Zoro glanced toward the distant outline of Arlong Park, his hand resting lazily on the hilt of his sword."Che… she's got guts, that kid," he muttered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Charging into a fish-man fortress all by herself? Either she's brave… or completely insane."
He tilted his head slightly, his single open eye narrowing with faint admiration."Still… I kinda like her style."
Luffy smiled after hearing Zoro's words.
"I didn't expect a little girl to be so brave. I almost want to invite her to join our pirate ship."
"Let's go—let's beat the Arlong Pirates and let Nami come with us on adventures without worry."
With that, they set off toward Arlong Park. Several others saw this and fell into step behind them.
At the same time, Mina had already arrived in front of Arlong Park's iron gate. Two fish-men stood guard, hulking and surly. When they saw a human child with golden hair bounding toward them, one of them barked a warning.
"Human brat—this place isn't for the likes of you. Turn back."
Mina didn't flinch. Her face was an unreadable mask; politeness wasn't on her agenda when people were bullying Sister Nami.
"I'll kill you Arlong Pirates who dare bully Nami-san," she said flatly.
The two guards exchanged a glance. They could smell arrogance—the dangerous kind. To them, fish-men were superior to humans; even the adults in the village cowered before them. For a mere child to shout such words was almost sacrilegious.
One guard recovered his temper and sneered. "You insolent human—die!"
He drew a long knife and lunged at Mina, intending to teach the brat a lesson. In his mind, killing a human child was nothing; Captain Arlong wouldn't mind. In fact, he thought, the captain would approve of punishing insolence.
The second guard watched, eager for the spectacle.
Mina walked toward him slowly, unhurried, expression still blank. To her, these two were nothing more than nuisances—her siblings at home pressed harder in training than these thugs ever could. Still, she kept her guard; a Devil Fruit could turn even a weak man into a dangerous foe.
The fish-man's knife came down in a wide, vicious arc. The little short blade Mina held looked almost comical against such a heavy weapon. But the knife slammed into Mina's defense and stopped—and the guard's arm spasmed with pain.
He stared in disbelief. How could such a small human have blocked him?
Before he could recover, Mina moved like a sudden gust of wind. Her kunai flashed and sank into his chest.
"Argh!" the man howled, stumbling back as blood soaked his vest.
The second guard's face drained of color. He'd expected intimidation and a quick display of dominance, not the death of his comrade. Terror took hold; he turned and sprinted for the courtyard, desperate to warn the others.
Captain Arlong lounged in a chair inside the compound, surrounded by his crew. The scream from the gate cut through the afternoon like a blade. Arlong's eyes snapped open; a dark frown creased his brow.
"What's going on?" he demanded when the fleeing guard burst in.
The guard, trembling and wide-eyed, blurted out the story. "Captain Arlong! A human brat came to the gate—she killed one of our guards and threatened to wipe out our whole crew! She said she came for Nami!"
Several fish-men exchanged incredulous looks. "A human child? You're lying."
But when the gate clattered open, the little blonde girl walked in—calm, small, and terrifyingly composed. Her short sword dripped with blood; the guard's life stained the blade.
Arlong rose, the room's air cooling as his stature filled the space. Fury curled behind his eyes. "You dare kill my men?" he hissed.
Before he could shout the order, several fish-men surged forward with spears, harpoons, and heavy blades. They wanted to tear the child apart where she stood.
Mina didn't panic. She assessed each attacker with the cold practicality of a seasoned fighter; their auras were thin, their technique sloppy. As they lunged, she slipped and weaved with a dancer's grace, each evasion measured. When an opening came, she struck—quick, precise, deadly.
One by one, she cut through their guard. Spears clattered to the ground, harpoons missed their marks, and swords sank into flesh. The courtyard filled with the sounds of pained cries and the wet thud of bodies hitting the ground.
The Arlong Pirates who had rushed in to defend their comrades staggered back, stunned. These were not weaklings by reputation; they were the crew's brutes, hotheads picked for violence. Yet they lay writhing, bloodied and broken, before a single little human.
Arlong's jaw tightened. He stepped forward, and the ground seemed to tremble under the weight of his presence. The whole crew went silent; even the crashing surf outside the walls felt distant.
"You insolent human," Arlong said slowly, voice like grinding tide. "Who are you to spill the blood of my men?"
Mina didn't answer with words. She raised her chin and steadied her grip on the hilt of the short sword she had taken from Genzo's stash. Her eyes were fierce—no more childish mischief, only hardened resolve.
"For Sister Nami. For this village," she said simply.
The sentence hung in the air, small and ridiculous and utterly unyielding. Arlong laughed then—a low, humorless sound that carried contempt.
"Young puny things with big words," he sneered. "You think a human child can threaten me? I'm Arlong."
But Mina did not flinch. If anything, her expression darkened like a sudden storm.
Arlong drew his massive saw-like blade and advanced. The crew closed ranks, ready to see their captain cut down an insolent human.
Across the courtyard, the sea breeze carried the sound of distant cheering—the villagers and the Straw Hats were approaching. Torches bobbed like a chain of embers in the gathering gloom.
Arlong's lips curled. "Very well. Show me what a human brat can do."
Mina steadied herself. Her hands were steady, her breath even. Despite her size, she stood as if she belonged in the center of the storm.
The first clash came like thunder—metal biting metal, a spray of salt and blood. Mina moved with the speed and focus of someone trained by harsher tutors than the pirates she faced. Arlong's men attacked, but their blows landed in empty air; their counters were met with knives that found the soft spots between armor and muscle.
Even so, Mina was only a child, and the Arlong Pirates had numbers. She could not keep them all at bay forever. Each strike cost energy, each dodge drained strength.
Arlong watched, amusement shifting into irritation. When he finally stepped in himself, the courtyard fell into a hush so deep it felt like the ocean had held its breath.
Mina met his eyes unflinchingly. "I won't let you hurt Sister Nami."
Arlong's grin widened as he raised his weapon—and the first blade descended.