Free Web NovelChapter 22: Chapter 22
Chapter 22
"Damn it, another Devil Fruit user. Since when did the East Blue have so many troublesome bastards?"
Arlong broke out in a cold sweat, but he didn’t have time to think. If he couldn’t break free, he really might die here today.
"Shark • ON • Darts!"
Arlong shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight at one of the giant lion heads.
BOOM!
The impact was like a cannon blast, smashing a huge hole through the stone lion.
But under Rorschach’s control, the hole instantly repaired itself. Arlong’s attack couldn’t break through the Earth Roll at all.
"Damn it! What kind of monstrous Devil Fruit is this? The things it creates are way too hard!"
Arlong’s saw-like nose was slightly bent from the collision, yet the damage healed in an instant. Despair washed over him.
He was someone who had seen the world. He had fought in the Sun Pirates and ventured into the Grand Line, but his limited strength eventually led to him being captured by the Marines. It was only because Jinbe agreed to become a Warlord that Arlong was released.
After leaving the Sun Pirates due to ideological differences with Jinbe, he came to the East Blue to rule as he pleased.
He knew he couldn’t compete with the real monsters of the Grand Line, so he hid in the weakest sea — the East Blue.
He never expected to run into two such troublesome Devil Fruit users here.
"It’s useless. With your strength, you can’t break free. You’re all just wasting food by being alive. Just die already."
Rorschach floated in the air, coldly watching the struggling fishmen below.
"What a joke! Fishmen are a superior species to humans! There’s no way fishmen can be killed by humans!" Arlong roared furiously as he wildly swung his massive saw blade.
He couldn’t accept being finished off by the humans he had always looked down on.
But as Rorschach slowly clenched his raised hand, the earth began closing in, engulfing all the fishmen.
In the end, the entire Arlong Pirates crew was completely wiped out under this technique.
Hundreds-of-meters-tall stone pillars wrapped around them like vines. Some were buried alive and suffocated in the dirt, while others were crushed to death by the relentless pressure.
Unseen by Rorschach, a passing News Coo bird was quietly snapping photos of the entire scene with its camera.
Watching her longtime nightmare finally die in front of her, Nami couldn’t hold back any longer. She broke down sobbing and threw herself into Rorschach’s arms the moment he landed.
"Thank you... Rorschach."
Rorschach didn’t say anything. He simply patted her back gently, letting her release all the emotions she had bottled up for years.
He knew how much pain this girl had endured. Right now, she just needed to cry it out. He didn’t need to do anything except be there until she calmed down.
After releasing years of pent-up stress in Rorschach’s arms, Nami finally lifted her head with a bright smile again.
[Ding! Crew member Nami successfully recruited. Reward: Super Battleship Blueprint.]
Eh... a Super Battleship? With the Float-Float Fruit, he would probably just use floating islands later anyway. This felt a bit redundant.
But looking at the girl in his arms... it was worth it.
"Let’s go tell everyone in the village the good news," Rorschach said with a gentle smile, stroking her head.
"What about Arlong’s treasure?" Nami asked.
Nami shook her head. "That money was stolen from the blood and sweat of the surrounding villages. Give it to Genzo. He’ll make sure it gets returned to the villages."
"I didn’t expect you to have that kind of conscience. I thought..."
"Thought what? Is that really how you see me?" Nami angrily pinched Rorschach’s cheek.
"No, no, I was just joking. Let Uncle Genzo handle it then."
Rorschach pretended it hurt, though he was secretly enjoying the physical contact.
Nojiko watched the way Nami and Rorschach interacted and couldn’t help but smile.
With Nami eagerly leading the way, the news quickly spread throughout the village.
The moment the villagers heard it, cheers erupted and shook the sky.
That night, a huge bonfire was lit in the square. The villagers threw a grand feast to celebrate.
Laughter, singing, and dancing filled the entire plaza. Rorschach could clearly sense their emotions — joy, relief, and satisfaction at Arlong’s death.
These villagers had suffered endless oppression and lived every day in fear of not being able to pay the protection money and losing their loved ones.
Now, they were finally free. They just wanted to drink and celebrate, even if it felt like a dream.
As their savior, Rorschach was enthusiastically toasted by the villagers all night.
But with the Steel Balloon physique, alcohol was like water to him — it had no effect.
After he got the entire square drunk, Rorschach felt a bit sleepy. He returned to Nami’s small house, lay down on the sofa, and fell fast asleep.
Creak.
Late at night, Nami quietly opened the door. She had decided to cut ties with her past. The first step was changing her Arlong Pirates tattoo into the one from the original story.
Seeing Rorschach sleeping soundly, she tiptoed over with a gentle expression, leaned down, and gave him a soft kiss.
After doing it, Nami looked around guiltily like a nervous kitten, then quietly returned to her room.
Meanwhile, the supposedly sleeping Rorschach had a wicked grin on his face.
NICE. Plan successful.
Rorschach slept straight until noon the next day.
That day, an unwelcome guest arrived in Cocoyasi Village.
"I am Captain Rat, commanding officer of Marine Branch 16. I received information that this is the Arlong Pirates’ base. I have come to exterminate them!"
"Hey, villager over there! Do you know where the Arlong Pirates’ hideout is?"
Captain Rat ordered his Marines to drag a villager over and questioned him.
Under pressure, the villager revealed that the Arlong Pirates had already been defeated.
"Jee-jee-jee-jee... Just as the intel said," Captain Rat muttered under his breath.
He had received news of Arlong’s defeat and had rushed over early in the morning to claim the credit — and seize all the treasure Arlong had accumulated over the years.
Captain Rat led a large force of Marines straight to Nami’s house. His information said Nami and her group had defeated Arlong and taken all the treasure.
Soon, his troops had completely surrounded the small house.
Hearing the commotion, everyone came out of the house and stared in shock at the large group of Marines.
"You’re the Cat Burglar Nami, right? Hand over all the stolen money and treasure from the Arlong Pirates immediately." frёewebnoѵēl.com
"All of it is pirate loot and now belongs to me, Captain Rat of Marine Branch 16. Jee-jee-jee~"
Captain Rat looked at Nami with a greedy, sinister smile.
He was a Marine. He didn’t believe these people would dare defy the Navy — that was the source of his arrogance.
"What a joke! When we went to the Marine base asking for help, you did nothing! Now that we’ve defeated Arlong, you want to steal the villagers’ hard-earned money? I will never hand it over to you!" Nami shouted angrily.
"Jee-jee-jee... What are you talking about? I have no idea. We never received any reports from the citizens. It looks like you villagers were sheltering the Arlong Pirates. Letting a pirate terrorize nearby villages is a serious crime!"
"All Marines, listen up! Arrest these evil pirates and confiscate all the stolen goods!"
Captain Rat shamelessly pinned the crime of harboring pirates on the villagers of Cocoyasi. His disgusting, punchable face made Rorschach extremely irritated.
The surrounding Marines all wore similarly wicked smiles.
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