Arlong Park.
The Arlong Pirates were tied up tightly, kneeling in neat rows by the pool in the courtyard.
Although they were all injured to varying degrees, with their hands and feet shackled, not a single one of them showed any sign of begging for mercy. Instead, they glared defiantly at the two captains standing before them—Smoker and Morgan.
The burly Morgan, with a bloodstained axe slung over his shoulder, stood imposingly with Arlong pinned beneath his foot.
Though Morgan himself bore several deep, gruesome wounds, he appeared unfazed. In fact, there was a certain fervor in his expression, as if he were exhilarated by the moment. Every time Arlong so much as twitched, Morgan would bring the back of his axe down heavily on him.
It wasn't that Morgan didn't dare to kill Arlong—far from it. But they had received word that Fleet Admiral Xayuki was on his way.
Had it not been for this news, every last one of these fish-man pirates would have been executed on the spot without hesitation.
However, Arlong's strength had far exceeded Morgan's expectations. If not for the assistance of Smoker, who had come from Loguetown, Morgan might have met the same fate as Stoke, another Marine captain who had fallen in the East Blue.
Arlong alone was a monstrous foe. Cannon fire had no effect on him. In fact, he had even bitten through incoming cannonballs with his massive jaws.
The sheer power of Arlong, combined with the strength of his officers, had left several Marines gravely injured during the battle. Even Morgan himself had been bitten by Arlong twice and had narrowly avoided losing an arm to Arlong's massive saw-like sword.
It wasn't until Smoker killed two of Arlong's officers and joined forces with Morgan that they were finally able to subdue and capture him alive.
"Captain Morgan!"
"The entire park has been searched!"
"We found no remnants!"
A lieutenant quickly ran up to Morgan and reported, "However, according to one of the fish-man pirates, they have a companion named Moo Moo, a sea cow!"
Hearing this, Morgan's eyes flashed coldly. He replied in a deep voice, "Find it and kill it. Cook it up to nourish the men."
"Don't just stop at the sea cow. Dig out every worm in this park and crush them all!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers immediately set off to carry out his orders.
Before long, the Marines from the 153rd Branch returned with shovels and hoes, digging up the entire courtyard. Meanwhile, others donned diving gear and leapt into the pool, searching the seabed outside the park for Moo Moo.
Hearing Morgan's command to leave no stone unturned—even to the point of digging up worms—and seeing the soldiers actually follow through, Smoker, who was standing nearby with two cigars in his mouth, couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.
Still, he said nothing to stop them. Instead, he maintained a serious expression as he gazed out at the sea.
The fact that Fleet Admiral Xayuki had personally come to the East Blue was something Smoker had never anticipated.
He had known back at Marine Headquarters that Xayuki was fiercely protective of his subordinates. But he hadn't expected that even after becoming Fleet Admiral, Xayuki would remain the same. That he would mobilize such a large force and personally travel to the East Blue over the death of a single captain was beyond belief.
And now, Xayuki was about to arrive.
This meant that Xayuki had set out from Headquarters the moment he received the news, pushing his fleet to its limits to reach the East Blue as quickly as possible.
Though Smoker had once been known as a "problem child" at Headquarters, he understood all too well that Xayuki's visit wasn't just about avenging Captain Stoke. There were bound to be follow-up actions, possibly including sweeping reforms within the Marines.
Meanwhile.
The villagers of Cocoyasi Village, having heard the news, began to gather outside the gates of Arlong Park.
With Marine soldiers still clearing the battlefield and the park's gates destroyed, the villagers could see the captured members of the Arlong Pirates kneeling on the ground, bound and subdued. They could even see Arlong himself, pinned under Morgan's foot.
Confirming that the entire Arlong crew had been captured, the villagers could no longer contain their emotions. Some wept with joy, others shouted "Long live the Marines!" while many simply collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed with relief.
Since the arrival of the Arlong Pirates, the villagers had lived in constant fear. Even when they had their "protection money" ready, they were always on edge, terrified that Arlong and his crew might kill them without warning.
At the front of the crowd, Genzo and Nojiko stood silently, their expressions tense.
"Genzo, I... I don't see Nami!"
After scanning the captured pirates and finding no sign of her sister, Nojiko grew anxious. Without waiting, she pushed past the Marines standing guard at the gates and ran into the park, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Nami! Nami!"
"Hey, hey, young lady!"
Two Marines clearing the battlefield quickly rushed over to stop her. "You can't go in there!"
"I'm looking for my sister!" Nojiko sobbed, her voice breaking. "My sister was taken by the Arlong Pirates! Please, Marines, help me find her!"
At that moment, Tashigi approached.
Gesturing for the two soldiers to step aside, she walked up to Nojiko.
"Wait, wait—"
Before Tashigi could ask Nojiko what was going on, Genzo pushed past the soldiers and stumbled over to her, nearly falling in his haste.
"Marine officer, please..." Genzo began, his voice trembling.
But Tashigi seemed to understand what he wanted to say. She interrupted him, her tone firm.
"Don't worry. We are Marines of Justice. If your loved one was taken by the Arlong Pirates, we will help you find her! I know the previous Marine captain in charge of this area caused you harm, but that's all in the past. The captain who colluded with Arlong has already been executed!"
After a brief pause, Tashigi turned to Nojiko and asked, "Are you certain your sister is here? We've already searched the park and found no humans other than the fish-men."
"I'm sure!" Nojiko nodded emphatically. "Nami told me she was living here!"
With that, Nojiko pointed to the tall building at the center of the courtyard.
"Alright, let's go. I'll help you search!"
Without hesitation, Tashigi turned and prepared to lead Nojiko on another search.
But just as she turned around, she noticed that Morgan, Smoker, and all the Marines from the 153rd Branch had suddenly stopped what they were doing.
As one, they stood at attention, saluting in the direction of the sea.
Even Smoker, who rarely showed deference to anyone, instinctively straightened his posture, his expression solemn as he stared at the large Marine warships that had suddenly appeared on the horizon.
Following their gaze, Tashigi's eyes widened in shock.
She barely had time to react before she found herself shouting in a flustered voice:
"The Fleet Admiral is here!"
"All hands!"
"Salute!"
Before her words even finished echoing, Tashigi stood at attention, joining the Marines from Loguetown in saluting the incoming fleet.
To Be Continued...
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!
Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!
��patreon.com/GoldenLong