'Usopp!' Zoro thought. 'That moron was found out.'
"Cocoyashi huh?" Arlong said with a grin. "What a coincidence. I have business there as well."
()()()()
Later in Cocoyashi Village, Arlong and some of his crew came and surrounded a heavily scarred man with a pinwheel in his hat.
"You're the one that was found with weapons huh?" Arlong asked. "That's right." Genzo said. "It's just a hobby of mine to collect them."
"That's against the rules. Weapons are forbidden in my town." Arlong said. As they were talking, Usopp and Nojiko were looking from a safe distance.
"That's Arlong?!" Usopp whispered.
"That's him." Nojiko said. "He's go twenty villages under his control." She explained about the tribute that they needed to pay to keep their lives. "If even one person doesn't pay the montly tribute, he turns that town into another Gosa."
"That's insane!" Usopp said. Nojiko explained that those were the rules and that they wouldn't think twice about killing a human. She stopped when she heard a yell, knowing who it came from. "Genzo!" she yelled as she ran to confront Arlong, who was holding a beaten Genzo up in the air with one hand. "What are you doing? We've been paying the tribute! No one here has any intent to rebel! Let him go!"
"This human had weapons." Arlong said. "Even having them is a sign of rebelion. To show you all that it will not be tolerated, he dies." Everyone began to protest, but stopped at Genzo's orders.
"You all must live, or the last eight years will be for nothing." Genzo said. All the villagers stopped at that while Arlong laughed before raising him into the air.
"Let this be a lesson to you all!" he screamed before he brought Genzo's head toward the ground.
"EXPLODING STAR!" Usopp yelled as he shot at Arlong. The explosion caused him to release Genzo and everyone to look up at him.
"Who are you?" one of them asked. "I am Captain Usopp!" Usopp shouted as he stood dramatically with his legs shaking. "I am a man feared around the world! I have 8,000 men under my control! Leave now and I may spare you fishmen!"
"You can bring 100,000 men." Arlong said in a low voice. "I'll tear them to pieces. Even though your just a scrawny human," he said before looking at him in a crazed manner. "YOU DARE ATTACK ME YOU HUMAN FILTH!?"
'My threats and attacks didn't faze him at all?!' Usopp screamed in his head as Arlong picked up the building he was standing on. Usopp screamed as Arlong's crew begged him to calm down and stop.
"If you destroy the village, our funds decrease!"
"Then we'll take over a different one!" Arlong said before he threw the building into another one, smashing both as the villagers cried out for their village. Usopp appeared from the wreckage with almost no damage before he took off, with Arlong being held back by his crew and taken to Arlong Park to cool off. The other half of the crew chased after Usopp while the villagers gathered around Genzo, asking that he go and get treated for his injuries.
"Hi everyone." came a voice. Everyone turned to see it was Nami holding some flowers. Everyone turned away and ignored her as she walked through. She looked at the damage with a sad look. "This looks like Arlong's doing."
"That's right." Nojiko said. They talked for a bit before Nami went to a lone grave which consisted of a small wooden cross on a hill. She placed the flowers next to it before sitting down and staring out at sea.
"Only 7 million berris left." she said.
"As infamous as ever." Nojiko said as she watched her sit there. "I'm a pirate, but Arlong knows better. He knows that money is best, so I only have a little to go to keep up our bargain. Soon, I'll buy the village from him." Nami said with a smile. Nojiko smiled as she sat down next to her. They both stared out before curiosity got the better of Nojiko.
"Hey Nami. Does the name Luffy mean anything to you?" she asked. Nami sat up straight, but kept her gaze at the sea.
"Luffy?" she asked. "Why do you ask?"
"Someone mentioned his name, a Cpt. Usopp." she said. Nami rolled her eyes at 'Cpt. Usopp' but kept listening. "Is Luffy the owner of that ship you came here on?"
"Yeah." Nami said as she lowered her head.
"So he's a pirate huh?"
"Right."
"And you stole from him like any other pirate?" "Is this going somewhere?" Nami asked as she finally looked at her sister.
"That long-nosed visitor said that the only one who didn't get angry when you took their ship and treasure was this Luffy guy." Nojiko said. Nami just stared at her as her eyes widened a bit.
"Really?"
"Yeah. He said something about Luffy knowing why you did it. Now how would he have known about that?" she asked as she leaned her head into her hand. Nami only looked back out to the sea before she got a gloomy look on her face.
"I told him." she said in a low voice. "I don't know why, but something about Luffy just made me feel safe to tell him."
"First time I've ever heard you trusting someone else besides me and Genzo." Nojiko said. Nami sighed before a small smile crept onto her face.
"You know what he said when I told him?" Nami asked before she looked at her sister.
"What?"
"He offered to kick Arlong's ass for me." Nami said.