At Arlong Park.
"Arlong, let's talk about Cocoyashi Village."
"Yo-yo-yo! If it ain't Nami! You got 100 million Berries already?" Arlong's mouth stretched into a huge grin, displaying rows of jagged teeth that looked downright scary.
Nami swallowed her unease and fear and started her freaking song and dance.
"I've saved 100 million Berries! I'm gonna buy Cocoyashi Village!"
"But you just got back this morning! We'll talk later tonight!" Arlong's voice dripped with malice.
"I gotta go visit some villages that haven't paid their tribute yet! You go count your money and make sure it's all there!"
There's no way I'm letting you outta my sight, my little navigator.
Nami didn't catch the lies dripping from Arlong's lips. She agreed.
Watching Nami leave the park, Arlong's grin widened. He called his men and got a Den Den Mushi.
"Bru Bru~ Bru Bru~"
"Squeak, squeak! This is Captain Nezumi!"
"Partner, you interested in earning some extra cash?"
Arlong was weaving his web of deceit.
...
Ignis, on the other hand, was having a surprisingly quiet day.
Nami and Nojiko didn't want him involved, but he knew how this story went.
He'd end up in the freaking mix! He was wandering around Cocoyashi Village.
"System, what's this about enhancing my Forge God Bloodline?"
"By fusing with the Ornn template, Host, you have naturally gained the favor of the Forge God. Enhancing the Forge God Bloodline will allow you to transform into the Forge God for a limited time."
Holy crap! He could actually turn into Ornn?!
"What happens when I turn into the Forge God?"
"The Host will gain a significant increase in Armor, Magic Resistance, and Health. The stat boosts will increase with the Host's level."
Ornn's base form was already a beast!
Ornn was a demigod! He stood ten meters tall and was built like a freaking tank! A true behemoth!
In the One Piece world, only the giants were bigger than Ornn!
But Ignis wasn't worried about that! There were tons of items that could make him bigger!
Sterak's Gage, Stoneplate... He could become the biggest freaking thing in the world! Bring on the Enlargement Jutsu!
He was getting stoked about this! Every guy had a secret desire to become a giant!
And Ornn wasn't ugly! He was kinda cute, kinda cuddly, and kinda badass! Who didn't love Ornn?
The villagers of Cocoyashi started moving around.
They had to get their work and chores done before the fish-men patrols showed up! Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to pay the tribute!
Running into the fish-men meant nothing but trouble!
Unlike Ignis, who was strolling along without a care in the world, the villagers looked tense and harried.
The adults were hustling, but he didn't see any kids.
Their parents had probably locked 'em inside! Everyone was afraid their kids would talk back to a fish-man! The consequences would be brutal!
"The fish-men patrol's coming!!!"
"They're early today!"
"I just opened up shop!"
"Pack up your stuff and head home!"
Everyone scrambled to pack up their wares. They had to shut down their stalls, no matter how bad their day was going!
The street went silent again. Every door slammed shut, leaving just the eyes peering from the windows, watching the street.
Arlong's goons swaggered down the street, basking in the fear in those eyes.
But they had a job to do today! They'd heard someone was stashing weapons!
Under Arlong's rule, hiding weapons was a death sentence!
The crew kicked down a door and dragged out a middle-aged man with stitch-scarred skin. They also hauled out a big crate full of guns and ammo!
"Oh crap! Genzo's been caught!"
The fish-man leading the squad grabbed Genzo by the collar.
"Why were you stashing weapons?"
"I'm the village sheriff! I need weapons!"
The fish-men burst out laughing!
"Did you hear that? He says he's the village sheriff!"
"What's a village need a sheriff for?"
"The village is freaking paradise under Arlong-sama's rule!"
Their laughter dripped with sarcasm and scorn.
The fish-man leader bared his fangs and raised his fist.
"I'll beat some sense into you first! Then I'll tell Arlong-sama! He can decide if you live or die!"
Fish-men were way stronger than humans! If that punch landed, the guy would probably be knocked out cold!
But that was an "if." Nobody saw the punch connect.
The fish-man who'd been holding Genzo was spinning through the air!
Genzo's eyes and mouth were wide open! If he was a rubber man like Luffy, his jaw would've hit the floor!
Faces were pressed against the windows in the houses, eyes bugging out like they were gonna pop! They needed to see this with their own eyes! Make sure it wasn't a hallucination!
Ignis had charged in and slapped the fish-man leader so hard he was doing freaking pirouettes in the air!
Someone had dared to hit a fish-man?!
That was the first thought that flashed through everyone's heads!
The fish-man leader crashed to the ground.
The crowd snapped back to reality.
That kid was dead meat!
"Run!"
Genzo, finally thinking straight, yelled at Ignis to run! He might've knocked a fish-man on his butt, but there were way too many of 'em!
Ignis didn't run. He just watched the fish-men circle him.
"You ain't going anywhere, punk!"
"Hits a guy and doesn't run? I've never seen anyone that stupid! Not even the dumbest fish-man in our crew!"
"Am I dumb?" A dopey voice came from the ranks of the fish-men.
"Shut it! Don't say everything that comes into your head!"
"Okay! But I still don't think I'm dumb! I'm pretty smart!"
The fish-man who'd been trash-talking Ignis scowled.
Fish-men weren't exactly known for their brains.
"Enough jawing! Let's get him! He one-shotted our leader! We gotta make him pay!"
Ignis didn't say a word. He just smiled, trying to look like a total badass. But he didn't really feel like smiling.
He was having a hard time keeping a straight face after that fish-man's dumbassery!
Genzo squeezed his eyes shut. He knew what was coming! The kid was gonna be a bloody mess!
But then... He heard the fish-men crying out in pain! He heard bodies flying through the air!
He opened his eyes.
The kid was still standing there! And the fish-men were sprawled on the ground, every which way!
No freaking way!