Carl thought for a moment before speaking.
"Luffy, do you think we could keep this sea beast as a pet? Look, we already have Luffy, who can hunt in the forest. If we have a sea beast too, it can catch food from the ocean. That way, we'll never have to worry about running out of meat. So, my suggestion is—"
"Great idea! We're keeping it!"
Drooling at the thought of endless meat, Luffy instantly agreed.
Carl shrugged. He had expected this response, and honestly, he wanted the same thing.
Training the crew required a massive amount of food, and running out of supplies was not an option. He still remembered how often the Straw Hats in the original story struggled with food shortages—Carl wasn't about to let that happen.
But he also had other priorities. He couldn't always be the one searching for food whenever they ran low.
With a sea beast and a forest hunter, they'd have access to both land and underwater prey. That alone would solve most of their food problems.
And in extreme situations, they could always… eat them.
Carl's eyes darkened at the thought.
The rest of the crew seemed to catch on to his plan and grinned wickedly. Poor Luffy and Momoo shivered under their hungry gazes, as if sensing a terrifying future.
With Momoo pulling the ship, their speed increased significantly.
After a small feast, the crew began preparing for the upcoming battle.
Nami polished her iron staff, her emotions surging at the thought that her hometown might finally be freed.
As the ship neared Cocoyasi Village, strange movements appeared in the surrounding waters.
Luffy was about to jump into action when Carl stopped him.
"Mr. Carl, why not let me take care of it?" Luffy asked, confused.
"It's better to let them report back."
Carl grinned. "They'll go tell Arlong that Nami brought dangerous people here. That means most of the Fish-Men will gather in one place to deal with us. Saves us the trouble of hunting them down one by one. This way, we can wipe them all out in one go."
Luffy slammed his fists together. "That makes sense! Mr. Carl, you're a genius!"
Carl's eye twitched. Getting praised by Luffy didn't feel like a compliment—it felt more like an insult.
The Going Merry docked smoothly, and Nami led her crew toward her home.
Soon, they spotted an orange grove, where a blue-haired girl was busy tending to the trees.
It was Nami's sister—Nojiko.
"Huh? Nami's back? And she brought friends?" Nojiko greeted them with a smile.
"Everyone, this is my sister, Nojiko," Nami introduced. "Nojiko, these are my crewmates. I've joined the Straw Hat Pirates!"
Crewmates?
Nojiko was stunned and glanced at Nami in surprise.
Sanji rushed forward, eager to impress her, but Nojiko remained polite, clearly not interested in entertaining his advances.
"Nami, what's going on?"
"Nojiko, I'm doing it! This time, I'm going to drive Arlong out!" Nami declared firmly.
"What…? Nami, that's too dangerous!" Nojiko said, her face full of concern.
"Don't worry, Nojiko. This time is different."
Nami shook her head. "I have real crewmates now, and they're incredibly strong."
She pointed to Luffy. "This is my captain, Luffy. He just fought Dracule Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman and a Warlord of the Sea! Arlong is nothing compared to him. This time, we will win. Trust me!"
Nojiko was speechless.
She didn't know who Mihawk was, but the title of World's Strongest Swordsman was more than enough to leave her stunned.
Seeing the determination in Nami's eyes, Nojiko became serious.
"In that case, I'm coming too! And so is everyone else!"
"Everyone?"
"Nami, we've always known what you were doing," Nojiko revealed. "The villagers have been cooperating with you all along—we just didn't want you to get hurt. But now that you're fighting back, we won't just stand by and watch!"
Tears welled up in Nami's eyes.
She had spent years believing that no one understood her, that the villagers resented her. But now, she realized—they had always loved and supported her.
Luffy pressed down on his straw hat, his expression hidden beneath it. In a quiet but firm voice, he said, "Nami, let them fight alongside us. Don't worry, your crewmates won't let anything happen to them."
Carl added, "I'll handle the battle formation. Johnny, Joseph—you'll back me up. We're not letting a single villager get hurt!"
Johnny and Joseph struck a dramatic pose. "You got it!"
Carl's words reassured Nami. He had survived Mihawk's blade—if he said something, she could believe it.
With renewed confidence, she left Nojiko's side. Before long, the villagers had gathered, led by the village head, Genzo.
A determined army marched toward Arlong Park, their eyes filled with fury.
At that moment, Arlong was lounging in the sun. When he heard that Nami had returned with a few troublemakers, he merely smirked.
However, he was not careless. He knew that some humans could be unexpectedly strong. Just to be safe, he recalled all of his officers. It wasn't a big deal, but he preferred to be cautious.
Suddenly, screams rang out from the entrance.
The next moment—BANG!
The gate flew open, kicked off its hinges by a powerful black-booted foot, slamming onto the ground with a heavy thud and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Sanji calmly retracted his leg, striking a cool pose before stepping back behind Luffy.
Arlong's expression immediately darkened. His sharp teeth gleamed as he looked at Nami with a mocking grin.
"Well, well, our dear crewmate Nami has returned. And you brought a bunch of weaklings with you? Should I send my men to—"
His eyes flicked toward the gathered villagers.
"Oh? You brought them all? What, are you planning to die together?"
Nami clenched her fists.
The sight of Arlong's smug face, the memory of her foster mother's death, and the knowledge that the villagers stood behind her fueled her rage.
At that moment, Luffy slowly stepped forward.
"You. Are you Arlong?"
Arlong's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Who the hell are you?"
BAM!
Luffy's fist crashed into Arlong's face, shattering his long, saw-like nose with a sickening crack. The towering fish-man was sent flying, smashing through three walls before coming to a stop.
Silence.
The villagers and fish-men alike stood frozen in shock.
Arlong, the monster who had ruled over them for years, had been sent flying by a single punch.
"You made my navigator cry, you bastard!"
Luffy's voice was filled with fury. That punch carried all of his anger.
Even so, he hadn't even used Gear Second or Gear Third.
Despite his immense strength as a fish-man, Arlong trembled as he slowly sat up. His face was deformed, and his vision swam.
When he finally regained his senses, a flicker of fear flashed in his eyes.
That punch…
It was far beyond anything he had expected.
Since when did a monster like this exist in East Blue?
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