40. Remember Me

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Just as Nezumi shouted his order, the chaos around him caught him completely off guard.

He froze.

Then he felt a cold breath tickling the back of his neck.

His brows twitched. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached a hand up behind his head… and felt it.

Someone was breathing on his neck.

Stiff with fear, Nezumi turned his head inch by inch, only to come face to face with a smiling, clean-cut young man.

Aero.

Nezumi's fear morphed into rage. He raised his pistol and fired a shot directly into Aero's chest.

Bang!

The bullet passed clean through but Aero was completely unharmed. Smiling, he even winked at the trembling Marine.

Nezumi, refusing to believe it, fired again and again.

But Aero vanished right in front of his eyes.

Seeing the situation escalate, and not wanting any of the Coco Village civilians to be hurt, Aero acted swiftly.

He knocked Nezumi unconscious with a clean blow, then dashed to a fallen villager nearby. As a Marine lunged toward them, Aero fired a small, transparent gust of wind.

It hit like a fist enough to knock the soldier out cold.

These [Wind Bullets] weren't lethal but delivered just enough force to render Marines unconscious.

He carried the villager to safety under a large tree, then shot up into the sky.

Floating above the battlefield, he snapped his fingers. Instantly, hundreds of tiny, spherical [Wind Bullets] formed in the air around him clear as glass and humming with motion.

With a single motion, Aero sent them flying.

Each one curved and zigzagged, hitting only the armed Marines. Despite their numbers, the precision of Aero's attack prevented any friendly fire.

It was a major mental drain, but it was worth it.

Had the field been all enemies, he could've used a single, massive wind blast to flatten them. But with villagers mixed in, finesse was essential.

Within moments, Marine after Marine collapsed.

Dozens of white uniforms dropped to the ground, unconscious.

The villagers stared, jaws slack, as the mysterious pirate captain hovered overhead, systematically wiping out the invading force.

"He's even stronger than Arlong…" someone murmured.

Aero descended gently, ignoring their stunned gazes. He walked straight to Nezumi's unconscious Body.

Nojiko ran over, a coil of rope in hand. Aero gave her a puzzled look.

She simply pointed to Nezumi.

Without hesitation, Aero tied the Marine tightly. He tugged on the knots to ensure they held, satisfied with the binding.

Then he glanced at Nojiko. "Something on your mind, miss?"

"Yeah… can you beat Arlong?" she asked, unable to hold it in anymore. She'd been wondering ever since she saw him bring down the entire Marine force in minutes.

The villagers went quiet, tools still in their hands, all eyes on Aero. Though they'd followed Genzo's rallying cry earlier, none of them had truly believed Arlong could be beaten. They were just desperate.

But after what they'd seen today… Maybe it wasn't impossible.

The question had lived in every heart but Nojiko had finally asked it aloud.

Aero took a breath.

Then looked each of them in the eye.

"I'm a pirate. Remember me. Because tomorrow my name will echo across the East Blue."

Silence.

Then an eruption of cheers.

Genzo emerged from the crowd, holding a katana in his hand. He approached Aero and without warning, dropped to his knees.

"Please… save our village!"

Aero didn't lift him.

"I'm a pirate," he said. "If you want someone to save you, go to the Marines. Pirates chase fame and fortune especially when it means taking down a bigger bounty."

With that, he turned and walked off, leaving Genzo kneeling, forehead pressed to the dirt.

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That night…

Dylan and Eddie, both bandaged and seated in wooden chairs, watched quietly as a girl with short purple hair peppered Aero with questions.

Nojiko showed no sign of fatigue. Aero, calmly amused, answered every one of them.

Eventually, Genzo couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, that's enough. Let the man rest!" he said, dragging Nojiko away by the arm.

"We won't disturb you any further," Genzo said to the crew. "You can stay here tonight."

Just as Aero was about to sit down, he pointed at a framed photo on the table two little girls and a young woman. "This house… who lives here?"

"That'd be me, pirate boy," Nojiko grinned. "That girl with the orange hair? My sister. She's not here right now. She left to earn money for all of us. Her name's Nami. She's strong, and a little wild… but a really good person."

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