# Cocoyasi Village: A Quiet Harbor, a Stormy Sea
Cocoyasi Village was a place where time flowed slowly and life flowed at a quiet, measured pace. The residents, simple and kind, lived in harmony with nature, but their peaceful existence was marred by the oppression of the Arlong pirates. With each passing day, they increasingly felt like a burden to Nami, the young girl who had become their symbol of hope.
"We're sorry we've become a burden to you," they whispered, hiding their eyes. "Go away, find your freedom, be happy."
Their words were laced with bitterness, but there was no malice in them. They wished for Nami to be truly free, for her life to be filled with joy and care. But Nami's stubbornness, her unwillingness to abandon them, weighed heavily on their souls.
Nami, carrying a small bag, stepped ashore. Rodney, her faithful companion, didn't follow her, choosing a different route to sneak into the village. They agreed not to involve the villagers in dangerous games.
Rodney glided through the water like lightning, chakra raging through his veins. His "Water Release: Underwater Breathing Technique" allowed him to remain underwater for hours, like a fish in its natural element.
The sun's rays, penetrating the water's depths, painted fantastical patterns on the seabed. Schools of fish, scattering in fear at Rodney's appearance, then, as if enchanted, surrounded him again, accompanying him on his journey.
"Is there a predator lurking behind me?" flashed through Rodney's mind. He spun around, and before him stood a Sea King with a cow's head, enormous eyes, and a ring in its nose. Its body, many times larger than that of a normal Sea King, reached almost a hundred meters in length.
"Isn't he dangerous?" Rodney thought, watching the cow-king's sweet, almost naive gaze.
But as soon as the thought took shape, the sea giant opened its mouth, revealing sharp, bloody fangs, and rushed at Rodney.
— ... — Rodney froze, unable to utter a word. — What the hell! I take it back!
He lunged forward, realizing that his physical abilities and ninjutsu were significantly limited in the water. Water jets proved useless, and he headed for the surface.
Puff!
Rodney emerged from the water like a dolphin and, with the agility of a seasoned ninja, sprinted across the surface. The sea king cow followed, using its mass and buoyancy to rise to its feet. Its razor-sharp teeth locked, and it lunged at Rodney.
"You think I'm as defenseless as I am in water? Take that!" Rodney swung his leg, sending the sea king plummeting into the depths with a powerful kick.
Boom!
The sea cow crashed down, sending up waves tens of meters high. The Arlong pirates, noticing the commotion, rushed to the shore.
The two fishmen, seeing the sudden activity of the sea kings and Rodney in the water, reacted differently. One hurried to his superior with a report, while the other rushed off in pursuit of Rodney.
The fish-man, gliding through the waves, was much faster than Rodney, but he, unaware of the danger, rushed to the shore.
Whether he managed to infiltrate the shore or not was irrelevant. If he failed to eliminate all the informants, it could be considered a flawless infiltration. After all, no one would ever know.
Rodney, moving swiftly across the surface of the water, collided with a red-skinned fish-man rushing toward him from the sea. He deftly dodged, and the fish-man, diving back into the water, surfaced and asked:
"Trespasser, who are you? How can you walk on water?"
"Why are you worried about me? Who are you?" Rodney replied.
The fish-man's face was distorted with pride.
"Listen here, I'm a member of the Arlong Pirates, Green! You still haven't answered my question."
"I've never heard of you. You must be a nobody," Rodney snapped.
"Human, I'm a member of the mighty Arlong Pirates. Haven't you heard of us? Oh, right! Our Arlong Park is still under construction. It's normal not to know. But since you've invaded the Arlong Pirates' territory, have you paid for protection?"
Boom!
Rodney's powerful kick landed on Green's face, causing him excruciating pain.
However, the blow, capable of crushing a grown man's skull, only caused the sturdy fishman even more pain. Green was thrown to the seabed, rubbing his face and exclaiming:
- Ouch! It hurts! This man is so strong!
Inhaling seawater through his gills, filtering the air inside, Green suppressed the pain and swam back to the surface toward Rodney.
They raced, darting across the surface and diving into the sea. Green refused to believe that fishmen could be defeated by a human.
And then... they reached the shore. Leaving footprints in the soft sand, they set off into the jungle. Green followed the tracks and accidentally knocked something over along the way.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several kunai flew towards him, piercing his body.
- Ah! - Green cried out in pain.
Rodney, who was perched in a tree, watched the scene and threw a handful of kunai with explosive tags attached, hitting Green right in the mouth.
- Explosion!
The explosive tags were controlled by a human. By infusing them with chakra, Rodney could time their detonation or trigger them like mines, making them incredibly versatile.
With a loud explosion, Green's head was shattered, flesh and blood spraying everywhere. The fish-man's powerful body collapsed, and bright red blood gushed out, staining the ground crimson.
Rodney used his shapeshifting technique to assume Green's appearance. This allowed him to infiltrate the Arlong Pirates without raising suspicion or causing problems for Nami and the others.
As for the corpse, he paid no attention to it.
Soon, while out for a walk, Rodney came across an ordinary farmer working on a farm. He was about to inquire about the whereabouts of the Arlong pirates, but the man ran away in fear.
To humans, the fishmen were akin to monsters, especially those who bullied them. Naturally, they fled.
"So, I forgot to use the Sharingan to find out the exact location of the Arlong pirates," Rodney muttered disappointedly. He was about to activate his transformation technique and interrogate the villager when he noticed a fish-man approaching from afar.
"Hey, Green, did you catch the man we found? Where is he?" the fish-man asked.
Excellent! I will give you a warm welcome!
Imitating Green's voice, Rodney replied:
— I caught that guy and drowned him in the sea. People are so weak.
Hearing this, the fishman smiled and said:
"Yes, yes! We fishmen are superior to humans. How can this weak race compare to us?"
Rodney pouted, realizing that this group of fishmen had been brainwashed by Arlong. He couldn't help but think about Arlong's past and who had brainwashed him. Kizaru had beaten him so badly he'd cried.
Arlong would have died if not for the free time he spent off duty. But Rodney still had to face him. A triumphant smile crossed Rodney's face as he said:
"Not quite so. Humans may be fragile, but they shouldn't be slaves to fishmen from birth. Those who dream of peaceful coexistence with us are simply deluding themselves!"
"Hmph, of course! Let's go. Boss Arlong is waiting for you to report the situation. Let's go!" The fish-man clapped Rodney on the shoulder and headed for the exit.
...
Arlong Park...
The architecture of Arlong's base resembled an amusement park on the Sabaody Archipelago. It seemed that, despite his disdain for humans, Arlong secretly dreamed of the same luxury they enjoyed.
Instead of a conventional gate, the route to the base led through a waterway that connected to the sea. It opened onto a courtyard where three pools were connected, allowing the Arlong pirates to quickly venture out to sea.
Since the pirates were exclusively fishmen, they had no need for land transportation. Unless they were too tired to swim, they could leave the base without a boat. With caution, they could even enter the Belt of Tranquility, which was incredibly convenient.
Rodney, accompanied by the fishmen, dove into the water, held his breath, swam through the gate, entered the pool and jumped onto dry land.
Directly in front of him sat a purple fish-man with sharp teeth and a long nose. He wore a yellow shirt with an open chest, emblazoned with a red sun symbol tattooed on it—the emblem of the Sun Pirates. On his left forearm was the Arlong Pirates logo.
Dressed in gold and silver, he looked like a wealthy newcomer.
It was Arlong, the leader of the Arlong Pirates.