One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 42: You've Finally Come, Haven't You?

Two days later, in the early morning.

Genzo hummed a little tune, pushing his bicycle along the path outside the village. The weather was pleasant, perfect for a patrol.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew past, and his wide-brimmed police hat flew off again. He hurriedly parked his bike and bent down to pick it up.

The little pinwheel was wet again. It took him a long time to wipe it clean. Genzo, feeling a little wronged, put it back on carefully. He had just made this one last night. The new one he'd made a year ago had mysteriously disappeared without a trace a few days ago.

Why, and who on earth, would repeatedly target a worthless little pinwheel?

Genzo still couldn't figure it out.

He had just straightened up when he saw several children who often played by the pier running towards him in a panic, occasionally glancing back over their shoulders.

As soon as they saw him, they started shouting, "Uncle Genzo! It's bad, it's bad!"

"Pirates! At the pier, a pirate ship has arrived!"

What?!

Genzo was shocked. He immediately swung his leg over his bicycle. "I'll go take a look! You guys go to the village immediately and tell everyone to hide in the mountains..."

Wait, the mountains?

He suddenly froze, abruptly realizing that the Cocoyasi Village of today wasn't the same one that was helpless against any random pirate crew.

Up in those mountains, there was an incredible monster sitting in wait!

"You guys tell any adults you meet on the way to go find Shane!" he immediately changed his tune. "Tell him to get to the pier right away! This is the most important thing, it can't be delayed, do you hear me!"

"We know, Uncle Genzo!"

Genzo watched the children run off, then continued to ride towards the pier. He gritted his teeth, a faint sense of unease still lingering in his heart.

The peace of Cocoyasi Village had been maintained for many years. This time, what level of pirates would it be? What if, what if their luck was terrible, and it was one of the most powerful pirate crews in the East Blue?

Could Shane really handle it?

Deep in the mountains.

The black-haired young man was wielding a giant tree weighing two or three tons like a golden-hooped staff, having the time of his life, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a white figure flashing past in the sky.

"Moonwalk!"

—SWISH!

Shane shot up from the ground, and with a few flickers, he was in mid-air, blocking the News Coo's path.

"GAAAH!!!"

The News Coo was so startled it let out a duck-like cry, its feathers standing on end. It was responsible for this area of the East Blue and had only heard from its colleagues about humans who could fly in the Grand Line. It had never seen one with its own eyes!

"Today's paper, please," Shane said, flicking a 50-Belli coin into the mailbag hanging around its neck.

A mastered Moonwalk was enough to support him in the air for several seconds. But just as he took out the newspaper and before he could unfold it, his body began to fall.

The News Coo caught the coin in its beak and stared blankly down at the falling figure.

—This guy actually has the time to leisurely open and read a newspaper? Isn't he afraid of falling to his death?

"Queen Otohime Assassinated?"

Shane stared at the front-page headline, holding the newspaper motionless as his body went into freefall. A few seconds later, he crashed onto the mountaintop with a boom, creating a huge crater and sending dust flying everywhere.

By the time the dust settled, he had more or less finished reading the report, and he couldn't help but frown.

So Arlong came to the East Blue in the same year that Hody Jones killed Queen Otohime? Two generations of scum... no, fish-scum, truly following in each other's footsteps, committing evil deeds in perfect sync.

Putting away the newspaper, he stepped out of the crater he had created and walked to the southernmost edge. He did what he had done countless times over the past year, habitually gazing out towards the pier.

"Arlong, oh Arlong, why haven't you come yet..." he muttered, almost subconsciously.

But the next moment, his gaze suddenly froze, and he stood rooted to the spot.

At the end of the horizon, a huge pirate ship had appeared from nowhere and was sailing towards the pier.

Under the fluttering skull and crossbones, the ship's figurehead was carved into the shape of a sawfish's snout, looking incredibly ferocious.

The sea breeze blew past. The figure on the mountaintop remained motionless for a long time.

After a good while.

"Arlong..."

A voice, sounding like a mix of crying and laughing, finally drifted out, full of resentment. His body stretched, his muscles twisting and trembling with a sound that sent shivers down the spine. "You've finally come, haven't you..."

"I've really, really missed you..."

The moment his voice fell.

Crack, crack. As the arches of his feet gradually tensed, countless web-like cracks suddenly spread down the mountain from under his feet. The entire cliff let out a groan as if it could no longer bear the weight.

BOOM—!!!

The next instant, the air abruptly exploded in layers of ripples. The massive, muscular human figure vanished from the spot, and the cliff completely collapsed.

When he reappeared, he had already teleported to the top of a coconut tree dozens of meters away. He stomped the trunk into a tightly drawn bow, and using the rebound force, he shot off again towards the distance with ferocious speed!

THUD!

With a crash, the Shark Superb forcibly docked at the pier, mercilessly crushing the wooden jetty into splinters.

Thump, thump, thump. Dozens of abnormally burly figures slowly disembarked, stepping onto the land over the scattered debris.

"So this is Cocoyasi Village?"

Looking at the village in the distance with its wisps of cooking smoke, the Kissing Fishman officer named Chu raised an eyebrow. "It looks a lot bigger than on the sea chart. It seems we can still squeeze out a lot of money if we search thoroughly, chu~"

"I think it's a pity," another officer, Kuroobi, said with a cold expression, his arms crossed. "No surprises at all. It's been a long time since I've stretched my muscles. But it can't be helped. In a small country village like this, finding someone qualified to trade fists with me is harder than climbing to the sky."

He wore an indigo-blue athletic suit, his muscles were well-developed, and a black cloth belt representing his karate rank was tied around his waist. He even had his hair tied in two small topknots, looking quite formidable.

Pat.

A large purple hand suddenly rested on the shoulders of the two fish-man officers.

"Shhahahahaha—! No more nonsense, my boys," Arlong grinned, revealing a mouth full of fangs. "We've already set foot on land. It's time to follow me and shout our Arlong Pirates' declaration."

He suddenly spread his arms wide. The fish-man pirates behind him also drew their swords with savage grins.

"You boring, insignificant humans!"

Arlong laughed wantonly at the distant village. "From now on, this village... no! This entire island will be ruled by us!!!"

"Shhahahahaha—!!!"

Amidst the rampant laughter, the Arlong Pirates stepped off the pier and officially began their march towards the village.

However, just after they rounded a corner, they found four fallen coconut trees, stacked on top of each other, completely blocking the road to the village.

"Hm? Man-made?"

Kuroobi narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Are they scared out of their wits just by seeing a pirate ship? How naive! Do they think something like this can block our path?"

"Look closely, there's someone sitting on top, chu~"

Chu, beside him, giggled, looking at the black-clothed figure sitting on the tree trunks.

"Hey, little bro, are you trying to protect your village all by yourself? Tsk tsk tsk, say what you will, that courage is truly admirable!"

The other person sat quietly, his head bowed, not saying a word, his fists clenched and trembling slightly, as if he was desperately trying to overcome his fear.

Hearing the praise, he finally looked up, revealing a handsome, clean, youthful face.

Under the teasing gazes of the many fish-men, he smiled shyly and embarrassedly.

"...Thank you."