Chapter 26: Rescue
Just one strike had eliminated the remaining Fish-Men. The shock this brought to the villagers of Cocoyasi was no less intense than the defeat of Arlong himself.
However, Apollo secretly shook his head.
The move he had spent so much effort developing was a failure.
The energy consumption was no less than that of "Mountain Crusher," yet its lethality was far inferior.
"It seems that for future moves, I should still focus on the Ruyi Jingu Bang. I shouldn't fantasize about developing bare-handed palm or fist techniques just yet."
As he pondered this, a gust of wind rushed from behind him. He instinctively turned his head, but before he could see clearly, his vision went black, and a familiar softness enveloped his face.
"We won! We won! Apollo, you defeated the Fish-Men! Hahaha!"
Nami hugged his neck tightly, shouting with uncontainable excitement.
Apollo wrapped his arms around her legs to steady her and laughed. "Don't act so surprised! Isn't this exactly how it should be?"
Nami didn't hear him at all. She was shaking with excitement, laughing non-stop.
The villagers of Cocoyasi finally snapped out of their daze, and a thunderous cheer echoed throughout the village.
"We won! We won!"
"Arlong is dead! We're finally free!"
"Long live Nami! Long live Apollo!"
...
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Nami grumbled unhappily, lying slumped on Apollo's back as he walked away from the celebration.
Apollo was speechless. "Did you forget? There are still two idiots waiting for us to rescue them!"
"Zoro and Usopp..."
Nami froze. The excitement on her face gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression. She slumped onto Apollo's back as if she had lost all her strength.
Apollo, keenly aware of her mood shift, knew exactly why. He smiled gently. "Don't worry. No one will blame you. They aren't that petty."
Nami tightened her grip on his neck. "It's all your fault! You didn't tell me you were this strong sooner!"
"How can you blame me for that?"
"Of course I blame you! Are you saying I should blame myself?"
"Alright, alright, blame me. But I have a question: why do I still have to carry you?"
"Because I'm tired!"
"Wasn't I the one doing the fighting?"
"You talk too much!"
"..."
The two didn't rush, bantering playfully as they walked. When they arrived at Arlong Park, they found it completely deserted.
"It looks like the remaining Fish-Men have all fled."
Apollo's divine sense swept across the area. The entire Arlong Park was in disarray.
Arlong had only taken a portion of his crew to the village; the rest should have been guarding the base. Now, not a single one was in sight. Clearly, they had received the news of Arlong's death and fled in advance.
Nami said annoyedly, "I knew it. I shouldn't have delayed on the way; we should have come straight here."
"No need to worry. The rest are just small fry. From now on, I doubt they'll ever dare to step foot on this island again."
Apollo spoke indifferently.
Arlong Park was connected directly to the sea. The Fish-Men had long since disappeared into the depths. Even for him, catching them now would be a hassle.
"That's true."
Nami's expression relaxed.
With Arlong dead, the surviving Fish-Men were just a scattered mess, unable to cause any real trouble. They were no longer a threat. Now, finding Usopp and Zoro was the priority.
"I wonder where they're being held."
"I know," Apollo said confidently.
"How do you know?" Nami asked, surprised. "And how did you confirm that Usopp and Zoro were safe earlier?"
"That's a secret. Only my future wife is allowed to know."
"Oh."
"..."
Inside the Dungeon.
Zoro and Usopp were both tied hand and foot.
Zoro was sleeping, leaning against the corner, while Usopp had his ears pricked up, listening intently.
After a while, he whispered, "Hey, hey... Zoro, do you feel like it suddenly got really quiet?"
Zoro opened one eye. "Ah, it seems so."
Usopp continued, his voice trembling, "Before it got quiet, there was a flurry of hurried footsteps, like they were running away..."
At this point, his face suddenly twisted in terror. "Could it be that some monster came in and ate all the Fish-Men, and those footsteps were them trying to escape?"
"Don't talk nonsense. There's no such thing as a man-eating monster."
Zoro shook his head, closing his eyes again.
However, Usopp's expression didn't improve; it became even more terrified. He almost forgot to breathe, his face turning a suffocated crimson.
Zoro sensed the shift in atmosphere and quickly turned his head to look toward the corridor.
His pupils constricted, and his expression turned serious.
There was a shadow cast on the ground, swaying back and forth as it approached them.
The horrifying part was that while the shadow looked human... it had two heads on its neck!
In the empty, silent corridor, the shadow drew closer and closer, yet not a single footstep could be heard.
The atmosphere became suffocatingly eerie.
"Damn it!" Zoro gritted his teeth, struggling against his ropes. "My body is tied, and I don't have my swords!"
"It's over! It's over!" Usopp slumped to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "It's so scary! I want to go home!"
"Heh heh... quite a mess you're in, Zoro, Usopp."
Suddenly, a very familiar voice broke the silence.
The "monster" stepped into their field of vision, revealing its true form.
After seeing it clearly, Zoro's mouth twitched, and dark lines appeared on his forehead.
Usopp's expression was even more spectacular. In a span of seconds, it shifted from abject terror to stupor, and then from stupor to shame and anger.
"Apollo! Nami! You two are despicable!"
That's right. It was Apollo and Nami.
He was carrying Nami on his back. In the lighting of the corridor, their combined silhouette had looked like a two-headed monster. That explained the eerie shadow.
"What are you talking about?"
Apollo tilted his head, feigning confusion.
"Stop pretending!"
Usopp shouted, pointing an accusation (as best he could while tied). "You definitely did that on purpose! And you deliberately silenced your footsteps!"
Nami stuck out her tongue playfully.
Apollo showed no shame at all, saying righteously, "So that's what you mean. I was training your courage. It's all for your own good."
Usopp was so angry he almost coughed up blood. If he could beat him, he would definitely fight Apollo right now!
Apollo released the two of them.
He tossed the white-sheathed katana to Zoro. "Here. Your stuff."
Before coming down to the dungeon, he and Nami had searched Arlong Park. The Wado Ichimonji had been found in one of the rooms. Besides that, they also found some treasures and money—all of which naturally went to Nami.
"Thanks."
Reunited with his swords, Zoro's entire demeanor changed. His face became calm, the anxiety gone.
"Apollo, what's it like outside? Where are the Fish-Men?" Usopp asked, looking around nervously.
Apollo led them out of the dungeon. "Some died, some fled. There are probably no living Fish-Men left on this island."
Usopp glanced at Nami, hesitating to speak.
Apollo explained, "Nami had her reasons. I'll tell you all about it when we reunite with Luffy."
Usopp nodded thoughtfully.
Zoro said indifferently, "As long as she's willing to come back, that's fine. Luffy's mission for me was to bring her back."
The three walked out of the main gate of Arlong Park, only to find Nojiko waiting anxiously at the entrance.
Seeing them, she immediately rushed forward, her voice urgent.
"This is bad! A fight has broken out!"
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