The cheers that erupted in Arlong Park did not belong to Cocoyashi Village alone.
They belonged to Gosa Village, to every village under Arlong's dominion.
To every soul trembling under the terror of the Fish-n's rule.
The darkness had finally welcod the dawn.
Lufia retracted her leg and turned to walk toward Ralph.
Ralph handed the straw hat back to her.
Lufia put on the hat, pressed down the brim, and grinned:
"Done!"
Ralph smiled too.
But just then—
"Squeak-squeak—Everyone shut up—!!!"
A shrill, cunning voice abruptly cut through the air.
Like cold water poured into boiling oil.
The cheers ceased instantly.
Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice.
At the entrance of the courtyard stood a group of people who had appeared unnoticed.
People clad in Navy uniforms.
Leading them was a... man who resembled a rat.
A displeasing smile hung on his face.
Behind him followed over twenty Navy soldiers, each holding rifles, their muzzles... vaguely aid at the villagers in the courtyard.
"Allow to introduce myself—" The rat-like man cleared his throat, "I am Captain Nezumi of the Navy's 16th Branch."
His beady eyes swept across the courtyard, over the unconscious Arlong, over the Fish-man corpses littering the ground, and finally settled on Lufia and Ralph.
A flicker of undisguised greed flashed in his eyes.
"I watched your entire battle—"
Captain Nezumi grew more excited as he spoke, his voice rising an octave, "Who would've thought! A bunch of nobodies like you actually defeated Arlong!"
He rubbed his hands together, his smile growing increasingly sleazy:
"Thanks to you—"
He paused, enunciating each word:
"All the money that was supposed to be handed over to Arlong, the funds stored in Arlong Park, and even the credit for defeating Arlong—all of it now belongs to , Captain Nezumi of the Navy's 16th Branch!"
"Don't be ridiculous!!!"
An angry roar erupted from the villagers!
"Where were you when we were suffering under Arlong's cruel rule?!"
"Where were you when Arlong was destroying our towns?!"
"Where were you when Arlong was killing people?!"
"Even just now, when Arlong destroyed a Navy warship, we didn't see you lift a finger!!"
Genzo stepped forward, his voice trembling with rage:
"And now you co to steal the fruits of our victory?! Even including the head tax Arlong collected from us—that's our money—!!!"
A gunshot rang out.
Not aid at anyone.
Fired into the air.
A warning shot.
Captain Nezumi pulled out an exquisite pistol, its barrel still smoking.
The smile vanished from his face, replaced by an icy authority:
"Planning a rebellion? Everyone—drop your weapons!"
He pointed at the villagers:
"Otherwise, you'll be charged with obstructing Navy duties and colluding with pirates!"
The villagers clenched their fists, their eyes burning with fury, but as they looked at those dark muzzles...
They hesitated.
And at that mont—
A figure erged, walking through the crowd.
Short orange hair, a slender build, holding a golden staff.
Nami.
She walked up to Captain Nezumi and stopped.
Captain Nezumi was initially taken aback by her presence, but then he recognized her and regained his arrogance:
"Well, well—if it isn't the Arlong Pirates' Navigator, the Cat Burglar Nami?"
He sized up Nami, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes:
"Arlong has been defeated, the Arlong Pirates are finished—your backing is gone!"
He took a step closer, lowering his voice with a threatening tone:
"Beautiful lady... You wouldn't want to end up on a wanted poster, would you?"
Captain Nezumi raised his voice, making sure everyone could hear:
"Just hand over your treasure—all 93 million Berry! Otherwise... every last one of you will be treated as accomplices of the Arlong Pirates!"
Nami only paused briefly upon hearing this.
Then, she understood.
"Even the exact amount... you know it so clearly."
Nami stared directly into Captain Nezumi's eyes:
"You've been in cahoots with Arlong all along, haven't you?"
Captain Nezumi's expression shifted, but he quickly regained his cunning smirk:
"Cat Burglar! You can't just make baseless accusations!"
He pointed at Nami, speaking with feigned righteousness:
"At best, you're a thief! At worst, you're a mber of the Arlong Pirates! As a Navy officer, I've got you either way!"
With that, Captain Nezumi waved his hand.
The Navy soldiers behind him raised their rifles in unison.
The muzzles were aid at the villagers of Cocoyasi Village.
"And you—" Captain Nezumi's voice was full of nace, "Do you really dare defy the Navy?! If you don't drop your weapons, I'll open fire!"
He paused, his tone contemptuous:
"After all... you're all just remnants of the Arlong Pirates!"
Faced with the dark gun barrels, fear once again surfaced on the villagers' faces.
But this ti...
Nami wasn't afraid.
She simply raised the golden staff in her hand.
The tip of the staff pointed toward the ground.
Then—
Tap!
With a light tap.
The head of the staff suddenly burst into a dense cloud of smoke!
Instantly, Captain Nezumi and the Navy soldiers under his command were completely blinded!
"What—?!"
"I can't see!"
"Watch out—!!"
Amid the chaotic cries—
Whoosh!
A flash of gold.
Nami's figure darted through the smoke like a ghost.
The golden staff spun in her hand, then—
Thump!
A solid blow landed squarely on Captain Nezumi's forehead!
"Argh—!!"
Captain Nezumi let out a pained cry, his vision went dark, and he nearly passed out.
In his half-conscious state, he heard chaos all around—
Footsteps, angry shouts, and... the screams of Navy soldiers.
As the smoke slowly cleared.
Captain Nezumi forced his eyes open, and the sight before him made his blood run cold.
All twenty-plus Navy soldiers he had brought were pinned to the ground by the villagers!
Those sa villagers who had been trembling in fear monts ago now had flas of rage burning in their eyes, their fists raining down on the Navy soldiers!
"You... you dare attack the Navy—!!"
Captain Nezumi shrieked.
But no one paid him any mind.
It wasn't until the Navy soldiers were beaten black and blue, barely clinging to life, that Sheriff Genzo stepped forward to stop the villagers.
"That's enough," Genzo said. "Any more and they'll be dead."
The villagers finally stopped, but the fury in their eyes remained.
Just then, the Straw Hat crew approached.
Lufia, Ralph, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, along with Johnny and Yosaku.
They ford a circle, looking down at Captain Nezumi lying on the ground.
Nami crouched down, grabbed Captain Nezumi's beard, and gave it a sharp tug—
"Owwww—!!"
"Listen carefully," Nami's voice was icy, "What you're going to do next is clean up the Fish-n and assist in rebuilding Gosa Village. And—"
Nami said viciously:
"Don't you dare touch the money in Arlong Park, or even a single coin on this island!!"
Captain Nezumi still wanted to argue: "Y-you have no right—"
"Otherwise," Ralph cut in, "not only will our Pirate crew hunt you down—"
He paused:
"But we'll also hand over the evidence of your collusion with Arlong to Navy Headquarters."
Ralph leaned down, looking Captain Nezumi in the eye:
"Making it impossible for you to survive in either the underworld or the legitimate world."
He straightened up and added casually:
"Don't think you're the only ones who can play this ga. I have... connections in the Navy too."
The mont these words were spoken—
The rest of the crew all turned curious glances toward him.
Lufia tilted her head: "Ralph, you know people in the Navy?"
Zoro narrowed his eyes: "No wonder..."
Sanji raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku looked at him with admiration: "Big brother Ralph even has connections in the Navy?!"
Ralph didn't explain, rely smiling faintly.
And at the sa ti—
Far away at a Navy base in the East Blue, chore boy Koby, who was welcoming Vice Admiral Garp's visit, suddenly let out a huge sneeze.
"Achoo—!!"
He rubbed his nose, looking confused: "Strange... who's talking about ?"
Captain Nezumi and his bruised subordinates scrambled away in panic.
Not even daring to leave any threatening words behind.
Watching the Navy warship disappear over the nightti horizon, everyone broke into smiles.
"Alright!" Lufia raised her hands high, her voice full of energy, "Next up—"
She grinned, showing her white teeth:
"Let's party—!!!"
"Wooohooooo—!!!"
Cheers once again echoed through Arlong Park.
Over the next few days, Cocoyashi Village and the surrounding villages descended into a series of continuous celebrations.
Celebrating victory.
Celebrating freedom.
Celebrating... a brand new life.
And during breaks in the festivities, Ralph kept his promise.
He began teaching Lufia... how to get "hard."
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