As soon as Nami finished speaking, she felt a shadow fall over her.
The next moment, she felt her head being pressed down, and a Straw Hat was placed on it.
Nami felt the slightly rough hat on her head, and her heart couldn't help but stir.
She remembered when she was with Luffy, she heard him say that this hat was very important, so much so that he wouldn't even let others easily touch it.
But now, Luffy had given his most important Straw Hat to her.
At this moment, Nami felt incredibly warm and moved, and tears couldn't help but flow out again.
She bit her lip, her body trembling slightly, and firmly pressed the hat tightly onto her head.
…
Meanwhile.
After handing the Straw Hat to Nami, Luffy stepped into the Arlong Empire.
Behind him, Uta, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp followed closely.
The Fishmen inside the Arlong Empire, upon seeing five strangers suddenly intrude, all stopped what they were doing.
They spontaneously gathered, gradually forming a circle, surrounding the five people.
And the leader of the Fishman group, Arlong, sat motionlessly in his chair, a smile on his lips, his eyes full of amusement as he watched Luffy and the others.
Behind him, at the entrance of the Arlong Empire.
Watching Luffy and the five others instantly surrounded by dozens of Fishmen, the villagers were immediately filled with worry.
"Are they really going to be okay?"
"There are nearly fifty Fishmen on the other side! We really shouldn't have brought them here just now!"
"The other Fishmen are fine, only ten times stronger than ordinary people. But Arlong's cadres are all elites among the Fishmen! Especially Arlong, he's a great pirate with a bounty of 20 million Berries. In this East Blue, there's probably no one who can defeat him, right?!"
"Luffy, you said you could defeat Arlong, you weren't really lying to me, were you?!"
Nojiko's eyes were filled with worry as she looked at Luffy's back ahead and murmured.
At the same time, on Luffy's side.
"The others are up to you."
Luffy said in a low, deep voice.
The four behind him nodded in agreement.
Then, Luffy took heavy steps, walking one by one until he stood before Arlong.
Arlong sat leisurely in his chair, a smile on his lips, his eyes filled with disdain and amusement, as he looked at Luffy and said.
"Who are you?"
"Did you come to stand up for Nami?"
"Didn't Nami tell you about the terror of us Fishmen?"
"Or… are you a fool who specifically came to die?"
Arlong raised an eyebrow, his disdain and contempt fully evident in his eyes, and he burst into laughter, looking up at the sky.
"Hahahahaha…"
Facing Arlong's provocation and insult, Luffy did not respond for a long time.
He just had a gloomy face, which was stifling to look at.
Arlong lost interest when he saw Luffy acting like a block of wood.
"Tch…"
Just as he was about to casually make a move and crush the seemingly frail human in front of him, he suddenly saw Luffy's mouth begin to open.
The next second, Luffy roared in anger, his voice audible throughout the entire Arlong Empire.
"Nami…"
Hearing this roar, everyone immediately turned their gaze to Luffy.
And Nami, who was burying her face and crying while pressing down her Straw Hat, also bit her lip at this moment, crying as she looked up at Luffy, muttering Luffy's name.
"Luffy…"
Then, the voice that echoed throughout the entire area sounded again.
"…You watch carefully…"
Nami listened to Luffy's roar, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.
Then, Luffy slowly clenched his fist and slowly raised it.
He continued to speak to Nami in a voice that resonated throughout the entire area.
"…Trash like this…"
Upon hearing Luffy insult him in such a way, Arlong's eyes were instantly filled with rage.
Dozens of Fishmen in the entire area were also enraged by Luffy, glaring at him fiercely.
But Luffy paid them no mind, as if he looked down on everything.
"…I can take care of with a flick of my finger!"
With a roar, Luffy's fist shot out like a bullet from a gun, exploding forward.
No one in the entire area even saw Luffy's movement clearly.
The next second, everyone was incredibly astonished to find that the incredibly tall and strong Arlong was easily crushed to the ground like an ant.
His sawtooth-shaped nose was directly smashed inwards, his entire face sunken and completely deformed, bloody and unrecognizable, without a trace of human appearance.
Even the ground where he lay was deeply sunken and cracked over a large area, as if a meteorite had fallen, creating a deep crater.
Immediately, the entire area was stunned.
The Fishmen under Arlong were filled with disbelief and fear in their eyes, their hearts trembling as they looked at Arlong lying there motionless.
"Brother Arlong!!!"
"That guy… Brother Arlong…"
"Impossible! That's Brother Arlong! The strongest Fishman!"
…
At this moment, the villagers at the entrance were all stunned, looking at Luffy in disbelief.
"He actually… defeated Arlong!"
"With just one punch, he…"
"That guy is so strong!"
"Luffy… you really… Arlong…"
Nojiko looked at Luffy's back, tears uncontrollably welling up in her eyes.
And Nami, sitting on the ground, also stared blankly at Luffy, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Happiness, relief, surprise, regret, and many other emotions surged into Nami's heart in an instant.
In the end, she just murmured Luffy's name, like Nojiko.
"Luffy…"
…
After defeating Arlong, Luffy did not stop.
Instead, he turned around and faced the towering, pagoda-like building that was the symbol of the Arlong Empire.
Luffy called out to Nami again.
"Nami…"
Nami looked at Luffy when she heard him, her eyes unblinking.
"…From now on, you must properly…"
As Luffy spoke, he raised his right foot.
His Devil Fruit ability activated, Luffy's leg extended all the way to the top of the Arlong Empire.
"…Rely on me, your Captain!"
As he finished speaking, Luffy chopped down fiercely.
His right foot was like a giant battle-axe, chopping down from the top.
The Arlong Empire also crumbled and turned into ruins with Luffy's rapidly descending "battle-axe."
…
The Arlong Empire, crumbled!