"Commander (Chief Petty Officer)‑sir, where are we headed first?"
The speaker was the sergeant under Chiyu's command, Sword, who was in fact the true captain of the ship. A gifted swordsman, he despised pirates with a passion.
Chiyu studied the nautical chart of East Blue and quickly chose their first destination.
" …The Conomi Islands."
Sword's brows knit slightly.
"The Conomi Islands?
If that's the case, we'll have to pay a call on Captain Nezumi first.
That area is under the jurisdiction of Naval Branch 16—Nezumi's turf."
At once, a lecherous face flashed through Chiyu's mind.
He remembered: that "Captain Nezumi" was the Navy scoundrel who colluded with Arlong and enslaved the entire Conomi archipelago.
Chiyu answered coolly. "Is that so?
Then let's visit him first."
Sword exhaled in relief. He had thought Chiyu's temperament too blunt for such formalities.
Nezumi's reputation was rotten, but he was still a branch‑captain, a peer of Captain Smoker; bursting onto his turf without courtesy was not only rude but invited needless trouble.
Chiyu's agreement lifted a weight from everyone's shoulders.
…
Before long the Uchiha—their Navy vessel—drew near an outlying island of the Conomi group. The white bulk of the branch headquarters soon came into view.
After brief hailing formalities, the ship entered the harbor and docked.
Several sailors of Branch 16 hurried over.
"Loguetown Navy—why have you come to the Conomi Islands?"
"Commander‑sir, is there urgent business?"
Chiyu said flatly, "Take me to Captain Nezumi."
Their expressions changed at once.
"Apologies, Commander. Captain Nezumi is receiving other distinguished guests and cannot see you right now. If you'd please wait in the lounge…"
Chiyu's heart stirred—he could guess who those "guests" were.
Without betraying anything, he let them escort him and his men to the waiting room.
Sword and the others looked around Branch 16 and could not hide their shock.
Though both were branch bases, this place dwarfed Loguetown in luxury—grand buildings, lavish interiors, costly furniture, extravagant ornamentation. It felt more like a tycoon's manor than a Navy post.
Remembering Nezumi's rumors, Sword and the crew traded dark looks.
Chiyu released his observation haki.
He quickly sensed Captain Nezumi negotiating with someone.
Without hesitation he strode straight toward the reception hall.
"Commander‑sir, you can't go in! Stop, or we'll open fire!"
Clack—clack—clack!
Rifles were chambered all around as Branch 16 marines surrounded Chiyu, muzzles trained on him. Chiyu's own men raised their guns in return.
"Uchiha Chiyu—planning rebellion?
This is Branch 16, not Loguetown! Forcing entry is treason!"
The shouter was Nezumi's adjutant. Chiyu answered with action: in a blur—Soru, one of the Six Powers—he vanished and reappeared behind the man. Yukizō, his famed blade, was already out, its icy edge against the adjutant's throat.
"D‑Don't move! Everyone stand down!"
Using the man as a shield, Chiyu marched on.
Bang!
He kicked the doors wide, shocking everyone inside.
"Scoundrel! Who dares disturb my meeting?!"
The shrill, hysterical voice belonged to Captain Nezumi. Opposite him sat several figures with bizarre features—
Sword gasped. "F‑Fish‑folk?!"
Fish‑men were a sensitive subject: slavery, racism, blood feuds… and none had ever appeared in East Blue before. Clearly, Nezumi had kept them hidden.
Seeing his adjutant at knifepoint, Nezumi burst into rage.
"Insult! Who are you to run wild in Branch 16?!"
Chiyu ignored the rant. "What are these fish‑men doing here?"
Nezumi's face went white, eyes evasive, yet his mouth stayed stubborn:
"The likes of you—a mere Commander from another branch—needn't have my explanations!
Release him now, or I'll report you and Captain Smoker for treason!"
The fish‑men rose. Their leader was tall, blue‑skinned, muscle‑bound. From memory and the wanted posters in every base, Chiyu recognized him:
Kuroobi—ex‑Sun Pirates, officer of the Arlong Pirates, boneless‑fish fish‑man, Fish‑man Karate 40‑dan.
Bounty: 9 million Berries.
Chiyu's voice was ice. "Captain Nezumi, what are you negotiating with a 9‑million‑Berry criminal for? That alone is a capital offence."
Nezumi screamed for his men to seize Chiyu.
Bullets tore the air—but Chiyu dragged the adjutant before him as a shield.
Bang‑bang‑bang!
In a heartbeat the adjutant was riddled, a bloody heap. Faces went ashen.
Without pause Chiyu used another Six Powers technique—Rankyaku.
A savage blade of compressed air erupted from his kicking leg, scything through the marines around him—bodies split in half before they hit the floor.
Nezumi panicked. "Six Powers?! Who is this man? Kill him—kill him now!"
More marines stormed in, but Chiyu flashed away with Soru, dodging every bullet, then reappeared right before Nezumi.
"You…you can't! I'm a branch captain! Do you know the punishment—"
Shigan!—Finger Gun.
His sharpened finger pierced Nezumi's heart. The captain stared dumbly at the blood bursting from his chest—then crumpled dead.
Branch 16 froze in horror. "You…you really killed a Navy Captain?! Even Captain Smoker lacks that right!"
The fish‑men were just as stunned. Arlong's rule had relied on bribing Nezumi; with Nezumi dead, exposure was only a matter of time.
Kuroobi snarled, "By killing Nezumi you've made the Arlong Pirates your enemy! Arlong‑san will not spare you. We're leaving!"
He moved to go with two other fish‑men, but Chiyu's tone stayed calm. "A 9‑million‑Berry criminal thinks he can walk past me? Naïve."
Kuroobi froze. Chiyu drew Sandai Kitetsu, the cursed sword—testing it on them.
Shing!—the blade's eerie wail chilled every heart.
Kuroobi, master of Fish‑man Karate, responded instantly—"Thousand‑Tile True Punch!"
A blow easily shattering stone—yet to Chiyu it was child's play. He slipped past and drove the Kitetsu through Kuroobi's chest.
"Captain Kuroobi!" the other two fish‑men screamed—but before they could act Chiyu had already sheathed. Only then did everyone see their heads tumble free and roll across the floor.
"So…fast!" Sword's back was slick with sweat. Branch 16's marines dropped their weapons and surrendered en masse. Chiyu ordered them confined and collected proof of Nezumi's collusion with Arlong.
Then he sailed straight for the pirates' lair—Arlong Park.
…
Cocoyasi Village—Nami's home—was one of more than twenty villages crushed under Arlong's rule. Once poor yet peaceful, they now lived as slaves. Any village that resisted was slaughtered; even the houses were overturned for sport.
Arlong built a "Paradise" for himself here, reveling day and night. At this moment he lounged beside a vast pool, sunning himself.
Before him stood a girl of only twelve or thirteen, gaze complex.
"Arlong, here's five‑million Berries!
Still far from the hundred million I promised…but with this, you'll leave Cocoyasi alone for a while!"
The girl was Nami. Years ago Arlong had killed her adoptive mother Bell‑mere and imposed a monthly head‑tax: 100 k for adults, 50 k for children—pay or die. Nami had begged for a reprieve by promising 100 million total, and had spent these years robbing pirates to buy her village's safety.
Arlong gestured; a servant with six manta‑ray arms seized the money and counted feverishly, then nodded.
"Excellent. To think a lone human brat could collect this much… Impressive. And such a gifted navigator, too. Your value surpasses any human mapmaker I know. Why not forsake those villagers and become my crew's navigator for real?"
Nami answered icily, "Never! I draw charts only to protect my friends and home. You murdered Bell‑mere—I'll never work with you. Someday I'll pay the full hundred million!"
Arlong shrugged, unbothered—yet muttered, "Why isn't Kuroobi back? Don't tell me Nezumi wants a bigger cut…"
Octopus Hatchan said, "I already sent Chew to fetch them; they should—"
BOOM!
The wall of Arlong Park exploded. Chew's battered body flew back, smashed into paste at Arlong's feet.
"Wh‑What the—?!"
From the breach strode Chiyu, with Sword and armed sailors behind him. Nami blanched.
"Na…Navy?! But Arlong bribed Captain Nezumi—"
Fish‑man pirates closed in, tense as a drawn wire. Arlong narrowed his eyes, murder in the grin.
"Navy? One of Nezumi's men? I greased that rat well—how dare you—"
Chiyu's laugh was cold. "Arlong, Captain Nezumi is dead—killed by me. You and your Arlong Pirates are next."
Arlong's eyes widened. A Navy captain—dead? Even he had needed the man. Hatchan roared, "Where's Kuroobi?!"
Sword sneered, "That criminal? Commander Chiyu executed him on the spot."
Fury erupted. Of Arlong's three officers—Kuroobi, Hatchan, Chew—two were already dead.
Hatchan lunged, six fists whirling. "Takoyaki Boxing!"
Bam‑bam‑bam!—an avalanche of blows that astonished Sword. But Chiyu's Sharingan read every move; he sidestepped and flicked a single finger.
Shigan!—clean, swift, ruthless. The finger‑thrust punched through Hatchan's chest. The octopus gaped, muttered "I—" and crashed lifeless to the ground.
Arlong's rage boiled over. "CURSED HUMAN! I'll tear you to shreds—Shark ON Darts!"
Like a torpedo he shot forward, fangs bared to mince Chiyu. But Chiyu met him head‑on.
"Soru!"
"Lightning Release—False Darkness Slash!"
Combining the Six Powers with a Lightning Release blade, Chiyu vanished then struck. BOOM!
Arlong was hurled back, half his jaw and serrated teeth blasted away in a spray of gore.
Arlong Park fell silent, every pirate aghast. Nami clutched her mouth, drawing a sharp breath.
"Th‑That man… He's a hundred times more terrifying than Arlong! Who in the world is he?!"
~~~
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