The sound of cannon fire, deep and thunderous, rumbled across the coast. Genzo quickly told Nojiko, Chabo, and the other villagers to return home and hide, while he alone quietly snuck down to the port.
When he arrived and saw the mutilated corpses of fish-men floating on the sea's surface, he was utterly shocked.
What happened here? What the hell happened here?!
It was a scene he had only dared to dream of—a scene that had played out in his dreams countless times: the defeat of the Arlong Pirates, his vengeance for Nojiko and Nami's adoptive mother.
And now that dream… was unfolding before his very eyes!
Goosebumps covered his arms. Genzo pinched himself hard—the pain was real.
This wasn't a dream!
Just then, a loud explosion drew his eyes upward.
The windmill on his hat spun in the sea breeze as Genzo looked toward the dark ship moored at the dock. He suddenly spotted a smoking corpse slamming onto the ship's railing before tumbling into the sea below.
Splash.
The body disappeared beneath the churning waves.
It was a headless corpse—but Genzo recognized the clothing and physique immediately. That was none other than Chew, one of the Arlong Pirates' officers.
Chew, the fish-man whose hands were stained with the blood of people from more than twenty villages.
Chew, the one they could never beat, no matter how many people fought him at once. The fish-man who had brought terror and despair upon them.
Genzo stood frozen.
Soon after, a man appeared at the ship's railing. Wearing a hat and sporting a large, red, round nose, he stood with hands on his hips, one foot on the edge of the deck, laughing heartily.
"Behold the true power of the great Buggy! Bet you won't underestimate me now! Wahahahaha—!"
Genzo stared at him, and his thoughts returned to the unfamiliar fish-man and the two humans he had encountered earlier in Cocoyasi Village.
A complex, excited emotion swelled within him.
To Genzo, it was clear now—a new crew of pirates had arrived, and they were intent on wiping out the Arlong Pirates and claiming their territory.
Cocoyasi Village—no, all the locations controlled by the Arlong Pirates—were about to change hands.
Whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing… he still didn't know.
---
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Arlong Park—
The ground was littered with defeated fish-men. Some had their skulls caved in by iron clubs, others lay disemboweled by razor-sharp claws.
Combined with the many who had been knocked out by Davy Jones' Conqueror's Haki, only three members of the Arlong Pirates remained standing: Arlong, Kuroobi, and Hatchan.
The fake octopus fish-man, Davy Jones, stood in a standoff with Arlong, who brandished his massive, serrated sword.
The real octopus fish-man, Hatchan, was locked in battle with Alvida—but his six-arm barrage of punches proved completely ineffective!
Whether he struck her arms, her back, or even her face—his punches lost all force the moment they touched her, simply sliding off without impact.
Hatchan, despite his immense strength, couldn't make it count.
Even when he drew six swords and unleashed his Six Sword Style, the flashing blades merely glanced off her body and were deflected harmlessly!
Alvida stood there smiling, letting him attack as he pleased—then responded with her spiked iron club, sending Hatchan flying with every swing.
With each exchange, Alvida remained unscathed, while Hatchan's body grew covered in bruises and blood.
What the hell is going on?
Hatchan, clutching his swelling bruises, was filled with confusion. His reaction time still hadn't caught up to the reality that she was a Devil Fruit user.
But Kuroobi, fighting Kuro, shouted in warning between exchanges: "Hatchan! She's a Devil Fruit user!"
"Ah!" Hatchan finally understood. "So that's why… no wonder her body's so weird."
But he quickly frowned.
Even if he knew she was a Devil Fruit user, what could he do about it?
"Seawater!" Kuroobi shouted again, using the sharp bone on his arm to parry Kuro's lightning-fast claw swipes. "She's weak to seawater!"
Just as he said that, Kuro slashed with his claws and cut off Kuroobi's topknot.
Had Kuroobi been any slower, the claws would have pierced straight into his eye socket.
Damn it…
This human… he's despicable!
Kuroobi no longer dared to divide his attention and focused solely on fighting using Fish-Man Karate.
In terms of raw strength, Kuroobi had the upper hand.
But Kuro had seen through that. He relied on Silent Step, flitting around like a fly, never clashing head-on. He simply chipped away, cutting little by little, always staying mobile.
If Kuroobi gave chase, Kuro would retreat.
If Kuroobi was distracted, Kuro would pounce with a quick strike.
Even when Kuroobi focused, Kuro still feinted and tested with quick jabs.
But on land, Kuroobi couldn't keep up with Kuro's Silent Step, and the frustration made him grit his teeth.
He touched his severed topknot and watched Kuro pulling back into the distance, his face darkening.
This was going nowhere.
This human, while not a Devil Fruit user, was far from easy to deal with.
Still, if he could drag him into the sea—Silent Step would be useless underwater.
But how to make that happen...?
Suddenly, an idea struck Kuroobi, and he shouted:
"Hatchan! Use your ink on that woman!"
Kuro didn't waste the opening. He instantly closed in with Silent Step, driving his claw straight toward the gill near Kuroobi's shoulder.
But Kuroobi had anticipated it—dodging at the last second. This time, he didn't counterattack, but instead made a sharp pivot—charging straight toward Alvida!
Kuro frowned, his glasses gleaming. Cautious by nature, he didn't pursue.
Though confused by the command, Hatchan trusted Kuroobi. He turned to Alvida and released a powerful jet of black ink from his mouth!
Alvida saw it coming and stomped the ground, sliding out of the way as if skiing.
She grimaced at the puddle of ink and began to slow down, trying to stop her momentum.
Then—the sound of footsteps at her side.
She turned just in time to see Kuroobi, already in stance, unleashing Fish-Man Karate!
It had all been a feint—the ink was just a distraction. Kuroobi had set up the real ambush.
He intended to go two-versus-one, eliminate the Devil Fruit user first, then return to deal with the bespectacled pest.
"Fish-Man Karate: Thousand Tile True Punch!"
He knew physical attacks didn't work well on Alvida—but she was standing at the very edge of the courtyard pool that led to the sea.
It was the perfect setup.
All he had to do was use Fish-Man Karate to send her sliding into the seawater!
"HAH—!"
With explosive force, Kuroobi's right palm smashed into the floor beneath Alvida.
CRACK!
Stone shattered and splintered—huge cracks spread out from the impact.
The large stone slab under Alvida's feet broke loose and tilted, about to dump her into the water!
Alvida felt a chill down her back.
Now she understood Kuroobi's plan.
Thinking quickly, she stepped onto the slanted slab and tried to slide upward through the air to land safely on solid ground again.
But that's exactly what Kuroobi had been waiting for.
He sprang forward like a shark, arms outstretched like claws, aiming to grab her midair and throw her into the water!
But—
"Heh. Not a bad plan… if I wasn't here."
A cold voice whispered in Kuroobi's ear—and it sent chills down his spine.
Kuro had slipped in behind him and drove ten claws deep into Kuroobi's unguarded gills, twisting viciously!
Blood sprayed everywhere!
Kuroobi roared in pain and swung his bone-bladed arm—only to find Kuro had already retreated far out of reach.
"That bastard…" Kuroobi, drenched in cold sweat, crashed to the ground. "He's like a shadow—everywhere, and always watching…"
Lying on his back, the last thing Kuroobi saw was Alvida's spiked club descending toward his face—
BOOM!
The weapon smashed squarely into his head, flattening his skull!
Just in case, Alvida didn't stop there. Fearing the fish-man's insane vitality, she twisted the club's handle to reveal two special Buggy Bombs, flipped the safety, and tossed them onto his face before sliding away barefoot.
The two spherical bombs struck Kuroobi's head.
He barely had time to widen his eyes.
Then—a blinding flash and deafening blast.
BOOM—!
His fish-man body was blown into the air and crashed violently onto the ground.
"Kuroobi!!" Hatchan shouted in disbelief.
But it was far too late.
Kuroobi was already beyond saving.