"Wh-why… in the weakest sea… would there be a monster like this?"
In Arlong's domain at this moment.
Along the seawater pool connected to the ocean, corpses lay everywhere.
Severed limbs were scattered all around; fish-men cut in half lay on the ground without a sound.
Broken cold weapons littered the area.
At the door of that iconic building in Arlong's domain, the captain of the "Arlong Pirates," former officer of the "Sun Pirates," Arlong, sat on the ground clutching a bleeding severed arm. Beside him lay a hand still gripping a broken saw-blade sword. Eyes bloodshot, he stared at the "human boy" before him, voice full of hatred and disbelief.
"Your last words? Pitiful weakling."
Karl looked down at Arlong and said coolly, "Frightened out of your wits by Kizaru, then rescued from Impel Down by your comrades' sacrifice, only to come to this sea and lord it over others—your actions stain the names of the 'Sun Pirates' and 'Hero Fisher Tiger.'"
"…"
Arlong's eyes widened; just as rage twisted his face, Karl drove the knight's sword into his neck and took his life.
Karl had no interest in listening to a human-hating thug spout "nothing-to-do-with-me" nonsense.
That jab was also paying back Nami's vengeance.
After all, Fisher Tiger—Arlong's "big bro," the man he respected most.
With Arlong down, and sensing no life aura stronger than an ordinary human, Karl took a pocket watch from his clothes and smirked to himself: "Exactly ten minutes. I only just started heading this way… heh heh… how should I use those three little requests?"
Just as with Carina—
though Karl wore a knight's armor worth millions of Beli, his behavior had nothing to do with the word "knight."
On the contrary, a lifetime reshaped by "unequaled" talent and power had forged a new personality.
Besides labels like "training maniac," "battle-hungry," and "bottomless appetite," Carina had secretly stuck on a few more, one of them—"LSP."
Karl, overflowing with energy, was never a straight-laced gentleman.
If Carina weren't still young and not yet fully developed, he'd have devoured her long ago.
If he couldn't "eat," he could still do other things.
"Karl, I'm here!"
As Karl lounged on a beach chair before Arlong, musing over how to use those three requests, Carina's voice came from far to near by his ear.
He looked up and saw Carina and Nami walking in through the open iron gate.
Taking in the corpses strewn through "Arlong's domain," Nami couldn't help but cover her mouth. Eyes brimming, she ran toward Karl.
From two or three meters away she leapt into the arms of the just-risen Karl, hugged that rock-hard armor, and choked out, "Thank you, Karl…"
Beyond those five words, she couldn't say anything else; her voice snagged on sobs.
Karl only patted her slender back lightly, saying nothing.
Carina, on the other hand, gave Karl a thumbs-up, praising his "speed."
Karl kept one hand soothing Nami and raised three fingers with the other—wager won.
Carina rolled her eyes at him and nodded helplessly.
Only then did Karl show a satisfied smile.
Buried in Karl's arms, venting years of pent-up pressure, Nami didn't see the "dog-and-cat" gestures and silent exchange. If she had, she might have tossed that gratitude into the sea.
It wasn't that Karl and Carina felt nothing for Nami.
It was that, after "running all over" for years, they'd seen too many disasters.
Take the East Blue's famed "Kingdom of Laborers," the country that started building a bridge 700 years ago—those "laborers" were mostly people who had refused to join World Government member nations.
All innocents who, just because their countries couldn't pay the "Heavenly Tribute," were ordered by the Celestial Dragons to be seized and sent to the Kingdom of Laborers to build a bridge.
Compared to that, Cocoyasi Village had "only" suffered pirate rule and a monthly protection fee—not a slave's life.
Having witnessed so many "human tragedies," Karl and Carina's hearts had long turned steel-hard.
The only thing they still cared about was their orphanage.
Because the "orphanage" held their memories as childhood sweethearts. Otherwise, the two "selfish" ones wouldn't keep sending the leftovers—or even a tenth—of their earnings back every time.
Since the headmistress passed away two years ago, they hadn't returned to the "orphanage."
With their only family gone, Karl and Carina had only each other left in their hearts.
Back to the point.
When Nami finished venting, she rushed to bring the good news to the villagers.
Worried Nami might be in danger, the villagers had already gathered, grabbing farm tools and heading for Arlong's domain.
Carina and Nami had only slipped out ahead when no one was looking.
When Nami led her sister and the villagers into Arlong's domain, and they saw fish-men's corpses everywhere—including Arlong and his three officers—the cheers shook the sky.
That night, a bonfire blazed in Cocoyasi Village's square.
In this world, whether pirates or commoners, people love celebrating and welcoming with feasts.
They who sang and danced were, without doubt, happy.
Thanks to Karl, Cocoyasi Village and the villages under Arlong's rule were spared four more years of suffering.
No more fear of being killed for failing to meet the protection fee.
The long nightmare was finally over.
While everyone celebrated (and vented), Karl, Carina, and Nami didn't join the crowd. Taking some food, they went to Nami's adoptive mother's grave.
"Did you send all the treasure from the vault back?"
Drawing her gaze back from the night sea, Carina fed Karl by her side and looked at Nami sitting before her mother's grave, asking.
"Mm. Genzo gave it to everyone," Nami nodded, then turned to Karl and Carina with a touch of guilt. "Sorry. You killed Arlong; the treasure should have been yours."
"Doesn't matter."
Carina waved it off. "I'm no saint, but I'm not about to take the blood and sweat they risked their lives for."
"Mff mff (That's right)…"
Karl nodded along beside her, cheeks puffed like a ball. Carina poked his face, exasperated. "How many times have I told you—swallow before you speak."
Gulp.
After swallowing, Karl asked, "That Captain Nezumi—when do we take him out?"
"The Marines won't dare collude with pirates openly, so almost no one knows Captain Nezumi's been sheltering the Arlong Pirates," Carina analyzed. "So when he takes his cut, he'll bring only a few trusted guards. Cat Burglar, when does he usually come?"
"Usually within three days after the delivery," Nami answered quickly.
"Good. Then Karl will set up near the seawater pool entrance in Arlong's domain—Observation that covers half the island. Once he senses Marines, he'll use the spear of light and vaporize them," Carina said to Karl.
"Got it."
Karl flashed an OK sign and went back to dinner.