BOOM!
Arlong's pirate ship crashed from the mountain waterway into the sea below.
"Brother Arlong, Brother Jinbei is calling again, telling us to go back."
A Fish-man rushed over, holding a Den Den Mushi.
Arlong, who had been looking excited, immediately turned grim upon hearing this.
"Brother Arlong, Brother Jinbei said you'll be in mortal danger this time."
Seeing Arlong's expression, the octopus Fish-man who had rushed over said timidly.
"Damn it, Jinbei is just a coward. Instead of avenging Brother Tiger, he actually joined the Marines."
Arlong roared with anger, gritting his teeth.
The other excited Fish-men quieted down upon hearing this.
The ship beneath them also stabilized from the recent turbulence.
Fisher Tiger!
The former captain of the Sun Pirates was a shared idol for all these Fish-men who had gone out to sea.
Under Tiger's leadership, these Fish-men had hoped to change the relationship between Fish-men and humans, but what was the final result?
He rescued a human and tried to take them home, only to be betrayed, and even Tiger himself died.
"Humans are untrustworthy creatures! We Fish-men are the superior race! To us, those humans are just weaklings, an inferior race!"
Arlong turned and roared at the group of Fish-men.
"Only by being tough will those humans fear us! Jinbei is a coward, but I, Arlong, will lead you to rise in the East Blue and overturn the world! Let's start by becoming the hegemon of the East Blue."
Most humans in this world were simple-minded brutes.
Of course, this was also related to the education and environment of this world. Most humans were illiterate, let alone these Fish-men.
Arlong's speech, which was not particularly inspiring, got the group of Fish-men fired up.
All the Fish-men cheered.
"Hachi, just cut off contact with that bastard Jinbei."
"Yes, Arlong!"
The octopus Fish-man, Hachi, immediately stood at attention.
"Let's begin, my boys! Conquer the East Blue!" Arlong nodded in satisfaction, then turned, drew his large serrated sword, and pointed forward.
Amidst the cheers, the ship sailed straight ahead.
...
Grand Line.
Jinbei put down the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"Brother Jinbei, will Shyarly's prophecy really come true?"
Although that guy Arlong was an extremist, he was once a comrade in the Sun Pirates.
The Fish-men on this ship knew why Jinbei had agreed to become a Shichibukai and knew the immense criticism he had endured.
"Shyarly's prophecies are very accurate."
Jinbei shook his head, then looked ahead of the ship with a grave expression.
That bastard, actually running off to the East Blue to carry out some plan of domination.
Regardless of whether Arlong had the strength for it, just causing trouble would make humans hate Fish-men even more.
And at that time, the situation for Fish-men would become even more difficult.
"Full speed ahead. We must reach the East Blue before something happens to Arlong."
Jinbei ordered.
The good thing was, although Arlong had ordered Hachi not to contact him again, Hachi had already promised to report their location.
...
East Blue, Cocoyasi Village.
"Sir, you really want all of it?"
Bellemere, with her strange hairstyle and a cigarette between her lips, looked at Cyrus in pleasant surprise.
"Yes, I want all of it. Your oranges are very fresh. I'll be at sea for a while, and fruit is essential."
Cyrus nodded.
He had actually been lingering in this sea area for many days, originally planning to find Arlong and collect the bounty directly.
But after looking around, he determined that Arlong probably hadn't arrived yet.
However, based on the timeline, it should be within this year.
But Cyrus didn't plan to waste this time. He was preparing to sweep through the nearby pirates to raise funds for his expenses after heading to the Grand Line.
And today was his first time in Cocoyasi Village.
"Huh? Aren't you a merchant?"
Bellemere said, stunned, upon hearing Cyrus's words.
"Do I look like a merchant?"
Cyrus looked down at himself, at his ordinary white shirt and white trousers.
"If that's the case, I can't sell you that much!"
Bellemere shook her head directly, her expression serious.
"Why?"
Cyrus was curious.
He remembered that Bellemere, after returning to her hometown, seemed to have a difficult life, even going hungry often, surviving only by growing oranges and taking care of two adopted daughters.
Sometimes, she could only eat oranges to fill her stomach, and when Nami and the others asked, she would argue that eating oranges was good for one's complexion.
"Because these fresh oranges can't be preserved for that long. If you want to preserve them longer, sir, you can buy some rum."
Bellemere explained earnestly.
"Is that so!"
Cyrus nodded upon hearing this.
Seeing that Cyrus understood, Bellemere smiled.
"But I still want all of it. I have a big appetite. I'll finish all these oranges in a few days."
Saying this, Cyrus threw down a stack of Belly.
"But you'll have to help me deliver them to the ship by the sea."
Bellemere was stunned. She looked at the departing Cyrus, then at the Belly he had thrown down.
Finish them in a few days?
Was he going to eat these oranges as his main meal?
Although fresh fruit was essential at sea, you couldn't just eat fruit, could you?
Bellemere was a little bewildered.
"What's wrong? Did that bastard bully you?"
A middle-aged man with a pinwheel on his hat approached and asked with concern upon seeing Bellemere's dazed expression.
"No, not at all! You're just in time. Help me carry the oranges to the ship by the sea."
Bellemere came back to her senses.
Seeing it was Genzo, she said immediately.
"All of them?" Genzo's eyes widened. There were a lot of oranges here!
"All of them! If you can help me finish, you can come to my house for dinner tonight."
Bellemere said with a smile.
"No problem!"
Seeing Bellemere's smile and hearing her words, Genzo was instantly energized.
He saluted and immediately got busy.
Meanwhile, Cyrus wandered around the village.
Basically, every household was selling fruit, mostly oranges, of course. Because of this, it seemed they weren't selling well.
After all, fresh fruit really couldn't be preserved for long.
Only the nearby 16th Marine Branch would come to buy in large quantities, but even they couldn't consume that much.
And the villages on the surrounding archipelago were in a similar situation.
After all, the climate here was good and very suitable for growing fruit trees.
As for meat, it was all fish.
Cyrus purchased some basic necessities and paid to have them delivered to his ship by the sea.
He couldn't change this situation.
A situation like this wasn't unique to this place. Such a grand undertaking should be left to the Revolutionary Army.
'That was their job.' Cyrus thought, then his steps paused, and he looked up ahead.
Two little girls of about the same height were walking side by side, each carrying a basket of oranges on her back.
One had blue hair, the other orange hair. They were about ten years old and looked rather thin.
Nojiko and Nami.
Cyrus's gaze lingered for a moment before he looked away and brushed past them.
"Hmm, if I kill Arlong, Bellemere won't die. Then Nami won't have to go to sea as the Cat Burglar to raise the ransom money, and she won't meet Luffy. So, Luffy's Navigator is gone?"
Cyrus mused, stroking his chin.
And that guy Zoro, his future experiences would probably change too.
The future would become unknown.
Oh, and if Ace didn't get the Flame-Flame Fruit, maybe he would focus on developing his Haki and become a master swordsman or a physical-type fighter.
Thinking this way, Cyrus felt a little more anticipation for the future's development.
But it was still a bit early to think about it now; there was still a long time to go.
Perhaps his intervention in this world would cause even greater changes.
It's called the butterfly effect, right?
But Cyrus wasn't too worried.
He would do what he wanted to do.
As for the rest, who cares.
With these thoughts, Cyrus returned to his small boat by the sea after buying his supplies.
He set sail, intending to wander around.
Just as Cyrus set sail and left Cocoyasi Village, Nami and Nojiko returned home to see a more sumptuous meal on the table than usual.