Chapter 29: Don't Think I've Never Killed Anyone Before
Kuroobi watched as Yumesaki's group made landfall at Cocoyasi Village, a malicious smirk instantly spreading across his face.
The Arlong Pirates had turned Cocoyasi Village into their base of operations, ruling over twenty surrounding villages with an iron fist. They had consolidated their grip on these waters so thoroughly that most ships passing through the area would go far out of their way just to avoid them.
Only a group of people completely ignorant of the situation would dive headfirst into this place.
But once such people wandered in, they were invariably and ruthlessly extorted by the Arlong Pirates. If anyone dared to resist, there was only one fate awaiting them: death.
In Kuroobi's eyes, this time would be no exception. After all, the Arlong Pirates were the undisputed overlords of the East Blue; currently, there wasn't a single pirate crew in these waters with a bounty exceeding theirs.
To him, the humans here were simply too weak—they lacked even the slightest capacity to fight back.
"You lowly humans... do you have any idea where you are?"
Kuroobi stepped forward with several subordinates, surrounding Yumesaki and his companions.
Yumesaki didn't bother answering Kuroobi's question. Instead, he turned his head to look at Hashirama. "Should we just kill them all?"
Regarding these Fish-Men who oppressed humans, Yumesaki didn't harbor a single shred of goodwill.
Hearing this, Kuroobi's temper flared instantly. He had never seen a human so arrogant, daring to look down on the mighty Fish-Men. They truly had a death wish.
"You inferior humans, you're asking for it!!!"
Kuroobi immediately dropped into a Fish-Man Karate stance. He decided he would capture these humans and torture them mercilessly for three days and three nights, just so they would understand their place in the world.
However, before he could even make a move, several arms suddenly sprouted from his own body.
Immediately following that, accompanied by the sickening crack of snapping bone, Kuroobi and his subordinates had their necks broken by the extra limbs.
Yumesaki blinked in surprise. The one who had acted wasn't Hashirama, but Robin.
Noticing Yumesaki's stunned expression, Nico Robin offered a thin, graceful smile. "Mr. Yumesaki, please don't assume that I have never killed anyone."
Ever since she became a fugitive of the World Government and was branded the "Devil Child," countless people had viewed her as nothing more than a walking pile of treasure. To survive until this day, she certainly hadn't done so by being a saint.
Lies, betrayal, and murder had long since become second nature to her.
Even if her past hadn't been fully revealed in the original story's timeline yet, Nico Robin did not consider herself a "good woman."
Coming back to his senses, Yumesaki remarked, "I just didn't expect you to be so decisive."
He knew well enough that Robin wasn't some innocent maiden, but he hadn't expected her to be quite so ruthless in her execution.
"Since they are enemies, one must naturally use overwhelming methods," Robin said calmly.
Hashirama nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Since they are the enemy, they must be wiped out cleanly. To show sympathy to an enemy is the height of folly."
"I don't believe you," Yumesaki said with a huff of annoyance. "If you were truly that decisive in killing, then what about Madara Uchiha? Was he not your enemy back then?"
Hashirama's face turned bright red instantly. He began stammering out incoherent excuses, insisting that Madara was "different," that he and Madara weren't "actually enemies," and that "Madara and the rest of the Uchiha were two different breeds of people."
The air was suddenly filled with a lighthearted, cheerful atmosphere.
After that little interlude, the trio officially entered Cocoyasi Village. Many villagers saw them coming but didn't dare offer a greeting; instead, they avoided them from a distance.
The reason was simple: word had spread that they had killed members of the Arlong Pirates. The villagers were terrified that if they associated with Yumesaki's group, they would be slaughtered by Arlong's crew in retaliation.
Ultimately, they simply didn't believe that Yumesaki's group could actually finish off the Arlong Pirates. Arlong had ruled here for eight long years, and that reign of terror had left the people utterly numb.
In the original story, the reason these people finally dared to rise up against Arlong for Nami's sake was because Nami had grown up before their eyes. They knew exactly how hard she had struggled to save the village. In their eyes, Nami was like their own daughter.
Because of that bond, they were willing to stake their lives.
But to them, Yumesaki was a stranger. No matter how kind-hearted they might be, they weren't about to gamble their lives for a stranger.
Yumesaki didn't mind their distant behavior. Just as they viewed him as a stranger, he viewed them the same way. His goal in coming here was to eliminate Arlong for his own benefit.
It was like playing a game and finishing a quest; you do the quest to get the rewards—is it really for the sake of the NPCs? Unlikely. No one genuinely does a quest just for the NPCs.
As for the location of Arlong's headquarters, Arlong Park, Yumesaki didn't need a guide to find it. Arlong Park was built with such gaudy luxury that it stood in stark contrast to the modest Cocoyasi Village.
Yumesaki wasn't blind; there was no way he could miss it. And even if he did, he had Nico Robin.
The arms she manifested could grow eyes. With her techniques, scouting distant objects and locating Arlong Park was child's play.
"One piece of good news, and one piece of bad news, Mr. Yumesaki."
After dismissing her Cien Fleur: Eye technique, Robin wore a slightly mischievous look.
"What's the good news?" Yumesaki asked.
"Arlong Park has been located. Aside from the Fish-Men we killed just now, the rest of the crew—including Arlong himself—are inside the park. It seems they don't know yet that Kuroobi and the others are dead."
Yumesaki let out an appreciative "Oh." That was indeed good news; it meant he could wipe out the entire Arlong Pirate crew in one fell swoop.
"And the bad news?"
Nico Robin replied, "The bad news is that Nami doesn't seem to be in Cocoyasi Village. It looks like Mr. Yumesaki's hopes of playing the hero who saves the beautiful maiden might have gone up in smoke."
Yumesaki fell silent.
But when he thought about it carefully, he wasn't surprised. To gather the one hundred million Berry needed to buy the village back from Arlong, Nami was rarely ever home. For more than half of every year, she was out at sea stealing money.
Otherwise, where would the tens of millions of Berry she buried in the tangerine grove have come from? Her absence was perfectly normal.
"Fine, if she's not here, then so be it. I wasn't planning on exploiting their gratitude anyway."
"Arlong Park... which of you two is going to handle it?"
Before Robin could speak up, Hashirama Senju volunteered, "I'll do it."
Yumesaki nodded. "Alright, I'll leave it to you then. Remember to make a bit of a scene—make sure everyone sees it."
"No problem."
Hashirama agreed. After confirming the direction of Arlong Park, he vanished from his spot with a faint whoosh.
It was the Body Flicker Technique. Hashirama had mastered the skill to such perfection that to an outside observer, it was virtually indistinguishable from teleportation.
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