As the Going Merry gently rocked against the shore near Arlong Park, I stepped down from the deck and turned toward the others, the salty breeze whipping through my coat.
"Luffy," I called, drawing the straw-hatted captain's attention.
He looked at me with his usual grin, hands behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Nami and I are heading to the nearby Marine base," I said, my tone more serious. "They're the ones who took the money she spent her life gathering. We're going to take it back."
Luffy's expression didn't shift, but his grin widened slightly. "Alright. When you come back…" He cracked his knuckles. "We'll destroy Arlong and his whole crew."
I nodded, satisfied by his answer.
"I'll stay here with Luffy," Zoro said from the side, his arms crossed as he leaned casually against the railing. His eyes were sharp as ever. "But if you think you'll need backup, take Usopp with you. Luffy and I are more than enough to deal with those fishmen."
"Hey!" Usopp protested, straightening up. "You're just trying to get rid of me, aren't you?"
"No," Zoro replied flatly. "I'm trying to make sure you don't get in the way."
I chuckled and shook my head. "You guys really need to stop underestimating each other. Usopp might not look like much, but he's clever. Besides," I turned to Usopp, "I'd feel better having someone watching your backs on this little errand."
Usopp puffed up slightly with pride. "Well, since you need me, I guess I'll go."
I nodded again, then turned back to Zoro and Luffy. "Just… don't get yourselves killed before we get back."
Zoro smirked. "Please. That's not even a challenge."
Luffy gave a big thumbs-up. "We'll be waiting. But don't take too long—I'm hungry."
Nami stood quietly beside me, her gaze fixed on the shoreline where Arlong Park loomed like a dark cloud over the sea. I gently tapped her shoulder. She blinked and looked at me.
"You ready?" I asked.
She didn't answer right away. But then she gave a short nod. "Let's get my money back."
I turned to the crew one last time. "We'll regroup soon. When we do… let's finish this."
With that, Nami and I stepped off the ship and began our journey toward the nearby Marine base.
•••
In Arlong Park.
The heavy punch from Luffy had already shattered part of the wall, and now the dust hung in the air like smoke after a cannon blast. The remaining fragments of the broken wall crumbled at his feet as he walked forward, calm but intense. His straw hat cast a shadow over his eyes, but the fury in them still burned like wildfire.
"Who among you is Arlong?" Luffy asked, voice low and dangerous.
Several towering fishmen stood between him and their captain. One sneered and stepped forward.
"Who are you, kid?"
"You with the villagers?" another growled, cracking his knuckles.
"Don't even think of coming close to Captain Arlong," a third one barked, already marching toward Luffy with a brutish grin.
Just then—
"Oni… giri!" Zoro's voice roared across the room.
With a flash of steel, Zoro's twin blades carved through two of the fishmen like they were paper. They fell backward with a cry of pain, blood spraying across the ruined stone floor. Zoro stood beside Luffy now, eyes sharp and calm as ever.
"Tch. These guys are all muscle and no technique," he said coolly.
"Hey, hey, don't forget me!" came Usopp's voice from behind a pillar.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three flaming projectiles arced through the air. Usopp's burning shurikens—coated in his special oil mix—stabbed into the chest and arms of the approaching fishmen. They screamed, rolling on the floor to try and douse the flames.
"Yeah! Burn, you sea-thugs!" Usopp yelled, fist in the air. "That's what you get for messing with Nami!"
Across the room, Arlong's cold, sharp eyes locked onto Luffy. The wide, toothy smile he'd worn twisted into something darker—curiosity mixed with contempt.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" he asked, rising slowly from his throne-like chair of coral and stone.
Crack.
Luffy didn't answer.
Instead, he raised one leg toward the ceiling. The muscles in his body stretched unnaturally as his foot extended higher and higher—until it pierced straight through what remained of the ceiling.
His hat shifted, revealing his red, furious eyes.
"Don't…" Luffy growled, "…make my navigator cry!"
"Gomu Gomu no… Battle Axe!"
He brought his leg crashing down.
**Bang!**
The ground shook violently. The impact from Luffy's foot shattered the stone floor beneath Arlong's seat and split the building down the center. Debris rained from above. Cracks spiderwebbed out across the entire park's main hall.
Arlong's eyes widened—not in fear, but in growing interest.
"Now this… this might actually be fun."
Zoro rested one sword on his shoulder. "Guess we're starting early."
Usopp gulped, already loading more ammunition. "Why do we always end up fighting monsters?!"
~~~
[There is a 20% discount in my Patreon, where you can read all the chapters I posted till now. Use the Code: 655E8 . Hope, you will enjoy it.]
You can join my Patreon for 3$. Around 270+ advanced chapters on my Patreon. I posted some exclusive NFSW on each R-18 chapter for you to enjoy.
Support me through my Patreon. It would be a big help
Support me:
patreon.com/BlackBolt517