Although Arlong was incredibly fast, Gunko would never let him succeed.
The enraged Arlong roared and charged out, but the bandages on Gunko's feet suddenly unwound rapidly, then wrapped around her legs in the blink of an eye.
The next second, Gunko's legs abruptly grew taller, transforming her into a giantess. A powerful and domineering aura, though calmly released, emanated from her like a queen. She lifted her leg and stomped Arlong underfoot.
"Thud!"
The ground trembled slightly as Gunko's massive boots landed, followed by a ripple of air pressure spreading outwards.
At the same time, Arlong, who was stomped by Gunko and completely pinned under her boot, had his pupils widen in surprise, his eyes nearly bulging out, and an uncontrollable stream of blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Crack!"
The sound of bones breaking immediately followed. Arlong, pinned under Gunko's foot, had no time to react as the boot pressing down on him suddenly increased its force, crushing his spine!
Finally, as his spine snapped, Arlong could no longer hold back and let out a piercing scream.
"Noisy!"
Unexpectedly, Arlong wasn't crushed to death on the spot. Gunko's eyes narrowed. As she exerted force with her foot, she lifted it sharply and brought it down hard on Arlong's head.
"Bang—"
A sound like a watermelon being crushed suddenly rang out, followed by various foul substances splattering, which terrified Nami, the only survivor besides Ian and Gunko, into a state of shock.
"Arlong's Gang—"
"Just like that, they were all wiped out?"
Nami, standing beside Ian, watched the bloody yet somewhat unreal scene before her, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Although she hated Arlong's Gang to the extreme, Gunko's decisive ruthlessness and her almost invincible strength (relative to Nami) frightened her even more.
Most importantly, with Arlong's Gang being simply and brutally eliminated by Gunko, she would inevitably become Ian's woman.
When she was forced to join Arlong's Gang, she still had a slim chance of escaping, but if she were taken by Ian, any slight movement on her part would surely result in her instant death by Gunko.
"What are you still standing there for?"
After stomping Arlong's head, Gunko returned to her original form and coldly looked at the trembling Nami. "Go retrieve those two boxes of Berries and obediently become This Young Master's woman. Otherwise, the fate of these filthy Fishmen will be your future!"
"Yes, yes, yes—"
Nami nodded repeatedly, her body trembling, then quickly ran towards the boxes filled with Berries on the opposite side.
"Young Master, Young Master—"
Just then, Princess Anna, along with Princess Sally and two other noble young ladies, ran off the ship and excitedly spoke to Ian, "This is Cocoyasi Village. How about we pick some oranges on the way back to Holy Land?"
"You've come at a good time,"
Ian smiled and nodded, pointing at Nami, who was carrying back the two boxes of Berries. "Her name is Nami. She was once a member of Arlong's Gang. Have her lead you to the building across the way to find the money Arlong's Gang has 'earned' over the years!"
Before Anna could react, Nami, who had been meek just a second ago, suddenly widened her eyes and exclaimed emotionally, "I am not a member of Arlong's Gang! I am a villager of Cocoyasi Village, forced to join them, you bastard!"
"Slap—"
The word 'bastard' had barely left her lips when Gunko, reacting swiftly, slapped Nami across the face, sending her spinning in place. Her eyes filled with stars, she collapsed to the ground in a daze.
"Presumptuous!"
Gunko, who never allowed anyone to disrespect Ian, stepped forward, bent down, and glared at Nami, saying coldly, "Who gave you the courage to insult This Young Master? Are you tired of living, wishing for everyone in Cocoyasi Village to be buried with you?"
"Eh?" Nami blinked blankly, still dizzy. She looked at Gunko, then at Ian and the several girls nestled beside him.
The next second, she suddenly realized that the man who could directly contact a Marine Headquarters Admiral was… a Celestial Dragon!
Upon realizing this, Nami didn't hesitate. She quickly turned over, knelt before Ian with a thud, and stammered, "Please spare my life, my lord! I just… I just wanted to prove that I am not a member of Arlong's Gang!"
"Is that so?"
Ian bent down and leaned close to Nami, smiling amiably. "Since you are not a member of Arlong's Gang, then what about the tattoo on your arm?"
"This—" Nami's delicate body trembled. She wanted to explain but didn't know where to start.
"Forget it!"
Seeing Nami's reaction, Ian suddenly stood up and said in a gentle tone, "Since you are not a member of Arlong's Gang, when we return to Holy Land, This Young Master will give you a new tattoo—a Celestial Dragon's hoof print on your arm!"
"Celestial Dragon's hoof print?" Nami abruptly looked up, her voice trembling again. "Are you really a Celestial Dragon?"
At the same time.
At Marineford, Kizaru, who received Ian's den den mushi call, immediately went to the Fleet Admiral's office and told Sengoku about Ian being robbed by Fishmen in the East Blue.
"What did you say?"
Hearing that Ian encountered Fishman pirates in the East Blue and had his tenryūbito tribute plundered, Sengoku looked as if he had misheard, his eyes wide. "Are you kidding? A few mere Fishman pirates could steal tenryūbito tribute from Saint Ian? Don't forget, he's not accompanied by a CP0 agent, but by Gunko of the God's Knights!"
"Saint Ian said so, anyway."
Kizaru shrugged slightly and said unhurriedly, "Judging by Saint Ian's tone, he seemed to be in a state of panic."
"He? In a state of panic?"
Sengoku's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He said weakly, "You believed it?"
"It's not a matter of believing or not," Borsalino shook his head and continued, "but rather, as a Celestial Dragon, Saint Ian has been attacked, and a Marine Headquarters Admiral must rush to his aid immediately! However, to have Fishman pirates in the East Blue is truly an incredible thing. Could it be the remnants of the Sun Pirates? How terrifying!"
Hearing this, Sengoku's mouth twitched again and again. "Since Saint Ian contacted you, then you must depart immediately to see what exactly happened."
"Understood."
Kizaru left without a moment's hesitation.
"Wait,"
Sengoku suddenly remembered something and called out to Kizaru in time, sweeping away his previous confusion. He said calmly, "It's highly probable that Saint Ian was attacked by pirates, but it's absolutely impossible for the tenryūbito tribute to have been plundered. No one in the East Blue can steal anything from Gunko, who personally protects him! The reason he contacted the Marine must be to hold the Marine accountable for not maintaining order in the East Blue!"
"So, before you depart, immediately dispatch a Marine ship to the closest Marine base to Saint Ian in the East Blue. We absolutely cannot let Saint Ian find any other leverage, otherwise, once he returns from the East Blue, the first thing he'll do is target Marineford!"
"The closest Marine base to Saint Ian?" Kizaru blinked, racked his brain for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "It seems to be Branch 16, managed by Colonel Nezumi!"
Sengoku nodded. "You immediately order Colonel Nezumi to lead a Marine ship to rendezvous with Saint Ian. As for those Fishman pirates, from the moment they provoked the most powerful Young Master of the Holy Land, their fate was sealed; they don't even have the right to be imprisoned!"
"Go, and be quick!"
—
💎 Power Stone Bonus: Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
🌟 5-Star Review Bonus: Every 5 (5-Star) Reviews = +2 Extra Chapters
💬 Comment Speed-Up: If any chapter reaches +10 Comments = The Next Chapter Will Be Released Faster!
🔥 Want to Read Ahead? If you want to read advanced chapters, check out my patreoncom/Laktozlu