We approached Arlong Park at dawn, a deliberate choice to catch the fishmen at their least alert—many species having nocturnal tendencies that made early morning their equivalent of midnight. The massive gate loomed before us, emblazoned with Arlong's saw-shark symbol.
"Direct approach?" Luffy asked, already winding up his arm.
"Actually," I said, "let's knock." I stepped forward and rapped firmly on the gate.
After a moment of confused silence from within, a voice called out, "Who dares disturb Arlong at this hour?"
"Travelers seeking an audience," I replied pleasantly.
More muttering, then the gate creaked open to reveal a large fishman with distinctive ray-like features—Kuroobi, Arlong's martial arts expert. He surveyed us with unconcealed disdain.
"Humans? State your business quickly before I lose patience."
Nami stepped forward, throwing back her hood. "My business is eight years overdue."
Kuroobi's eyes widened in recognition, but before he could react, Luffy's fist connected with his face with enough force to send him flying backward into the compound.
"That's for making our navigator cry," Luffy stated, walking calmly through the gate.
We followed into a courtyard filled with startled fishmen scrambling to respond to the sudden intrusion. Arlong himself lounged on an ornate chair beside the central pool, his massive form tensing as he recognized Nami.
"What is the meaning of this, Nami?" he demanded. "Who are these humans?"
"My friends," she replied, her voice steady. "I'm done working for you, Arlong. Our agreement is terminated."
Arlong's laughter echoed across the compound. "Terminated? You seem to misunderstand our arrangement. You belong to me until I say otherwise!"
"She belongs to nobody," Luffy interjected, stepping forward. "And we're here to kick your ass."
The fishmen's collective laughter was expected—three humans challenging their entire crew seemed absurd to them. I used their momentary distraction to assess the battlefield: twenty-seven fishmen including Arlong and his officers, multiple water features they could use tactically, and several civilians gathered outside the gate, drawn by the commotion.
Arlong gestured lazily. "Kill the boy and his companion. Bring Nami to me."
The first wave attacked immediately—ordinary fishman pirates wielding standard weapons. Luffy engaged them with enthusiasm, his rubber limbs snapping out in all directions. "Gum-Gum Gatling!" The rapid-fire punches cleared a path directly toward Arlong, exactly as planned.
I focused on the officers, knowing they posed the real threat. Chew, the smelt-whiting fishman, attacked with his water projectile technique. I dodged with enhanced speed, closing the distance before he could adjust his strategy.
"Fast for a human," he remarked, switching to physical attacks.
"You have no idea," I replied, landing a precise strike to his gills that left him gasping.
Nami engaged the lesser fishmen with her staff, her months of training evident in her confident movements. She wasn't trying to defeat them—just keep them occupied while Luffy and I handled the leadership.
The fight escalated when Hatchan, the six-armed octopus fishman, joined the fray. "Six-Sword Style!" he announced, brandishing a blade in each hand.
I reached into my storage ring, retrieving my utility blade. "One is enough," I countered, channeling energy into the weapon.
Our exchange was fast and technical—his multiple arms giving him an advantage in attack volume, my enhanced speed and precision allowing me to parry and counter. I noticed with satisfaction that Nami had positioned herself near the building entrance, ready for our planned next phase.
"Kai!" Luffy shouted. "Fish-guy is heading underwater!"
Kuroobi had indeed dived into the central pool—a predictable tactic since fishmen gained a significant advantage in water. I tossed Luffy one of our breathing necklaces.
"Time for a swim," I said, donning my own necklace before diving in after Kuroobi.
The underwater battle shifted the dynamics dramatically. Though Kuroobi clearly expected to dominate in his natural element, he was unprepared for my ability to breathe normally and move efficiently underwater. His surprise when I matched his underwater karate techniques was almost comical.
"What manner of human are you?" he gurgled after I countered his Fish-Man Karate: Tide-Breaking Fist with a technique of my own.
"The winning kind," I replied, before delivering a precision strike to his lateral line—a sensory organ unique to aquatic species. The disorientation gave me the opening needed to follow with a knockout blow.
Meanwhile, Luffy had pursued Chew into the pool, the breathing necklace negating his Devil Fruit weakness. His underwater fighting style was unorthodox but effective—using the pool walls to launch himself like a pinball while his rubber properties absorbed the underwater pressure changes.
When we both surfaced, dragging our unconscious opponents, only Arlong remained standing—the rest of his crew either defeated or fled. The saw-shark fishman's expression had transformed from amusement to cold fury.
"You dare..." he snarled, rising to his full impressive height. "You dare come to my domain and attack my kind? I'll show you the difference between our species!"
He charged with frightening speed, his saw-nose aimed directly at Luffy's chest. Luffy dodged, but Arlong's follow-up caught him off-guard, sending him crashing through a wall.
"Luffy!" Nami cried out.
I moved to intercept Arlong's next attack, blade meeting saw in a clash that sent vibrations up my arm despite my enhanced strength. This close, the fishman's physical superiority was evident—raw power that exceeded even my augmented capabilities.
"You smell strange for a human," Arlong growled, pressing his advantage. "But you'll die all the same!"
I disengaged, creating space to reassess. "Luffy, now!" I called.
On cue, Luffy's arm stretched from the rubble, grabbing Arlong's ankle and yanking him off-balance. I capitalized immediately, landing a solid blow to his gills similar to the one that had incapacitated Chew.
Arlong roared in pain but adapted quickly, using his momentum to roll away and dive into the central pool. The water churned violently before he shot upward like a missile, his signature attack—Shark on Darts.
"Predictable," I muttered, sidestepping at the last possible moment. As he passed, I slapped something onto his back—a small disk I'd prepared specifically for this fight.
Luffy had recovered now, moving to flank Arlong from the opposite side. "You hurt Nami," he stated simply. "No one who makes my friends cry gets away with it."
Arlong laughed cruelly. "That human belongs to me! Her talent is wasted on your kind!"
"She's not a thing!" Luffy's anger manifested physically as he stretched both arms far behind him. "Gum-Gum BAZOOKA!"
The massive double-palm strike caught Arlong directly in the chest, sending him crashing through the first floor of his own headquarters. I noticed with satisfaction that my disk remained attached to his back, its tiny lights now blinking rapidly.
"What did you put on him?" Nami asked, joining us now that the lesser threats were neutralized.
"Insurance," I explained. "A neural disruptor calibrated to fishman physiology. It won't kill him, but it will—"
A pained roar from inside the building confirmed my explanation as the device activated, temporarily paralyzing Arlong's voluntary nervous system. We found him collapsed in what appeared to be a mapmaking room, surrounded by navigation charts and drawing implements.
Nami froze in the doorway. "This is where he kept me," she whispered. "Day after day, year after year."
Arlong, unable to move but still conscious, glared up at us. "Those maps... are my property. She is... my property!"
Luffy's expression darkened. He turned to Nami. "Is this the room?"
She nodded once, tears forming.
Without another word, Luffy began systematically destroying everything—tables, maps, instruments—while Arlong watched in helpless fury. Each crash seemed to lift a weight from Nami's shoulders until she was standing straighter than I'd ever seen her.
When the destruction was complete, Luffy stood over Arlong. "She's free now. And you're finished."
The aftermath required almost as much planning as the battle itself. I retrieved a special artifact from my storage ring—a book-shaped object I'd created weeks ago in preparation for this moment.
"What's that?" Luffy asked as I placed it on the ground near the unconscious fishmen we'd gathered in the courtyard.
"A prison," I explained, opening the cover. A miniature but perfect replica of a marine prison facility was visible inside, complete with cells, guard stations, and all necessary facilities. "Specially designed to contain dangerous individuals when proper authorities can't be trusted."
Using a specific gesture, I activated the book's function. One by one, the defeated fishmen were absorbed into its pages, appearing as tiny figures inside the miniature prison.
"They'll remain here, fed and contained but unable to escape, until we can arrange proper justice—not corrupt Marine 'justice' like Nezumi would provide," I explained to the gathered villagers who watched in amazement.
"He's right," Nami addressed her people. "The Marines in this area work for Arlong. We can't trust them to handle this properly."
Genzo, the village leader with his pinwheel hat, stepped forward. "Then what happens now?"
"Now," I said, closing the prison book and securing it, "you rebuild. Without Arlong's oppression or tribute demands, you can restore Cocoyashi Village to what it once was."
The celebration lasted three days—a cathartic release of eight years of suffering and fear. The entire mood of the island transformed overnight; children played openly in the streets, farmers returned to their fields with new purpose, and laughter became commonplace again.
Through it all, the three of us were treated as heroes, though Nami was undoubtedly the center of attention—the prodigal daughter who had never stopped fighting for her home.
On our third night, I found myself alone on the beach, watching the moon's reflection on the calm sea. Footsteps in the sand announced Nami's approach before she settled beside me.
"Thank you," she said simply. "For knowing what I needed before I did."
"You would have found your way eventually," I replied. "You're stronger than you realize."
She leaned against my shoulder, comfortable in the silence between us. After a while, she asked, "So what happens now? Luffy still wants us both in his crew."
"And what do you want?"
She considered this seriously. "Eight years of my life were stolen by Arlong. Now that I'm free... I want to see the world. Draw maps of places no one has properly charted. And..." she hesitated, then continued more softly, "I want to understand what you are, Kai. Where you came from. Why you seem to know things no one should know."
I smiled at the night sky. "That's a long journey in itself."
Nami suddenly leaned over and pressed her lips against mine—briefly but deliberately—before pulling back with a teasing smile. "Then I guess you're stuck with me until I figure it out." She stood, brushing sand from her clothes. "Goodnight, mystery boy."
As she walked away, I touched my lips thoughtfully. The timeline had definitely changed now, branching into uncharted territory. Yet somehow, watching her silhouette against the village lights, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.