Everyone present lifted their heads, staring at the golden cloud hanging in the sky, amazed beyond words.
These villagers had never seen anything like this in their lives.
Then—something even more unbelievable happened.
That golden cloud fell straight down into the sea.
A curious fish-man, seemingly wanting to test a thought in his mind, leapt after it without hesitation and plunged into the water as well.
Logan could clearly sense his connection to the Flying Nimbus. The moment it entered the sea, he noticed at once and gave a silent command.
As if sharing his will, the Flying Nimbus curved around him once, then shot directly toward Luffy's position on the seabed.
At that moment, Luffy's feet were pinned beneath a massive boulder. He was desperately holding his breath, doing everything he could not to inhale seawater.
Beside him, Genzo and Nojiko were hammering at the rock, trying to break it apart—but underwater buoyancy robbed them of strength. No matter how hard they tried, the results were negligible.
Meanwhile, Sanji, who had dived in to rescue Luffy, was being held up by one of Arlong's officers.
Luffy had been holding his breath for far too long. His lungs were on the verge of giving out. He clamped his mouth shut with both hands, but seawater still seeped in through the gaps, forcing him to swallow mouthfuls again and again.
At that moment, Luffy noticed something strange.
A golden cloud was moving rapidly across the seabed.
"So cool…!" His eyes widened in amazement.
But the instant he spoke, a large gulp of seawater rushed into his mouth, reminding him far too late that he was still underwater.
Then he saw it—
The golden cloud shot beneath his feet.
Suddenly, his body felt light.
Luffy, Genzo, Nojiko—and even the massive boulder—were all lifted together by the Flying Nimbus.
Logan couldn't help but praise it silently.
This Flying Nimbus really is a treasure.
He then turned his head and shouted toward Sanji, who was still locked in combat nearby:
"Perverted cook—fight on land!"
Sanji had already noticed what was happening. His tension eased immediately. After kicking his opponent away, he swam straight up toward the surface.
When Logan emerged from the water, no one noticed him.
All eyes were focused on the battlefield ahead.
And he had no intention of joining the fight.
Right now, Luffy's Straw Hat crew was still too weak. They needed to grow—fast.
If Logan stepped in now, he could kill Arlong easily.
But that would do nothing for Luffy's growth.
And the fastest way to grow—
Was battle.
Zoro, seeing that Luffy had safely been pulled from the water, finally relaxed. He slowly untied the green bandana from his shoulder and tied it around his head.
Then he clenched Wado Ichimonji in his teeth and stared coldly at Hachi.
Across from him, Hachi rather comically pulled out six swords, proudly declaring himself a six-sword fighter.
"Let me show you what true Three-Sword Style really is," Zoro said coldly without turning around.
"Yosaku. Johnny. Lend me your blades."
"Got it, Zoro-bro!"
Without hesitation, the two men hurled their massive blades toward him.
At the same time, Hachi lost his patience and charged forward.
At the critical moment, Zoro caught both swords perfectly.
The instant he gripped all three blades—
His aura changed completely.
Three swords whirled around Hachi at blinding speed, even faster than Hachi's six blades. Zoro's body became a blur as he flashed past his opponent.
"Three-Sword Style: Blade Wolf Flow."
As Zoro sheathed his swords, he muttered the name softly.
Hachi hadn't even realized what had happened.
A burst of blood exploded from his chest, and he collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
At the same time, Nami rushed over and slipped a Senzu Bean into Luffy's mouth.
Luffy, who had been barely conscious, instantly jumped up.
"Wahaha! Nami, what was that? It was delicious! Do you have more? Give me another!"
Nami's expression was deadly serious.
"No. That was a life-saving medicine."
Luffy replied with a simple "Oh," then remembered what mattered most. He swung his fist straight at Arlong.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
After seeing Zoro's miraculous recovery earlier, Nami finally understood just how precious those Senzu Beans were.
She had only lost a little blood—and Logan had given them to her without hesitation.
Her gaze grew complicated as she looked at Logan's handsome face.
She couldn't understand how someone could do so much, so selflessly.
She walked over, still wearing Luffy's straw hat, and asked seriously:
"Logan… you're actually very strong, aren't you?"
"Pretty decent," Logan nodded shamelessly.
"Then why aren't you helping your brother?" Nami asked anxiously.
"You're not from this village—you don't know how terrifying Arlong really is. With your help, Luffy's chances would be much better."
Logan smiled faintly and replied with an unrelated sentence:
"My little brother… is a man who will become Pirate King."
Nami fell silent, carefully considering the meaning behind his words.
"Trust Luffy," Logan said calmly.
"You don't understand his strength yet."
With that, he turned his attention back to the battle.
Nearby, Sanji—now free of the sea's restraint—quickly defeated his opponent. With nothing else to do, he stood beside Zoro to watch the fight.
Just like Logan, neither of them showed any intention of helping Luffy.
Seeing all three of them acting the same way, Nami clenched her fists.
So many emotions surged in her chest.
She whispered softly,
"So… this is trust?"
She looked back at Luffy.
His fists stretched like pistons, arms snapping forward again and again, raining blows on Arlong like a storm.
Arlong was forced back repeatedly, until he was finally smashed into a wall by a heavy punch.
Just as everyone thought the fight was over—
Arlong stood back up as if nothing had happened.
He glared viciously at Luffy.
"Warm-up's over," he snarled.
"Now it begins for real."
"As you wish!" Luffy slammed his fists together and charged forward at full speed.
But this time, Arlong changed tactics.
Instead of punching, he opened his shark-like jaws, revealing razor-sharp teeth, and bit straight down on Luffy's arm.
"Ahhh!" Luffy cried out in pain.
Before Arlong could celebrate, the next instant—
His teeth shattered.
Luffy's other fist had smashed them to pieces.
The two clashed fiercely, exchanging blows again and again. As time passed, Arlong was gradually pushed into a losing position.
Then Arlong suddenly leapt high—
And plunged into the water.
"Luffy, be careful!" Sanji shouted.
"Fish-men are twice as strong in water!"
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