Chapter 026

"What the hell is happening!?" Sanji shouted at the top of his lungs, causing Luffy to burst out in hysterical laughter.

Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku screamed in terror as they ran for their lives from a very vindictive Zoro, with Usopp in the lead. Several fishmen had stopped and taken notice, but were either too shocked to act or too slow to keep up. Eventually the fishmen that were chasing them lost sight of them, panting heavily and wondering who the hell they were. Whatever, they'd have to report this to Arlong.

Usopp and the bounty hunter duo eventually caught sight of a blue-haired woman, who yelled for them to stop. Panting heavily, they did. Zoro wouldn't kick their asses too hard…hopefully. The woman asked who they were and what on earth they thought they were doing, but was cut off when a fishman showed up and caught sight of them. Usopp screamed but got his slingshot out and stood in front of the bounty hunter duo. "Run, you guys! The brave and honorable Usopp will hold him off!" he said as his legs trembled.

"Stop!" the woman yelled. "You can't harm the fishmen, no matter what!"

That was when Zoro caught up to them. He grinned ferally at his three prey, and walked up to them slowly.

"Zo-Zo-Zoro wait!" Usopp stuttered. "Fishman!" Surprisingly, this caught Zoro's attention. He turned to the fishman and his gaze turned focused as he remembered why they were here.

"Stand back," he said, putting one hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'll cut him."

"I said, don't fight the fishmen!" the blue-haired woman yelled as she whacked Zoro over the head with a hammer. His head was tilted forward for a long while as he stood there, motionless. Eventually, he turned back toward all four of them, and Nojiko felt a chill creep down her spine at the sight of that insane look she was faced with. Usopp and the bounty hunter duo had frozen in place, wondering what they were in for.

"You're all being pretty gutsy today with your fuckin' hammers," he said in a low voice. "Do I look like a mole do you people? Huuh!?"

"Hey, you damn humans! Stop ignoring me and identify yourselves! This is Arlong Park, where fishmen reign supreme, so if you don't want to be taken to Arlong, I suggest you—"

"Beat it, you fish-faced fucker!" Zoro yelled as he spun around and backfisted the fishman in the jaw, sending him crashing into a house to their left.

There was silence as Nojiko wondered who the hell this guy was. Johnny and Yosaku started clapping slowly, before Zoro glared at them and they stopped. "If you're all done pulling hammers out of your asses, we can go find Nami now," he said in irritation.

"Nami?" Nojiko asked in confusion. "What business do you have with her?" Zoro looked at her.

"She's our navigator," he said simply. This only confused Nojiko more before she remembered that Nami had a tendency to infiltrate pirate crews and earn their trust before robbing them penniless.

"If that's the case, then I fear you all have been tricked. I suggest you give up on Nami being in your crew any longer," she replied. Zoro looked at her with a piercing gaze and, never one to shit around, got right to the point.

"Arlong Park falls today," he said before walking away, leaving Nojiko speechless. All she wanted to do was scream at the guy, ask him who the hell he thought he was, and hit him in the head with a hammer a few more times. Was he trying to make every sacrifice they had made for the last 10 years be in vain? She gritted her teeth. His three friends looked back at her for a moment before falling into step behind him silently. She cursed under her breath and followed after them.

Genzo grunted as Arlong lifted him off the ground by the scruff of the neck. "Possession of weapons is a clear sign of rebellious intent," Arlong said with a toothy grin. "I can't just let this slide, now, can I? I'll just have to kill you as an example of what happens to rebels."

"Stop this, Arlong! We won't stand by and let you do this!" a civilian shouted. Shouts of agreement broke out through the crowd of citizens from Cocoyasi Village. Genzo silenced them, however, saying that if they rebelled now, everything would have been in vain. They struggled to accept this, realizing that his intention was to martyr himself now. Arlong laughed at their indecisiveness before bringing Genzo up above his head and preparing to slam him head first into the concrete in order to end his life. Shouts echoed throughout the plaza, and Genzo closed his eyes.

"Certain Death! Exploding Star!!" A concussive force stopped Arlong mid swing, and Genzo slipped from his grip, relatively unharmed. Everyone looked in shock at the new arrival. The kid trembled as he stood on the roof of a small house, holding up a green slingshot. Suddenly, a green-haired, sword-wielding man walked into the plaza, flanked by two other men who also carried swords. The villagers' eyes widened. What was this? A goddamn revolutionary army? They were going to ruin everything!

"Gen-san!" a new voice yelled. They all turned to see Nojiko running over to Genzo with concern written all over her face. She had come with these strangers. Who were they, exactly?

"Sorry, Luffy, I know you probably wanted this one to yourself," Zoro spoke in a low voice as he walked into the middle of the plaza and stopped in front of Arlong. "But I'm ending this. Now." Arlong roared in anger at the sheer audacity.

"You dare attack me, you pathetic humans!? Even though your entire race is inferior, you dare to challenge me!?" Arlong stomped over to him angrily.

All Zoro thought of was the memory of Nami's desperation, an emotion that he never wanted to see on a single comrade's face ever again, as he raised his sword.

He never completed his swing. A large object shot down in front of him, impacting with the ground and leaving a large crater. He recognized said object immediately. In his anger, he hadn't sensed him before. "Luffy! What are you—?"

He never completed his sentence, either. Luffy grabbed him by his arm and jumped before beginning his Geppo, grabbing Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp on the way, and flew right out of the village at speeds that would have made his spectators stare in shock if they weren't doing so already.

A few moments passed, as Arlong stood motionless in the center of the plaza. One of his henchmen finally gathered up the courage to speak with him. "Arlong-san, are you—"

"Find those humans," he said simply. "All of them. I want to rip their flesh open myself." He walked right out of the village, all thoughts of petty rebels and examples forgotten.

.

.

.

.

.

patreon.com/Black_Zetsu

You can subscribe to my Patreon for more advanced chapters in One Piece Community