"If they report to their higher-ups that I killed Arlong," Gojo continued, "then his bounty will be removed immediately. His death would be written off as nothing more than a fight between two pirates. And trust me—Marines will never admit, not publicly, that one of their own captain-level officers was cooperating with pirates. They'd rather twist the truth than stain their so-called image of justice."
He exhaled softly, the breeze stirring the edge of his coat.
"So, after this, it's pretty much guaranteed I'll get a bounty myself," he added with a faint shrug. "Anyway, I kept his body hidden because I intend to claim Arlong's bounty later."
His tone sharpened just slightly.
"But none of you are allowed to reveal it. I'm telling you all this only because I don't want you living in fear, wondering if Arlong might return. You deserve to know he's dead."
Gojo stepped aside so the villagers could see the corpse clearly.
"You can finally be happy. The Arlong Pirates are destroyed… and you are all free."
As soon as Gojo said "free," the villagers' eyes welled up. One man whispered, voice trembling, "We are now free…"
Another echoed him. Then another.
Within seconds the entire crowd erupted, shouting through tears, "We are free! We are free!"
Their voices rose together, rough and loud, carrying years of fear and frustration that were finally breaking apart. Some clutched each other; some fell to their knees; many simply cried openly as the weight that had crushed them for so long finally lifted.
When the celebration slowly settled and the villagers caught their breath, those who had earlier been prepared to attack Gojo stepped forward. Shame lined their faces as they bowed deeply before him.
"We are very sorry," one of them said, voice shaking. "We wanted to attack you before… We tried to fight our own saviour. We are extremely sorry for this."
Gojo looked at the bowing villagers and spoke calmly, "No worries. I came here for the bounty anyway. And the fear these fishmen planted in your hearts… that's what pushed you to act like that. You did nothing wrong. You did what you believed was necessary to survive. After all, that's how this world works."
He said it with an easy smile.
Nojiko, standing slightly behind the crowd, found herself staring at him—at his smile, his tone, the calm confidence in his words. Her gaze lingered longer than she intended. Gojo felt it, a steady warmth on the side of his face, and when he turned, he caught her looking straight at him.
Nojiko's eyes widened; she quickly looked away, flustered.
Gojo didn't dwell on it. "Okay, now that I've achieved my goal for coming here, I should take my leave."
But the moment he said that, Genzo stepped forward in a hurry. "No, no. How can you leave like this? At the very least, allow us to thank you properly! We don't have much, but we can offer you a good feast."
Gojo after hearing Genzo's words thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I've been traveling for the past four days almost constantly, so it won't be bad to stay here for one night on land and have a little enjoyment."
A relieved cheer rippled through the villagers as they began to disperse, already whispering excitedly about preparing food and cleaning the square. Gojo watched them for a moment—then suddenly paused.
He had forgotten something.
Treasure.
He hadn't checked Arlong's vault.
But the thought barely formed before another followed: all the wealth Arlong possessed… every last coin… had been stolen from these villagers through threats and cruelty. He had no right to take any of it for himself. He wasn't a pirate.
So he turned to Genzo and Nojiko, who were still standing beside him.
"Let's go see the treasures the Arlong Pirates might have hidden," Gojo said. "After all, that treasure belongs to all of you. It was taken from you in the first place, I presume."
Nojiko nodded softly. "Yes… to survive, we had to pay the Arlong Pirates a monthly ransom. If we didn't, we wouldn't be alive right now."
Gojo exhaled through his nose and nodded. "Very well then. Follow me."
He left Arlong's corpse where it lay. Carrying it around would be ridiculous.
Genzo, noticing his dilemma, stepped forward. "I'll have the body placed on your ship. What do you say?"
"That will be for the best," Gojo replied.
Genzo immediately called over two villagers. They hesitated only a moment before lifting Arlong's heavy body and heading toward Gojo's ship, which rested on the shore not far from Cocoyashi Village.
Meanwhile, Gojo, Nojiko, and Genzo made their way inside the building of Arlong Park. After searching through several rooms and corridors, they eventually found stacks of money and a few scattered treasures—everything the villagers had been forced to surrender just to stay alive.
Nojiko and Genzo exchanged a look. They clearly didn't want to touch any of it. In their minds, Gojo was their saviour; it felt wrong to take back what he had "earned" by defeating the pirates.
But Gojo cut that notion down immediately. "These belong to you," he said firmly. "All of this came from your sweat and blood. I'm not taking a single coin."
Gojo said, "I can take treasure from other pirates only as long as I don't know where it came from. But after knowing how this money was made… and how much you all suffered for it, I can't take it for myself. Otherwise, what kind of strong man would I be? Take your money back. It's yours."
Genzo and Nojiko's expressions softened, and without arguing further, they gathered the money and treasures, carrying them carefully in their arms.
As they stepped out of Arlong Park, both of them paused. They turned back to look at the broken, looming structure that had cast a shadow over their lives for so many years.
Nojiko's voice was quiet but firm. "This place is cursed for us. It's given us so much suffering… We'll definitely destroy it later."
Gojo raised an eyebrow. "Why destroy it later? I can do it now for you."
He unsheathed the sword on his back in one smooth motion. A diagonal slash cut through the air—silent for a heartbeat—before a powerful flying blade of energy roared forward. It struck the front of Arlong Park, obliterating the main gate instantly. The force split the central building cleanly in half, the two massive slabs collapsing and sliding apart before crashing to the ground. Chunks of debris tumbled into the sea with heavy splashes.
The cursed landmark was no more.
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