7. Women Must Have Courage

East Blue.

Cocoyasi Village.

"Shahahaha, lowly humans are born to be dominated by Fish-Men."

"You are the first one to be punished by Lord Arlong...for boring love."

Arlong, with his jagged nose, stood with one hand on his hip and a gun pressed to a human woman's forehead.

"Nojiko, Nami... I love you."

Arlong laughed cruelly, pressing the gun against Bell-mère's head: "Shahahaha, under my rule, all the guys without money will die!"

"You understand it all!! Lower races!!"

The eyes of the surrounding villagers showed fear and helplessness.

"Huh... If you love them, shouldn't you protect them?"

From a distance, a figure slowly walked towards the crowd, carrying a long sword.

Bell-mère, with blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, was already resigned to death, but this lazy voice was like a heavy hammer hitting her heart.

"Inferior..."

Swoosh!

Before Arlong finished speaking, a white light flashed before everyone's eyes, and then they saw a huge arm flying through the air.

"Damn!!! Damn it!!!"

Blood spurted from the severed arm. Before the surrounding Fish-Men and villagers could react, Dylan kicked Arlong to the ground and pressed Shura against his chest.

"Higher race? Huh?"

A salmon Fish-Man holding a wine bottle saw Arlong being knocked down instantly and quickly shouted: "Hey! You bastard, our eldest brother is Jinbei..."

Hearing this, Arlong's pupils shrank: "Don't mention his name, we don't want to rely on that traitor's reputation!"

"Jinbei? That stupid fat man. I heard he never left humans alive in the past few years? When I find him, I'll beat him and make fish head soup!"

"You..." Arlong spat out a mouthful of blood, showing no intention of giving in: "Shahahaha, damn lower race, you think you can make the great Fish-Man surrender this way?"

"Can't?"

Dylan smirked as energy poured into the handle of his sword. A visible ripple spread out, and the massive impact pressed Arlong's body directly into the ground.

"The Arlong Pirates attacked human villages and towns, killed civilians, and all members...were executed!"

Everyone's vision blurred as a black shadow, difficult to identify with the naked eye, shuttled around, accompanied by a subtle cutting sound in the air.

When the surrounding noise dispersed, except for Arlong and an octopus who were knocked into the ground by Dylan, all members of the original Arlong Pirates lay in pieces on the ground.

The air was suddenly filled with the smell of blood and the Fish-Men's unique fishy odor.

"Hey, that octopus, Jinbei's name can't save you. Why don't you try to lift Rayleigh out and save your life?"

The octopus Fish-Man Hatchan's mouth was like a trumpet, and he was speechless in surprise: "You...you..."

Seeing the frightened octopus with no fighting spirit, Dylan turned around and ignored him, carrying the bloody Shura back to Arlong.

"What should we do? A higher race... how about you buy your life with money?"

"How much is the life of your hairtail fish worth? Five berries or ten berries? Huh?"

"You bastard! Despicable human being!! The Fish-Man will not give in!"

Bang bang~

Dylan inserted Shura next to Arlong's neck and clapped.

"What admirable courage, but such a pity..."

Dylan held the Shura sword handle with his backhand.

Black-red sword light rose from the ground.

Except for his head, Arlong's body disappeared instantly.

"I won't accept this!"

Hatchan, standing not far away, was frightened by the sharp edge shooting into the sky, and the humans also showed shocked expressions.

"Hey! Octopus monster,"

Dylan raised his foot and kicked Arlong's head toward Hatchan.

Seeing the ferocious head flying over, Hatchan instinctively wanted to avoid it, but his body froze under Dylan's gaze. He reached out blankly to catch Arlong's still angry head.

"Go back to Fish-Man Island and tell Fatty Blue and the bastards in Fish-Man District."

Shura returned to its sheath, all its sharpness gone.

"If I encounter even one so-called 'advanced race' on the sea again... I'll raze your Fish-Man District!"

After the crowd had disposed of the corpses of the Arlong Pirates, everyone else left. Only Genzo and Bell-mère, mother and daughter, stayed where they were, looking at the young man sitting on the stone.

"Are you... are you... Marine?" Genzo swallowed and looked at the tall young man in white. Although he didn't attack humans, the aura he exuded just now almost made them faint.

"Ah...yes, I'm Marine." Dylan crossed his legs and placed Shura under the orange tree next to him.

"So... may I ask who you are..."

"I came find someone," Dylan looked up at Bell-mère, who had pink hair.

Bell-mère noticed the way he looked at her and was surprised: "You came to see me?"

"Yes," Dylan leaned against the orange tree and gently held Shura's scabbard: "On behalf of myself, I invite you to join my team and return to the Marines."

"I..." Bell-mère, who has been retired for nearly 10 years, was in a bit of a dilemma. She had been away from the battlefield for too long, and Nami and Nojiko were still young.

"I am Marine, not a pirate. I won't force you, nor will I use kindness to coerce you. After all, it's a Marine's duty to protect civilians, isn't it?"

Bell-mère hesitated for a moment, looked at her frightened daughters beside her, and then said after a pause: "Then I..."

"Join in!"

There was a loud shout from the side.

"You must join! Bell-mère, I know this is your dream. Nami and Nojiko will be taken care of by me and the people in the village."

Genzo, the village guard, said loudly: "Follow your dreams! Bell-mère, when you become stronger, remember to protect the village."

The older Nojiko also reacted. Although she was in tears, she tugged on the corner of Nami's clothes, walked up to Bell-mère, and hugged her.

"Aunt Bell, thank you for raising us. Remember to come back and see us often when you return to the Marines."

Nami also raised her little face and looked at Bell-mère: "When I grow up, can I take Bell-mère's warship to draw navigation charts?"

"Really..." Bell-mère knelt down and hugged her two thin daughters tightly, then turned to look at Genzo: "What do you mean by protecting the village? Isn't this a man's job?"

"This is not like you, Bell. Didn't you say that women should be full of courage?"

Genzo laughed, with a look of relief on his face.

"Hey, let me tell you, She is going to be a Marine, not to Impel Down. You don't have to make the atmosphere so sad. She can always come back."

Dylan, next to him, couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted their emotional scene.

Bell-mère burst into tears and smiled: "That's right. For such a powerful man like you, as your subordinate, I'm afraid it would be very difficult for me to die."

Bell-mère patted the two little sisters on the back to signal them to let go of her, then stood up: "Then, can I ask, why did you choose me?"

"Why?" Dylan smirked and looked at Bell-mère: "Pirates need companions, and of course, Marines do too. As for why you...it's because of your 'courage'. I believe this is the most unparalleled potential."

Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~

"Hi, I'm Dylan."

"Ah, have you arrived in East Blue yet? Rhodes' head has been sent back to the headquarters for verification. In addition, the headquarters has re-evaluated your merits in East Blue. Congratulations, Rear Admiral Dylan."

"Hmm... Rear Admiral... just so-so."

"Are you displeased? It's really nerve-wracking. By the way, didn't the Den Den Mushi say that you met someone from the Charlotte family? How's it going?"

Bell-mère, next to him, heard Aokiji's nonchalant tone, and her heart filled with panic. The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi...it was Admiral Aokiji!?

Can this man communicate directly with an Admiral?

"I cut him down, but let him go..."

"Let go?"

Dylan stood up and carried Shura on his shoulders: "Let him go. Now is not a good time to start a war with the pirates in the New World, so I made a deal with Linlin, and she bought her son."

"·······"

There was silence on the other side of the Den Den Mushi, and Aokiji's voice came back after a long pause: "You don't need to tell me this kind of thing."

Dylan laughed: "Are you going to report me to Sengoku? If I really go back with Daifuku's head, Sengoku will go crazy."

"Ah... you really know Sengoku-san. Forget it, just let him go. But won't the Charlotte family leak the news?"

"Don't worry, if the news leaks out, I will be expelled from the Marines at most, but the Charlotte family will be embarrassed in front of other big pirates. They won't tell, and the crocodile is not a fool, and he won't dare to tell it."

"It's good if you understand. By the way, you are the Rear Admiral now. Come back as soon as possible after the East Blue matter is dealt with and replace me..."

Kachak!

Marineford, Aokiji looked at the Den Den Mushi, who closed his eyes and fell into thought.

Is he the Admiral or am I the Admiral?

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