Inside the ruins of Arlong Park, the three of them quietly waited for Colonel Nezumi, who arrived exactly two hours later just as he promised.
But at that moment
A small figure burst in from outside.
Little Nami came running, her tiny hands clutching a short blade, panting as she dashed forward.
"Big brother, big sister—I-I'm here! I want to help defeat Arlong!"
"Oh? A brave little girl."
Rin chuckled softly at the sight, shaking his head. He walked over and gently scooped up little Nami in his arms.
"You're too late, girl. Arlong has already been dealt with."
He playfully pinched her cheek with a smile.
"Eh? Really? Don't lie to me, big brother!"
Nami looked up, eyes wide and innocent. She had yet to become the sharp and calculating navigator the world would one day know—right now, she was still a pure, earnest child.
Faced with her wide-eyed sincerity, Rin simply nodded.
But then—he reached out and gently covered her eyes.
"There'll be more enemies soon. Big brother will take you home for now. Don't look around, okay?"
The bloodied battlefield around them was no place for a child. Severed heads and pools of blood soaked the grass—Rin didn't want her to witness it yet.
"Mm-hmm, okay! Big brother, big sister, do your best!"
Nami chirped happily and turned to go, but not before giving a cheerful shout
"Daddy! Daddy!"
…
"What a sweet little girl."
Artoria spoke softly as Rin returned from walking Nami back to safety.
"Yeah." Rin nodded quietly. "In a world like this… innocence like hers is rare."
He glanced back at the shattered ruins of Arlong Park.
"If I hadn't known from the manga that this was Nami's village… I probably wouldn't have come here at all."
The world of One Piece was massive, and tyranny like Arlong's wasn't isolated.
"Still got time to kill. Two hours left," Casa said as he stretched and walked into the Arlong stronghold.
They were pirates.
And when pirates win, they loot.
Moments later, Casa re-emerged with two huge sacks slung over his shoulders.
He dropped them at Rin's feet, grinning.
"That Fish-Man bastard was definitely the richest pirate in East Blue. Just from the treasury here—over 150 million Berries in gold and cash."
"Makes sense," Rin said with a shrug. "He taxed every village in the Cocoyasi region—100,000 Berries per adult, every month."
After a moment of silence, Rin added
"We take a third. The rest goes back to the villagers."
"Fine by me," Casa said, nodding without argument.
Artoria also agreed.
None of them had the stomach to take everything.
———
Time passed.
Casa brought out food and wine from the stash—an impromptu feast among rubble.
No one disturbed them.
Two hours later—
Footsteps.
And then, a voice—
"Arlong! I'm here!"
The sleazy tone made Rin's smile curl cold.
A group of Marines arrived.
At the front stood a man in a white naval uniform—but he wore a ridiculous mouse-eared hat, had a scruffy mustache, and walked with the overconfidence of someone used to being paid, not fighting.
Colonel Nezumi.
He stepped into Arlong Park with a cocky grin—
But that expression vanished the moment he saw the carnage.
Bodies. Blood. Brains.
The shattered remains of Fish-Men warriors littered the courtyard.
Nezumi's face turned green—
"BLEUURGH!!"
He vomited violently onto the ground.
Behind him, many of the Marines did the same.
"Tch. Pathetic," Casa muttered with disdain.
Wiping his mouth, Nezumi raised his head, eyes wide with rage and fear.
"Who the hell are you?! You—you killed Arlong?!"
Rin stood and took a step forward, his expression full of contempt.
"What's wrong? Angry because no one will be paying you off anymore?"
Nezumi's face twisted.
"BASTARD!" he shrieked.
He raised a hand.
"Men! Kill them all—NOW!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines behind him snapped to attention, lifting their rifles to fire—
But before they could even pull the triggers—
'Soru!'
With a sharp sound, Rin vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the Marines.
The Thunder Robbery Blade was already unsheathed.
"Sword Qi Slash."
'Swiip!'
A wave of cutting force tore through the air—
Several Marines were sliced in half instantly, their rifles clattering to the floor alongside their bisected bodies.
Rin vanished again.
'Soru!'
In a flash, he stood above Colonel Nezumi—his presence like a shadow of death.
"Your life—belongs to me now."
With a calm but deadly tone, Rin's right leg lashed out—
'BOOM!'
His foot smashed into Nezumi's face, sending him crashing into the ground like a broken puppet.
Colonel Nezumi didn't even have time to scream.
———
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