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BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
CRASH!
The sound of explosions ripping through Arlong Park startled the people of Cocoyasi Village—and Nojiko, in her mikan grove.
They were all at a loss.
"Hey, what was that?"
"I don't know!"
"Could it be... the Marines? Are they finally here to take down Arlong and his crew?"
"The Marines? No way. Not a single Marine has set foot on this island since Arlong's crew set up camp here."
The villagers murmured amongst themselves, stealing fearful glances toward the commotion. Some simply locked their doors and pretended they'd heard nothing.
What they couldn't hear couldn't hurt them.
After a few moments, the sounds died down.
Outside her small house, Nojiko gazed toward the park, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach.
She didn't know if Nami had already set out to sea. To raise the money to save their home, Nami often went away for long stretches.
She stole from pirates—their money, their treasure.
Worry gnawed at her.
Despite her fear, Nojiko started running toward Arlong Park. Along the way, she ran into Genzo, the town's sheriff.
Genzo was an older man who always wore a pinwheel on his hat. It might have looked silly, but he was a gentle soul.
He'd worn it ever since Nami was a little girl—just because it made her smile.
He was also one of the few people who knew the truth: that Nami had only joined Arlong's crew to save them all.
In fact, everyone knew.
They just pretended they didn't, for her sake.
Together, Nojiko and Genzo crept toward Arlong Park. They peered over a low wall, two heads popping up.
The setting sun hung low over the sea, casting a shimmering, golden-red light that reflected off the surface of the swimming pool—and the blood that filled it.
Genzo and Nojiko's eyes widened in horror.
The bodies of Fish-Men floated in the water, bobbing with the gentle ripples.
Soldiers in identical uniforms were fishing them out, hauling them to a large ship at the mouth of the river.
"Hey..." Genzo whispered, gesturing for Nojiko to look.
There, where the tyrant who had lorded over them for so long should have been, was Arlong.
He was embedded in a wall, his entire body charred black. He looked like a piece of dried, roasted fish.
Nojiko was stunned.
Arlong and his crew... had been wiped out.
She didn't know whether to be happy or terrified.
Happy, because Arlong's crew had committed countless atrocities. They had treated the villagers like slaves. They had murdered her mother, Belle-mere...
Their deaths were a cause for celebration.
But... could this mysterious group who had defeated Arlong be even more ruthless?
If so, the dark cloud that had hung over their village for so long would only grow thicker.
It was a fear that Genzo shared.
"Hey."
A voice suddenly came from behind them.
Nojiko and Genzo froze, a cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads. 'We've been discovered.'
"Are you pirates, or locals?"
Nojiko and Genzo exchanged a look. They both raised their hands to show they were unarmed and slowly, painfully, turned around.
A woman was watching them.
She was beautiful, with an air of intelligent elegance. She wore a purple and black dress. Her skin was fair, her short hair framing her face. Her reddish-brown eyes glinted with wisdom.
She studied them, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips.
Her? She's the one who defeated Arlong's crew?
It seemed impossible.
"You're locals, aren't you?" Robin said, sensing their tension. "Don't be afraid. We..."
Robin paused. For her, the word "we" was a precious thing. It was a kind of acceptance.
"We are the crew of the Winter Blossom Kingdom. Our king heard that a crew of Fish-Man pirates had taken up residence here, and he brought us to deal with them. The Fish-Man pirates have now been... eliminated."
Winter Blossom Kingdom?
They'd never heard of it.
A king?
But the word "eliminated"... it sent a jolt of hope through them. Maybe these people weren't the enemy.
"The king has said that we will be stationed here for a while," Robin continued. "Would you like to meet him?"
She had been with the king for over six months now. She knew him well.
He was merciless toward his enemies—the pirates, the villains, the corrupt.
But to his own crew, his subordinates, his people... he was a good man. Good in every way, except perhaps during training.
He didn't have the arrogance of other kings and nobles. He was approachable, down-to-earth.
He was, in a way, a nearly perfect man.
Except for his weakness for women.
But given his status, his power, that wasn't really a flaw.
It might even have been a strength.
Meet the king?
Genzo and Nojiko hesitated, then nodded. If these people were going to be staying, they would have to interact with them eventually. Better to get a sense of them now.
Robin led them into the park.
Law and Ace, still not having had their fill of fighting, had gone to the beach to duel.
Reiju was lounging under a parasol, sunglasses on, enjoying the sunset.
Tashigi was cleaning the blood from her beloved sword.
Maya was walking her "cat"—a massive, white-furred saber-toothed tiger that, having been cooped up on the ship for too long, was now tearing around the park with joyful abandon.
Deuce and Mihar of the Spade Pirates were grilling meat.
Skull, the eccentric in the mask, had a penchant for collecting pirate memorabilia. He was currently sawing off Arlong's jagged, saw-toothed nose.
"Definitely a rare find!" he'd said.
Nojiko and Genzo's eyes darted around, searching for Nami.
They were worried.
Robin, with her keen eye for detail, noticed. "What is it? Do you know one of the pirates here?"
Nojiko and Genzo tensed.
They exchanged another look.
Yes, or no?
In the end, Nojiko decided that this woman didn't seem like a bad person. She told her the truth.
"I have a sister," she began, and then she told her everything.
Robin listened, and her expression softened.
It was a sad story. As sad as her own...
"We didn't find her here," Robin said gently. "She must have gone out to sea. I hope she returns safely."
She wasn't here.
Nojiko and Genzo breathed a sigh of relief. They followed Robin into the main building of Arlong Park and saw the king.
He was a handsome young man, bent over a table, drawing something. Beside him was a strange, snail-like creature.
Jin was using the island of the Conomi Archipelago as a template to draw a treasure map, which he planned to distribute throughout the East Blue.
Given the nature of pirates, and with a little help from a few rumors spread by Smoker, it was almost certain to work. At the very least, Eldoraggo, the man obsessed with finding the treasure of Woonan the Great Gold Pirate, would take the bait.
Woonan had been a real person. It was said that he had once possessed a third of the world's gold.
But Jin suspected he had been the previous user of the Gold-Gold Fruit.
"Your Majesty," Robin said, "these are some of the local villagers. They heard the commotion and came to investigate. I found them and brought them here."
Jin looked up.
Genzo and Nojiko bowed nervously.
They didn't know what to say. They just stood there, in awe. Cocoyasi Village had never been visited by such a distinguished personage.
Jin smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not like Arlong and his crew. You can go back and tell the other villagers that from now on, all of Arlong's rules are null and void."
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