Chapter 23: Arlong Pirates (Part 1)
"Officer Ken, someone has docked two ships at the village port!" a young boy exclaimed urgently to the village's appointed peacekeeper.
"What? Ships? Are they Marines? Or pirates?" Officer Ken asked, his voice tinged with hope and dread.
"Neither. They look like strange merchant ships, but their designs resemble pirate vessels. Oddly enough, neither ship flies a pirate flag."
"Merchant ships, huh?"
Ken sighed in disappointment. He had hoped for either the arrival of the Marines or a brutal pirate crew that might clash with Arlong's gang. For the villagers, even if the odds were stacked against them, they were prepared to fight—even if it meant mutual destruction—just to rid themselves of Arlong's tyranny.
After docking, Ryu stepped off the Black Magic and immediately noticed how desolate Cocoyasi Village appeared. What should have been a bustling port was eerily quiet, with only a few scattered villagers lingering about.
As soon as he disembarked, his sharp eyes locked onto a blue-haired girl, roughly fourteen or fifteen years old, staring intently at him. Though this was the real world and not an anime, Ryu instantly recognized her.
Nojiko—the older sister of Nami. And yes, Nojiko was quite cute at this age.
"Why are you staring at me?" Ryu walked over and asked bluntly.
Caught off guard, Nojiko stammered, "Y-You look familiar… I feel like I've seen you somewhere before, but I can't remember where."
"Oh? You'd better think hard," Ryu teased, standing close enough to make Nojiko uneasy.
Though undeniably handsome, Ryu's cold demeanor, crimson eyes, and twin katanas at his waist sent shivers down her spine. His sudden approach left her flustered; she regretted responding to him at all.
A few seconds later, realization dawned on her. "Wait! I've seen you in the newspapers! You're that guy—the Demon of East Blue who hunts pirates for bounties!"
Nojiko paused, rubbing her temples. "You're right. I heard that our village—and many others—are under Arlong's control. Is your purpose here to kill Arlong? Can you take me to his base?"
"Indeed," Ryu confirmed. "But we can't act recklessly. Nami is still in their hands. Even if Arlong couldn't defeat me, they could use her as leverage. Do you have a photo of Nami? I'll infiltrate first and rescue her."
At Ryu's words, tears welled up in Nojiko's eyes. Finally—finally, salvation had arrived. For so long, they had sent countless pleas for help to the outside world, yet no one came.
Despair had nearly consumed her, but now hope stood right before her. How could she not cry?
Ryu waited patiently as Nojiko wept. Bellemere was likely dead by now, and Nojiko had endured unimaginable hardships. She deserved this moment to grieve. After a while, she wiped her tears and murmured, "I'm sorry… I must look awful crying like this."
"Hmm, yeah, you do look a bit pathetic," Ryu replied bluntly.
Nojiko blinked, unsure how to respond.
"I'll go get Nami's photo for you," she said, biting back her irritation. Despite his bluntness, this man was their long-awaited savior.
With Nami's photo and precise intel on Arlong's hideout secured, Ryu prepared to depart. Nami would one day become his navigator—he needed to save her as soon as possible.
Just as he was about to leave, something occurred to him. Turning to Buggy and his crew, he commanded, "Buggy, Mohji, Kabaji—you three come with me, along with Richie."
Considering the power disparity, leaving these three behind without supervision wasn't an option. Knocking them unconscious crossed his mind, but after careful thought, Ryu decided against it. They'd have to coexist eventually, and he disliked unnecessary violence. Better to bring them along.
With a resigned sigh, Ryu set off with the trio in tow.
From Buggy's perspective, Ryu's decision made perfect sense. Surely, he intended to use them as reinforcements. After all, despite Arlong being the highest-bounty pirate in East Blue, Buggy himself boasted a respectable 15 million Beri bounty. Surely, he'd be useful in battle—or so Buggy convinced himself.
The group marched with grim determination. Along the way, Ryu encountered a fish-man causing chaos in a small restaurant. This wasn't unusual; Arlong's men controlled the villages, and fish-men often acted with impunity.
What infuriated Ryu, however, was the fish-man's blatant wastefulness. He took a single bite of chicken, threw it away, slurped a mouthful of noodles, spat them out, and sipped juice only to discard the rest—all without paying.
Tsk. Did this fool understand the value of food? Ryu had to work hard just to drink blood, and here this idiot squandered resources carelessly. Instantly irritated, Ryu snapped.
"Disgusting trash! Human food tastes terrible anyway. You shouldn't even bother running this restaurant—it's garbage!" the pig-faced fish-man sneered.
The frail female owner trembled silently, too afraid to protest. She knew any sign of defiance could cost her and her family their lives.
BAM!
Before the owner could react, a handsome youth appeared seemingly out of nowhere, delivering a Busoshoku Haki-enhanced kick that sent the fish-man flying into the wall, embedding him deep within the plaster.
Without hesitation, Ryu yanked the unconscious fish-man out. Perfect timing—he hadn't sampled fish-man blood yet, and this brute would serve as today's test subject.
Ignoring the bewildered stares of the restaurant owner and patrons, Ryu turned to Buggy and his crew. His fangs elongated as he sank them into the fish-man's neck.
A rich, intoxicating aroma flooded Ryu's senses. To him, it was divine.
The fish-man's body rapidly withered, collapsing into a desiccated husk. Ryu's skin flushed unnaturally, glowing with vitality.
Buggy and his crew stared in sheer terror. Now they fully believed the rumors—this man truly hunted pirates like breakfast. Worse still, they understood the fate awaiting traitors.
"Ah~ Such power surges through me. Feels good, doesn't it?" Ryu smirked, glancing at the trio.
Terrified, Buggy, Mohji, and Kabaji instinctively clutched their necks, praying they wouldn't meet the same fate.