The Hero Becomes the Dragon

Above Arlong Park, Rubick, wound up to the limit, released all the torque he had built up.

The twisting force sent Rubick spinning like the wheel of a speeding carriage. With Arlong bound to him, they began to fall. Once Rubick had released all that pent-up force, it traveled down his arm and into Arlong.

"Gomu Gomu no Bottom Bounce!"

With nearly five meters left before they hit the ground, Rubick hurled Arlong downward. The force, multiplied dozens of times over, drove Arlong into the earth and left a pit three meters deep.

Rubick landed safely in the pit. Arlong lay unconscious beside him. Grabbing Arlong by the throat with his left hand, Rubick dragged him out.

His rubber arm stretched out to pick up a cleaver that a frightened Fish-Man had dropped nearby.

Rubick swept his gaze over the terrified Fish-Men. "I came here today to kill Arlong. If you don't want to die, get out of the East Blue."

Without a moment's hesitation, Rubick chopped off Arlong's head.

"See? Fish-Men bleed red, too."

Rubick kicked Arlong's body toward Hachi and roared, "Get out!"

Hachi saw Arlong's head in Rubick's hand, still dripping blood, and charged like a madman. Rage had stripped him of all reason. His sword strikes came straight at Rubick, who dodged them with ease and slipped behind him.

With a single Immortal Points the Way, Rubick sent Hachi flying. He landed far away, sprawled out alongside the other two officers.

"D-don't kill us! We'll leave right now."

The remaining Fish-Men threw down their weapons. Without their captain and officers, many of them were no stronger than ordinary humans. They hoisted up their wounded officers and Arlong's body, jumped into the sea, and fled Arlong Park.

Nojiko hid behind the wall, hardly daring to breathe. She had never imagined Rubick would actually kill Arlong in Arlong Park.

Weeping with joy, Nojiko immediately ran back to the village to tell everyone the good news. Rubick watched her go, and an idea suddenly came to him.

When the villagers of Cocoyasi Village arrived at Arlong Park, delighted to thank the hero who had brought Arlong to justice, they discovered he was no hero at all. He was another monster.

As soon as Nojiko and the others entered Arlong Park, they saw Rubick lounging in the chair Arlong had always used.

"Everyone's here?" Rubick said in a low voice.

Then he tossed Arlong's head toward them. "Stick this Fish-Man's head on a fork and put it at the docks. It'll scare off the other pirates."

Genzo, the island's only policeman, shakily picked up Arlong's head. Its eyes still stared wide, and blood continued to drip from it.

"What else would you have us do, sir?" Genzo asked fearfully.

Rubick pointed at Nojiko. "This Arlong Park isn't bad. Find some people to rebuild it. And that woman stays here to cook for me."

"What? But..."

The villagers seethed, but none dared speak out. Rubick went on, "I came here looking for a thief named Nami. The blue-haired one is her sister, right?"

"But..."

Nojiko stepped forward and stopped Genzo. "It's fine. I'll stay."

She said quietly to Genzo, "We can't give up. We've held on for years. And we can't let Nami come back here."

Genzo clenched his fists. The villagers gritted their teeth, cursing Rubick to themselves.

Nojiko took a deep breath and composed herself. "Then, brave sir, what should we call you?"

"Slark."

Rubick stood and stretched. "Oh, right. I don't like the look of Arlong Park. I'll tear it down, and you can build me a human house instead. Two stories. Two rooms on the ground floor, plus a kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom. Upstairs, two rooms, a living room, a balcony, and two bathrooms."

The villagers looked at the five-story building. How long would it take them to tear it down?

As if he could see their difficulty, Rubick went over and demolished the building's eight supporting pillars himself. Watching Arlong Park, the symbol of their suffering, come down, the villagers felt as though another mountain of oppression was slowly rising in its place.

But after seeing Rubick's destructive power and fighting ability, the villagers could only endure it in silence. They had survived seven years. They could bear a few more. They believed they would see the dawn.

Rubick laughed. "The most important thing in life is to be happy. I'm not like Arlong. I don't enjoy killing, and I won't charge you protection money. Just bring me plenty of food every day. I can even protect you when pirates show up."

"Anyway, I'm not interested in you. I'm here for that Cat Burglar Nami. Wahaha..."

That afternoon, the villagers began tearing down the building, while Rubick moved straight into Nami's house.

"Hey, isn't dinner ready yet? Remember how much I eat. One whole roast suckling pig per meal, and that only gets me half full."

Rubick sat sprawled in the dining room, grumbling without pause.

Meanwhile, in Loguetown, Smoker smoked one cigarette after another, his brow deeply furrowed.

Creak.

A corporal pushed the door open and came in. "Captain Smoker."

"Did you confirm it?"

"We did. Arlong was killed by a bounty hunter. And..."

Smoker shot him a glare. "Speak!"

"The man who killed Arlong was Rubick. He's the refugee we rescued from that mine."

Smoker froze. He immediately remembered the man who had wanted to join the Marines, only to be turned away because his identity and background were unknown. Recent intelligence also indicated that Rubick could copy other people's Devil Fruit powers. That explained how he had managed to kill Arlong.

Smoker had never thought much of Arlong and his Fish-Men. After Rubick warned them, they fled toward Reverse Mountain that very day. Unfortunately for them, they ran into Smoker's fleet. With their officers badly wounded, the entire group was captured.

Only after capturing them did Smoker and his men learn that the Fish-Men had been hiding in the Conomi Islands, ruling the humans there with an iron fist.

"Get my motorcycle out."

"Captain?"

Smoker pulled on his leather coat. "I'm going to Cocoyasi Village tonight to meet Rubick. While I'm gone, Tashigi is in charge."