17

"Sir, I don't know how to address you..." Nami asked cautiously, as she sat on a small boat, observing Ryō carefully.

"Kakuzu, of the Akatsuki Organization," Ryō replied casually.

"Akatsuki Organization?! Why does that sound so familiar?" Nami muttered to herself, suddenly recognizing the name. Her mind raced, and it quickly dawned on her that this was the same organization mentioned in a recent newspaper—a group with a bounty of 5 billion berries on its members.

The man standing before her, dressed in the same attire as the person in the newspaper, was indeed a member of the Akatsuki Organization. The realization sent a wave of fear through her, but at the same time, excitement sparked within her.

If she could gather information about this powerful organization and relay it to the Navy, she could become a hero, maybe even rise to prominence. Thinking this, Nami decided to press forward, hiding her fear behind a respectful smile.

"Lord Kakuzu, I was wondering, who are the other members of the Akatsuki Organization?" Nami asked, trying to sound casual but genuinely curious.

Ryō chuckled, easily seeing through her facade. "Little girl, do you really think you can pry into the secrets of our organization?" His tone was amused, though his sharp gaze kept Nami on edge.

"N-No, no! You misunderstood me! I was just worried... The pirate we're about to face is very strong..." Nami quickly tried to cover her tracks, waving her hands nervously.

Ryō shrugged nonchalantly. "There is no enemy that the Akatsuki Organization cannot defeat. As for myself, I'm one half of the 'Undying Duo' of the Akatsuki."

"'Undying Duo'?" Nami couldn't help but feel skeptical. In this world, there were no immortal people, not even among the Devil Fruit users.

"Lord Kakuzu," Nami asked cautiously, "what will you do to the village occupied by the pirates after you defeat them?"

The village she was referring to was her home, the village of Cocoyasi, which had been enslaved by the Arlong Pirates. Nami had become a thief in a desperate attempt to gather enough money to buy her village's freedom.

"Do they have money?" Ryō asked, cutting straight to the point.

"Uh... no, my lord. The village is very poor, there's no money at all," Nami quickly responded, her heart racing.

"Then what use do they have for me? I only care about money," Ryō replied bluntly, his expression clearly showing his disinterest.

Nami breathed a sigh of relief. She was terrified that Ryō might destroy her village after killing the pirates, but it seemed as long as there was no money involved, he wouldn't bother with them.

With Nami guiding the way, they soon arrived at Cocoyasi Island, where the Arlong Pirates were docked.

"Is that the powerful pirate you were talking about?" Ryō asked, gazing at the massive pirate ship docked at the shore.

"Yes, my lord, that's the Arlong Pirates..." Nami replied, her voice trembling slightly. "They're very strong, and their bounty is quite high. Maybe we could ambush them at night?"

"As long as there's a bounty involved, the rest doesn't matter," Ryō replied calmly. "Wind Release: Crushing Damage!"

A violent gust of wind gathered before Ryō, forming a powerful vortex. In an instant, the wind shot forward like a cannonball, smashing directly into the pirate ship.

"Boom!"

The ship exploded into splinters, and the pirates were sent flying into the sea, screaming in panic. However, being Fish-Men, they quickly regained their composure and began swimming to the surface.

"What's going on!? What just happened!?" roared Arlong, the towering shark Fish-Man and captain of the Arlong Pirates, as he emerged from the water.

"Captain! We were attacked! The ship is destroyed!" shouted one of his underlings.

"Look! It's Nami! That man beside her is the one who attacked us!" another pirate yelled, pointing toward Ryō and Nami on the shore.

"Damn humans! We should have killed them sooner!" Arlong growled, his serrated sword in hand as he charged toward Ryō. Behind him, his Fish-Men crew followed, ready to fight.

"Lord Kakuzu, be careful! They're Fish-Men, and no one can match them in the water! Let's lure them to land!" Nami pleaded, her voice full of concern.

"There's no need," Ryō replied, his voice calm. "They'll soon be nothing but dead fish."

With a wave of his hand, Ryō performed a jutsu: "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

The sea around them surged, and from it, a massive water dragon rose, twisting in the air before crashing down upon the Fish-Men. Leading the charge, Arlong was the first to be swallowed by the dragon, along with several of his crew.

"Ahh! What is this!?" Arlong screamed, his voice muffled by the torrent of water.

"The boss got eaten by a water dragon!" a panicked Fish-Man shouted.

"This is impossible! How can a human defeat us in the sea!?"

The Fish-Men were losing their confidence, realizing they were up against a power they couldn't comprehend. Some even attempted to flee.

But Ryō wasn't about to let his prey escape. "You think you can run? Lightning Release: False Darkness."

A barrage of lightning erupted from Ryō's hand, the bright arcs of electricity racing across the water. Each bolt struck down dozens of Fish-Men, electrocuting them instantly.

"Ahhh! Help!"

Screams echoed as one by one, the Fish-Men were reduced to charred corpses, floating lifelessly on the surface of the sea.

Within minutes, the entire Arlong Pirates had been annihilated.

"The... the Arlong Pirates were destroyed..." Nami whispered in disbelief, her eyes wide as she stared at the scorched bodies of the Fish-Men floating on the water.

"The pirates who enslaved our village for so long... are gone... just like that..." Tears welled up in Nami's eyes as the realization hit her. Her village was free at last.

"Thank you... thank you, Kakuzu..." she whispered, her voice breaking as she cried tears of relief and joy.

As Nami stood there, overwhelmed by emotion, the distant sound of approaching footsteps echoed across the shore. It was the Navy, arriving too late to help, but just in time to witness the aftermath.

The Arlong Pirates, feared by many, had been eradicated by a single man. Kakuzu of the Akatsuki Organization had made his presence known.