Chapter 8
Watching the fist rapidly enlarge in her pupils, Nami did not dodge.
Take this punch, and from then on bridges would be bridges, roads would be roads—no more ties between them.
BAM!
A long, straight black leg blocked Luffy's fist.
"Sanji, what the hell are you doing?" Luffy asked coldly.
Sanji elegantly lit a cigarette, took a drag, and blew out a smoke ring. His gaze was deep as he stared at Luffy.
"No matter how harsh Nami-san's words are, that's still no reason for you to raise a hand against her. Luffy, you want to be the King of the Pirates—how can you hit a lady?!"
"Then I'll hit you instead."
Luffy roared and swung at Sanji.
Sanji sidestepped and countered with a high kick. "Concasser."
Completely unprepared, Luffy was sent flying sideways. Sanji pressed the attack.
Luffy had ranged techniques—he needed to close the distance.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
Still airborne, Luffy unleashed a barrage of rubber punches at the pursuing Sanji.
Dozens of fists rained down.
Sanji had no room to dodge and was forced back.
Luffy stabilized himself mid-air and kept bombarding Sanji, who now had no chance to retaliate.
Nami: Σ(☉▽☉"a Zoro: ヽ(′?`)ノ Joseph: (ΩДΩ)
The commotion drew the villagers' attention.
But seeing a fight, they all hid inside their houses and peeked out—no one dared intervene.
That was the plan they had made with Gen-san: stay alive for now, wait for the right moment to rebel later.
Yet two people still ran out—both injured.
One with his wrist in a splint: Gen-san. One with his nose in a splint: Usopp.
"Nami, what's going on here?" both asked at the same time.
Nami kept a cold face and stayed silent.
Usopp ran over to Zoro, visibly terrified. "Zoro, break them up quick! We have to get out of here—Arlong is a monster!"
"When the captain wants to hit someone, I can't exactly stop him."
Zoro grinned. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind slicing the curly-brow myself."
Usopp was speechless. Not a single reliable person here.
He clutched a smoke star, ready to forcibly separate them.
Zoro held him back. "Let Luffy vent."
Usopp gave up and went to Joseph for answers instead.
The fight between the two had reached fever pitch.
Seeing he couldn't land a clean hit on Sanji, Luffy switched to a heavier move.
"Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
Too slow—Sanji dodged easily and seized the opening. He leaped onto Luffy's outstretched arms and dove downward.
"Collier Shoot!"
"Calm the hell down!"
BAM! Luffy's shoulder took the full kick and he flew sideways.
BOOM—CRASH!
A two-story wooden house collapsed in a cloud of dust, burying Luffy beneath it.
"Quite the lively party!"
A mocking voice suddenly rang out.
Then a large group of fishmen swarmed in from every direction.
Leading them were the three cadres of the Arlong Pirates.
They were surrounded!
Zoro's expression turned grave. He silently tied his green bandana onto his head, a excited grin creeping across his face.
Usopp's legs shook so hard he could barely stand. He raised his slingshot and stood back-to-back with Joseph.
Sanji pocketed his hands and blew a huge smoke ring. "Captain, we're surrounded. How long are you planning to nap?"
BOOM!
The rubble exploded outward.
Luffy burst out with both fists raised, flashing his trademark grin. "Beat Arlong and rescue our nakama!"
While buried under the wreckage, he had finally understood.
Nami was deliberately acting this way to make them leave.
His eyes burned with determination.
Nami, I won't let you down!
"┗|｀O′|┛ 嗷~~"
The crew roared in unison.
Nami's face darkened.
She had said what needed to be said and done what needed to be done. If they insisted on dying, that was on them.
Hearing the bold declaration, the fishmen burst into laughter.
"Hilarious! A bunch of brats think they can beat Big Bro Arlong?!"
"Our captain has a 20 million berry bounty—just you lot?"
Facing the ridicule, Luffy didn't care at all.
He shouted, "Go, men!"
The moment the words left his mouth,
Luffy leaped high from the rubble and whipped a horizontal kick. His short legs stretched over ten meters, instantly mowing down a huge swath of grunts.
Screams filled the air.
"A Devil Fruit user!"
The three cadres grew serious.
Sanji dove into the crowd with a spinning kick, clearing another large group.
Zoro's attacks were even more devastating—Three-Sword Style tornadoes sent everyone in range flying.
Usopp…
The sounds of battle reached Nojiko's house.
Arlong stopped what he was doing, veins bulging on his forehead. "You dare interrupt me? You're all dead."
He picked up the shorts and sleeveless vest lying on the floor and put them on.
"Big Bro Arlong, I'm coming too!"
Nojiko hurriedly threw on a camisole, forgetting her chest had grown several cup sizes.
The top now looked like a bikini—half her fullness practically spilling out.
Arlong frowned. "That's for other people to see? You're my personal property."
Nojiko Affection +1
Far from angry, she secretly rejoiced.
"Then I'll find something that fits."
She ran to the wardrobe, rummaging for clothes while humming happily.
"As expected, the higher it gets, the harder it is to raise," Arlong thought as he watched the +1 notification.
"Reaching full affection won't be easy."
Nojiko finally pulled out a plaid shirt and put it on. The fabric stretched so tight the pattern distorted.
"All my clothes are too small now… This was Bellmere's."
Memories flooded back; her mood sank.
Bad Big Bro Arlong!
Nojiko Affection -3
Arlong: ((′--)--)-_-)
…
By the time Arlong arrived at the scene, he saw his last cadre, Kuroobi, collapse.
Besides the Straw Hats, many villagers were also present.
"Good. Very good."
Arlong laughed instead of raging.
"Skwahahaha~ You've successfully pissed me off."
"Big Bro Arlong!"
Hearing his voice, Nami immediately turned and ran to him.
Seeing Nojiko tucked under his left arm, she slipped under his right.
Arlong walking in with a beauty on each arm stunned everyone present.
Gen-san collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, guilt written all over it.
Belmere… I've failed you!
"Arlong's here!"
The downed fishmen lit up with excitement.
"Nami-san… how could you…" Sanji felt his heart shatter.
He refused to accept reality and comforted himself, "She must be forced…"
Usopp poked Zoro's shoulder. "Didn't Nami and Nojiko have a blood feud with Arlong? What the hell is going on?!"
Zoro, however, was furious. "Nojiko—you really were the one who sent me the wrong way!"
"Hey, Zoro, are you even listening to me?" Usopp complained.
Hearing the name "Arlong," Luffy's eyes sparkled. He slammed his left fist into his right palm. "Alright! You're Arlong—once I send you flying—"
Before he could finish,
Sanji moved first, turning into a black streak as he charged straight at Arlong.
"You rotten fish—get your filthy hands off them!"
With a roar came a devastating kick.
"Diable Jambe: Poele!"
The strike aimed straight for Arlong's head!
"No!"
Nami cried out in panic.
Sanji flipped mid-air, heel slamming down hard onto Arlong's skull.
"Big Bro Arlong!"
A collective gasp rose from the crowd.