Nami listened quietly, knowing that Link was trying to ease her inner tension.
After Link finished speaking, she suddenly looked up and gave him a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Link."
"No problem, we're companions after all."
Link said with an indifferent smile.
Nami, however, gazed at him blankly, her eyes, like clear autumn water, sparkling with a crystalline light:
"Companions..."
Arlong, with his fish-men companions, established an Arlong Park in the East Blue.
He governed over twenty villages, with his main base located in Nami's hometown, Cocoyasi Village.
To maintain his freedom and lavish lifestyle, Arlong spent a large sum of money each year.
On one hand, he paid the Navy officers he knew, seeking their protection to cover his activities.
On the other hand, he indulged in debauchery, experiencing the pleasure of enslaving humans to satisfy his twisted and extreme racism.
And all this naturally required vast amounts of money, so where did the money come from?
From the villages he ruled, by collecting money per head.
An adult paid 100,000 Berries, and a child paid 50,000 Berries.
Couldn't pay the money? Then they would send fish-men with the Sea Kings, Sea Cow Mohmoo, to "visit" that village thoroughly.
It was through these tyrannical and violent means that he maintained his rule.
Originally, the villages here were peaceful and prosperous, but ever since Arlong arrived, merchant ships from outside dared not approach.
This lack of trade with the outside world caused the villages to become increasingly impoverished.
The poorer they became, the less they could pay Arlong's demanded tribute, and if they couldn't pay, the village would face disaster.
This was an unbreakable vicious cycle.
Many villages had already been razed to the ground by Arlong, and the villagers under his jurisdiction lived in constant hardship.
This state was almost palpable when Link and his crew, sailing the going merry, arrived in the nearby waters.
"Desolate, a numb atmosphere of death..."
The overwhelming despair and pessimism made Luffy and Usopp, who were accustomed to being cheerful, somewhat uncomfortable.
"This is the true face of life under Arlong's rule..."
Thinking of the painful past again, a hint of gloom appeared on Nami's face.
"Everyone lives in dire straits, unable to escape."
"Then today, let us help them escape this sea of suffering."
Link leaned on the ship's railing, looking at the two figures speeding towards them on the distant sea.
"A Pirate Crew flag I've never seen before. Did they stumble here from outside? Or are they hotheads who haven't heard of our name?"
When they drew closer, laughing wildly, the people on the deck finally saw clearly that they were two fish-men with appearances vastly different from humans!
Arlong Pirates' territory naturally had fish-men to guard it.
Even though he had already bribed Captain Nezumi, Arlong, who inherently distrusted humans, still stationed his own kind around his territory to patrol and monitor.
"The one holding the sake bottle is Hatchan (Salt-Baked), the party chief of the Arlong Pirates, a Japanese bullhead shark fish-man."
"The other fish-man, holding two gourd shakers, is Bisharo, a sardine fish-man and the Musician of the Arlong Pirates."
With a glance, Link recognized the identities of the two Pirate Crew fish-men.
Eight years ago, they both followed Arlong in wreaking havoc on the Conomi Islands, and were then soundly beaten by Stroberry, who was then a Navy Rear Admiral.
After the Sun Pirates split, they followed Arlong and came here.
"Doesn't look very strong..."
Zoro's eyes showed an interesting glint, and he stood there, ready to put his hand on his sword and jump down the next second.
However, before he could make a move, he was held back by his two subordinates, Johnny and Joseph, who pulled him backward.
"Big Bro! Big Bro Link said you need to rest and can't fight!!"
"That's right, Big Bro, you should heal your injuries first!!"
They ignored Zoro's struggles and shouts, dragging him to the back.
Now, Zoro was still their 'Big Bro,' but Link had become their 'Big Bro Big.'
In their eyes, Link was the 'Big Bro' of their 'Big Bro' Zoro, so wasn't he the 'Big Bro Big'?!
The others also ignored the struggling Zoro being dragged away and turned to look at the two fish-men in the water.
"In the water? Humans naturally can't exert much strength in the water, while fish-men can unleash even greater combat power in it..."
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, frowned slightly as he watched the two arrogant and unrestrained fish-men, feeling a bit troubled.
These two fish-men didn't seem very strong and could be dealt with easily.
But later, within the Arlong Pirates, their boss Arlong, and other cadres, would not be so easy to deal with in the water.
"If it's underwater, then let's use this, shall we?"
Link tossed two items into the air with one hand.
One was a small bottle, like sunscreen, and the other was a pair of objects resembling nose plugs.