Swoosh—thwick!
At the far northwest edge of Cocoyasi Village stood a towering spire.
This structure was the Arlong Empire's headquarters ruling over more than twenty villages—Arlong Park.
But now, within the walls of Arlong Park, a dazzling green light suddenly speared into the sky.
Instead of blooming like fireworks, the light became a colossal slash that cleaved the tower straight down the middle.
Boom—!
With a deafening roar, the tower—built with untold money and labor and flying the Arlong Pirates' flag at its peak—collapsed in ruins.
The crash was so loud it reached Cocoyasi Village, and reached Nami's ears as well—she had gone to reconcile with the villagers, only to discover everyone had been putting on a play, that no one had ever truly hated her.
Dust billowed as the building fell.
When it cleared, the toppled tower lay in rubble, and the ground around it was strewn with fish-man corpses.
Unlike the pirates Yami had once killed in messy ways when he couldn't fully control his strength,
these fish-men mostly had clean, bullet-like holes through their heads.
A few floating in the pool had been hewn neatly in half by the slash.
"R-Rokushiki… Marines… CP agents?"
Only Arlong himself remained alive among the Arlong Pirates.
Compared to his men, who had died in an instant and suffered little, Arlong was in terrible shape; his voice was weak.
He lay on the ground, riddled with finger-bullet holes that bled bright red.
Every one of those holes came from Flying Finger Pistols.
Yami hadn't granted him a quick death—he'd controlled the power to turn Arlong's body into a beehive.
As someone who had once run with Fisher Tiger and been chased across the world by the World Government and the Marines, Arlong knew the Six Powers well.
Seeing Yami use them now, he reflexively assumed the man was Government or Navy.
Yami didn't answer.
After wrecking Arlong Park, he walked over, looking down at the dying fish-man whose eyes still held ferocity without fear, and said evenly, "Nice stare. Since you love enslaving humans so much, you won't mind if I enslave you, will you?"
"Fish-man Arlong, if I'm not mistaken, you have a half-sister on Fish-Man Island named Shyarly, don't you?"
"Shyarly…?"
Hearing Yami's words, Arlong could no longer hold that expression—panic tore across his face and he drew breath to roar.
But Yami didn't give him the chance. A light finger snap sent an air bullet through Arlong's skull, ending the true tyrant of the East Blue.
Nami was a kind girl.
Even if she found the courage to avenge her mother, at most she would put a single bullet in Arlong.
To Yami, that was far too cheap.
Not only should the body be punished, the spirit should be crushed—let him die burdened with fear and guilt for his sister.
It was a vicious method.
If not for concern for his image, Yami would have done it right in front of Nami.
After finishing Arlong, Yami dusted himself off, hoisted the corpse, and left Arlong Park.
"Master!"
Before he reached Cocoyasi, he encountered a group on the road.
They were villagers who, hearing the collapse, had rushed out under Nami's lead.
At the front were Nami and Carina, and a blue-haired girl—clearly Nami's sister, Nojiko.
Seeing Yami unharmed, Nami lit up with joy and ran to him.
"It's done. All of them."
Noting the farm tools in the villagers' hands, Yami tossed Arlong's body aside and caught the girl leaping into his arms, smiling as he spoke.
"Master, thank you…"
Back in his embrace, Nami's tears fell again; gripping his clothes, she choked on the words.
Other than thanks, she didn't know what to say—she couldn't say anything through the lump in her throat.
Yami comforted her in silence, stroking her head.
"Arlong's corpse—it's really him! He's dead!"
"Th-thank goodness… I won't have to pay for my life anymore!"
"No more killings… wu, wu…"
Voices rose as the villagers saw the body; memories surged.
Many wept openly—those with family or friends killed by Arlong broke down on the spot.
The tide of grief and relief even touched Carina; the iron-willed girl's eyes grew damp.
Watching Yami comfort Nami, the admiration in her gaze deepened.
He wasn't only their captain and Master—he was their hero.
——————
Night fell. In Cocoyasi's square a great bonfire roared.
The villagers danced shoulder to shoulder around it, cups of juice or liquor in hand, singing and drinking to their fill,
venting years of pent-up pressure.
Cheers echoed across the square and through every corner of Cocoyasi,
and through the other villages once ruled by the Arlong Pirates.
After tonight, they would see a new dawn.
Everyone wanted to find Yami to thank him in person.
But Yami didn't attend the feast.
Nor did Carina, nor Nami—who should have been one of the night's stars.
They had more important work.
They went to assassinate Captain Nezumi.
Captain Nezumi was the one Arlong bribed—the Arlong Pirates' umbrella.
Thanks to his help, no one knew Arlong's base for years.
If ships or Navy patrols didn't blunder into Moomoo, Nezumi would warn Arlong first.
Nami, the only one who could have sent a message outward, didn't dare approach the Marines—not with Arlong's base in Cocoyasi and no trust in the Navy.
Though the Arlong Pirates were wiped out, the crisis for Cocoyasi and the other villages wasn't over.
Nezumi was used to bribes; he skimmed a slice every month.
Losing his cash cow overnight, resentment would fester—he might even prop up another Arlong.
To prevent that, Yami decided to remove him.
Nami and Carina raised hands and feet in favor.
Yami used the thousand-mile eye to locate Marine Branch 16, and Nami helmed the ship toward it with Yami and Carina aboard.
With far sight, x-ray sight, and the Door-Door power, Yami slipped in, assassinated Captain Nezumi, and dumped the body into the other space.
Before killing him, Yami used mind-reading to learn the location of his private stash.
When they opened Nezumi's safe, both girls were stunned.
"So much belli and jewelry—how much blood and sweat did this man squeeze from the people?"
Seeing the safe stacked with thick wads of ten-thousand-belli notes, piles of gems, and gold and silver ornaments, Nami ground her teeth.
"This is only a cut of his share. The real hoard was the Arlong Pirates' treasury," Carina said coolly.
At that, Yami rubbed his neck, a little sheepish. "I forgot about that… accidentally wrecked Arlong Park."
"It's okay. Genzo will organize the villagers to clear the ruins. When the time comes, put someone in charge of splitting the treasure evenly," Nami said, shaking her head.
"In that case, this stash will be my spoils."
"Mm-hm!"
The two nodded at once, eyes shining bright with gold.