Novel Chapter
"Ten billion berries!?"
Nami's jaw dropped. She stared at Kai for a long moment, then whirled on him with sudden urgency. "Wait—what about the bounty money? Where is it? Don't you dare tell me you already spent it!"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, like she was ready to throw down right there on the deck.
Kai's expression went completely blank.
"Um... Miss Nami," the Commander interjected carefully, "Marines can't actually claim bounties for defeating pirates. So there's no—"
"Can't claim bounties!?"
Nami's voice shot up three octaves. "Who the hell made that rule!? That's the biggest load of—"
The Commander's mouth snapped shut. That rule came straight from Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself. Even with ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare criticize it.
"Enough." Kai cut through the argument with a raised hand. His gaze shifted forward. "We're here. Arlong Park." His voice dropped, cold and final. "Time to end this."
Nami's breath caught. The familiar structure loomed ahead—the place that had haunted her nightmares for eight years.
Her hands trembled.
"MOOOOO..."
A deep, rumbling bellow shook the air. The ocean exploded upward as a massive shape burst through the surface—white and green mottled skin, a huge ring piercing its nose, eyes the size of houses fixing on their ship with unmistakable hostility.
"Momoo!" Nami's voice went tight with fear. "That's Arlong's sea beast! It's—it's huge!"
Kai barely glanced at it. "Relax. It's not even a real Sea King. Just an oversized cow."
Momoo stared at the warship with visible irritation.
Ever since Arlong dragged it from Sabaody to the East Blue, nothing had been bigger than Momoo. Not in the water, not on the surface. That superiority was its pride, its identity.
And now this ship dared to dwarf it?
And the humans aboard showed no fear whatsoever?
Unacceptable.
Momoo bellowed again and surged forward, ready to ram the vessel into splinters—
Then froze.
Ice flooded its veins. Cold. Absolute. Primal.
The young man at the bow had looked at it. Just looked.
That was all.
Kai hadn't even used Conqueror's Haki. Just a whisper of killing intent—the barest fraction of what he was capable of. For something that didn't even qualify as a Sea King, it was more than enough.
Momoo's enormous body shuddered. Then, without hesitation, it dove straight down and vanished into the depths.
Arlong's orders? Forgotten. Irrelevant.
Survival was all that mattered.
"Wait—why did it run away?" Nami blinked, completely baffled. "It was about to attack, and then it just... left? Even a mouse doesn't run from a cat that fast!"
Kai shrugged. "Guess I scared it."
"With one look?" Nami's skepticism was written all over her face.
Kai didn't bother explaining. Some things couldn't be understood through words alone.
Arlong Park sprawled across the water like a fortress—built on a massive sea reef, towering iron gates, jagged architecture that screamed dominance.
Kai stopped at the entrance and frowned at the closed gate. "Break it."
"Yes, sir!"
The Commander stepped forward, leg sweeping up in a blur of motion. "Tempest Kick!"
BOOM!
The wind blade shrieked through the air and slammed into the iron gate. Metal screamed. The entire structure exploded inward, shards scattering like shrapnel.
Inside, the noise shattered the festivities.
Arlong shot to his feet, face twisting with fury. "Who the hell dares—!?" His voice boomed across the courtyard. "You've got a death wish coming to my territory!?"
Then a voice answered—calm, cold, and laced with contempt.
"I never thought you'd fall this far, Arlong." Kai stepped through the ruined gate, silhouetted against the sunlight. "After Fisher Tiger died, you ran to the weakest sea in the world to play tyrant. You were an officer of the Sun Pirates—a crew that challenged the New World. And now look at you." His lip curled. "Pathetic."
Arlong's eyes locked onto the figure.
His blood turned to ice.
"You're... Admiral Hakuryū!?"
The words came out strangled, barely audible. His pupils contracted to pinpricks.
Arlong had been born on Fish-Man Island. He'd sailed the New World. He knew what Admiral-level power meant.
Even Fisher Tiger—his captain, his hero—wouldn't have stood a chance against an Admiral.
And this wasn't just any Admiral.
This was Hakuryū. The strongest of them all.
"Why..." Arlong's throat worked. "Why are you here?"
Kai's gaze slid to Nami, who stood tense and pale beside him. Then back to Arlong.
"I'm here for my navigator." His voice was soft. Dangerous. "To settle accounts."
Arlong's eyes finally registered Nami's presence. His face went ashen.
No. No, no, no—
If he'd known—if he'd had any idea she was connected to an Admiral—he never would have touched her. Never would have gone near Cocoyasi Village.
"Admiral Hakuryū!" The words tumbled out in a desperate rush. "There's been a misunderstanding! I was just about to return Cocoyasi Village to Nami—I swear!" He forced his mouth into something approximating a smile.
It looked like a grimace of pain.
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