Chapter 64: So delicious!
Arlong's shouting was so loud that Usopp could roughly understand the reason for the incident:
Simply because that sheriff had secretly stored swords, he was going to be executed.
In Arlong's territory, hiding weapons was considered an intention to rebel.
Arlong had come today to make an example of him.
In his view, living beings were never born equal.
Fish-men were inherently superior to humans, and humans deserved to be enslaved by Fish-men.
He planned to use the money extorted and plundered from nearby villages to build a Fish-man empire in the East Blue.
Hearing such shocking news, Usopp's hands and legs trembled.
The future of the East Blue and Arlong's empire seemed too distant, but a person was indeed about to lose their life right before his eyes due to Arlong's tyranny.
As a "brave man of the sea," could he stand by and watch such a thing happen?
But that Arlong... was terrifying.
And he wasn't alone.
Those accompanying Arlong were likely his officers.
Shouldn't these be the guys Lufia, Zoro, and Ralph were supposed to deal with?
Should he really interfere?
Just as the sheriff was lifted high by Arlong, about to be slammed headfirst into the ground—a certain death!
"Sure-Kill: Gunpowder Star!"
Usopp made his move.
He appeared on a rooftop, slingshot drawn taut, firing a gunpowder pellet that struck Arlong squarely in the face!
"Bang!"
The gunpowder exploded, sparks flying.
"I am the bravest warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp!"
"The whole world fears me! They call me the Great Demon King Usopp from the demon realm!"
"Leave now, and I'll spare you! Otherwise, I'll order my 8,000 subordinates to attack!"
Stung by the pain, Arlong paused, casually tossing the sheriff aside.
"8,000? Bring 10,000 if you dare! I'll still wipe you all out!"
Though unharmed, Arlong flew into a rage.
"A mere... lowly human! How dare you even think of defeating me?!"
He looked up and spotted Usopp on the rooftop.
The next second, Arlong charged to the building, grabbed its foundation with both hands, muscles bulging.
"Boom!"
The entire house was ripped right out of the ground!
Usopp, terrified out of his wits, leaped from the roof, tumbling several times before regaining his footing.
Arlong hurled the house to the ground, reducing it to rubble.
"We are the 'supreme race'!"
As Arlong teetered on the brink of madness, the Fish-man officers around him quickly stepped in to restrain him.
If Arlong went berserk, the entire village would be destroyed, just like Gosa Village.
That would mean losing a source of income, and their so-called "empire-building" plan would be set back indefinitely.
"Capture him! I'll kill him with my own hands!"
A group of Fish-men gave chase, and Usopp took off running.
But this time, he couldn't escape.
The Fish-man officer, Chew, spat a water bullet that sent Usopp sprawling to the ground.
Just as the Fish-men brought Usopp before Arlong, ready to execute him on the spot, Nami appeared.
Calmly, she spun a lie:
Usopp was the target of her latest treasure theft. He must have chased her here, unwilling to let the treasure go.
"After all, we pretended to be companions for so long," Nami said to Arlong. "Give me a chance to execute him myself."
Hearing about humans killing each other improved Arlong's mood considerably.
Thus, the group of Fish-men brought Usopp and Nami back to Arlong Park.
After hearing the account, Ralph fell silent.
He roughly understood now.
It seemed they had taken another wrong turn.
Usopp captured, Nami going to rescue him, Arlong returning to the park...
Everything was ultimately converging at Arlong Park.
At least he had sailed the Going Merry away.
Otherwise, if a real fight broke out, that ship would likely be in grave danger.
In this way, Lufia and the others' "waiting for the rabbit by the tree stump" tactic had proven quite successful.
Arlong had indeed returned.
The only question was whether they could save Usopp and Nami.
Given Arlong's arrogant nature, he probably wouldn't stoop to using "precious hostages" as leverage... right?
However, what Ralph didn't anticipate was that Lufia, Zoro, and Sanji... possessed a unique talent for "stirring the pot."
...
Arlong Park.
When Arlong returned to his base with Usopp and Nami, the scene before him made him freeze.
Fish-man corpses littered the ground.
Strewn haphazardly, blood flowing like rivers.
All his brethren had now become cold corpses.
A brief silence.
Then—
"WHO DID THIS—!!"
Arlong's roar pierced the night sky, nearly tearing the roof off the park:
"HOW DARE THEY HARM MY BRETHREN—!!!"
His eyes were bloodshot, sharp teeth grinding audibly.
But soon, he found his answer.
Following the aroma drifting through the air.
In the center of the courtyard, beside the pond, a bonfire had been lit at some point.
Over the flames were several sections of golden, crispy roasted... octopus legs.
Fat dripped onto the fire with sizzling sounds, filling the air with fragrance.
Sitting around the bonfire were three humans.
A girl wearing a straw hat was staring intently at the roasted octopus legs, practically drooling.
A green-haired swordsman held his sword, looking bored.
A blond chef was skillfully turning the grill, sprinkling unknown spices onto the octopus legs.
Arlong's gaze swept across the courtyard.
Hachi's body was nowhere to be seen.
"Ha...chi..." he murmured to himself, "where is Hachi..."
Then his eyes returned to those roasted octopus legs.
"You... damnable..."
Arlong's voice dropped to a terrifying low, each word seeming squeezed through his teeth:
"YOU DARE EAT THE FLESH OF MY BRETHREN—!!!"
By the bonfire, the three finally noticed Arlong's return.
Lufia looked up, eyes sparkling:
"You finally came back! You kept me waiting so long I'm starving!"
Zoro tore off a piece of roasted octopus meat, stuffed it in his mouth, chewed, then gave Arlong a provocative smile:
"So we're eating it."
"What are you going to do about it?"
Sanji elegantly beckoned to Nami:
"Miss Nami, come try my latest creation! Octopus legs with special spices, guaranteed to please!"
Nami, held captive by the Fish-men, turned pale.
She looked at the bonfire, at the roasted octopus legs, at those three fools courting death...
It's over.
Everything's over.
Arlong will be completely enraged.
And just then—
"Boss! You're back!"
A voice came from the nearby building.
Hachi emerged from the room carrying an armful of jars and bottles, all filled with various seasonings.
His face beamed with excitement, completely oblivious to the eerie atmosphere in the room:
"Want to give it a try? This human really knows how to grill octopus! I even specially brought out my treasured collection of seasonings!"
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