At this moment, Luffy had no interest in listening to anything Sanji was saying.
Like a curious child, he stood by the shore, staring intently at the water, trying to figure out where Arlong had gone.
The next instant—
The previously calm sea exploded.
Boom!
Luffy was sent flying backward, his body smashing hard into the wall behind him.
Aside from Logan, no one understood what had just happened.
Only when Arlong's figure reappeared did everyone realize—
That lightning-fast strike had been Arlong's doing.
The speed was terrifying—so fast that even Logan nodded inwardly in approval.
Faced with Arlong's arrow-like assaults, Luffy could do little more than take the hits. Before long, wounds covered his body.
Nami unconsciously tightened her grip on Logan's arm, staring at Luffy with deep worry.
"Big Brother Logan… can Luffy really win? Arlong is so strong…"
Logan gently rubbed her head.
"Luffy is your future captain. You have to believe in him."
Nami nodded softly.
"Mm."
She relaxed a little, yet her hands still clung tightly to Logan's arm—betraying her true feelings.
Arlong seemed to lose patience.
Luffy was like an indestructible cockroach—his vitality was absurd—but even so, his stamina was steadily draining. If this dragged on, it would end badly.
With a snort, Arlong turned and crashed straight into the tower again. From within the structure, he pulled out a massive serrated blade, over two meters long.
The moment that saw-like weapon appeared, the fish-men gasped.
"It's been so long… Arlong boss is finally using that blade again."
"He's going all out now."
"That Straw Hat kid is finished! Hahaha!"
Sure enough, with the serrated sword in hand, Arlong's presence surged again.
Already on the defensive, Luffy was now completely suppressed, forced to desperately dodge the sweeping blade.
Cuts began appearing all over his body. Blood sprayed again and again.
Luffy staggered—on the brink of collapse.
"Logan! Luffy can't take it anymore!"
Nami cried out through tears.
"Hurry and help him! Zoro! Sanji! What are you standing around for?!"
But Logan, Zoro, and Sanji stood motionless—like statues.
Even the villagers couldn't help shouting.
"Aren't you his crew?! Hurry and help him!"
"Another moment and your captain will be cut down!"
Only Zoro responded calmly:
"Luffy said it himself. This is his fight."
After saying that, he fell silent, eyes coldly fixed on the battlefield.
The next second, Luffy was kicked again, his body smashing into the tower's upper floor.
Arlong followed relentlessly, charging in after him.
Both figures vanished from sight.
No one outside could see what was happening inside the tower.
They could only hear continuous screams, and see desks, books, and loose papers falling from above.
No one knew whether Luffy was alive or dead.
One sheet of paper drifted down, landing softly on Nami's head.
She picked it up.
And then—
She covered her mouth as tears silently streamed down her cheeks.
They were maps.
Maps she had drawn with her own hands over the past eight years.
If she stopped drawing, Arlong would beat her until she lost all sensation.
That tower room had been her prison.
Her nightmare.
The place she dreamed of escaping every night.
Countless times over those eight years, she had wanted to flee this hell, chase her dreams, live her own life.
But every time, she stayed.
Because she had to protect the village.
Because she had to protect everyone.
And now—
She was witnessing that hellish room being shattered by Luffy's own hands.
In a voice only she could hear, she whispered:
"Thank you… Luffy."
At that moment, she chose to fully trust him, without fear or doubt.
The tower of Arlong Park began to collapse.
Wood splintered. Debris flew.
BOOM!
The entire structure came crashing down with a thunderous roar.
Dust and smoke billowed into the sky.
Through the haze, everyone could barely make out a slender figure standing proudly atop the ruins.
Nami's face lit up with joy.
That silhouette—
It was Luffy.
But when the dust finally settled, and she saw him clearly—
Nami could no longer hold back.
She threw her head back and wailed uncontrollably.
Luffy was drenched in blood.
Not a single piece of clothing on his body was intact.
He looked as though he had crawled straight out of a pool of blood.
Luffy raised his fist and shouted toward her:
"Nami—you are my crewmate!"
Nami could only nod again and again, unable to speak.
When everyone finally processed that Arlong Park had fallen, cheers erupted like a tidal wave.
"We won! Arlong's been defeated!"
"It's finally over—after eight years, we're free!"
Zoro and Sanji couldn't help but smile as well.
But then—
A sudden, harsh laugh cut through the celebration.
Everyone turned.
They saw Arlong, lying amid the ruins, pointing into the distance and laughing madly.
"Straw Hat brat! So what if I lost?! You're all going down with me!"
Following his finger, everyone looked out to sea.
About one kilometer away, three massive Marine warships had appeared silently at some point.
Nami's face went pale.
Her pupils shrank as her voice trembled.
"Luffy! We have to run—now!"
At the same time, Zoro and Sanji's expressions darkened. Both immediately prepared for battle.
Usopp came running over excitedly from who-knows-where—but the moment he saw the three enormous warships, his face turned deathly pale.
"It's over—totally over! Luffy, we need to run!"
Zoro spoke in a low voice:
"Usopp, Nami—the ship is on the east side of the island. Take Luffy and go. Sanji and I will hold them off."
In an instant, the atmosphere became unbearably tense.
But then—
The villagers moved.
One by one, they stepped forward, hand in hand, forming a thick human wall along the shoreline.
"Straw Hat crew—leave now! We'll guard this place for you!"
"For eight years, we prayed day and night for the Marines to come and defeat Arlong, to give us freedom."
"And in the end? It was pirates who saved us."
"What a joke!"
"Now these Marines want to arrest you—we, the people of Cocoyasi Village, will never allow it!"
"Never allow it!!"
The villagers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the shore.
Among everyone present, only Logan remained calm.
Whether it was Arlong's defeat or the arrival of the Marine warships, his expression never changed.
He looked at the villagers.
Then at the three approaching warships.
Logan took one step forward.
A faint, dangerous smile curved at the corner of his lips.
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