The Arlong Pirates had ruled this island for nearly six years.
Every month, every villager on this island had to pay a head tax to the Arlong Pirates.
If they couldn't pay, there was only one outcome: death.
If anyone dared to resist, their entire village would face destruction.
Thus, no one had dared to truly resist until now.
In the beginning, they had harbored hope that the Marines would come to subjugate these pirates.
But when the Arlong Pirates easily crushed the five warships sent to deal with them, their hope turned to despair.
Later, no matter how many Marines arrived, they were as fragile as eggs easily crushed by hand when facing these monsters.
This made them realize that the strength displayed by these monsters was far beyond what humans could contend with.
What plunged them into even deeper despair was a Marine officer who looked like a rat, not only failed to subjugate the Arlong Pirates but also used his authority to seal off information from the island.
If anyone went to the Marines for help, this officer would turn around and inform Arlong.
This not only led to the agonizing death of the villager seeking help but also implicated their entire village.
In this way, their last sliver of hope was utterly extinguished.
For six years, the island's residents had been silently surviving in such dire straits.
And today was the monthly collection day.
A group of fish-men, led by two executives, marched into Cocoyasi Village, Nami's hometown.
The one walking at the forefront was a cartilaginous fish-man.
He wore a dark blue sleeveless karate gi, his hair tied in two small braids, and his arms bore fins like large cleavers. His muscular physique exuded an intimidating aura.
This attire clearly belonged to an Arlong Pirates executive, a former member of the Sun Pirates, "Kuroobi."
A step behind Kuroobi walked a fish-man wearing a blue sleeveless shirt, black shorts, and with short blonde hair and a protruding mouth, resembling a pufferfish.
This must be an executive of the Arlong Pirates, a former member of the Sun Pirates, "Hatchan."
Led by the two executives, the fish-men arrived in the middle of the village's only street.
Without needing any prompting, the villagers emerged from their homes, each holding money and forming a line before the fish-men.
They dropped the money they had painstakingly earned over the month into an empty bag held by a fish-man.
"Hurry up, what are you dawdling for? Is the money not enough?"
The fish-man collecting the money glared fiercely at the villager who was slightly slower in handing over his payment.
He snatched the money from the villager's hand, felt its weight, and casually tossed it into the bag.
Then, he extended his hand, grabbed the villager's arm, and flung him to the ground to the side.
The villager, who had fallen to the ground, dared not make a sound. He quietly got up, hobbled towards a nearby house, favoring one leg.
The other villagers watched this scene with blank expressions; they were accustomed to it.
Accustomed to the fish-men's power, their arrogance, and their oppression.
Soon, the empty bag in front of the collecting fish-man was filled with money.
Kuroobi scanned the villagers standing along the street with a cold gaze. Without a word, he led Hatchan, who had his hands in his pockets, and the other fish-men towards the orange grove.
That was where the last person in the village resided. Even if it was Nami's sister, she had to pay.
Once they collected the head tax from this final individual, their day's work would be done.
As Cocoyasi Village was the closest to Arlong Park, they usually collected money there last.
Kuroobi and Hatchan, walking at the front, suddenly stopped, causing a ripple of commotion among the fish-men following them.
"What is it?"
They all looked ahead, and saw a man and a woman approaching them from outside the village.
These two were Kouta and Kuina, who had just arrived from the sea.
They had moored their ship at the makeshift dock outside the village and headed straight towards it, coincidentally encountering the group of fish-men on their way out.
Staring at the two human brats approaching them.
Kuroobi asked a fish-man behind him, "Did we miscount? I don't recognize these two."
This fish-man was responsible for counting. He lifted the money bag in his hand and replied with certainty,
"All the money has been collected, except for the head tax from Nami's sister in the orange grove."
Hearing the reply, Kuroobi turned and stared coldly at Kouta and Kuina.
"If we haven't miscounted, then these two humans are outsiders. Kill them!"
Yes, kill them. They would not allow any information to leak out.
Seeing the fish-men stop in front of them.
Kouta also stopped, leaving the task to Kuina beside him.
He then took the wine gourd from his waist, stood lazily on the spot, drinking, and mockingly eyed the fish-men, waiting for Kuina's performance.
Kuina cast a cold glance at the fish-men opposite them, her gaze finally settling on Kuroobi and Hatchan.
Clearly, among this group of fish-men, Kuina was only interested in these two. They were easily identifiable.
Kuina's steps did not falter; instead, she quickened her pace towards the fish-men.
The villagers standing under the eaves on both sides, seeing Kuina not stopping but accelerating towards the fish-men,
couldn't help but tense up, showing expressions of worry.
Just then, a middle-aged man in uniform, with four scars crisscrossing his face and a windmill on his hat, hurried out from a nearby room and extended his hand, blocking Kuina's path.
Seeing the middle-aged man appear, Kouta's eyes flashed with amusement. He recognized the man instantly as the village's patrol officer, Gen.
This man was a very gentle character, and to Nami and Nojiko, he was like a father.
Gen, seeing the girl not running away upon encountering the fish-men but heading directly towards them, couldn't help but rush out of his room to stop her.
These two outsiders must be new to the island. They didn't know the ferocity of the fish-men, hence their nonchalance when facing them.
"I need to get these two out of the village before the fish-men approach."
Various thoughts flashed through Gen's mind.
Then, he stared at Kuina, deliberately putting on a cold expression and speaking in a harsh tone, "Young lady, outsiders are not welcome here. Please leave."
Kuina looked at Gen, and a hint of tenderness flickered in her cold eyes.
Although the man's tone was not particularly pleasant, the eagerness and concern in his eyes were undeniable.
Seeing Kuina's gaze, Kouta shrugged and walked over, signaling Kuina to proceed.
He then put his arm around Gen's shoulder, pulled him aside, and smiled as he said to Gen, "Thank you, Uncle. We appreciate your kindness, but we know what we are doing."
This made Gen momentarily stunned.
During this moment of stunned silence, Kuina had already walked more than ten meters away.
Seeing Kuina almost reaching the fish-men, Gen quickly shouted, "Don't go any further, young lady."
Kuina, who was moving forward, turned her head and gave Gen a smile.
"It's alright, Uncle. We're here specifically to deal with Arlong."
"Deal with Arlong?" Gen's face showed shock.
"Yes! Just watch!" Kouta pointed ahead.
As Kuina turned to look at Gen, Hatchan had already made his move.
He didn't care about sneak attacks or anything else, as long as he could eliminate the enemy.
He immediately inflated his gun-like mouth and spat a water cannon at Kuina.
The water cannon shot out like a bullet, rapidly heading towards the back of Kuina's head.
Hatchan stared excitedly at Kuina, confident that he could finish her off with a single blow.
However, things rarely unfolded as expected.
As if prescient, Kuina tilted her head slightly, effortlessly dodging the water projectile.
The water projectile grazed past Kuina's ear and shot towards Kouta behind her.
Seeing the water projectile rapidly heading towards them, Gen's pupils dilated, and cold sweat broke out on his body.
He instinctively wanted to pull Kouta to safety, but at that moment, he realized that the surrounding space had somehow solidified, rendering him completely immobile.
And the water projectile that had been shot at them also hung suspended in front of them, unable to advance any further.
In what felt like an instant, Gen suddenly felt the space around him begin to flow again.
The water projectile in front of them fell to the ground with a "splat."
Gen stared, his eyes wide with horror, at the water projectile on the ground.
What kind of power was this?
If such power existed, perhaps they could indeed defeat Arlong!
A flicker of hope flashed in Gen's eyes, then quickly dimmed.
No, it was impossible. How could those monsters be matched by humans?
He had experienced too much despair and no longer believed that humans could defeat Arlong.
He shook his head and looked up at Kouta.
Kouta, sensing Gen's gaze, raised his wine gourd and took a sip before turning to him and smiling, "I told you we are here to deal with Arlong."
He paused, his tone becoming slightly more serious.
"Yes! We are very strong."
Then he turned to look at Kuina, indicating for Gen to watch.
Perhaps only by presenting irrefutable facts could these despairing villagers believe that they could truly eliminate the Arlong Pirates.