Outside Arlong Park, a group of Cocoyasi Village villagers were rushing towards it.
"Nami, she, with her companions, is fighting for us against Arlong. We, we cannot just comfortably hide behind them!" Genzo called out to the villagers, passionately saying:
"No matter what, we must all do our part and see if we can help them with something when we get there!"
"Even if we can't intervene, we must stand by and cheer them on. We have been hiding for too long!"
"That's right!"
His mobilization immediately received an enthusiastic response:
"Let's fight Arlong and his crew!"
These simple villagers, each holding tools, either wooden sticks or kitchen iron pots and spoons, all looked determined to go all out.
They had also had enough of Arlong's exploitation and cruel rule over the years! They were no longer willing to continue living in fear behind a little girl like Nami!
They wanted to do their part!
A large group of villagers, with a do-or-die mentality, approached Arlong Park.
However, as soon as they reached the entrance, they heard Sanji's incomparably miserable wail, as if he had suffered a great shock, which made some villagers pause slightly.
Had something terrible happened inside?
The villagers looked at each other, their hearts sinking slightly.
They didn't want to see things develop in the direction they least wanted.
"Could it be that the Arlong Pirates, those Fish-Men, are truly invincible?"
A villager swallowed, his voice bitter.
"Don't say such foolish things!"
Nojiko, Nami's older sister and the leader, immediately retorted, "Since Nami chose to bring her companions to fight Arlong to the death, she must have some confidence!"
"We must believe in Nami, believe in her companions!"
"That's right!"
Genzo also stepped forward, "Now, we have nothing left to lose!"
"Even if the situation inside isn't going too smoothly, we can still go over and do our best to lend them a hand!"
"All in all, no matter what, things have already come to this point, and we have absolutely no reason to retreat!"
Under the encouragement of Genzo and Nojiko, the fear of Fish-Men that had lingered in the air immediately dissipated.
The villagers looked at each other, finally gritted their teeth, their eyes filled with determination!
They couldn't help but quicken their pace, wanting to see what the situation was like and if they could contribute.
When the group arrived at the entrance of Arlong Park, they looked inside and saw a scene of devastation and ruins, which made them slightly stunned, and then immediately became serious.
Had the battle already become this intense?!
They began to search for living figures within the area.
"Nami?!"
Nojiko was the first to spot her younger sister. Beside her was the straw hat boy in the red vest, whose feet were embedded in the ground; he seemed to be her captain.
Neither of them appeared to be injured, and their condition looked pretty good.
This made Nojiko instinctively let out a sigh of relief, but then she felt a bit strange.
Because Nami and her Straw Hat Captain were both leaning forward, staring intently in a certain direction.
It was as if there was something special there that greatly attracted their attention.
And it wasn't just them, but also the long-nosed man and the lovesick blond man standing nearby.
The former was dumbfounded, as if he had been greatly startled.
As for the latter... what was going on?!
She felt as if his life and world had suddenly become bleak, and even from this distance, she could feel the despair from his inner world.
What on earth had happened to cause him such a great impact and pessimism?!
Was it the Fish-Men present?
No, that's not right. These Fish-Men were clearly lying scattered on the ground, all unconscious, obviously having been dealt with!
What else was there that could make them so concerned and shocked?
Oh, right, where was Arlong?!
And Nami's other companion, the handsome and reliable first mate who Nami had specially praised and whom she wanted to be her boyfriend? Nojiko quickly checked for him.
And she quickly found them.
Because their location was where Nami and her companions' gazes were all directed.
It's just that... "What is that thing?!"
After looking, Nojiko's reaction was instantly the same as theirs!
Not just her, but the other villagers as well.
Upon arriving, the first thing they saw was the mess on the ground and the fallen Fish-Men.
This made them breathe a sigh of relief, feeling both joy and excitement, but also a bit strange.
The Fish-Men were almost all defeated, weren't they? Why was there still such a sorrowful and desperate scream?
Harboring this confusion, they quickly saw the scene in Nami, Sanji, and Nojiko's eyes.
And so~
"What the?!"
They all raised their hands, their eyeballs bulging, snot flying, and tongues doing a wavy dance.
"Is that... a Manatee?!"
Manatees are a very magical animal, herbivorous marine mammals belonging to the Trichechidae family, also known as sea cows.
However, they are most widely known as "Mermaids" or "Mermaid Princesses."
Because their lower body has the forked fish tail that people imagine a Mermaid to have.
It's just that its appearance... is a bit unsightly.
Fish-Man Island is divided into two categories: Fish-Men and Mermaids.
The biggest difference between the two is whether the lower body has a forked fish tail.
Ordinary Fish-Men retain fish characteristics but have limbs like humans.
Mermaids, on the other hand, have a forked fish tail for their lower body, while their upper body is almost identical to a human's appearance.
Arlong was undoubtedly a Fish-Man, but at this moment... the Arlong appearing before everyone's eyes was a different sight altogether.
His lower body was now thrashing wildly.
That was clearly the forked fish tail that only Mermaids possess!
Not just the other onlookers, but Arlong himself, as the person involved, naturally noticed this.
"What did you do to me?!"
He stared blankly at his lower body, the blood vessels in his eyes instantly engorged, almost bursting his eyes!
Arlong's eyes were filled with deep resentment, as if he wanted to bite off Link's flesh piece by piece.
"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
Link crossed his arms, surveying his masterpiece:
"Now you possess both the characteristics of a Fish-Man and the features of a Mermaid. Doesn't this align with your idea of the strongest race?!"
For a Fish-Man to have a Mermaid's forked tail is biologically impossible, but with Link's tool/item, it's a different story.
tool/item: [Mermaid Fruit].
Description: After eating, you turn into a Mermaid; your feet become a fish tail, and you can live in water.
This tool/item was taken out in the Doraemon movie, [Nobita's Great Battle of the Mermaid King].
It was also what Nobita and his companions all ate to become Fish-Men, encountering the Mermaid Princess and the Mermaid Kingdom underwater, leading to a series of stories. At the same time, this fruit was what Link had just fed to Arlong.
In terms of effect, it looked pretty good.
Hmm, it's just a bit of an eye-sore~~~
And it really does resemble a Manatee.
"I'm going to kill you, I must kill you..."
Perhaps the blood vessels in his eyes were already overloaded and engorged, causing his mind to become muddled.
"I gave you what you wanted most, yet you can't accept it..."
Seeing Arlong in this state, Link shook his head with some regret.
"Aren't you just like Lord Ye who claimed to love dragons?"
Clearly, Arlong didn't understand what "Lord Ye who claimed to love dragons" meant, and now he was vomiting blood in large mouthfuls, clearly not long for this world.
Link, in his benevolence, did not let him suffer further, but sent him to meet his boss, Tiger, a step earlier.
Crack.
The sound of a neck and skull being crushed was so crisp, and to Nojiko, Genzo, and the other Cocoyasi Village villagers, it couldn't have sounded more beautiful.
Arlong was defeated, and the tribulations of Cocoyasi Village also came to an end.
From today on, they could finally be free and regain their liberty!
The group couldn't help but cry tears of joy.
Even Nami's delight at Arlong's death overshadowed her shock, which was too terrible to look at.
She raised her head, looking at the bright sun peeking through the dark clouds, and the smile on her lips and in her eyes could no longer be hidden.
The sky had cleared!
The gloom that had governed Cocoyasi Village and twenty surrounding villages finally came to an end today.
All the villagers, weeping with joy, ran to tell everyone, informing all their suffering compatriots of the situation.
This day was, without a doubt, the happiest and most joyful moment in years!
To express the surging excitement in their hearts, nothing was more suitable than holding a banquet!
The entire Cocoyasi Village was immersed in an ocean of joy!
"Arlong has been defeated, our hard times are finally over!"
"It's all thanks to Nami and her companions!"
"Thank them so much! They are so amazing, even Fish-Men are no match for them!"
"Thank goodness, those damned Fish-Men have finally been defeated!"
"Eat! Drink!"
The villagers cheered with joy.
Before the banquet began, fearing the Fish-Men might return, they securely tied up all the unconscious Fish-Men.
As for Moomoo, the Sea Kings sea cow that often plowed fields, destroyed villages, and ate people, it was also captured by the villagers, who planned to butcher it for meat!
It had eaten many villagers before, and now it was the villagers' turn to eat it!
However, interestingly, when the villagers were preparing to dismember Moomoo, they found three almost flattened figures beneath it.
"They are... Marines?!"
Those crushed by Moomoo were precisely Captain Nezumi and his two subordinates.
However, when Luffy was swinging Moomoo around, they couldn't escape their fate either.
"If they're Marines, what should we do?"
A group of villagers looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
Just as they didn't know how to handle it?
"What are you talking about? What Marines?!"
Next to Nami, the very handsome Pirate Crew member who had annihilated Arlong spoke up.
"These are clearly a bunch of thieves pretending to be Marines, intending to steal money when Arlong and the others were wiped out, but they were discovered by the villagers."
Link said, sipping his orange juice, intentionally or unintentionally.
"Besides, Arlong ruled and enslaved this place for eight years. How could the Marines not have received news and come to drive them out?"
"Could it be that they were all bribed by Arlong, acting as his protectors and covering for him?"
"No, it shouldn't be like that. Even if we saw him chatting and laughing with Arlong when we arrived at Arlong Park, and he even took money from Arlong, we must have been mistaken."
"Hmm, he also didn't covet Nami's 100 million berries, nor did he want the village to be liberated. It must be that we misunderstood, yes, that's how it is..."
Accompanied by Nami's "You're so bad" laughter, Link gradually left.
Leaving behind the villagers, who went from being uneasy to gradually indignant.
Although they were simple, they weren't fools!
Link's obvious sarcastic reminder, and the true meaning it contained, they could certainly understand!
"Genzo?!"
A group of villagers glared fiercely at Captain Nezumi and his men, who were still breathing but clearly hadn't recovered, their mouths opening and closing.
Although they already had an idea in their minds, they still sought the opinion of the village's sheriff, Genzo.
"Cough, cough."
Genzo, with a face full of scars, lightly coughed, "What this young man just said wasn't entirely accurate; these people didn't come to steal things when Arlong and the others were wiped out."
"Instead, they came to steal things while Arlong was still alive and preparing to sleep, and were discovered by Arlong..."
He looked at the villagers solemnly and said, "It was Arlong who discovered their thieving activities, not us!"
Hmm, his words made their involvement even cleaner.
The villagers also understood instantly, and smiles of comprehension appeared on their faces.
That's right, it was Arlong who discovered these fake Marines, so it was also Arlong who dealt with them. It has nothing to do with them at all.
They hadn't even seen them!
A few people exchanged glances, then all showed dangerous smiles... "Hey, what's wrong with that guy?"
Zoro, who hadn't participated in the battle and had been depressed for a long time, sat on a large wooden barrel.
He was drinking heavily to relieve his inner melancholy, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sanji, also huddled in a corner, enveloped in a low-pressure aura.
The black despair around him, warning people to stay away, almost materialized.
He couldn't help but be stunned and asked Usopp, who was stuffing his face beside him.
"Sanji, he..."
Usopp swallowed the food in his mouth, intending to describe the eye-watering scene they had witnessed earlier.
But let alone speaking it, even just thinking about it made him feel truly disgusted and sick to his stomach.
He quickly shook his head, "You'd better not ask, it's best not to know."
Zoro: "???"
"Is this Belle-Mere's grave?"
On the high slope, Link followed Nojiko and Nami, the two sisters, to this place, together bringing the good news of Arlong's defeat to Belle-Mere.
Hmm, why does it feel like meeting the parents?
Link didn't go closer, just watched from a distance.
After all, these were intimate family conversations between the two sisters and their mother; he, an outsider, shouldn't intrude.
However, watching them occasionally glance his way while talking?
And Nami's somewhat exasperated expression, along with Nojiko's teasing and playful laughter, it seemed the content of their conversation had something to do with him.
"Ah, Link, you're here too!"
Just then, their Idiot Captain suddenly appeared.
"Are you also looking for melon and ham here?"
He said in a muffled voice.
"There's no melon and ham here. But you, Luffy..."
Link looked at him speechlessly, "What kind of move is that?"
"You mean this?"
Luffy mumbled, grinning, "This is the 'Nostril Chopstick Dance' Joseph taught me at the banquet. What do you think, isn't it interesting?!"
He pointed to the two chopsticks stuck in his nostrils, extending all the way down to his lower lip.
Link: "..."
Only you and Usopp would be interested in such a foolish move.
Of course, there's also little Chopper, who doesn't understand things and has been led astray by you idiots~~
A picture of Chopper with his two little hooves sticking out, chopsticks in his nostrils and mouth, and holding a basket and a plate in his two hands, dancing there, appeared in Link's mind.
Link quickly shook his head, throwing that image out of his mind.
Cocoyasi Village had been suppressed for too long, so once released, they vented to the maximum.
Just holding a banquet took almost three days and three nights.
During this time, everyone got a huge amount of relaxation and joy.
Even Sanji was infected by the joyful atmosphere and recovered from his immense gloom.
Zoro's injuries were also well stitched up by Nappa, the best old doctor in the village, and were recovering very well.
Nami's Arlong tattoo on her left shoulder was also replaced by this experienced doctor, changed to a pattern of a windmill and oranges.
During this period, some Pirates contacted the sheriff, Genzo, via phone, inquiring about the whereabouts of the missing Captain Nezumi.
Genzo's response was naturally selectively informative.
As for Captain Nezumi's whereabouts... well, which mountain Captain Nezumi was buried on, he had long selectively forgotten.
However, he did mention the defeat of the Arlong Pirates to the Marines.
After all, Arlong's bounty was the highest in the East Blue, a full 20 million berries.
After Genzo hung up with the Marines, he scurried to the dock.
Today was also the day Nami's friends and companions were leaving!
"Are you sure you don't want to stay a few more days?"
"Yes, yes, we haven't properly hosted you yet!"
The villagers of Cocoyasi Village all showed reluctance.
Also, Zoro's two subordinates, with their strength, would be useless even if they went to the Grand Line.
To avoid causing trouble for their boss and boss's boss, they decided to stay here.
"Hahaha, I've already eaten melon and ham, and the banquet is over, so of course, it's time to continue to the next voyage!"
Luffy grinned. A Pirate Crew's ultimate destination is, after all, the sea and sailing.
"That's a real shame."
Nojiko also crossed her arms, staring at Link next to Luffy, "I was hoping you could stay a bit longer to see if we could develop further?"
As she spoke, she symbolically licked her lips.
Sanji's eyes turned into hearts, unable to control himself, while Link pretended not to see.
Hmm, on the Grand Line, there are more beautiful ladies waiting for him.
He wouldn't let his footsteps linger in a small village in the East Blue, nor would he abandon the entire forest for one tree~~~
"Where's Nami?"
After waving and calling for a long time, Luffy realized that his Navigator was not on board.
"Oh, her... Isn't she here?"
Link nodded towards the back of the crowd.
Nami was seen sprinting, quickly passing through the crowd from behind.
At the same time, with unusually agile hands and feet, she used the speed she had trained for eight years to clean out the villagers' wallets at the dock.
Well, though there wasn't much money.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
Nami waved her hands, smiling and bidding farewell to the villagers at the dock who were constantly scolding her as a "Cat Burglar."
The going merry sailed further and further away, gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Now it's time to start my own voyage!"
Nami stretched on the ship, feeling the warm, clear breeze, a gentle and pleasant wind, perfect weather for setting sail!
The burden and pressure she had carried for so long were gone, and feeling light as a feather, she began to radiate her own vitality and charm!
The others on the going merry smiled at each other when they saw this.
This feeling of all companions gathered together, heading towards the distant future?
It's truly wonderful!
Several hours after the going merry left Cocoyasi Village.
A warship slowly approached.
Some villagers, led by Sheriff Genzo, were waiting at the dock.
The Marines who disembarked from the warship wasted no time on pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"...Alright."
Genzo glanced at the man whose face was even more intimidating than his own scarred one, and whose hair was silver-white.
His tall figure, dressed in a snow hunter's coat, had piles of cigars on his arm.
Even stranger, he had three cigars in his mouth, clearly a heavy Smoker, and seemingly unafraid of choking.