"Hachi?"
Aided by the moonlight, Nami saw the silhouette before her. It was Hachi, an executive of the Arlong Pirates.
Why is he here?
Did the Arlong Pirates return? But why are they sneaking around to find me?
"It's me."
Hachi nodded, then said softly, "Nami, I have something I need to ask you."
"Let's talk outside."
Nami glanced at Nojiko, then gestured outside and said.
"Alright."
Hachi walked outside. Nami watched his retreating back, jumped off the bed, and left the room.
They arrived at the Orange Orchard behind the house. Nami looked at Hachi and asked calmly, "Where is Lord Arlong?"
Upon hearing Nami's words, Hachi's expression immediately dimmed. He said with a mournful face, "Lord Arlong is already dead."
"What?"
Nami's expression froze. She was very surprised.
She thought Arlong might have left this sea area, but she didn't expect him to be dead. So she asked, "How did he die? Was he killed by the Marines?"
"Not the Marines."
Hachi thought for a moment and said with lingering fear, "He was killed by a black fish. Not only him, but the other members of the Arlong Pirates were also killed by that black fish."
"Wait a minute, you're saying Boss Arlong was killed by a black fish? And the other members of the Arlong Pirates are also dead?"
Nami looked at him, her expression somewhat disbelieving.
"That's right. At that time, we left the island and headed for Burnett Island..." Hachi began to recount what had happened.
"He really is dead."
Nami said blankly. She hadn't expected the entire Arlong Pirates, except for Hachi, to be wiped out.
A black fish?
Nami looked at Hachi and asked, "The black fish you're talking about, is it the same one you fought before and killed Kuroobi?"
Hachi nodded, saying indignantly, "That's right, it's it. Even though it grew tentacles, it's definitely it."
It was it.
Nami hadn't expected this Sea Fish to be the one that annihilated the Arlong Pirates.
What Nami couldn't understand even more was, why would it target the Arlong Pirates?
Three and a half years ago, the first time she saw it, it was hunting dolphins.
After that, she saw it many times, until the Arlong Pirates arrived.
The first time it attacked Fish-Men and Hachi, it was she who instigated Hachi to go into the water.
The second time, Kuroobi was directly captured by it. According to Arlong, Kuroobi was killed by it.
The third time, it wiped out the entire Arlong Pirates.
Why did it do all this?
Was it the instinct to hunt, or some other reason?
But it attacked pirates, attacked dolphins and whales, attacked the Arlong Pirates, yet it never attacked merchant ships, fishing boats, or freighters.
Why?
Nami couldn't quite figure it out. She came back to her senses, looked at Hachi, and asked, "What about you? What are you planning to do?"
"Oh, right."
Hachi came back to his senses upon hearing Nami's question and said, "Boss Arlong told me to come back and bring the Fish-Men who stayed behind. I just dived back and found they weren't in the park. The park was also a mess. I blew my horn, but Moo Moo didn't respond either. So I wanted to ask if they were captured?"
Bring the Fish-Men back to Fish-Man Island.
Nami let out a sigh. With the Arlong Pirates wiped out, if Hachi also planned to leave, then the village would be completely safe.
"I don't know where they went, but the Marines haven't found any Fish-Men, and Moo Moo hasn't attacked any Marine warships," Nami said to Hachi. "They haven't returned in ten days, so they must have left. Faced with three warships, they wouldn't have stayed to wait for death."
"Left?"
Hachi sighed and said, "It seems I can't complete Boss Arlong's mission."
"Then what are you planning to do next?" Nami asked, her eyes flickering. "The Arlong Pirates are wiped out, and the Marines are still hunting you. Staying here isn't a good idea."
Nami was hinting that he should leave and go back to Fish-Man Island.
But Hachi scratched his head and said, "I don't know where to go either."
"You..."
Nami's expression faltered. She looked at him and said, "Didn't Arlong tell you to return to Fish-Man Island?"
Hachi said with distress, "But the Fish-Man soldiers on guard are gone."
"Can't you go back by yourself?" Nami yelled angrily.
Hachi didn't seem to care, he snorted and said, "Without Boss Arlong's orders, I won't go back. I still have things to do."
Nami frowned and asked, "Then what are you planning to do next?"
Hachi was about to answer when his expression suddenly changed, and he shouted, "Come out."
"Huh? Is someone there?"
Nami looked behind them. It was a row of orange trees, and there was no one there.
"Not coming out?"
Hachi immediately lunged forward, grabbed someone from behind, and said, "You dare to eavesdrop on our conversation and found me."
"Nojiko?"
Nami followed and saw the figure, shouting, "Hachi, let her go."
"Nami, do you know her?"
Hachi looked at Nami, frowning and asking.
Nami said, "Hachi, this is my older sister. You can't hurt her."
"I see."
Hachi bowed to Nojiko and said, "Then I was wrong just now. I scared you."
"Are you alright?"
Nami walked over and supported Nojiko. Nojiko looked at Hachi, her expression tense, and said, "Is he a Fish-Man?"
Hachi nodded and said, "That's right, I'm an Octopus Fish-Man."
Nami said softly, "Don't worry, he's different from other Fish-Men."
Hearing this, Nojiko's expression eased, and she asked, "What are you guys doing?"
Nami glanced at Hachi and replied, "He came back alone, hoping to ask me something. He's finished now and plans to leave."
As she spoke, Nami gave Hachi a look, telling him that he had already learned what he wanted to know and should leave quickly.
"Is that so?" Nojiko breathed a sigh of relief at the news.
But the next moment, Hachi asked in confusion, "Nami, I don't plan to leave."
"Not leaving?"
Nami straightened up, looked at Hachi, and asked with a frown, "Then what do you want to do?"
"I want to stay here."
Hachi said, "I'm going to look for Moo Moo and the other Fish-Men."
Speaking of which, Hachi's expression became firm, and he said, "Moreover, I want to avenge Boss Arlong. I'll focus on practicing my swordsmanship and kill that sea fish."
Boss Arlong died to save his life, so how could he leave alone?
He must avenge Boss Arlong.
"You're not leaving? Then where will you stay? If the other villagers find you, they'll notify the Marines." Nami looked at Hachi with a troubled expression.
Hachi looked around and said, "Nami, your place is quite remote. I'll just stay here."
Nami's house was very secluded. When Arlong's Crew arrived, they almost missed it.
In Hachi's opinion, it was a natural dwelling.
Nami glared at him and said, "Aren't you afraid we'll tell the Marines?"
"Of course not. After all, we are comrades in the same pirate crew. You wouldn't harm me." Hachi gave Nami a smile.
"You..."
Nami felt that Hachi was stubborn and a bit foolish.
Of course, if he weren't foolish, she wouldn't have let him follow her to sea to protect her.
Nami didn't know what to do, her expression a little distressed.
"Heh heh, I'll go back to my room first." Hachi walked directly towards the house.
When Nojiko saw him leave, she quietly asked, "Nami, what should we do?"
"Let him stay here for a while," Nami sighed and said.
Nojiko asked, "Should we tell Ken-san?"
Nami thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, "Let's forget it. He's different from other Fish-Men. He even protected me in the pirate crew. Besides, he's very strong, second only to Arlong in the Arlong Pirates. Don't fight him. I'll find a way to make him leave."
Hearing this, Nojiko said, "Then let's leave it like this for now."
Nami and Nojiko returned to the house and found Hachi sitting inside, eating food with chopsticks, wolfing it down.
"You're eating with great relish," Nami said, seeing him, and felt a surge of anger.
"We've been eating sea fish for days, but haven't had a single proper meal," Hachi said with a smile, swallowing a mouthful of rice. "This rice is delicious."
"Obviously."
Nami walked over and sat at the table, staring at Hachi.
Hachi finished all the leftover rice, still wanting more. He sat there and asked curiously, "Which room am I staying in?"
Nami stood up and said, "Follow me."
Hachi followed Nami into the storage room. Nami pointed to the empty space and said, "This is it."
The oranges weren't ripe yet, so the room was just filled with miscellaneous items.
"It's dirty and messy here, and there's no bed either," Hachi complained.
Nami looked at him and asked angrily, "Are you staying or not?"
"I'll stay, as long as there's space."
Hachi walked into the room, set his box aside, and lay down.
"I'll get you some bedding tomorrow," Nami said, pulling the door open and stepping out.
"Goodnight, Nami," Hachi's voice came from behind her.
"Goodnight."
Nami paused, then walked out and closed the room door.
"Is it okay to let him stay here?"
Outside the door, Nojiko pulled Nami aside and asked in a low voice, "Won't he be angry?"
"Of course, it's fine. He used to sleep on the floor when we traveled," Nami waved her hand. "Sister, you should go back to sleep and don't worry about him."
"Okay."
Nojiko nodded and returned to her room.
Nami closed the bedroom door and returned to her own room. She walked to the table, turned on the desk lamp, and took out a notebook.
She flipped the notebook open to a certain page, revealing a large image of a black fish.
"It saved us."
Nami looked at the black fish, her expression filled with gratitude.
After killing Kuroobi, Chuu, Arlong, and so many Fish-Men, they no longer had to worry about the Arlong Pirates returning.
Without him, the Marines might not have been able to defeat Arlong's Crew.
Although she didn't know why he did it, Nami was filled with gratitude.
"Thank you! Hmm, what should I call you?"
Nami looked at the drawing on the paper, feeling that she shouldn't call him "sea fish."
She suddenly remembered the day she first met Xia Qiu. Its black head floated on the azure sea, like a black star.
Black Star.
Thank you for saving us.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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