On the surface of the sea, Xiao Wen dragged Yan Mi along, swimming at high speed with a panicked expression.
It was terrifying—absolutely terrifying! Someone had actually cut off Mohmoo's tail!!
Moreover, the man on that ship was also horrifying; he had knocked Yan Mi out with just a single blow!
How could two such terrifying figures suddenly appear here? He had to hurry back and tell Boss Arlong!
Just moments ago, while he and Yan Mi were on duty, they suddenly noticed Mohmoo surfacing, seemingly wanting to eat Nami's ship.
They hadn't been concerned at first, but then they saw Mohmoo collapse for no apparent reason. Their expressions shifted instantly, and they dove into the sea to investigate.
Yan Mi felt that something was definitely wrong with that ship, so he sent Xiao Wen to check on Mohmoo while he boarded the vessel to see if there were any suspicious activities.
To Xiao Wen's shock, while he was checking on Mohmoo underwater, he witnessed a little brat with a tail cut off the beast's tail with a single hand-chop. Scared out of his wits, he immediately wanted to warn Yan Mi.
But before he could even break the surface, he saw Yan Mi being kicked through the air, foaming at the mouth as he crashed into the ocean. Absolutely terrified, Xiao Wen turned and fled into the distance.
Fortunately, after putting some distance between them, he remembered that no one could match a fishman's swimming speed. Since he couldn't just leave Yan Mi behind, he doubled back, grabbed his partner, and officially made his escape.
...
Thud!
Goku landed back on the ship, shaking the water droplets from his hair. He looked at Sanji and said, "He's swimming way too fast. I can't catch him."
Right after Sanji had shouted, Goku had immediately given chase. However, he found that even though the other person was carrying someone, they were still faster than him. He could only watch helplessly as the distance between them grew.
So, he had quickly turned back.
"True. I've heard that fishmen are incredibly fast swimmers. It's only natural you couldn't catch him."
Sanji gazed out at the two fishmen who were now little more than distant specks. His expression was one of frustration.
"But letting them escape is going to be a massive headache. They're definitely members of the Arlong Pirates."
At that moment, Goku—who had hopped into the cabin and back out—handed one end of the Power Pole to Sanji.
"Sanji, hold onto this tightly."
Sanji gripped it, confused. Just as he was about to ask what Goku was planning, he heard the boy shout, "Extend, Power Pole!"
Whoosh!!
In the blink of an eye, Goku, clutching the other end of the Power Pole, was launched toward the fleeing fishmen as the staff elongated.
?!!
Sanji was dumbstruck. He suddenly felt his body becoming light, as if the Power Pole was about to flip him right off the ship. He hurriedly lowered his center of gravity and braced his feet against the gunwale, barely managing to halt the momentum.
Meanwhile, with the help of the Power Pole, Goku rapidly closed the gap with Xiao Wen.
Before long, he was soaring directly over the fishman's head.
"Huh? Why did it get dark all of a sudden? Is it going to rain?"
Having confirmed he'd lost his pursuer, Xiao Wen had slowed down slightly and was no longer as tense as before.
So, when the sky above him darkened, he noticed it immediately and instinctively looked up.
And with that look, he saw the terrifying enemy who had severed Mohmoo's tail descending from the sky with a menacing grin.
"Heh heh heh! You're not getting away!"
"AAAAHHHH!!!!"
Splash!!
Xiao Wen shrieked, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he lost consciousness.
Landing right in front of him with a massive splash, Goku watched the fishman pass out. He blinked and scratched his head.
"Huh? Why'd he faint?"
He never could have imagined that upon seeing him, Xiao Wen had been so utterly consumed by fear that his mind conjured images of being brutally murdered, causing him to black out.
In short, he was literally scared unconscious.
Unable to make heads or tails of it, Goku saw the two fishmen floating lifelessly on the sea. He used his tail to hook the Power Pole and grabbed one fishman in each hand.
He then shouted, "Retract, Power Pole!"
He quickly returned to the Dream Chaser.
"Hey! Sanji, I brought them both back!"
Back on the Dream Chaser, Goku tossed the two fishmen onto the deck. Seeing Sanji red-faced and panting, he asked curiously, "Sanji, what's wrong with you?"
"..."
Sanji's mouth twitched. He was too embarrassed to admit he'd almost been launched into the sky.
"Cough... I'm fine."
He shifted his gaze to the two fishmen.
"Good thing you caught them. If they'd escaped, we'd be in real trouble."
"They're the Arlong Pirates, right? But they seem so weak. The guy I was chasing just fainted for some reason." Goku tilted his head.
"No, they're only weak compared to you. Against ordinary humans, they possess extraordinary strength," Sanji said, shaking his head.
"Besides, these two are obviously just grunts. The most formidable member of the Arlong Pirates is their leader, Arlong. They say he's taken over twenty villages. He's supposedly much stronger than Kennard or even the former Overlord of the East Blue, Krieg."
Sanji's expression grew solemn.
"Nami-san didn't want the locals to see us, likely because she didn't want the Arlong Pirates finding out we're here. Keeping these two here will delay that for a bit."
"But it's only a temporary delay. The Arlong Pirates will eventually notice their comrades are missing. When that happens, we won't just be outsiders—we'll be their enemies."
Goku picked up his bowl of unfinished noodles and listened to the analysis while he ate.
"Goku, I think we might have to break our promise and go find Nami-san on the island."
Sanji lit a cigarette at some point. After exhaling a puff of smoke, he spoke slowly.
"Under these circumstances, we have to let Nami-san know. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it gets."
If they didn't inform Nami and get her back to the ship so they could leave quickly, it would be difficult to escape once the Arlong Pirates came looking for their missing men.
After all, he believed it would be extremely difficult for just the three of them to defeat a horde of fishmen who were significantly stronger than humans.
And fishmen were such fast swimmers that they wouldn't be able to escape by boat even if they tried.
Goku slurped down the last of the noodles and soup, patted his stomach, and slung the Power Pole across his back with a solemn nod.
"I get it, Sanji. Let's go find Nami right now!"
...
Just as the two of them made up their minds to head onto the island, Nami finally arrived outside Arlong Park.
Looking at the place that had been her nightmare for the past eight years, Nami stood still, quietly regulating her breathing. Her fists clenched and relaxed, over and over.
Finally, she slapped her cheeks, forced a bright smile onto her face, and strode inside.
"Arlong! I'm here to buy back the village from you!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]