The air was terrifyingly still, broken only by the monotonous sound of waves washing against the beach and the chattering of the fish-men's teeth.
Kirishima Bupai's casually spoken words seemed to carry an invisible weight that pressed down on them until they could barely breathe.
No one dared move or make a sound, afraid that the slightest disturbance would draw that demonic god's gaze and destruction.
What broke that deathly silence was a shout approaching across the sea.
"Nami!!!"
"Hey! You fish-man bastards! Give us back our navigator!!!"
A sheep-headed boat, the Going Merry, charged onto the beach like an arrow loosed from a bow, its sails filled with wind.
Before the ship had fully stopped, a boy wearing a straw hat shot off it like a cannonball.
His rubber arm stretched out and grabbed a reef by the shore, swinging his entire body around to land on the sand. Clenching his rubber fists, he swept a fierce look over the scene. "Arlong! Get out here! I'm gonna send you flying! Give Nami... huh?"
Luffy's voice stopped abruptly as he saw the bloodless fish-men kneeling all over the ground.
Turning his head, he saw the hideous hole in the ship's bow, as well as Nami standing among the fish-men, pale but seemingly unharmed.
Where was the fierce battle he had expected? Where was that arrogant, saw-nosed fish-man?
Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp jumped off the ship right after him. Zoro instantly drew all three swords half an inch, his sharp gaze sweeping over the wrecked scene.
His eyes finally settled on a white-clad figure carrying a long sword over his shoulder, slowly walking toward a flat rock farther inland.
"Him again...?"
Unlike the astonished Zoro, Usopp stumbled in fright at the fish-men covering the ground and the huge hole in the