The air in Cocoyasi Village still smelled faintly of gunpowder.
Even though Buggy and his strange, colorful crew had set sail hours ago, the signs of their brief stay lingered: empty barrels stacked by the docks, footprints in the dirt, and the echo of laughter that didn't quite belong here.
Doctor Nako stood by the front porch of the clinic, arms crossed, shades dropping over his eyes as he watched the coastline.
"They're gone?"
The village sheriff, Genzo, nodded, the pinwheel in his hat spinning with the sea wind. "Sailed off just like that. Didn't even take the rest of the crates, just emptied them and left em on the docks."
Nako exhaled through his nose. "Let's hope we didn't just get swindled by a bunch of lunatics in clown makeup."
The old sherrif gave a tired chuckle. "If that was a scam, it's the strangest one I've seen. They didn't ask for money, just food and rum."
He shrugged. "And left the town standing. That's more than I can say for most pirates."
They stood there in silence for a moment, two people too used to disappointment, too old to believe in miracles.
Then, faintly, from somewhere beyond the eastern hills, a sound rolled through the morning air.
Boom.
It wasn't the sharp crack of a gun or cannon; it was deeper, heavier. The earth seemed to hum with it.
Then came another.
Boom. Boom.
The bombardment was relentless; the very island itself seemed to be shaking.
Genzo straightened, hand moving to the pistol at his belt out of old habit. "What the hell was that?"
Nako squinted toward the direction of Arlong Park. A dark column of smoke was starting to rise, twisting into the brightening sky. "That came from the other side of the island…"
Before either could speak again, a voice cut through the tension.
"Genzo, Naki!"
They turned to see Nojiko sprinting up the dirt path, breathless, sweat slicking her blue hair to her forehead. She stopped just short of them, hands on her knees as she tried to speak.
"Arlong Park- it's- it's gone!" She gasped. "The whole place- it's in ruins!"
"What?" Nako frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I was on my way here since I heard the first explosion..." Nojiko said quickly, straightening. "I ran to the cliffs for a better view; the park's been torn apart. The main tower's collapsed, the pools are cracked, and there's fire everywhere. I saw… I saw bodies. A lot of them. Some of Arlong's men aren't moving. Others were crawling out toward the beach."
She paused, voice faltering. "Someone hit them hard."
The sheriff and the doctor exchanged a long, loaded look.
Then, slowly, Genzo exhaled through his teeth and muttered, "…Well, I'll be damned."
Nako rubbed at his jaw. "Guess we didn't get scammed after all."
Nojiko blinked. "Wait- What are you talking about?"
Genzo and Nako just laughed for a wee moment before explaining the entire situation to the blue-haired newcomer, as bizarre as it was...
"W-wait, so a clown-like pirate struts around, takes out two of Arlong's men because they interrupted him, then makes a deal with you? And you think he ended up doing that?"
The sheriff nodded. "Who else could it be? They were heading that way when they left. A barrage of cannonballs like the one he shot in the middle of this village would surely destroy just about anything..."
Nako snorted. "If that clown and his freak show managed to do what the Marines couldn't in eight years…" He shook his head, almost smiling. "Maybe we should've offered them better booze."
Nojiko frowned, disbelief and confusion warring in her expression. "A pirate helped us? Just like that? For a few crates of rum and some dried fish?"
"That's what it looks like." Genzo leaned against the post beside him. "Didn't ask for gold, didn't take hostages, didn't even leave a threat. Just packed up and left."
The wind picked up, carrying the smell of salt and faint smoke from the distant ruins. The sea shimmered beyond the trees, calm, indifferent, and endless.
"Still, I doubt Arlong's dead; the world hasn't been that kind before. I won't believe it till I see his cold dead body with my own eyes..." Genzo said after a pause. "That monster's too damn stubborn. But after this… he'll stay quiet for a while."
Nojiko looked toward the horizon, jaw tightening. "Let's just hope Nami's safe."
The words hung in the air like a prayer.
For a long moment, none of them spoke. The smoke on the far side of the island twisted higher, fading into the morning clouds.
Somewhere out there, a pirate ship was sailing away, and for the first time in years, the people of Cocoyasi Village could stand in the sunlight without feeling watched.
Genzo sighed and flicked the ash from his cigarette.
"Guess not all pirates are the same," he murmured.
Nako adjusted his sunglasses and glanced toward the faint column of smoke one more time. "No," he muttered. "Not all of them."
And the village went quiet again, save for the distant cry of gulls and the sea gently reclaiming the shore.