Twenty million Berries, huh…
That was no small bounty. Reiner couldn't help but think.
Too bad they were pirates and couldn't cash it in—but Arlong had been hoarding wealth for years. Surely he had piles of treasure waiting to be taken.
As for whether they could defeat him—well, in the original story, Arlong was indeed portrayed as very strong.
But Reiner?
He thought it would be easy.
He was confident. In fact, even a head-on clash—just sending in Wolverine alone might be enough.
As undead, they didn't have concepts like "life." No matter how broken they got, Reiner could repair them.
Even if Arlong managed to capture one, Reiner could just recall it and resummon.
With their speed and attack power, all they needed was to keep chipping away until Arlong was worn down.
As Nami carefully explained Arlong's strength, the crew started to form a picture.
"He can flip houses with his bare hands?!"
Usopp collapsed on the floor, clutching his chest dramatically. "Oh no, I've caught a deadly illness that only strikes when I leave the ship! Arlong is up to you guys!"
"Usopp, are you alright?!"
Luffy panicked, running in circles around him, shaking him frantically.
Nami and Zoro both pressed their palms to their faces. "These idiots…"
"In any case—Arlong really is strong," Nami said, her voice laced with worry. "I know you're all monsters yourselves, but honestly, even I can't be sure. If we fail, we'll all die!"
"Don't worry, Nami."
Reiner smiled, speaking with calm assurance. "They're plenty strong. And don't forget my undead. We'll be fine."
This was as safe as it got.
"Besides Arlong, there are three subordinates you need to watch out for—Hachi, Kuroobi, and Chew."
Nami began to explain Arlong's officers.
Reiner couldn't remember most of the names. Only Hachi sounded familiar.
But numbers aside—this was good.
Fishmen had ten times the strength of humans. If he could collect their templates, they'd make excellent undead soldiers.
And being natural swimmers, they'd be an invaluable asset at sea.
The thought made him smile.
Life at sea could be boring. And now that all chores were handled by Reiner's skeletons, the crew had few distractions.
Luffy and Usopp passed the time fishing.
Nami worked in her cabin, charting maps with the fine parchment and inks she had taken from Kaya.
Reiner and Zoro spent their time lifting weights. Reiner still trained regularly. His ability couldn't harvest from targets vastly stronger than himself—like, say, Garp.
And to eventually reach the threshold of Haki training, he needed a strong body.
"Zoro, your strength is insane," Reiner remarked, eyeing the massive barbell in Zoro's hands.
It had to weigh at least two tons. Yet Zoro was doing squats with it. And he was already past his thousandth rep.
"Ridiculous…"
"Ah, I've just been training like this since I was a kid," Zoro replied, glancing at him. "But you—your endurance is crazy."
Reiner's barbell weighed about a ton. Nowhere near Zoro's. But he had already hit two thousand squats.
"That's because my undead drain my stamina when they act. So I focus on endurance training."
"Of course, my Devil Fruit also gives me a huge recovery boost compared to normal people."
"Is that so? So Devil Fruits can do that too?"
"Yeah. The Zoan Fruits, especially, greatly enhance the user's physique."
In the East Blue, Devil Fruits were practically legends. Few knew anything about their classifications.
Reiner patiently explained to Zoro.
"Wait! If that's the case, doesn't that make the Logia Fruits invincible?"
Zoro looked stunned. The ability to turn your body into an element—it sounded absurd.
"Not quite. There are ways to counter them," Reiner explained, telling him about Sea-Prism Stone and Haki.
Zoro listened wide-eyed.
"Well, you'll see for yourself eventually."
"So that's how it is? The sea really is full of wonders."
Zoro looked thoughtful. "That man… he must also have the kind of power you described. And to think, I once thought of challenging him. Seems I've got a long way to go."
"You mean the world's greatest swordsman? He could probably beat you without even drawing his sword," Reiner laughed.
"If he stood before you right now, would you still challenge him?"
Zoro looked at Reiner, thought for a moment, and answered, "I don't know. Probably, yes."
"Figures. You really are stubborn to the core."
"Hah?"
"Nothing."
Reiner yawned, but in his head he muttered:
Back in ancient times, Zhao Zilong was said to be courage incarnate.
And you, my friend—
—You are Zhao Zilong, head to toe.
Two days later, the Going Merry finally sailed into the waters of the Conomi Islands.
The archipelago consisted of over twenty small islands, each with its own village.
Without exception, all were under Arlong's control. Every villager was forced to pay tribute—or die.
Some villages had been completely wiped out.
"We should head to Cocoyasi Village first," Nami said in a low, tense voice. "If we go straight to Arlong Park, they'll destroy our ship before we even get close."
Her face was grim. The others stayed quiet.
Reiner summoned two undead to steer the Merry. With Nami guiding, they sailed slowly toward Cocoyasi.
"Pirates! Pirates are coming!"
"Go get Genzo!"
"Wait, look—it's Nami on that ship?"
The villagers who spotted the Merry grew alarmed. But soon, they noticed Nami standing at the bow.
"I'm home, everyone!"
"It's Nami! Nami has returned!"
"Quick, tell Genzo and Nojiko!"
"No need, we'll just go to them."
"Alright, but Nami… the pirates behind you…"
The villagers eyed the crew warily.
Nami smiled and waved. "Relax. They're not bad people. They're my crewmates."
"Is that so? Well, as long as you're safe."
"Then I'll go ahead, everyone. See you later."
With that, Nami led them toward the village.
All around, they passed houses that had been completely torn apart.
They'd heard Nami's stories, but seeing it firsthand was something else. The sheer strength of the fishmen was frightening.
"You've got to be kidding. We're really gonna fight monsters like that?"
Usopp was already trembling.
Nami didn't look back. She just kept walking, saying:
Arlong's crew doesn't know you're here yet. If you regret it, it's not too late. If you leave now, I won't hold it against you.
Hah, don't underestimate us, stupid woman. I could do that much myself, Zoro retorted.
He was the only one on board who ever called Nami "stupid woman."
Reiner didn't doubt it either. If anyone could tear down houses bare-handed, it was Zoro.
Luffy, though weaker in raw strength, made up for it with the explosive force of his rubber body.
We've already said you're our navigator. We're not giving up on you.
Luffy's face grew unusually serious.
Reiner lit a cigarette and followed quietly. Soon, they reached Nami's orange grove.
From inside, shouting could be heard.
Stop! That's Nami's hard-earned savings!
Hard-earned savings? This is stolen money! It's dirty and must be confiscated!
Damn it, and you call yourselves Marines?!
Not good, Nami gasped. She bit her lip and sprinted into the grove.
Damn it!