Led by Nojiko, Adrian and his group soon arrived before Arlong Park.
And yes—
the place looked disgustingly luxurious.
Even Adrian couldn't help muttering inwardly:
Damn… Arlong, you really are a villain.
You occupied prime coastal land and built THIS?
This huge, expensive theme-park-looking fortress?
"Boss, this is Arlong Park—the base of the Arlong Pirates. If nothing unexpected happens, they should all be inside."
Nojiko reported respectfully.
"Good. You can head back."
Adrian waved her off.
Her job was only to guide them here.
Everything else was now his business.
Meanwhile—inside Arlong Park
All of the fish-men were gathered together,
faces dark and gloomy.
A corpse lay before them—
the body of their fellow fish-man, Yanshao.
Someone had killed one of Arlong's crew.
In eight years of tyrannical rule,
no one—literally no one—had dared to provoke them.
Yet today, one of their own had been murdered.
Arlong's fury was boiling.
"The villagers dare attack us? It seems years of peace made them arrogant. They need a lesson."
His cold voice dripped with killing intent.
"Boss, if we attack Cocoyasi Village, it'll be troublesome to explain to Nami…"
Kuroobi reminded him.
After all—
there was an agreement with Nami.
A fake agreement.
But still an agreement.
If she snapped and stopped working,
they would lose all the money she'd been collecting for them.
Arlong scoffed.
"Humans are lowly. If she gets mad, let her be mad.
The promise was only to keep her working.
If she refuses, we'll just threaten her with the villagers."
The fish-men burst out laughing.
Outside the wall
Nami had originally planned to sit back and watch Adrian clash with Arlong—
maybe even let both sides kill each other so she could clean up afterward.
But hearing Arlong's conversation…
Her heart shattered.
She froze in place.
Then collapsed onto the ground, trembling violently.
"H-how… how can this be…"
"Arlong… they… they…"
Her voice shook as she whispered to herself, eyes empty.
The faint hope she clung to for years
was crushed mercilessly.
"Nojiko" immediately grabbed her and held her tight.
"It's okay, Nami… I'm here… Don't be scared…"
But her own voice trembled.
Because her own hope—
the same fragile dream she shared with Nami—
was destroyed just as brutally.
All she could do was hug Nami.
If words couldn't comfort, warmth would have to do.
But Adrian?
Adrian didn't have time to watch a touching sisterly drama.
He was a bandit, goddamn it.
He came here to "borrow" a few billion berries from Arlong.
The outlaw mission came first.
If he could get a high rating this time,
he could accumulate enough reputation to push his Physique toward Citycrusher level.
"Yoriichi. Do it."
Adrian ordered calmly.
Yoriichi stepped forward.
His eyes sharpened—
hand reaching for the Nichirin blade.
Sun Breathing, First Form—
Round Dance!
A single slash became dozens.
In an instant—
the towering front gate of Arlong Park was sliced into more than a dozen chunks.
BOOM!!!
The shattered stone slabs crashed to the ground, raising clouds of dust.
Even Tanjiro at the start of Demon Slayer could split a massive boulder using Water Breathing.
So someone like Yoriichi—
the god-tier peak of his world—
cutting down a gate?
Easy.
Arlong and his men whipped their heads toward the sound.
They were already furious over one dead crewmate.
And now…
Someone dared to BREAK INTO ARLONG PARK.
Arlong's killing intent exploded.
Eight years of unchecked dominance had made him forget—
He was once swatted around like a helpless sardine by Admiral Kizaru.
From the smoke,
a steady rhythm echoed.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Adrian walked through the ruined gate, hands casually in his pockets.
He smiled gently.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"I'm Adrian—a bandit."
"I heard that all of you have been collecting protection money here for eight years straight. Sounds like you're quite wealthy."
"So I came to politely request that you hand over every single berry you own."
"In exchange, I'll spare your pathetic dog lives."
He spread his hands in an apologetic manner.
"My request isn't difficult.
So please cooperate."
"Don't make things…
awkward for me."
Translator's Thoughts:
Adrian has officially stopped pretending to be anything but a problem for society. He walks into Arlong Park like a tax collector from hell, Yoriichi casually erases the front gate, and the fish-men finally remember that they're actually small fry on the food chain.
Meanwhile, Nami's entire world collapses as Arlong's "promise" is revealed for what it always was—a lie. Her despair is exactly the kind of narrative fuel Adrian thrives on… because for him, this isn't personal. It's business.
Next chapter: Arlong is about to learn what "awkward" really means.
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