"Hahahaha! Human, are you done talking?" Arlong snarled. "I'll kill you first, avenge my kin, then slaughter every last human who dares oppose us fish-men!" He raised the jagged saw-blade in his hand and leveled it at Rody.
"Oh? You?" Rody's voice dripped with disdain.
He stepped up beside the hammerhead fish-man, and brushed a hand lightly across him. Instantly, a lattice of tiny cuts spread across the fish-man's body. His flesh and blood broke apart into neat cubes that scattered onto the ground.
"My kin!"
"Devil Fruit… you're a Devil Fruit user!"
"As long as we keep your hands from touching us, your power won't work."
"Die, human!" Arlong roared, charging forward. He swung the massive saw-tooth blade down at Rody.
But Rody caught the edge between two fingers. No matter how Arlong strained, the blade did not move an inch.
Fury twisting his face, Arlong cocked his free fist and drove it toward Rody's face. Rody simply caught the punch in his palm and bent his wrist. A sickening crack sounded, and Arlong let out a grunt of pain.
"Go! Help Lord Arlong!" his underlings shouted, blades raised as they rushed.
They had not crossed more than a few steps before the air itself cleaved them into pieces. Bodies fell in halves and quarters, blood slicking the ground.
"Ar…Arlong… lord…"
"My…my kin…" Arlong's eyes brimmed with tears. His rage collapsed into despair as he watched his crew's life ebb away.
"How is it? Do you taste despair?" Rody's voice was calm as winter. "Still think the fish-men are noble?"
"I'll kill you! Human, I'll kill you!" Arlong screamed, his voice tearing at the air. He lunged, jaws wide, rows of fangs bared to tear Rody apart.
His head never reached. It fell from his neck, rolling across the dirt. Rody released both saw-blade and fist, letting the headless body collapse backward.
He stared at the severed head, face still twisted in fury, then nudged it with his boot, sending it tumbling to land before Cocoyasi's villagers.
"Arlong… he's dead. Just like that."
"Yes… yes! The nightmare that bound us is over!"
The villagers dropped their farm tools, shouting with joy.
Suddenly a deep boom shook the ground. From the pool within Arlong Park rose a beast dozens of meters high, its hide black and white, its head crowned with horns like a bull's. Its roar split the air.
Nami gasped. "That's Momoo, the sea cow. Fierce and violent. Arlong brought him from the Grand Line. Only Arlong could control him."
But Momoo's feral eyes locked on Rody...and on the corpse at his feet. Recognition flared. It saw its master's lifeless body. Terror replaced savagery. The beast wheeled its enormous frame, desperate to flee.
"A sea beast from the Grand Line? I wonder what it tastes like."
Rody swept his hand. A net of cutting force spread across the sky, crashing down. In a blink, Momoo and the entire Arlong Park were diced into fragments.
"You really are strong," Nami breathed.
Rody smiled faintly. "Of course."
"Now, take me to taste those oranges you say are the sweetest."
…
Word spread quickly. The Arlong Pirates were no more. By nightfall, the villages and islands once under Arlong's shadow burst with news of freedom.
That night, Cocoyasi Village erupted into celebration on the central green. A feast was laid, villagers hauling dish after dish, cask after cask before Rody until the tables sagged. He tore into Momoo's meat with relish, washing it down with orange juice. As he chewed, a faint strengthening stirred through his body, so subtle it was barely felt.
Momoo was nothing compared to the monsters of the Grand Line. There, giants of the deep roamed in number, and in the New World the elephant island Zunesha strode at heights of hundreds of meters. For those who feasted on such power, body and spirit both grew beyond human bounds. It was no wonder pirates there could fight for days without pause, and heal wounds with nothing more than rest and food.
…
Behind the village, Nami knelt before Belle-Mère's grave. She smiled through her tears. "Belle-Mère, Arlong is gone. The nightmare is over. The village can smile again. Everything will be better."
"Yes, everything will be better," Nojiko said softly, coming up behind her.
"You're leaving again, aren't you?"
"Don't worry," Nami said, her voice firm. "This time, I sail for my own dream."
"The money buried in the grove...take it out and share it with the village." Regret colored her eyes as she said it.
"No, Nami. That treasure was scraped together over years. Arlong is gone, our days will brighten. Keep it for yourself," Nojiko said.
Nami shook her head. "That money was stolen for the village. With Arlong dead, it's time to help everyone rebuild. They've suffered too long." Her voice held steel.
She glanced at her sister. "Nojiko, should I ask Rody to erase your tattoo too?"
Nojiko smiled faintly. "So that's how yours vanished. No. This mark has been with me too long. Without it I'd feel strange." She glanced at Nami's pale arm where Arlong's brand had once scarred her. It was gone.
"Look after Belle-Mère for me, Nojiko. I won't be back for a long time."
"Do you need to say it? She was my mother too."
…
By noon the next day, the sun blazed. Nami and Rody prepared to set sail.
"Take care of Nami for us, Rody!"
"Nami! Be happy, live freely!"
"Don't forget to come back!"
The villagers crowded the shore, waving. Genzo and Nojiko stood at the front, arms raised high.
"Goodbye, everyone!" Nami cried, waving wildly as the ship drew away.
From the deck, the sea wind in her hair, Nami's heart lifted. With Arlong's death all burdens had lifted, and for the first time in years her spirit felt light, her nature free to shine.
Rody stepped up behind her. One arm slid around her slim waist, pulling her into his chest. His voice was low. "Nami. From now on, you belong only to me."
Heat flared where his arm circled her. His chest pressed her back, steady and warm. Her cheeks flushed scarlet, her heartbeat pounded, her breath turned shallow.
She broke free, flustered. "Rody, my orange tree needs watering!"
She dashed up to the second deck, fumbling for the watering jug, dousing a tree she had already watered that morning. Behind her, Rody chuckled softly.