"Arlong, Arlong…"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind Arlong. A fish-man with a mouth resembling a blowfish hurried forward, excitement evident on his face. "I just checked another dock and found a large ship! There's a ton of treasure and Beli inside!"
"But I ran into a local officer there. He tried to stop me from boarding, so I got angry and knocked him flying!"
"Hm?"
Arlong's eyes lit up as his gaze shifted to the two large chests the fish-man was carrying.
Seeing this, the fish-man quickly set the chests down and opened them.
Looking at the piles of Beli inside, Arlong sprang to his feet and burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Chu, well done! Shahahaha! That's at least two hundred million Beli, right? What an unexpected windfall! With this money, we can build an Arlong Empire here! Shahahaha…"
Chu.
An officer of the Arlong Pirates, capable of storing large amounts of water in his mouth and launching it as an attack.
"Hey… isn't that my money?"
At that moment, a surprised voice suddenly cut through Arlong's laughter.
Immediately afterward, the villagers—who had been terrified just moments ago—began rushing toward the source of the voice.
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi…"
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi, why are you here?"
"These are fish-man pirates from the Grand Line! You shouldn't be out here—please hide!"
"Hm?"
Hearing the commotion, a cold glint flashed in Arlong's eyes.
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi?"
Repeating the name, Arlong tilted his head before suddenly standing up, his expression dark as he looked toward the source.
And the moment he did—
His eyes widened.
The fish-men around him froze as if struck by lightning.
In the distance, Arashi stood surrounded by villagers.
And in front of him—
A figure clad in a black coat, carrying the Supreme Grade Blade, the Black Blade Yoru, was walking forward with calm, measured steps.
"How is that possible?!"
Seeing that figure, Arlong and his crew cried out in shock, their voices trembling.
"Dracule Mihawk!!!"
What a huge surprise this was!
As Mihawk approached with his signature calm stride and cold expression, every member of the Arlong Pirates tensed up instantly.
At the same time, several villagers with some knowledge recognized him as well—from his attire and the unmistakable black blade on his back.
"My God… that's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk?!"
"What is going on? Why is a Warlord here?!"
"It's him! I saw him earlier getting off Mr. Kairo D. Arashi's ship. Could he be Mr. Kairo D. Arashi's companion?!"
"Th-That's terrifying… the world's greatest swordsman is his companion?!"
The villagers erupted into chatter. Whether they had heard of Mihawk before or not, the title "world's greatest swordsman" alone was enough to leave them utterly stunned.
But compared to the villagers—
The one most shaken was Arlong.
Whether it was Mihawk's status as a Warlord, his title as the world's greatest swordsman, or the legendary black blade behind him—each one alone was enough to make Arlong tremble.
The villagers only knew Mihawk through rumors.
But Arlong had personally witnessed his terrifying strength.
Once, merely because his sleep had been disturbed, Mihawk had split both a man and his ship in half with a single strike—then coldly watched as they sank into the sea, unmoved by their screams.
That scene had never left Arlong's mind.
Because he had seen it with his own eyes, even someone as arrogant as Arlong now felt the urge to turn and flee the moment he faced Mihawk.
But he held himself back.
Because he didn't yet understand Mihawk's intentions.
So despite the panic in his heart, he forced himself to remain outwardly calm.
"I didn't expect someone of your stature to appear in a place like Cocoyasi Village."
Taking a step forward, Arlong spoke in a low voice, "Mihawk… long time no see."
As Mihawk stood before Arlong's crew, the entire marketplace fell silent. The villagers' hearts pounded violently in their chests.
Meanwhile, Arashi stood at the front of the crowd, holding the hands of the two little girls, his expression calm and unreadable.
Arlong's appearance at this moment was no coincidence.
In the original story, this was exactly when Arlong arrived—and killed Bell-mère.
But that was in the past.
Now, Mihawk stood against him.
The outcome for Arlong's crew was already clear.
Of course, even without Mihawk, Arashi wasn't afraid of them.
But he truly didn't enjoy fighting and killing.
Now that he had a free enforcer at his side… it was simply perfect!
Mihawk stopped in front of Arlong. Without even sparing him a glance, he spoke indifferently:
"Hand over those two chests of Beli."
"Hm?"
Realizing Mihawk was only here for the money, the tension in Arlong's heart immediately eased.
If it was just about money—then everything was negotiable.
With that thought, Arlong suddenly laughed. "Shahahaha! So even the world's greatest swordsman likes money, huh? Fine—take the Beli. But you have to leave this place! I'm sure someone like you doesn't care about the East Blue, right?"
"Enough nonsense."
Mihawk's eyes narrowed slightly as he said coldly, "The Beli. Now."
"Give it to him."
Without hesitation, Arlong ordered Kuroobi, "Quick."
Though extremely reluctant, Kuroobi complied, carrying the two chests over to Mihawk.
Mihawk seemed satisfied with Arlong's attitude. After glancing at the Beli, he turned and walked toward Arashi without another word.
As long as Mihawk stood before them, Arlong and his crew had felt an overwhelming pressure—like a mountain pressing down on them—making it hard to even breathe.
Now that he had turned and walked away, they finally felt a sense of relief, secretly letting out sighs.
The world's greatest swordsman truly lived up to his name—just his presence alone was unbearable.
Thankfully, he had no intention of fighting.
Otherwise, even ten Arlongs wouldn't be enough for him to cut down!
However—
Just as they relaxed—
Mihawk, who had already turned away, suddenly stopped.
Then he slowly turned back to look at Arlong.
"Although I have no interest in the East Blue…"
"…my friend seems to."
"And to make his future travels a little less troublesome—"
"I think it's best if I cut all of you down."
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