After another day drifting at sea, finally, as the sun set, their destination came into view—Cocoyasi Village.
Cheng Xiaoyu stood on the deck, and the island quickly appeared before his eyes.
Cocoyasi was known for its emerald jungles and azure coastline, but all this beauty was overshadowed by the plunder of the Arlong Pirates.
Before the ship could dock, his figure had vanished into the darkness, silently blending into the shadows of the land.
The ruins in the center of the village already spoke of the recent battle; the Arlong Pirates' iconic building was now crumbling, and its gate was in tatters.
The cadres of the Arlong Pirates lay scattered on the ground, each with a look of pain on their faces.
As agreed, after Nami returned the treasure the Arlong Pirates had stolen over the years to the villagers, she eagerly urged Luffy and the others to board the ship and leave.
So, by the time Cheng Xiaoyu arrived, they were already on their way to Loguetown.
He slowly walked in front of Arlong, looking down at the Fishman with no trace of pity in his eyes.
"Arlong, your era is over."
Before his words finished, Cheng Xiaoyu's shadow transformed into countless sharp blades, instantly cutting Arlong's body into pieces.
[Captain Arlong, Bounty 20,000,000 Berries!]
[Gained 20,000 experience, level increased to 39.]
After extracting Arlong and his cadres' shadows, Cheng Xiaoyu did not leave immediately but waited in place for Colonel Nezumi's arrival.
He knew that this greedy and corrupt Marine Colonel had colluded with the Arlong Pirates for many years, profiting immensely from it.
What he had to do today was to reclaim all that ill-gotten wealth.
Not long after, Colonel Nezumi arrived at Arlong Park with a team of Marine soldiers, full of bluster.
"Who did this? Who dares to cause trouble on my territory?" Colonel Nezumi shouted arrogantly, completely oblivious to the Arlong Pirates members lying all over the ground.
Cheng Xiaoyu slowly stood up, a cold smile playing on his lips: "It was me."
Only then did Colonel Nezumi notice Cheng Xiaoyu's presence in the shadows.
He looked Cheng Xiaoyu up and down, then snorted disdainfully: "Where did this brat come from? Daring to cause trouble here, are you tired of living?!"
Cheng Xiaoyu said nothing more; his figure flickered, instantly appearing in front of Colonel Nezumi, grabbing his collar, and lifting him up.
"You..." Colonel Nezumi's face changed drastically, looking at Cheng Xiaoyu in horror. The Marine soldiers he brought, seeing this, drew their weapons and aimed them at Cheng Xiaoyu.
"Bang bang bang!"
A series of gunshots rang out, but the bullets all passed through Cheng Xiaoyu's body!
Clearly, ordinary bullets had no effect on a Logia Devil Fruit user.
A person's fame precedes them; Colonel Nezumi quickly realized who the person in front of him was through his ability.
It was Cheng Xiaoyu of the Shadow Pirates!
Cheng Xiaoyu sneered, casually throwing the Colonel Nezumi in his hand like trash.
Colonel Nezumi scrambled to his feet, "What are you useless fools still standing around for! All of you, attack!"
While ordering his subordinates, he secretly ran towards the warship.
The next second, a dozen Marine soldiers rushed towards Cheng Xiaoyu, but before they could react, they were entangled by Cheng Xiaoyu's shadows, unable to move.
As Cheng Xiaoyu moved his fingers, all dozen Marine soldiers he brought were neatly taken down!
The cunning Colonel Nezumi ultimately failed to escape and was tied up and brought back by Kuro.
Cheng Xiaoyu walked up to the trembling Colonel Nezumi, looking down at him:
"Tell me, how much money did you and the Arlong Pirates illegally gain over the years?"
Colonel Nezumi's face was pale, and cold sweat had begun to stream down his temples.
"Si... sixty million Berries, this is all the money I've accumulated over the years after clearing it. I, I'll hand it all over, please, I beg you, spare my life!"
Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes narrowed slightly, his cold gaze piercing Colonel Nezumi's heart like an ice pick.
He said softly, "I'll ask again, is it really only sixty million Berries, or more?"
Colonel Nezumi felt an irresistible sense of oppression and hastily corrected himself:
"It's... it's one hundred ninety million Berries! And some gold jewelry and other valuables! Absolutely no concealment! I swear! There's really only this much!"
"Very good."
Cheng Xiaoyu curled his lips, his voice low and calm, yet imbued with a bone-chilling coldness.
"Since that's the case, let's go see where you've hidden that one hundred ninety million Berries."
"Yes! Yes!" Colonel Nezumi nodded repeatedly, stood up clumsily, and, while chuckling awkwardly, led the way with trembling steps.
He dared not utter another word of nonsense; the corpses of the Marine soldiers on the ground had already made him understand.
The person in front of him was a true Pirate! A being utterly devoid of mercy!
...
Colonel Nezumi led Cheng Xiaoyu and his group from Arlong Park to a hidden reef area.
Here, there was an entrance to an underground chamber spanning over a hundred square meters, concealed by a thick spiral wooden door.
"The... the items are all down here, guaranteed not a single Berry less!"
Cheng Xiaoyu raised a hand, and his shadow shot out, whirling open the heavy wooden door like a tornado, revealing the steps to the secret chamber below.
The secret chamber was neatly stacked with boxes, all filled with various forms of wealth!
Gold, silver, jewels, diamond Berries, and even a few precious artifacts were casually tossed aside.
The glittering light illuminated the dim space, creating a paradoxical sense of prosperity and desolation coexisting.
"It seems you put a lot of effort into hiding it; you truly live up to the name 'Nezumi' (mouse)."
Cheng Xiaoyu merely glanced, showing no surprise or excitement.
He waved his hand, instructing Kuro and the other members to move everything out of the secret chamber.
Colonel Nezumi watched helplessly as the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated over many years was completely cleared out, his face turning ashen; he nearly collapsed to the ground but dared not utter any protest.
Cheng Xiaoyu turned to him, his tone like a verdict: "I confiscate this money; your life is spared."
Upon hearing this insulting pardon, Colonel Nezumi, far from daring to get angry, instead nodded frantically like a pounding garlic: "Yes, yes, yes! You are merciful, you are magnanimous! Thank you for sparing my life!"
Of course, Cheng Xiaoyu would not return all the money to the villagers like Nami.
He was a Pirate! And it wasn't as if he had directly stolen it from civilians.
Wasn't getting rich overnight a good thing?
...
The next day.
At dawn, the gates of Marine Branch 16 groaned under the strain.
Colonel Nezumi, stripped naked, was hung like a pig awaiting slaughter on the Marine flagpole, beneath which lay the corpse of another former Marine Colonel, Morgan.
A message was written on Colonel Nezumi's body: "Marine scum Colonel Nezumi, colluded with the Arlong Pirates to oppress villagers, countless crimes..."
"We humbly request Marine Headquarters to send a more competent watchdog next time..."
"Cheng Xiaoyu, left."