Part 10 - Who ordered sushi? 23/??

While everyone around waited for Nami's verdict, Zoro, after standing aside for a moment to give the girl a chance to make her decision, approached Arlong. He drew his white katana from its sheath and drove the blade into Arlong's raised head up to the hilt. The blade of Zoro's sword not only pierced Arlong's head but also penetrated into the concrete. Not expecting this outcome, Yosaku, letting go of Arlong's hair, recoiled in fright. Then, looking at the fresh corpse, he stepped back to Johnny. Moreover, just like after a good fight, Yosaku felt a strong urge to smoke, but considering the seriousness of the situation, he managed to hold back, suppressing the desire to approach Nami for his cigars.

After a few seconds, Zoro stepped on the fish-man's back and withdrew his sword from Arlong's head, causing the head to fall onto the concrete with an unpleasant thud. With a swift motion, Zoro cleaned the blade of blood and returned his precious sword to its sheath.

" Luffy knew you might start to hesitate," the swordsman said, looking at Nami. "That's why he gave me the corresponding order… Besides, you seem to have forgotten one of his main rules."

"Which one?" Nami asked with a slight smile, lifting her gaze from Arlong's corpse to Zoro.

"No one is allowed to raise their hand against any member of our family," Zoro said, returning the smile, but a barely noticeable spark of madness flickered in his eyes. A very familiar spark. The same kind of spark one could occasionally see in Luffy's eyes. And Nami still wasn't quite sure what they meant. Although she had her suspicions.

Nami loved Luffy, but that was probably why she knew exactly about the Darkness hidden within his soul. There was nothing particularly special or unusual about it: Darkness exists in almost every person; that's just how the world is. However, not everyone can control it, and not everyone's Darkness reaches the size of an entire sea. Luffy's did. And even though his Darkness was locked behind an impenetrable door, Nami knew for sure that, if necessary, he could open it at any moment, and then the world… then the world would tremble. Nami loved Luffy, but that did not prevent her from realizing, in due time, that her captain was a Monster, a Beast, next to whom Arlong was nothing more than an innocent child. And Zoro's next words only confirmed that fact once again:

"Luffy never intended to leave Arlong alive, or his whole crew," the swordsman admitted calmly. "Even if they had agreed to take the money and truly freed your village without any additional conditions, their fate would not have changed. In fact, the moment you agreed to Luffy's offer, you immediately signed their death warrant. After everything they did to you, Luffy would never, under any circumstances, allow them to remain alive."

Zoro's words were further proof that Luffy was a Monster, a Beast. However, Nami was not frightened at all. Because he was their Monster, he was their Beast. It was quite possible that one day Luffy would flood the world with blood, just as he had already done with the East Blue, and they, his family, would help him do so. Nevertheless, Nami knew for sure that they had nothing to fear… well, except for the everyday Luffy. He was quite a Monster in his own right. He wouldn't kill you, but he'd definitely make you run up and down the walls without a doubt.

And that was how it all ended. Although the villagers needed a few more hours to fully accept the fact that it was truly over, once they did… tables were brought out into the street, and the people began to fill them with everything they had. A few hours later, guests from other villages started arriving. The first thing they all did was head to the ruined "Arlong Park" to see the remains of the base and the bodies of Arlong and his crew. After eight years of slavery, the people could hardly believe in their newfound freedom immediately. But when they were convinced that Arlong and his entire crew were truly dead, they joined in the celebration.

At one specific moment, a few hundred marines landed on the island, led by three captains. The soldiers almost immediately began gathering the fish-men's corpses and questioning the people about everything that had happened. It was only natural that they soon reached the "Pirate Slayers" themselves… or at least attempted to. By the time the patrolmen arrived at the impromptu celebration, Johnny and Yosaku, who had cleaned up and changed clothes, had been holed up in one particular house for several hours. They never had problems with women under normal circumstances, and on this day, it was even easier. Strong, famous, wealthy, good-looking, and "Heroes of the Day"! Not to mention the alcohol and the literally crazy crowd, because great happiness could drive people just as mad as great sorrow. Whether married or not, young girls or adult women, norms of decency waved goodbye and disappeared, leaving the guys in a man's dream. Try to get to Yosaku and Johnny… or rather, try to distract Yosaku and Johnny, and they'd be torn to pieces. And not necessarily by the guys themselves.

Drunk as a skunk, Zoro, theoretically unnoticed, stumbled into the house of Nami and Nojiko. No one knew where he was, so the marines simply couldn't find him. At least, that was the story all the soldiers sent to search for the swordsman stuck to, while the captains made a concerted effort to pretend they believed it. Orders were orders, but none of them wanted to lose their heads needlessly. Three captains and a couple of hundred ordinary soldiers were no match for Zoro, and the marines knew it well. The famous swordsman, with his two subordinates, had defeated an entire pirate armada, killing thousands of pirates and sinking dozens of ships, so what were a few hundred soldiers to him? So, none of the marines, including the captains, were eager to face such a person, especially when he was in a hostile mood. They had all seen what happened not only to Arlong and his gang but also to Captain Nezumi and his crew. None of the captains wanted to end up the same way. That was why Zoro remained "unfound."

Nami had to deal with it all… if you could put it that way.

When the marines found the most beautiful member of the famous crew, "The Queen" was sitting at the table with the demeanor of royalty. And it was easy to see she was literally surrounded by men looking at her with adoration. However, this intense attention seemed not to bother her in the least. "The Queen" chatted effortlessly with her peer —a beautiful dark-skinned girl with blue hair. And as the captains and even the ordinary soldiers clearly understood, "The Queen" had seen them long ago, but instead of running and hiding, she completely ignored them. Just as most of the people at the party did. The local residents didn't particularly welcome the marines, and it was no secret. The people had waited for their help for eight long years, and they had only decided to show up when everything was already over.

The marines were undoubtedly troubled by the locals' negative attitude, but they had far more serious problems at hand. For example, one of the "Pirate Hunters" had been found, leading to the problem they had been diligently ignoring up to that moment: "What to do?" They had found one "Pirate Hunter," but now they had no idea what to do next. All the evidence suggested that the person sitting before them was a criminal —insanely beautiful, but still a criminal!— and they were supposed to capture and imprison her. In theory, it was simple, but in practice, as always, nothing was straightforward.

Firstly, none of the marines were confident that their forces were enough to capture "The Queen." Although the girl did not have the fearsome reputation of a "Pirate Slayer", "Butcher" or "Beheader," the reports frequently mentioned how this beauty single-handedly defeated various pirate crews. She certainly had no shortage of strength. And that was assuming she would fight alone, which seemed highly doubtful. Right before their eyes, the girl extended her hand with an empty glass, and the guys around her literally fought over the right to refill it. The most cunning one won. While everyone else was fighting, he managed to fill "The Queen's" glass with wine without any hindrance. After such a display, the marines could hardly believe that this crowd would remain indifferent if they tried to capture their object of adoration.

Secondly, the captains and soldiers present shuddered at the mere thought of what would happen if, God forbid, they actually managed to capture "The Queen." The "Pirate Slayers" were always followed by throngs of reporters —next to such a famous crew, most news turned into local sensations, and sometimes even global ones— so everyone knew their rules. For instance, everyone knew that the "Pirate Slayers" didn't consider themselves a crew but a family. And if anyone touched one of their family, the rest would lay down their lives for revenge. All this strongly reminded people of another individual, "Whitebeard," —the Strongest Man in the World — and such comparisons made everyone uneasy. Especially in light of recent events.