"Ah!"
Arlong screamed continuously until a wind blade sliced open his throat and pierced his chest. The chest wound was already fatal, and with his throat cut, he could no longer hold on. He fell straight down, blood gushing out and staining the ground red.
"Arlong is dead?"
Luffy stared blankly at Arlong, who lay motionless before him. He couldn't believe Arlong had died so easily, killed so simply.
In reality, Luo Yan's instant kill of Arlong wasn't as effortless as it appeared. At this moment, he was slightly out of breath, his expression uncontrollably contorted. He didn't care about anything else, immediately unbuttoned his clothes, took out a silver-white medal with a sword drawn on it from the inside of his clothing, wrapped it in spirituality, and placed it in a small pouch.
This was a magical item corresponding to an Interrogator. To hunt Arlong, Luo Yan had brought his strongest setup: not only the Vampire Ring, the Interrogator Badge, and the Trident, but also another magical item corresponding to a Pyromaniac, which allowed him to use fire magic. However, an unexpected promotion meant he didn't get to use that item.
"I apologize for interrupting your duel, but this Fish-Man was my target. I didn't want him to be killed by you, so I acted directly."
After removing the Interrogator Badge, Luo Yan's contorted expression calmed, and a smile appeared on his face. It was then that Luffy fully reacted.
"So strong! I mean, you're really strong!"
Luffy wasn't annoyed at all about having the kill stolen. Instead, his eyes sparkled as he looked at Luo Yan, his gaze as if saying, "Come be my companion!"
Sure enough, before Luo Yan could answer, Luffy extended an invitation: "Do you want to be my companion? Oh, right, I'm Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King!"
As Luffy spoke, he straightened his back and tilted his head slightly, exuding confidence.
Luo Yan chuckled and shook his head, saying, "A companion won't be necessary. I have my own ship and my own companions. Besides, I am an Adventurer, and I don't plan on being a pirate."
Luffy tilted his head, looking a bit confused. The word "Adventurer" wasn't hard for him to understand, but it wasn't very familiar. In today's vast sea, most people were pirates and marines, with a few bounty hunters at most. Adventurers were no longer just rare; they could be described as "scarce."
"Adventurer?"
"Yes, an Adventurer," Luo Yan nodded, explaining, "Sailing freely across the seas, searching for lost treasures, experiencing the customs and cultures of various places—don't you think that's a wonderful thing?"
"Freedom... Haha! That's really great!"
Luffy seemed to have a special affection for the word "freedom." Upon hearing it, a pure, unadulterated smile immediately appeared on his face.
Luo Yan's face also showed a smile, but it wasn't because of freedom; it was because all the objectives of this trip had been achieved. Not only had he hunted Arlong, but he had also met Luffy, achieving the true meaning of investing in the protagonist.
"Although I can't be your companion, it doesn't prevent us from becoming friends. Let me properly introduce myself; my name is Luo Yan."
With that, Luo Yan extended his hand to Luffy. Luffy didn't stand on ceremony and shook Luo Yan's hand. Just then, Zoro, who had originally been sent outside Arlong Park, walked in, his steps slightly unsteady, clearly indicating severe injuries.
"Luffy! How is it? Is it over?"
It turned out that the villagers gathered outside had noticed that there was no more movement inside and wanted to come in to check the situation, but they were stopped. Finally, Zoro, with his severely injured body, forced himself to enter and investigate.
When Luffy heard Zoro's voice, his fading smile immediately brightened.
"It's Zoro. It's over. Arlong is dead, but I didn't kill him. He killed him. His name is Luo Yan."
As Luffy spoke, he pointed at Luo Yan. Zoro immediately scrutinized Luo Yan. At that moment, a cheer erupted outside.
Although Zoro was the one who came in to check the situation, several other people followed behind him. On one hand, they wanted to be able to take Zoro away at a critical moment, and on the other hand, they also wanted to clarify the situation. Now, hearing that Arlong was dead, they could no longer suppress their shouts, and the people outside also cheered.
"Arlong is dead! Arlong is dead!"
"That's wonderful, truly wonderful!"
"The dark cloud hanging over us has finally dissipated. It's truly wonderful."
"It's good to be alive..."
...After cheer after cheer, some people gradually choked up, and tears slowly fell from their eyes.
Luo Yan naturally heard the cheers from the crowd outside. Although blocked by the dilapidated buildings, he could still hear the joy of the people in those excited voices, and a smile unconsciously formed on his lips. Then, he turned his gaze to Zoro.
"It looks like you need a doctor. Coincidentally, I have a ship doctor."
Before Zoro could answer, Luffy had already loudly exclaimed, "You have a ship doctor? That's great! I want to find a great ship doctor too!"
Luo Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "You will, you'll definitely find one."
After confirming Arlong's death, the villagers poured into Arlong Park. Upon witnessing Arlong's gruesome demise with their own eyes, their emotions, which had not yet fully calmed, became agitated once more.
Luo Yan's gaze swept over the villagers present, and he saw Nami, who was equally excited, among the crowd. However, his gaze did not linger at all; it simply swept past.
In the evening, Luo Yan, who had delivered the fatal blow to Arlong, was warmly welcomed by the villagers. Although it wasn't a banquet, there was plenty of wine and meat to go around.
Luo Yan and Zoro sat facing each other at an outdoor table, laden with large cuts of meat, and surrounded by many neatly arranged wine barrels.
"Hahahaha! Come on, let's have one!"
Luo Yan's cheeks were flushed from drinking, and his tongue was a bit slurred. Zoro was in the same state. After being treated by Xia Tali, Zoro's injuries had completely healed, and all the bandages around his chest had been removed. It was precisely because of this that Zoro could drink without any reservations.
"I didn't expect you to be so interesting too, you guy."
Zoro clinked his wine glass against Luo Yan's and then tilted his head back, downing a large glass of wine in one gulp.
Both were lovers of wine, and after finding common ground in their love for it, the distance between them quickly closed.
Luffy, on the other hand, was more interested in Xia Tali. His cheeks were puffed up even larger than his head from stuffing too much meat into them, but even so, he still held a huge piece of meat in his hand, stretching his neck out to lean towards Xia Tali, who was delicately eating a small piece of meat.
"Your medical skills are so good, come be my ship doctor!"
Ever since he saw Xia Tali completely heal Zoro with a single potion, Luffy had taken a liking to Xia Tali and immediately invited her to join his crew, but Xia Tali very straightforwardly refused.