Dark Devourer

Bartolomeo understood and said with a grin, "Senior Noki, rest assured and leave Loguetown to me. I may not be good at much else, but protecting villages and towns is what I do best. With me here, no one will dare lay a finger on the people of this town."

Sergeant Carter asked, "When does the rear admiral plan to depart?"

"As soon as possible. For every day we delay in wiping out the pirates, the people suffer another day under their oppression."

"Then I'll immediately send people to prepare the supplies needed for the expedition. Also, should we notify the Third Marine Branch in advance? Arlong's territory falls under their jurisdiction."

"You can notify them. Order them to prepare for the aftermath once Arlong is defeated."

"Yes, sir!"

After settling Bartolomeo and his group in.

Noki went to the kitchen to fulfill yesterday's promise and continue teaching Tereina how to cook.

The chefs had all tasted the two Buddha Jumps Over the Wall dishes he had made yesterday. They truly were rare delicacies, and it would not have been an exaggeration to call them the finest dishes in the entire East Blue.

This time, Tereina had finally learned it. She asked Noki to stay and personally went through the entire cooking process in front of him.

Noki was quite satisfied. His painstaking efforts had not been wasted after all. "Well done."

Rarely receiving praise from Noki, Tereina was overjoyed. She lowered her head and twisted her fingers together as she said shyly, "Rear Admiral, thank you for teaching me how to cook. Could you come to the competition in two days? I want you to present my award..."

"In two days?" Noki gently shook his head. "The pirates in the East Blue have been far too rampant lately. I'll be leaving Loguetown tomorrow to wipe them out. I'm afraid I won't get to see you compete."

"Oh..."

Tereina was somewhat disappointed.

She had originally planned to make a grand confession to Noki during her speech at the award ceremony. Now, it seemed she could only wait for another chance.

For this expedition, Noki brought Tashigi and Dezaya with him, leaving Bartolomeo and Carter behind to guard Loguetown.

Although Bartolomeo envied Dezaya for being able to accompany Noki, once he thought of how Noki had entrusted him with something as important as guarding the town, he knew he absolutely could not disappoint his idol's expectations!

Additionally, Noki gave Carter and Bartolomeo a task: keep an eye on young people arriving in Loguetown. If a boy wearing an orange cowboy hat with freckles across his cheeks appeared, they had to stop him.

After giving these instructions, Noki boarded a warship and set sail, heading straight for Arlong's heartland.

East Blue, Third Marine Branch.

"Colonel Nezumi, word has come from Loguetown. Rear Admiral Cudilia Noci from Marine Headquarters has set sail for Pirate Arlong's territory and will arrive soon."

Colonel Nezumi stroked his long, thin whiskers and asked, "What is this rear admiral's background?"

"All we know is that he has quite a reputation at headquarters. It seems that... he personally killed a great pirate with a bounty over a hundred million!"

"Hiss... This is troublesome. Arlong is probably no match for him. If Arlong reveals that I've been working with him in order to save his life, neither of us will survive."

"Colonel, what should we do?"

"What else can we do? I'll contact Arlong personally and tell him to prepare. It would be best if he can defeat this rear admiral. Also, keep a close watch on Loguetown's movements. The moment the Loguetown Marines land on the island, notify me immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

East Blue, Arlong Park.

A fish-man with a sharp, saw-like nose sat solemnly in a spacious, comfortable stone chair.

"I never expected a rear admiral from headquarters to come to a backwater like the East Blue."

Officer Kuroobi folded his muscular arms and said in a deep voice, "Brother Arlong, back when we followed Brother Fisher Tiger, we handled three or four rear admirals from headquarters before. Now there's only one. There's no need to worry."

"That's true."

Arlong agreed on the surface, but inwardly he was deeply uneasy. He knew full well that the Fish-Man Pirates had been able to run wild back then largely because of Fisher Tiger and Jinbe's strength.

Though he refused to accept Jinbe, there was no denying that Jinbe was stronger than him. The other fish-men all knew it too.

Moreover, they had stayed in the East Blue for nearly five years. Because the East Blue was generally weak, they had hardly fought a tough battle in all those years. Their strength was long past its prime.

If they truly fought, they would most likely lose.

Arlong understood that humans were extremely greedy creatures. It would be better to first try tempting them with money and women. If that failed, then he could still fight with everything he had.

The Marine warship traveled swiftly, and after several days at sea, it reached the waters near Arlong's base.

As the ship's adjutant, Tashigi stood on the deck and directed the Marines to prepare for battle.

Dezaya rubbed her hands eagerly. She had long heard that fish-men were exceptionally strong and had wanted to test herself against them.

Just as the warship was about to reach the coast, a group of fish-men emerged from the sea.

"Enemies!"

The lookout spotted them immediately.

Tashigi drew Shigure from her waist and stood at the bow, calling out, "We are Marines from Loguetown. I advise you not to continue this futile resistance. Surrender early to avoid unnecessary casualties!"

Officer Chew shouted, "Who is the commander aboard this warship? I am an officer of the Arlong Pirates. By order of our captain, I wish to befriend you. These are gifts our captain prepared for you."

As he spoke, the fish-men tossed several crates onto the ship.

Dezaya opened one and found it stuffed full of Beli notes!

Tashigi said indignantly, "What do you take us for? How can Marines be swayed by money?"

Chew sneered. "Heh, little girl, it isn't your place to speak. Hurry and bring out your commander to see me. Captain Arlong has prepared not only money, but food and beautiful women as well. He's waiting for your commander."

Yawning, Noki slowly strolled out of the cabin. "Captain Arlong has gone through the trouble. Since it's free money, why refuse it? Tashigi, take all of it."

"Rear Admiral, you can't..."

Before Tashigi could finish.

Noki swiftly drew his sword. Several fierce golden flashes of blade light streaked past, sending countless slashes flying.

His sword was so fast that before the fish-men could even react, the slashes had already passed through their bodies.

The sea was instantly dyed a vivid crimson.

"So strong..."

The Marines all stared wide-eyed. This was the first time they had truly seen the rear admiral fight.

Tashigi's expression was somewhat conflicted. No matter how strong she was, she was still a new recruit.

Noticing Tashigi's silence, Noki asked, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Rear Admiral, wasn't that too cruel..." Tashigi asked, gathering her courage.

Noki smiled faintly. "I once saw countless towns pillaged by pirates on the Grand Line. There are four words to describe them: too horrible to behold.

"Men, women, elderly people, and children were slaughtered like pigs and dogs in the eyes of pirates. Some were killed for money, while others were killed purely for amusement.

"If you had seen those scenes, you would understand that piracy is an utterly unforgivable profession. They deserve to die!"

Tashigi asked, "Did you ever feel sad for those people who were harmed?"

Noki shook his head. "I'm not a saint. At most, I felt somewhat moved inside. Sadness would be overstating it."

"I understand what you mean."

Though Tashigi still had her doubts, she was clearly much less troubled than before.

"Mm." Noki nodded lightly.

Tashigi immediately shouted, "Bring the warship ashore! Everyone, prepare to land!"

Cocoyasi Village.

A villager ran into the police station, panting heavily. "Genzo, good news! The Marines have landed!"

"The Marines?"

Genzo was overjoyed, his voice trembling. "After all these years, Marines have finally defeated the fish-men and landed on this island! We're saved! Take me there, quickly."

Noki led the group at the front, strolling along as leisurely as an old man taking a walk.

Dezaya urged impatiently, "Master, hurry up. I can't wait to fight the fish-men."

Noki replied calmly, "If you think you can take on every fish-man alone, I'll allow you to go on ahead."

"Really? You won't set me up?"

"Of course not."

"Got it!"

Having received his assurance, Dezaya took off at a sprint, moving as swiftly as the wind.

Tashigi asked worriedly, "Rear Admiral, she won't get hurt, will she?"

"Don't worry. She won't die."

Noki's group walked along the country road for a while.

An old man with scars all over his face ran toward them, stood at attention, and saluted. "I am Genzo, the sheriff of Cocoyasi Village. May I ask who you are, sir?"

"Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters and commander of the Loguetown base, Cudilia Noci."

"A rear admiral..."

Genzo was utterly shocked. The highest-ranking Marine officer he had ever seen in his life was only a colonel. A rear admiral was two full ranks above a colonel, not to mention one from headquarters.

With a headquarters rear admiral here, what was there to fear from Arlong?

Noki continued, "Not long ago, a warship from the Third Marine Branch attempted to land on this island but was wiped out by Arlong's men. I heard about it and came to avenge them."

"Oh, you must be exhausted from the journey. Why don't you come back to the village and rest for a while? I can take you to Arlong afterward."

Though Genzo was anxious to defeat Arlong, he had not forgotten proper hospitality.

"There's no need to rest. Just take me to Arlong."

"Alright. Please follow me."

Genzo led Noki and the others through fields and forests until they arrived outside the grand, towering Arlong Park.

Strangely, they had not encountered a single fish-man along the way.

As Genzo wondered about this, he suddenly spotted five or six fish-men unconscious at the entrance to Arlong Park. They appeared to have been attacked.

Noki explained, "One of my subordinates left ahead of me. She probably did this."

"As expected of a rear admiral. Even your subordinate is this formidable."

They entered Arlong Park.

Dezaya was already locked in a fierce battle with Kuroobi, the Arlong Pirates officer and Fish-Man Karate expert.

"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Uppercut Palm Explosion!"

Kuroobi chopped out with his palm, layers of forceful wind trailing behind it.

Not to be outdone, Dezaya raised an iron rod she had somehow picked up and charged forward.

The octopus fish-man Hatchan, wielding eight swords, attempted to sneak up behind Dezaya.

Seeing this, Tashigi hurriedly drew Shigure and blocked Hatchan's Eight-Sword Style attack. "I'm your opponent!"

Dezaya casually wiped the sweat from her cheek. "Tashigi, I can deal with them without your help."

Tashigi said seriously, "This isn't the time to act tough. We'll each handle one."

Arlong's expression darkened. "Men, kill them!"

"Got it, Brother Arlong."

"Lowly humans, behold the might of the superior race."

"Charge!"

The fish-men charged forward with savage expressions, wielding all kinds of weapons.

"Move!"

Noki gave the order.

The Loguetown Marines charged bravely and clashed with the fish-men.

Standing beside Noki, Genzo asked quietly, "Rear Admiral, aren't you going to fight?"

"It's a rare chance for real combat training. Let them experience it, so they don't fail when they're on an actual battlefield."

"Training?"

Genzo gave a bitter smile.

This rear admiral truly did not take Arlong seriously at all.

The daily training regimen Noki had created made the Marines under his command far stronger than those of any other East Blue branch.

Blades clashed, fists and kicks flew.

The cries of battle shook the heavens.

Watching his fellow fish-men fall one after another, Arlong's rage surged. He spread his webbed hands and swung a massive palm at a young Marine.

Noki's gaze sharpened as his legs kicked off the ground at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Soru!

The young Marine felt the palm wind and thought his life was over. When he opened his eyes again, however, he found the rear admiral standing before him.

"So you're the rear admiral from headquarters. Woman, I'll make your life worse than death!"

Noki raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice, "What did you say?"

Arlong had no idea that he had inadvertently crossed Noki's bottom line. He swung his thick arm and threw a punch.

Noki raised his right arm, extended his index finger, and jabbed Arlong's chest, arms, and abdomen dozens of times in rapid succession. He moved so quickly that afterimages appeared.

"Gah!"

Arlong staggered back again and again, blood spraying continuously from his mouth.

Elsewhere.

Facing Hatchan's chaotic Eight-Sword Style, Tashigi gripped her sword hilt with both hands. As all eight swords came down at once, she knocked them aside with a single strike. Then, while Hatchan pulled his blades back to defend, she raised Shigure high and swung it forward fiercely.

"Rain Slash!"

"Riiip!"

A dark red wound opened across Hatchan's chest. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

During her battle with Kuroobi, Dezaya constantly recalled the martial arts techniques Noki had demonstrated to her.

According to Noki, with her current physique, comprehending one or two of the Six Powers would not be difficult.

She had been working toward that goal lately.

Gradually, she seemed to find the feeling. A slender finger tapped Kuroobi's chest. "Finger Pistol!"

There was a crack inside Kuroobi's body as one of his bones broke. "Damn woman! Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Lower Break Kick!"

"Iron Body!"

Dezaya tensed every muscle in her body.

She did not move an inch.

Then Dezaya thrust out her finger again. "Finger Pistol... Finger Pistol... Finger Pistol!!!"

Kuroobi coughed up blood repeatedly.

Dezaya gave her opponent no chance to catch his breath, continuing to jab until Kuroobi lay completely motionless.

Noki activated the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit. Endless darkness spilled from the surface of his pale skin, spreading throughout Arlong Park—across the walls, the ground, the buildings... devouring everything.

"Dark Devourer!"