"What is this?" Nami looked at the chest she had regained, unable to comprehend the situation.
"Isn't this your lost treasure? I got it directly from Nezumi, untouched. Don't think about trying to inflate its value!" Ryu said, noticing Nami's expression and recalling her personality, his face darkening as he spoke.
Nami stared at Ryu in disbelief, then stood up angrily, grabbing him by the collar and shouting, "Why? Why didn't you show up sooner? It's already come to this! What good is returning my treasure now? Why don't you go take down Arlong? Aren't you part of the navy? Don't you represent justice?"
Ryu stopped the approaching marine soldiers, allowing Nami to vent her pent-up frustration by holding onto his collar.
"Ah~ ah~ this is indeed our fault! But little Nami, you need to understand, in this world, there are many others who live even more tragically and helplessly than you do. At least you're still alive, but many more are struggling to survive. We in the navy are not omnipotent; we are just a group of ordinary people who cherish justice!" Ryu recalled the ordinary people being persecuted by pirates on the Grand Line, feeling a bit despondent.
The marine soldiers behind him stood in formation, seemingly stripped of their former pride, having witnessed the tragedy in Cocoyasi Village firsthand.
"And now? Aren't you part of the marines? Go and catch Arlong now!" Nami shouted, unwilling to accept the situation.
"Don't worry; your villagers will be safe. Arlong will not show up in front of you again! If you don't believe me, let's go take a look together?" Ryu smiled, leading Nami and the marine soldiers toward Arlong's territory.
Soon, as they reached Arlong's domain, they found villagers watching from the entrance and the Straw Hat crew already engaged in battle with Arlong's officers.
"Marines? What are you doing here?" The villagers, spotting the marine soldiers with Nami, quickly pulled her behind them, as they had lost trust in the navy.
"What's going on? Where's Luffy?" Within Arlong's territory, Zoro was battling the octopus Fishman, Hachi, while Sanji fought against a Fishman skilled in karate. Luffy was nowhere to be seen, nor were Aken and Nojiko.
The villagers glanced at Ryu, then quietly explained to Nami. Apparently, Luffy, that fool, had gotten his foot stuck in a rock and was thrown into the sea by Arlong, while Aken and Nojiko had gone into the ocean to help him.
Ryu chuckled; what an unexpected battle this was. Only the troublemaker Luffy would pull a stunt like this. If an ordinary person attempted something similar, they would have died countless times by now!
"Surround the area; don't let a single Fishman escape. Also, order the warship to come here!" Ryu commanded the navy behind him.
"Yes, sir!" The communication officer saluted and immediately began contacting the warship, while the other navy soldiers dispersed to surround Arlong's territory.
The villagers, unsure of the marine's intentions, watched anxiously as the marine soldiers began to act, their unease growing.
"What does he want?" The doctor from Cocoyasi Village tugged at Nami's sleeve, asking quietly.
"If the marines dare to help Arlong, we will fight them with our lives!" The villagers replied, their expressions resolute.
The Straw Hat crew was locked in a fierce battle with Arlong's crew, and if the navy entered to assist Arlong, it would be a deadly blow for the Straw Hats.
"Everyone, don't worry! He should be a good person!" Nami assured the villagers, glancing at Ryu.
"Ah~ ah~ the marines, which should be seen as a protector, is now regarded as the enemy. It seems it's time for me to change everyone's view of the marines!" Ryu chuckled as he stepped into Arlong's territory.
"Marines?" Both sides stopped fighting at once.
However, Sanji recognized Ryu and knew he wasn't there to confront them, while Arlong, who had connections with the navy, assumed the navy was there to demand favors.
"What brings you here at this time, marine?" Arlong asked Ryu.
Sanji pulled Zoro aside, signaling him not to provoke Ryu.
"Tsk tsk~ You Fishmen, instead of staying on Fishman Island, have come to the East Blue to bully the weak. Should I say you're lacking ambition or that you're clever?" Ryu smiled as he addressed Arlong.
"Who are you?" Arlong's expression changed; anyone who knew of Fishman Island couldn't be an ordinary navy soldier from the East Blue.
"This is Rear Admiral Ryu, from the Marine Headquarters!" A navy soldier behind him stepped forward, proudly announcing.
Ryu nodded in satisfaction. Every time he introduced himself, it felt lacking, but having someone else introduce him elevated his status instantly!
"Navy Headquarters? I didn't expect Arlong to provoke a major from the Headquarters!" Arlong laughed heartily.
"Don't get it twisted; I'm not here for you. Where's Luffy?" Ryu smiled and asked Sanji.
"He was thrown to the bottom of the sea!" Sanji pointed at the pool connected to the ocean.
Ryu rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Could you go down and rescue him?"
Sanji nodded and jumped into the water. The karate Fishman, preparing to follow him, felt Ryu's gaze and stopped.
"Don't move, or I won't hesitate to take you down!" Ryu warned.
The karate Fishman looked to Arlong for direction.
"They're just lowly beings. Are you really going to oppose me?" Arlong glared at Ryu, his mood shifting unpredictably.
"Lowly beings? Puhaha! Are you trying to make me die laughing so you can escape? As a Fishman, especially one who was once part of the Sun Pirates, you dare to call humans lowly? Then what about those Fishmen who are enslaved or treated as food in the New World? Although I believe all races in this world should be equal, in that ocean, Fishmen have to hide away! Otherwise, they'll be treated as slaves, right?" Ryu laughed heartily before continuing.
"What? Such powerful Fishmen are merely slaves?" The villagers watching from outside the door were shocked.
oro curled his lips; he didn't care about race or anything like that, but this navy officer named Ryu seemed quite powerful.
"Bastard! We Fishmen are the chosen race! You humans rely only on your numbers!" Arlong was thoroughly enraged, opening his shark-like jaws to bite at Ryu.
"You ignorant fool!" Ryu's arm turned black as he punched toward Arlong's mouth.
"Boom~~~" Arlong's proud teeth were shattered by Ryu's punch, and he was sent flying again.
"Wow, he's really strong!" Everyone was stunned by Ryu's overwhelming power. The villagers outside were excited, finally seeing a glimmer of hope for victory.
"Splash~" At that moment, Sanji emerged from the water with Luffy.
"Where's that bastard shark? I'm going to knock him out!" Luffy exclaimed, scanning for Arlong the moment he surfaced.
"Yo~ Luffy, good to see you again!" Ryu greeted him with a smile.
"Ah~ What's your name again? Wi Lou? Or is it something else?" Luffy finally noticed Ryu and grinned, waving.
Ryu was left speechless. This guy was even more unreliable than he was. "It's Ryu! Ye as in leaf, and Lou as in fall!"
"Cough~~ That really hurts~ you bastard!" Arlong crawled out from the rubble, looking at Ryu.
"Ah~ It's you! Just wait and see!" Luffy's spirit lifted upon spotting Arlong, disregarding Ryu as he shouted at his enemy.
"Hey hey hey, two lowly beings! I'll take you both down!" Arlong's teeth, previously shattered by Ryu, began to regrow as he glared at him.
"Is that so? With you around, you're not even worth my warm-up!" Ryu chuckled, preparing to step forward to finish off Arlong.
"Wait! He's mine!" Luffy blocked Ryu, a serious look on his face.
"Fine, but after you defeat him, I want to take him in!" Ryu shrugged, nonchalantly nodding.
With Ryu stepping back, Luffy and Arlong resumed their fight, while Chouchou and Zoro also engaged fiercely. Sanji continued battling the karate Fishman, each pair occupying their own corner.
"Do you think Luffy will be okay?" Nami asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"He's just an ordinary Fishman. If he can't even get past this, he shouldn't be a pirate. He might as well come back with me to the Marine headquarters, where I can at least protect him!" Ryu replied with a smile, watching the battle beside Nami.
"Is it you?" At that moment, Nojiko and Aken approached. They had just pulled Luffy's head up from the bottom of the sea, preventing him from drowning.
"Yes! Look, I'm wearing marine clothes this time!" Ryu joked, showing off to Nojiko.
"What are you doing here?" Aken asked warily, eyeing Ryu.
"You explain it. I don't like repeating what I've already said!" Ryu's demeanor became less friendly as he addressed Aken, turning to Nami.
Quickly, Nami explained the situation to Nojiko and Akeji. Akeji then apologized to Ryu, saying, "Sorry, Rear Admiral! We misunderstood you!"
"It's fine. See? The winners are already clear!" Ryu pointed at Zoro and Sanji, who had each taken down their opponents, laughing.
"What about Luffy? Is he okay?" Nami asked, her gaze fixed on Luffy, who was being suppressed by Arlong.
"Don't worry! Although I'm not sure of his exact strength, dealing with Arlong is no problem for him!" Ryu reassured her with a smile.
........
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