Chereads / One Piece: I'm Invincible / Chapter 26 - Who's Arlong

Chapter 26 - Who's Arlong

"You!" Upon seeing this, the Marines raised their guns and pointed them at Clover. "Do you want to be the enemy of the Marines?"

"Yes, I'm a pirate," Clover replied calmly.

"Shoot!" the Marine captain shouted. Just as they were about to fire, the sound of footsteps echoed from not far away.

"Stop!" Genzo shouted behind the Marines. They turned and saw the villagers from Cocoyasi Village approaching.

"I know it's you Marines, working with Arlong to ruin Nami's hard work!" Genzo shouted.

"Ridiculous! How could we collude with pirates?" the Marine captain retorted.

"Don't deny it! You ignored Arlong's presence for years, and now you want to steal the money Nami saved to free this village!" Genzo accused, raising the knife handed to him by one of the villagers.

"Yeah! Get out of this village!" the villagers echoed. "Leave, Marines!"

"Genzo?" Nami stared in disbelief. "Everyone? Why do you know?"

"We figured it out, Nami," Genzo said. "When you joined Arlong, we suspected you had your reasons. After questioning Nojiko, we learned the truth. For years, we kept quiet so we wouldn't get in your way."

The villagers raised their weapons in solidarity, and the Marines fled, abandoning the fallen body of their leader.

Genzo continued, "We swore eight years ago not to fight, so long as you lived, Nami. But no more! Arlong tricked you and exploited your kindness. This ends today!" He looked at the villagers. "Do any of you object?"

"No objections! Let's fight!" the villagers roared.

"Wait! Everyone, please!" Nami pleaded, stepping forward. "Just a little longer! I'm almost done—"

"Nami, you know it won't work." Genzo interrupted, tears falling as he embraced her. "You've worked so hard for us. Now it's time to let go. You've suffered enough."

'This old man...' Clover thought, gritting his teeth. But he knew better than to interfere.

Genzo let go of Nami. "Thank you for fighting for us, but it's time to let us take over."

"No... I won't let you die!" Nami cried, stepping in front of the villagers to block their path.

"Move, Nami!" Genzo shouted. "Even if we can't win, we'll show Arlong our determination!"

"Enough. No one else needs to fight," Clover interrupted, stepping forward. "I can handle Arlong myself."

"And so can we!" Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp appeared in the distance, approaching the group.

"Luffy..." Nami gasped. "Why are you still here? You all need to leave this island before it's too late!"

"Don't be foolish, Nami," Clover said, gently pulling her back. "Let us handle this."

Nami fell to the ground, weeping uncontrollably. "Please, help me, Clover. Luffy..."

"Of course!" Luffy shouted, determination blazing in his eyes. "Let's go!"

Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp all nodded in agreement, turning to face Arlong Park. Clover helped Nami to her feet, then turned to the villagers. "Just follow us and watch. We'll take care of Arlong and his crew."

Reluctantly, the villagers followed them to Arlong Park. When they arrived, they found Johnny and Yosaku leaning against the gate, badly beaten.

"You two, what happened?" Clover asked.

"We tried to fight Arlong after we learned the truth about Nami," Johnny admitted. "We couldn't beat him, so we waited for you."

"I see..." Clover raised an eyebrow. "You fought bravely. Now, leave it to us."

With one powerful punch, Luffy smashed the gate of Arlong Park, sending it flying.

"Who's Arlong" luffy asked, standing calmly at the entrance.