"Brother Arlong, are you alright?"
The three officers looked on with worry as they pulled Arlong from a pile of rubble.
"What's the situation?"
"The boys are holding him off downstairs, but a series of loud crashes just echoed up. We aren't sure what's happening."
"No, tell all our kin to stop immediately! Against that man, they have no chance. They are simply throwing their lives away. Hurry!"
Having been hit by one of Sean's slashes and a kick, Arlong knew exactly where they stood.
Even if his fishman subordinates swarmed the man, even if there were ten times as many of them, they would be no match for Sean. In many cases, when the gap in strength is too vast, numbers simply cannot bridge the divide.
These ordinary fishmen might be considered powerful within the East Blue, but compared to the Marines at Headquarters, they were barely at the level of elite soldiers—they wouldn't even rank as junior officers.
Even Arlong himself probably only reached the level of a Marine Commander.
However, while the three officers were still confused...
"No need to go. They're already gone."
Sean appeared instantly, his toes touching the ground so lightly that he didn't make a sound. He moved like a master assassin.
"You couldn't have..."
Hearing those words, Arlong began to tremble. Did this mean... all of his fishman kin were dead?
"Over the past three years, many people in Cocoyasi Village alone died at your hands. If you include the other twenty-some villages, the death toll must be over a hundred," Sean said coldly. "In that case, you shouldn't have any complaints about dying here today, right?"
Hekireki erupted with a surge of lightning, bolts of electricity winding and dancing along the blade. The crackling sound of the current felt like a death knell to Arlong and the others.
From the very beginning, Sean had no intention of letting anyone go. Not even Hatchan. Some things could not be settled with a simple apology.
Slowly, Sean raised Hekireki...
"Wait! If you kill me here, it will jeopardize Jimbei's cooperation with the Marines. It might even destroy the peace that Fishman Island and humans have struggled so hard to establish!"
"How about a compromise? We leave the East Blue, and you let us go. What do you say?"
If possible, Arlong didn't want to mention Jimbei. In his eyes, Jimbei was a traitor. Even if Jimbei had accepted the position of a Warlord largely to rescue Arlong and the others... he was desperate now.
But would Sean really let Arlong off just because of Jimbei?
Obviously not.
"I don't think so. Not only would he not cause trouble for the Marines over something like this, but even if he did, what do you think Jimbei could actually achieve?"
"As for the peace between Fishman Island and humans? That hypocritical peace is meaningless. Besides, you aren't that important."
For a moment, Arlong was speechless. This man was utterly unmoved. Then, he suddenly remembered something. If Jimbei didn't carry enough weight, he needed to bring up someone who did. Someone that even a Marine Admiral would have to be wary of.
"What about Dark King Rayleigh?"
"Hatchan once saved Rayleigh's life. If he finds out you killed us, he will certainly come after you. You may be strong now, but you're far from being Rayleigh's match, are you?"
Sean's eyes remained vacant, devoid of any emotion. Having read the original story, how could he not know the relationship between Arlong and Jimbei? How could he not know the connection between Hatchan and Rayleigh?
He knew perfectly well.
But so what?
The raised blade of Hekireki descended. Violent lightning instantly swallowed the entire second floor.
'''
At the gates of Arlong Park, Nami stood beside the unconscious Ain, staring intently at the second floor of the building.
Just then, the sound of many footsteps approached from behind.
"Nami, why are you here?"
"Hmm? Isn't that the female Marine from before? Did they fail?"
"Sigh, even Marines from Headquarters can't defeat Arlong?"
The group leading the way were the ones Sean had brought back from Sika Island, but they seemed to have misunderstood the situation. It wasn't their fault; there were no fishman corpses visible on the ground—only a dazed Nami and an unconscious Ain. Naturally, they filled in the blanks with the worst possible outcome.
Before Nami could recover her senses and explain, a figure carrying a sword leaped down from the second floor of Arlong Park, landing softly in front of her.
Who else could it be but Sean?
"Little Nami, your nightmare..."
"...is over."
These words struck Nami's mind like a bolt of lightning. Looking at the bloodstains remaining on the building, Nami instantly understood what Sean meant.
The thirteen-year-old girl burst into tears. The emotions she had suppressed for three long years were finally unleashed.
'''
That evening, to celebrate the downfall of the Arlong Pirates, Cocoyasi Village held a great bonfire feast.
It wasn't just the villagers of Cocoyasi; people from the surrounding villages had spontaneously flocked there to celebrate upon hearing the news. In total, the people from over twenty villages numbered nearly two thousand.
If the visitors hadn't brought food and drink with them, Cocoyasi Village—having been oppressed by Arlong for three years—would never have been able to provide enough food for such a massive banquet.
Everyone was overjoyed that night. Everyone except one person.
On the beach, Ain had awakened and was staring blankly at the horizon.
"What's wrong? Still haven't recovered from the blow earlier?"
"Shouldn't you be in the village enjoying the feast? Why did you come here?"
"I couldn't exactly just leave you here, could I?"
"Who asked you to care!!"
Hearing her snap back, Sean felt a bit more relieved. The fact that she could speak like this meant she was doing okay. Once she worked through her feelings, she would experience significant mental growth. And once her mindset evolved, her strength would grow even faster in the future.
Perhaps this was what they called "attaining clarity of mind and realizing one's true nature."
"Sean!"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"When we go back, can you help me increase my strength?"
"No problem."
And so, the two of them sat side by side on the beach, gazing out at the sea.
A Promise for the Future
Neither of them spoke another word after that.
'''
The next day.
Three villagers from Cocoyasi Village were on a boat, preparing for departure.
After all, neither Sean nor Ain owned a ship. Even if they did, neither possessed the skills of a navigator; while they could manage short distances, they would likely lose their way on the open sea during a long voyage. Consequently, Sean needed to borrow this vessel and rely on the villagers to handle the sailing.
"Brother Sean, are you leaving already?"
"Nami, Sean has things to attend to. Stop throwing a tantrum!"
Nami looked utterly reluctant. After all, the Nami of the present was not yet the "little thief cat" she would become five years later; she still possessed a certain childhood innocence.
Nojiko, being two years older, was relatively more mature. Speaking of which, she felt quite impressed by Sean. Despite being the same age as her, he had been able to defeat Arlong with ease.
'Are the Marines from Headquarters all this strong?' she wondered.
Living in Cocoyasi Village, her understanding of the Marine was limited to Bellemere and the officers from the 16th Branch. She lacked any real knowledge of the Marines on the Grand Line, let alone those stationed at Headquarters.
Of course, the Marines at Headquarters weren't as exaggerated as she imagined. As for Sean... he was a special case. Even the three current Admirals hadn't possessed such strength when they were Sean's age.
At that moment, Sean stepped up to Nami and habitually ruffled her hair.
"Nami, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"I want to be a navigator and draw a map of the entire world!"
"A navigator, huh? That sounds good. But one thing: whether you become an adventurer or join a merchant fleet, you must never become a pirate. Do you understand?"
"I hate pirates more than anything! I'd never become one. Brother Sean, when I grow up, can I join the Marine at Headquarters where you are?"
"Of course. If you want to join the Marine after you turn sixteen, go to Loguetown and find Smoker. He can get in touch with me."
"Mm-hmm!" Nami nodded excitedly.
She secretly made a vow to herself that as soon as she turned sixteen, she would head to Loguetown to find the man named Smoker.
'''
An hour later.
The ship had set sail, and the island where Cocoyasi Village lay had vanished from sight. Before returning to the deserted island where the training camp evaluations were held, Sean and Ain had one more stop to make: the East Blue 16th Branch of the Marine!