastered countless martial arts and transcended humanity into the realm of gods. Though, as a Berserker Class servant, he had lost most of his techniques.

The martial instincts he gave Luo Wen still allowed him to reach the realm of a martial arts master.

In Luo Wen's eyes, the fish-men's martial arts were naturally far superior to those of the Krieg Pirates, yet before him, they were as clumsy as children flailing about.

"So, you intend to oppose us to the very end?"

Hearing Luo Wen's mockery, Kuroobi confirmed his intentions once more.

Luo Wen did not bother to say anything about accepting the challenge. Such trash was unworthy of it.

He merely took the two-meter-long, broad greatsword from his back, making his stance clear.

Nami and the villagers on the ground looked at Luo Wen with concern filling their eyes.

Nojiko's eyes lit up as she thought once more of that newspaper.

That single slash which had destroyed the flagship of the Krieg Pirates was something these fish-men could never withstand.