Chapter 11
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Obtained Armament Haki (Beginner) Comprehension Card ×1]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Obtained Life Return (Beginner) Comprehension Card ×1]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Obtained Kitchen-Utensil Fruit.]
The system is generous!
Arlong couldn't help giving it a mental thumbs-up. A single silver chest was this stacked.
He was now genuinely looking forward to what gold and diamond chests might drop.
Snapping out of his daydream, he immediately used the Armament Haki and Life Return comprehension cards.
As always, knowledge poured straight into his mind like inherited memory.
Arlong clenched his fist. With a thought, a layer of pitch-black coating covered his massive fist, hard as steel.
"Skwahahaha~"
"With Armament Haki, Logia users are no longer untouchable."
"And Life Return is pretty sweet too. Not only can it act like digestive medicine, it can reshape the body—like making things… thicker…"
He opened his status panel.
Host: Arlong (Sawshark Fishman) Age: 41 Techniques: Iron Teeth Technique, Shark On Darts, Shark On Gears, Navy Rokushiki Skills: Armament Haki (Beginner), Life Return (Beginner) Quest: Overthrow the World Government → Establish the Divine Dragon Empire Items: Zanba (sword), Treasure Tree Adam ×1, Kitchen-Utensil Fruit Beauties Collected: Nami, Nojiko
Not much change. The sisters' panels were the same too.
Nojiko at 90 affection, Nami only 75.
That irritated Arlong a little.
As expected, the protagonist crew's willpower was far above ordinary people.
While he had time, he decided to deliver the Treasure Tree Adam to the dock.
…
Somewhere near the Conomi Islands
The Going Merry was sailing away.
Several injured crew members lay on the deck while Johnny frantically tried to treat them.
He wasn't a doctor.
But as bounty hunters, injuries were routine. You pick up first-aid skills eventually.
Of course, only for external wounds.
"Arlong…"
Luffy suddenly bolted upright from his coma and threw a rubber punch. Johnny happened to be in the way.
"AHH!"
Johnny screamed as he was launched off the ship.
Luckily Luffy snapped awake in time and stretched an arm to yank him back.
"Johnny, why would you jump overboard for no reason?"
Luffy tilted his head, genuinely confused.
Johnny: o(︶︿︶)o
"Right! I was fighting Arlong! How did I get back on the ship? Where's the island?"
Luffy finally realized something was wrong and started bouncing around looking for answers.
Before Johnny could speak, Zoro woke up too—furious.
"That damn Arlong. I'm gonna kill him."
He had been knocked out with a single kick. Utter humiliation!
"We haven't rescued Nami yet!"
Luffy clenched his fists. "Turn around! Back to the Conomi Islands!"
It didn't matter if they couldn't win. For a nakama, he'd give his life.
Johnny opened his mouth, hesitant.
He didn't know exactly what happened on the island, but they had come back half-dead. The enemy was clearly unbeatable.
They weren't strong enough even at full health—going back injured was suicide.
Usopp had been unconscious, but the moment he heard "back to the islands," he sprang up and hugged the helm for dear life.
"No way! We are NOT going back!"
"Usopp, move." Zoro growled.
Luffy cracked his knuckles.
Usopp panicked and glanced at Johnny for help, but got nothing.
Then he saw Sanji and Joseph still out cold and had an idea.
"Luffy, Zoro—Sanji and Joseph are badly hurt! They need treatment fast, or they'll have permanent damage!"
Both fell silent.
"I'm fine… saving Nami-san is more important…"
Sanji's weak voice drifted over.
He was terrified that if they delayed, Nami would truly become Arlong's plaything. As a gentleman, he could not allow that.
To prove he was okay, Sanji tried to stand—only to aggravate his broken ribs.
"Cough…"
Blood poured from his mouth and he passed out again.
"Sanji!"
"Get the doctor!"
"We don't have a doctor, idiot!"
After the chaos, Luffy finally decided to treat Sanji first.
"Johnny, how did we get back?"
"You won't believe me… we fell out of the sky during a sudden rainstorm."
Luffy: "That's awesome!"
Zoro: (｀_′)ゞ Usopp: (°Д°)
…
Conomi Islands – A hidden natural harbor
Arlong dove underwater and arrived at a crude shipyard.
Docked inside was his ship, the Shark Sparb.
It was half a ship larger than the future Thousand Sunny.
The figurehead was a vicious shark with Arlong's signature long saw-nose and rows of fangs.
The hull was unusually wide—half again as broad as a standard ship of its size—so the widest part of the deck supported two masts.
The sails were correspondingly larger, giving the vessel far greater propulsion.
The Shark Sparb looked incredibly imposing, but right now it was a battered wreck—like a hero in his twilight years.
Arlong's gaze softened with nostalgia. After a long moment, a trace of sadness flickered in his eyes.
He patted the hull.
"Don't worry, old friend. Soon we'll be tearing through the seas together again."
Eight years had passed in a flash. Ever since they conquered the islands and started extorting the villagers, they had rarely sailed.
Suddenly voices came from outside.
"Cadres gave us one month—no slacking, got it?"
"Don't worry, Boss Kinjin. Building a new ship in a month might be impossible, but repairs are no problem."
"Don't jinx it. This time Big Bro Arlong is using Treasure Tree Adam. The difficulty just went up several levels."
"Haha…"
Laughter followed.
"Everyone in the crew knows Big Bro Arlong got scammed this time."
"Keep your mouths shut. We know it, that's enough. If Big Bro Arlong hears it, he'll be upset."
Arlong: ＜(￣ ﹌ ￣)@m
"It's fine, Big Bro Arlong isn't here anyw—"
The voice cut off.
Arlong stood there, arms crossed, staring at them coldly.
"Big Bro Arlong!"
The fishmen instantly plastered on fawning smiles.
Arlong pointed to a nearby log—two meters thick, a hundred meters long.
"Adam's here. If it's not done in a month, we'll have words."
"EH?!?!"
The fishmen's eyes nearly popped out.
Soon the news spread. The entire Arlong Pirates rushed over to gawk.
There wasn't much Treasure Tree Adam left in the whole world. Money alone couldn't buy it.
"As expected of Big Bro Arlong—he can even get Adam!"
"It's all about connections!"
…
"Achoo!"
Back home, Arlong sneezed twice.
"Big Bro Arlong, are you okay?" Nojiko asked worriedly.
"I'm a shark. What could be wrong?"
Arlong flicked her forehead. "Focus. Keep an eye on my Life Return progress."
Nojiko: (?????)
Arlong resumed using Life Return, concentrating on altering a specific part of his body.
Five minutes later his face was red from effort.
Nami: "Big Bro Arlong, no visible change. Still long."
Nojiko: "Big Bro Arlong, we can accept this length, really."
Arlong: "Quiet."
"Oh."
"Hm? It's… a tiny bit shorter?"
Hearing it worked, Arlong doubled his efforts.
In moments, his long saw-nose visibly shrank until it was about the length of two normal noses combined—his current limit.
Nami's eyes brightened. With a shorter nose he actually looked a lot better.
"Big Bro Arlong, so cool!" Nojiko's eyes turned into hearts.
Nami Affection +2 Nojiko Affection +1
"Then what are we waiting for!"
Arlong hooked an arm around Nojiko's neck.
The two of them had already "explored" separately, but never together.
Nami tried to slip away, but Arlong grabbed her with his free hand.