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The Strongest Frost Loli (155)
🕑 Added 2024-11-11 17:00:06 +0000 UTCChapter 155 - Aftermath
Arlong Park crumbled.
The fierce battle between Luffy and Arlong had finally taken its toll on the structure, sending it crashing down. Though no one had been positioned directly beneath the falling debris, both Luffy and Arlong were caught in the collapse.
The villagers of Cocoyasi, along with Luffy's crew, watched with bated breath, sighing in relief as Luffy emerged from the rubble, dusting himself off. Being a Rubber Man, even being buried under tons of debris posed no real threat to him.
"Nami!!! You're my nakama!!!"
Luffy’s triumphant cry echoed across the wreckage, marking the end of the fight. As the villagers erupted in cheers, Luffy, his steps unsteady, began to descend the pile of rubble when a new figure appeared.
“Tch, tch, tch, not so fast!”
A Marine. The man, with “Justice” emblazoned on his back, approached with a smug grin. His subordinates were trailing behind him.
“What a lucky day! I never would have thought a no-name pirate crew like yours could defeat the Fish-men!”
Captain Nezumi, of the 16th Marine Branch, considered himself fortunate.
The money meant for Arlong, the treasures hoarded within Arlong Park – all of it would be reported to headquarters as his accomplishment. A tremendous haul. The mere thought of it brought a greedy smile to his face as he stared at Luffy.
"You've worked hard, but I'll be taking all the credit!"
He declared this proudly, only to be abruptly lifted off his feet by Jinbe, who had appeared behind him, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck.
Nezumi’s eyes widened in shock as he struggled against Jinbe's iron grip, yelling, "Let go of me!" But Jinbe’s face was a mask of fury, and Nezumi’s frantic struggles were in vain.
“What do you think you’re doing?! Interrupting this island’s celebration?!”
“You…!! There are still more Fish-men?! Damn it, you useless lot, shoot him! Hurry!”
“B-but, sir…”
One of Nezumi’s subordinates stammered, his face ashen. He had seen that face before. It couldn’t be, not in this backwater sea, yet… he recognized the man before him as one of the Seven Warlords, a figure he'd only seen in newspapers.
“H-he’s… Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea…!”
“Jinbe?! Don't be ridiculous! A Warlord wouldn’t be in a pathetic little sea like this!”
"Pathetic or not, where I go is my business!"
In the blink of an eye, Nezumi’s face was bruised and swollen from Jinbe's swift blows. His subordinates, despite attempting to follow his orders, were no match for Jinbe, and a pile of injured Marines quickly formed.
The villagers of Cocoyasi were confused. Another Fish-man to defeat? But Luffy and his crew showed no inclination to fight Jinbe.
After tying up the incapacitated Marines, Jinbe sat down cross-legged and bowed his head deeply.
“Luffy, I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused. And to the people of Cocoyasi Village… I can't find the words to express my apologies. I am truly sorry.”
The villagers exchanged bewildered glances. Genzo and Nojiko, having gleaned some understanding of the situation, stepped forward. They explained to the villagers that Jinbe had come to stop Arlong and was now apologizing in his stead. Jinbe remained bowed throughout their explanation, while Luffy and his crew, treating it as a separate issue, didn't interfere.
When the explanation finished, Genzo and Nojiko turned to Jinbe.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
“Arlong has been defeated. We don't ask for anything more, but…”
“I’ll take responsibility for Arlong and his crew. Some might say they should be imprisoned, but seeing the state of the Marine branch here… I've decided it’s best if I keep an eye on them.”
Imprisoning Arlong in the local jail would be futile. Impel Down would be an option, but as a Warlord, a symbol of human-Fish-man reconciliation, Jinbe couldn’t bear the shame of having his sworn brother incarcerated there. His position wasn't for his own benefit, but for Fish-Man Island. He couldn’t tarnish it for personal reasons.
“A ship will arrive in a few days to collect them. Until then, I’ll keep watch over these fools. Please rest assured.”
“…Alright. We’ll leave it to you.”
Seeing the Jinbe situation resolved, the villagers rushed off to spread the news of Arlong’s defeat throughout the island. Only Luffy and his crew, along with Genzo and Nojiko, remained.
“By the way, what are we going to do with them?”
Zoro gestured towards the heap of bruised and battered Marines. They had a ship, but letting them go scot-free after such blatant corruption was unacceptable. Nami, in particular, was furious. Arlong had destroyed her mother’s tangerine grove and stolen the nearly 100 million berries she had painstakingly saved, money she had even resorted to stealing from pirates to accumulate.
She splashed water on Nezumi’s face, waking him up with a slap.
“Ow! What the hell are you doing, you little brat?!”
“Shut up! You and your men are going to help rebuild Gosa Village and clean up Arlong Park! And don’t even think about touching the treasures in Arlong Park! That’s the village’s money!”
She pinched his cheek hard.
“Give me back my money!”
“I-I’ll give it back! I’ll give it back!”
Nezumi, seemingly resigned to his fate, confessed that the money was still on board his ship. Jinbe retrieved the ship, and Nami, barely waiting for it to dock in Arlong Park’s bay, boarded and began inspecting the contents. After confirming that all the money was there, she beamed as Jinbe approached her, a hesitant expression on his face.
“…Uh, you…”
“What?”
“This is awkward, but… I don’t think these Marines will be much help with the rebuilding.”
“Huh? Why not? We can make them help.”
“Well… A ship is coming to take Arlong and his crew away. When that happens, the news will inevitably reach Marine Headquarters.”
In other words, Nezumi was as good as fired. And his subordinates would face some sort of punishment. After what they had done, Cocoyasi Village would never accept Nezumi. Without a job, Nezumi would have no choice but to become a pirate.
Nami, Sanji, and Usopp exchanged knowing glances, a chorus of “Ah…” escaping their lips, while Zoro and Luffy remained oblivious. Genzo and Nojiko simply shrugged, as if to say, "It can’t be helped."
“So, they’re unreliable as a workforce… That’s a bit of a problem.”
“I’ll help while I’m here.”
“That would be a great help. We’re short-handed.”
“It’s the least I can do after causing so much trouble.”
For now, everyone was simply happy to be free from Arlong’s tyranny. Worrying about the future could wait. Luffy and his crew also needed to tend to their injuries. Jinbe, offering to stay behind at Arlong Park to watch over Arlong and the Marines, bid Luffy and his crew farewell.
***
That night, Arlong, having received some emergency treatment, woke up and stared at Jinbe in disbelief.
“Jinbe… Big Brother…!!”
“You’re awake.”
“…Why are you here?”
“I heard rumors about you causing trouble. I had to come and stop you myself.”
Though it seemed unnecessary now, Jinbe added. Arlong glared at him, but his battered body wouldn’t allow him to even raise a hand. The other Fish-men were also starting to wake up, their eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Jinbe. Arlong, still lying down, stared at the ceiling, trying to process his defeat at Luffy’s hands.
“…So, even if I had defeated Straw Hat, you would have been waiting.”
“Indeed.”
“It was a dead end either way. Damn it.”
He muttered this bitterly. Jinbe, watching him, finally asked the question that had been on his mind.
“Why didn’t you try to understand Brother Tiger’s words?”
“…Walk alongside humans? Don’t make me laugh.”
He respected Fisher Tiger. He still considered him a dear brother, and wished they could remain on good terms. But he despised Twilight, the organization Tiger had joined, the organization that preached reconciliation between humans and Fish-men.
“We were raised being told that humans are evil. You too, Brother. You know what humans have done to us in the past… Humans are inherently sinful, just by being human.”
“Don’t dwell on the past! We live in the present! Brother Tiger felt the same. He was always looking towards the future!”
“And yet, humans still buy Fish-men and merfolk at high prices to enslave them!! You know what those Celestial Dragon bastards did to Brother Tiger!!”
When Fisher Tiger disbanded the Sun Pirates and reformed the crew, he had told them about his past. Everyone had been shocked and enraged, but… Tiger himself had quelled his anger, and they had been forced to follow suit. It wasn’t their place to be angry when the victim himself had forgiven.
But Arlong hadn’t accepted it. The Celestial Dragons, who had committed unspeakable acts against his beloved brother, were, in Arlong's eyes, simply humans. The hatred he had accumulated over the years, fueled by his ingrained belief in the inherent wickedness of humans, had ultimately manifested in the worst possible way, hindering Tiger’s dream.
“That Witch bitch too! I don’t trust her one bit!! She abandoned Brother Tiger, and then, when it suited her, she turned around and acted like his best friend!!”
“Brother Tiger left her crew of his own volition! Don’t speak ill of her when you know nothing about her!”
Jinbe grabbed Arlong by the collar. They stared at each other, their faces inches apart, but the confrontation didn't escalate into violence. Jinbe released his grip and sat back down, turning his back on Arlong. Arlong winced, perhaps from the pain of his injuries, and lay back down.
After a moment of silence, Arlong spoke quietly.
“…I don’t know any other pirate who’s as close to the government’s inner circle as that woman. There’s no way she wouldn’t have known about Brother Tiger’s situation.”
“…”
“In the end, that’s just how humans are. She abandoned him because he was a Fish-man.”
“…That’s just your assumption.”
Logically, a mere human couldn’t possibly know everything. But to Jinbe and Arlong, the woman known as the Witch was an anomaly. With her vast network of informants and resources spanning across the seas, it wasn’t inconceivable that she could have learned about Tiger’s situation. Asking her directly might offer some clarity, but there was a high chance she would simply manipulate them. She was, after all, a figure who could engage in political maneuvering with the highest echelons of the World Government. Jinbe didn’t think he could win a verbal sparring match against her.
“If Brother Tiger trusted her, then I will too. She saved my life. I owe her a debt.”
“Hmph… Do as you please.”
Arlong fell silent. The pain from his injuries and exhaustion must have finally caught up with him, and he seemed to have drifted off to sleep.
Jinbe stared up at the night sky, lost in thought.
If…
If they had only realized Tiger’s situation sooner… perhaps Arlong wouldn’t have become so twisted. It was a cowardly thought, blaming others. Jinbe shook his head, dismissing the idea, and decided to sleep. The night sea was dangerous. Even Marines and Fish-men wouldn't risk escaping into it. He would have to keep watch for a few days. It was best to conserve his energy.
