Chapter 96

Pop~

Nami blushed and slapped Arthur's hand away, then looked at the piles of black dust in the yard.

"It's finally over..." Nami covered her mouth and started crying again.

After years of pain and suffering, suddenly finding relief overwhelmed her, and she collapsed to the ground.

For six long years, she had been trapped in deep sorrow, forced to work for her enemies to protect the villagers and the village.

But today, it was all over.

The joy she felt was overwhelming, and Nami couldn't stop the tears. She missed Bell-mere deeply.

Looking at Nami, who was sitting on the ground, Arthur thought to himself. She was only fifteen years old, yet she had gone through so much. Even though she was a stranger to him, Arthur couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

He gently picked Nami up in a princess carry. Nami struggled a little at first but then rested her head against Arthur's chest, refusing to look up. As the front of his shirt slowly became wet from her tears, Arthur turned and walked away.

At that moment, a group of villagers, armed with farming tools like hoes and pitchforks, rushed in, led by Nojiko and a policeman.

Before they could get close to Arlong Park, they saw a young, handsome man carrying Nami out of the park.

Hearing the commotion, Nami lifted her head. Her flushed eyes were still full of tears.

Seeing the villagers of Cocoyasi and her sister, Nami tried to hold back the tears and gave a bright, tearful smile.

"Everyone, Arlong is dead!"

"Ah! Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." The villagers burst into tears of joy, their voices filling the air. "It's over! Finally, it's over!"

"N-Nami... Is it really true?" Officer Genzo, covered in scars with his signature windmill hat, trembled slightly, his eyes red with emotion.

"Yes!" Nami smiled through her tears at Genzo, the man who had almost become her adoptive father, and nodded firmly.

"Uh..." Genzo gasped for a moment, covering his eyes with his hand, and then began to cry loudly. "It's wonderful! Wonderful!"

All the villagers cried with happiness. This was the best news they had received in years.

Soon, several people, still crying, ran off to spread the news.

On this small island, it wasn't just the people of Cocoyasi Village who needed to hear it. Everyone needed to know that the nightmare was finally over!

That night, the entire island erupted in celebration. Arthur, as their hero, was naturally the center of attention.

Even though Arthur didn't usually drink, he ended up drinking quite a lot thanks to Nojiko, Nami, and Genzo, who was half like a stepfather to the girls, constantly offering him drinks.

However, these ordinary people couldn't handle their alcohol very well.

If it were someone like Shanks, Arthur thought he might lose, but here, even with his average drinking ability, he outlasted the entire village.

Sitting by the campfire, Arthur glanced down at Nami and Nojiko, who were both asleep on his lap. He gently reached out and combed their hair.

Seeing the soft red lips of the two sisters, Arthur quickly recited a mantra in his mind to keep himself calm. 'Stay clear, and the skies won't shake. Stay clear, and the skies won't shake!'

After all, even though Nami had a well-developed body for her age, she wasn't even fifteen yet. And Nojiko, though a little older, was only sixteen.

While Arthur's current body was eighteen, nearly nineteen, he couldn't take advantage of the situation. He had to control himself.

For three days, the entire island celebrated non-stop.

Even though Arthur managed to outdrink the whole village, the people of Cocoyasi Village kept challenging him to drinking contests.

So for three days in a row, Arthur knocked the entire village out with his drinking.

On the fourth day, the festival finally came to an end.

Arthur didn't leave right away but moved into Nami's house. Since her room was filled with various supplies, Arthur ended up sleeping in Nojiko's room.

For the next few days, the three of them lived together like a small family. Occasionally, villagers would stop by to drop off gifts.

Genzo visited twice, making playful jokes that caused Nami and Nojiko to blush and avoid looking at Arthur, before leaving with a hearty laugh.

On the fourth day, Arthur stood looking off into the distance, feeling uneasy.

He had spotted a trace of the Marines.

After carefully sensing the situation, Arthur's body sparked with lightning, and he vanished in a flash.

"30 Million Volts: High-Temperature Shock!"

Forty kilometers away, several Marine warships were sailing together. On one of the ships stood a man with a face resembling a rat—Colonel Nezumi.

For days, Nezumi had been waiting for Arlong to pay him his bribe, but the phone had been silent, making him anxious. "Is that fishman planning to double-cross me? Hmph!"

But just then, four bolts of lightning struck from the sky, instantly turning Nezumi and his three officers into ashes. The sudden strike left the Marines frozen in shock.

After a moment of silence, the crew aboard the warships panicked. Terrified, they began retreating and sent an urgent call to Navy Headquarters.

"Moshi moshi, this is Navy Headquarters. Please state your report," a calm voice answered on the other side.

"Navy Headquarters! This is East Blue's D-37 branch, led by Colonel Nezumi. Just now, our Colonel and three officers were killed by lightning! We suspect it was an attack by a Devil Fruit user!" The remaining officer frantically reported.

"What!? Understood. We'll look into it!" A voice exclaimed on the other end before the call disconnected.

Though Nezumi wasn't strong, he was still a Marine Colonel, and Navy Headquarters took the death of one of their officers seriously.

At Marineford, the Marine Headquarters...

Rapid footsteps echoed, followed by a knock on the door. "Reporting!"

"Come in!" The voice belonged to none other than Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Snapped!

The colonel who entered saluted sharply and reported, "Marshal, Colonel Mouse of the D-37 branch in the East Blue was just struck by lightning and killed, along with three other officers!"

"What?" Sengoku's eyes widened in surprise. The death of a branch colonel in the East Blue, usually considered a peaceful sea, was no trivial matter. Especially when lightning was involved—was it a natural phenomenon or the work of a Devil Fruit user?

Sengoku pondered for a moment before picking up the phone and dialing Garp's line.

"What's up, Sengoku?" Garp's gruff voice came through the transponder snail.

"Garp, Colonel Mouse of the East Blue D-37 branch was just killed by a lightning strike, along with some of his officers. I need you to investigate this. Can you check it out for me?"

Garp, on an island in the East Blue, furrowed his brows. "Got it. I'll look into it," he replied before hanging up.

As Garp stood on the island, his mind raced. He'd heard reports of an electromagnetic anomaly that had ended up on this island. Some locals even claimed to have seen something flying towards the southeast at an impossible speed. Garp felt a sinking feeling in his chest as he realized the implications. Crossing the Calm Belt and reaching this island in a mere six minutes was a feat beyond belief. Even Admiral Kizaru's speed might pale in comparison.

"Who could it be…?"

On the other side, Arthur had just finished his attack. No one was aware that he had struck down Colonel Mouse. That afternoon, Arthur announced his intention to leave the island the following day.

Nuo's cheerful expression dimmed at his words. The past few days with Arthur had stirred unfamiliar feelings in her heart. Nami, too, appeared disheartened, torn between her attachment to her village, her childhood home, and her dream.

Arthur smiled warmly at the two women. "Why the long faces? Nuo, you're coming with us, aren't you?"

Nuo's eyes widened in surprise, but then she quickly looked away, sadness in her voice. "I can't go. Nami can go with you, but I'll stay here to take care of the orange grove and Bermel's grave."

Nami bit her lip, her emotions in turmoil.

"What's stopping you?" Arthur grinned. "We can bring the orange grove and the grave with us!"

Both sisters looked up in shock. Arthur continued to smile as he explained. Since his fight with Shanks months ago, Arthur's abilities had grown significantly. His control over his Devil Fruit powers had skyrocketed. Within three months, he had surpassed 500 million volts, reaching 538 million. Soon, he'd break 540 million volts, and his progress showed no signs of slowing. In time, he would be able to challenge even the strongest in the world, including Whitebeard.

Though it would be a bit of a strain, he had, he could carry the entire orange grove and Bermel's grave to the sky island. The prospect of seeing the sky island intrigued the sisters, and after a night of discussing it, they both agreed to leave with Arthur.

The next morning, the entire village gathered to see them off. They had come to understand Arthur's reason for coming to the East Blue, as well as Nami's dream of drawing a map of the entire world. Now that both had been fulfilled, the villagers wished them well.

However, confusion soon spread as they watched Arthur stand between the orange grove and Nami's home with the two sisters at his side. There was no sign of heading to the port.

Suddenly, Arthur's body crackled with intense lightning. The villagers gasped as the ground beneath the orange grove and Bermel's grave began to separate from the island and float into the air. It was a sight they would never forget, one that would be told for generations to come.

Two hours later, as the floating landmass disappeared into the sky, a warship bearing the distinct symbol of a Shar Pei on its bow approached the island.

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