Free Web NovelChapter 21: Chapter 21
Chapter 21
"Hah..."
Genzo let out a long breath after hearing Rorschach’s confident answer.
He then turned to look at Nojiko and Nami.
"You two are still young. This world is incredibly vast."
"You have brighter futures ahead of you. Go out and see the wide-open sea. This old man can still watch over the orange orchard for a few more decades."
Genzo’s face remained stern — it was just his usual expression, making it hard for him to show softer emotions. Still, his words clearly showed how much he cared for the two sisters.
"Genzo..." Nojiko said sadly.
"Yo! Uncle, you can leave Nojiko and Nami to me with peace of mind! I’ll take good care of them!" Rorschach laughed as he slung an arm around Genzo’s shoulder.
"Hmph. They’re only sailing with you. Don’t you dare lay a hand on them, brat," Genzo said coldly, glaring sideways at him.
"Hehe, that depends on my skills. A handsome, talented young man like me is naturally popular with girls. Who knows? Maybe Nami-chan and Nojiko-chan will fall for me during our journey," Rorschach bragged, running a hand through his stylish blond hair without backing down.
"Hmph. You really have bad intentions. Nami, you and the others should just set sail without this brat. He can stay here and work in the orange orchard instead."
The two men’s bickering instantly lightened the previously heavy atmosphere, making the girls burst into laughter.
"Hmph. I’m done arguing with you, brat. Come with me. I have something to tell you," Genzo suddenly stopped, his face returning to its usual serious expression.
Rorschach didn’t say anything and quietly followed him.
They walked until they reached a cliff overlooking the sea. A grave stood near the edge.
Genzo sat down beside the grave without a word.
"This is the grave of Nami and Nojiko’s adoptive mother," he said calmly.
He then began recounting the sisters’ childhood and everything they had gone through. Rorschach listened silently until he finished.
Once Genzo was done, Rorschach pulled two bottles of liquor from his Storage Space and handed one over.
"I don’t dwell on the past. Only the present is real."
"I don’t fully understand everything you told me, but as long as they’re on my ship, I’ll protect them with my life."
Rorschach took a big swig of liquor, speaking freely.
"Hmph. Is that so? You’re a reliable brat after all. Looks like Nami found some good companions," Genzo muttered quietly before downing the entire bottle in one go.
The silent understanding between men needed no more words.
The next morning...
[Ding! Next sign-in location: Loguetown. Sign-in will unlock in twenty days. Please proceed to the location.]
Rorschach, who had just woken up, received the new system notification. With twenty days to spare, there was no need to rush.
After breakfast, and with Arlong still not back, Rorschach began transplanting orange trees.
Nami loved these oranges, so he wanted to bring some aboard. That way she could still enjoy the taste of home even when they were far away.
Unfortunately, their current sailboat was too small. Rorschach could only transplant the trees into the Crew Training Room for now — it had plenty of space.
Once we reach Water 7, I need to build a massive warship with every facility imaginable.
As for why he didn’t just do what Shiki did and float several islands as a base... Rorschach wasn’t a pirate yet. He was still on an adventure. That would be way too flashy.
If he ever got wanted in the future, though, he might just drop a couple of islands on Marineford for fun.
After finishing the transplant, Arlong still hadn’t returned. Bored, Rorschach went back to sleep while the girls chatted and prepared lunch.
It wasn’t until after lunch that the village suddenly became noisy with gossip.
"I heard the Arlong Pirates are back."
"Yeah, and they collected a lot of protection money again. I bet some people couldn’t pay and got killed."
"Shh, keep your voice down. If they hear you, we’re done for."
"Those damn fishmen only know how to oppress the weak. The Marines at the nearby base are just as bad. They all deserve to die."
"Hey, stop talking like that! You want to die?!"
His companion quickly covered his mouth and looked around nervously.
Once he confirmed no one was listening, he finally let go.
Back at Nami’s house, upon hearing that the Arlong Pirates had returned, the group gathered and headed straight for Arlong Park.
When they arrived at the entrance, they could already hear the fishmen laughing arrogantly inside.
The fishmen were proudly bragging about their atrocities — in their eyes, these were achievements worth boasting about.
Unable to hold back any longer, Karina stormed inside and shouted angrily:
"Don’t you people have any humanity at all?! How can you think it’s something to be proud of when you casually oppress and kill others?!"
Facing Karina’s furious roar, the fishmen sneered.
"Where did this human come from? How reckless. You actually dared to barge into my territory," a massive shark fishman with a long saw-like nose stepped forward, staring coldly at her.
At that moment, Nami, Rorschach, and the others walked out and stood behind Karina.
Seeing Nami, Arlong’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
"Well, if it isn’t our map drawer Nami. Did you bring these people here?"
Nami wasn’t affected by his words. Instead, she spoke coldly:
"Arlong, today is your last day. I will not allow you to continue harming Cocoyasi Village and the surrounding islands."
"Hoh? So you found yourself some backup? You really think these people can defeat me? Hahahahaha!"
Arlong’s voice was icy, yet he burst into wild laughter.
"Octo, Kuroobi, kill those humans and bring Nami to me. Our map drawer seems to have forgotten her place. She needs some proper education."
"Yes, Boss Arlong!"
The octopus fishman Hatchan and the ray fishman Kuroobi immediately stepped forward, grinning cruelly at Rorschach’s group.
Karina quickly formed a hand sign. A transparent square barrier appeared in front of them.
Arlong’s eyes widened and he tried to warn them, but it was too late.
Karina swung her hand forward like a punch.
"Impact Barrier!"
The two fishmen were sent flying back at twice the speed they had charged in. The transparent barrier slammed into them with tremendous force.
"Damn it! It’s a Devil Fruit user! Everyone jump into the water! Fight them from the sea!" Arlong shouted immediately. ƒrēewebnovel.com
"Hah? You want to jump into the water? Not a chance. Today, every single one of you is dying here."
"Lion Majesty: Earth Roll!"
Six massive lion heads made of earth rose up, completely surrounding the fishmen.
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