Chapter 42: Have You Finally Arrived?

Early morning, two days later.

Genzo hummed a little tune, pushing his bicycle along the ridge outside the village entrance; the weather was comfortable, perfect for patrol.

Suddenly a strong gust blew past, sending his wide-brimmed police hat flying off again; he hastily parked his bike, bent over, and scrambled to retrieve it.

The little pinwheel was wet again; after wiping it for quite some time until it was dry, Genzo, looking somewhat aggrieved, put it back on.

He had only just made it last night; the one he had crafted a year ago had mysteriously vanished without a trace a few days prior.

Why exactly, and who exactly, would repeatedly target a worthless little pinwheel?

Genzo still could not figure it out no matter how hard he thought.

Just as he straightened up, he suddenly spotted several children who often played by the docks in the distance, running toward him in a panic, frequently glancing back over their shoulders.

Upon seeing him, they immediately shouted, "Uncle Genzo! It's bad, it's bad!"

"Pirates! Over at the docks, a pirate ship has arrived!"

What?!

Genzo turned pale with shock; he immediately straddled his bicycle, saying, "I'll go check it out; you all head straight to the village and tell everyone to hide in the mountains..."

Wait, the mountains?

His movements suddenly froze as a realization struck him: the Cocoyasi Village of today was no longer in an era where it was powerless against just any pirate that showed up.

Deep within the mountains sat a monstrous presence of no small consequence!

"Gather any adults you meet on the way and go find Siano together!" he immediately corrected himself, "Tell him to come to the docks immediately; this is the most urgent matter and cannot be delayed, did you hear me!"

"Understood, Uncle Genzo!"

Genzo watched the children run off, then continued riding his bicycle toward the docks; he gritted his teeth, his heart still faintly uneasy.

Cocoyasi Village had maintained its peace for many years; this time, what rank of pirates would be arriving?

What if, just what if, their luck was terrible and it happened to be one of the strongest pirate crews in the East Blue?

Could Siano really withstand them?

Deep within the mountain ranges.

A black-haired youth was gripping a giant tree weighing two or three tons, swinging it like a Golden Cudgel and enjoying himself thoroughly, when his peripheral vision suddenly caught a white figure streaking across the sky.

"Moon Step!"

—Whoosh!

Siano shot up from the ground, flashing several times to reach mid-air, blocking the News Coo's path.

"Quack!!!"

The News Coo was startled into letting out a duck-like cry, its feathers standing on end.

It was responsible for this sector of the East Blue; it had only heard from its companions that there were humans who could fly over in the Grand Line, but it had never seen one with its own eyes!

"A copy of today's newspaper, please." Siano flicked his finger, and a 50-Berry coin dropped into the mail pouch hanging around its neck.

His perfected Moon Step was sufficient to keep him suspended in the air for several seconds, but just as he took out the newspaper and before he could unfold it, his body began to fall.

The News Coo picked up the coin, staring blankly down at the falling figure.

—This guy actually has the leisure to calmly open and read the newspaper; isn't he afraid of falling to his death?

"Queen Otohime assassinated?"

Staring at the headline on the front page, Siano held the newspaper motionless, allowing his body to free-fall.

A few seconds later, he crashed heavily onto the mountain peak, blasting out a huge crater as dust and debris flew in all directions.

By the time the dust settled, he had nearly finished reading the report and couldn't help but furrow his brows.

So Arlong's arrival in the East Blue and Hody Jones's murder of Queen Otohime happened in the same year?

Two generations of scum... no, fish-scum; truly cut from the same cloth, coinciding in their evil deeds.

Putting away the newspaper, he took a few steps out of the deep crater he had created, moved to the southernmost edge, and did what he had repeated countless times over the past year: habitually gazing far toward the docks.

"Arlong, Arlong, why haven't you come yet..." he almost subconsciously murmured.

But the next moment, his gaze suddenly hardened, and he froze on the spot.

At the very end of the horizon, a massive pirate ship had appeared from who-knows-where, sailing straight toward the docks.

Beneath the fluttering Jolly Roger, the figurehead was carved into the shape of a saw-shark, appearing utterly ferocious.

The sea breeze blew past; the silhouette atop the mountain remained motionless for a long time.

After a long while.

"Arlong..."

A voice that sounded like crying yet laughing finally drifted out, full of deep resentment; he stretched his body, and his bulging muscles emitted a spine-chilling sound of twisting and trembling, "Have you finally come..."

"I really, really missed you..."

The instant these words fell.

Crack-crack, as his arches gradually tensed, countless spiderweb-like cracks suddenly erupted from beneath his feet, spreading crazily down along the mountainside, causing the entire cliff to groan under the unbearable strain.

Boom—!!!

In the next instant, the air abruptly exploded into layers of ripples; the massive muscular figure vanished from its original spot, and the cliff completely collapsed.

Appearing once more, he had instantly shifted to the top of a coconut tree dozens of meters away, crushing the trunk into a bow bent to its utmost limit; borrowing this rebound force, he shot fiercely toward the distance once again!

Thud!

Accompanied by the impact sound, the Shark Superb forcibly docked at the pier, mercilessly crushing the wooden trestle into fragments.

Clatter-clatter-clatter, dozens of figures of exceptionally burly build leisurely disembarked, stepping onto the land amidst the scattered debris.

"So this is Cocoyasi Village?"

Gazing at the distant village where wisps of cooking smoke drifted upward, Chu, a Kiss Fish-man officer, raised an eyebrow:

"It's quite a bit larger than it looked on the map, chu-mi~ It seems if we search thoroughly enough, we can still squeeze out quite a bit of money."

"I, however, find it a pity."

The other officer, Kuroobi, wore a cold expression; crossing his arms, he stated lightly:

"There is not even a shred of surprise. It has been a long time since I stretched my limbs, but there is no helping it. In such a backward little village, finding someone qualified to exchange fists with me is harder than ascending to heaven."

Clad in indigo-blue training gear, his muscles robust, a black cloth belt denoting his karate rank tied around his waist, and his hair knotted into two small buns, he looked thoroughly intimidating.

Slap.

A large purple hand suddenly landed on the shoulders of these two Fish-man officers.

"Shahahaha—! No more nonsense, my men."

Arlong bared his teeth in a grin, revealing a mouthful of fangs. "Now that we have set foot on land, it is time to follow me and proclaim the declaration of the Arlong Pirates."

He flung his arms wide, and behind him, the Fish-man pirates drew their blades with sinister grins.

"Insignificant, tiny humans!"

Arlong laughed wildly at the distant village. "From this moment forward, this village... no! This entire island shall be ruled by us!!!"

"Shahahaha—!!!"

Amidst their rampant laughter, the Arlong Pirates stepped off the dock and began marching boldly toward the village.

However, just after turning a corner,

they discovered four fallen coconut trees stacked horizontally across one another, blocking the road leading to the village.

"Hm? Man-made?"

Kuroobi narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Did they lose their nerve upon spotting the pirate ship from afar? Naive! Do they think something like this can block our path?"

"Look closer; someone is sitting on top of them, chu-mi~"

Beside him, Chu chuckled, gazing at the black-clad figure seated upon the tree trunks.

"Hey, young man, do you intend to protect your village all by yourself? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Leaving other things aside, such courage is truly commendable!"

The other party sat silently, head bowed, saying nothing, fists clenched and trembling slightly, as if struggling desperately to overcome his fear.

Only upon hearing these words of praise did he finally lift his head, revealing the clean, delicate face of a youth.

Under the mocking gazes of the many Fish-men, he smiled somewhat shyly and embarrassedly:

"... Thank you."

(End of Chapter)