Chapter 10: Cocoyasi Village
"Twenty million Beri, huh..."
That’s quite a hefty bounty, Reiner thought.
Too bad they were pirates and couldn’t cash it in. Still, Arlong had been accumulating wealth for years; there was probably a lot of treasure to be gained.
As for whether they could win... Arlong was certainly strong in the original story, but...
Reiner figured it would be an easy fight.
He was very confident. In a head-on confrontation, just sending out the Wolverine summon might be enough.
Since it was undead, without the concept of life, he could repair any damage.
Even if it got tied up, Reiner could simply recall it and summon it again.
Relying on its high speed and high attack, as long as it could inflict damage, it could wear Arlong down to death.
As Nami continued her explanation, the group got a better idea of Arlong’s strength.
"He can flip a house over barehanded??"
Usopp immediately collapsed onto the deck, clutching his chest dramatically. "Oh no! I’ve contracted a strange disease where I’ll die if I set foot off this ship!"
"Arlong is all up to you guys now."
"Are you okay, Usopp!?"
Luffy turned, saw Usopp suddenly collapse, and panicked, rushing over and shaking him.
Watching these two clowns, Nami and Zoro’s faces darkened. They sighed, rubbing their foreheads. "This idiot..."
"Anyway, Arlong is very strong," Nami said worriedly. "I know you guys are monster-level strong too, but honestly, I’m still not sure. If we fail, we’ll all die!"
Reiner spoke up reassuringly with a smile. "They’re really strong. Plus, you have me... I mean, my undead. There won’t be any problems."
*This is totally in the bag!*
"Besides Arlong himself, a few of his subordinates are also worth noting: Hatchan, Kuroobi, Chew..."
Nami began introducing Arlong’s officers.
Reiner didn’t remember any of the names Nami mentioned, except vaguely recalling Hatchan.
Still, it sounded like Arlong had quite a few subordinates.
Fish-Men naturally possess ten times the physical strength of humans; collecting them one by one to use as grunts wouldn’t be bad.
Plus, they were all excellent swimmers, an invaluable asset at sea.
He felt happy just thinking about the potential gains.
Sailing on the open sea was quite boring, and now Reiner’s undead handled all the chores.
The crew had limited activities. Luffy and Usopp passed the time fishing.
Nami stayed in her room drawing sea charts, using the high-quality paper and ink she got from Kaya.
Reiner, meanwhile, lifted weights with Zoro. He was actually diligent about training, partly because his ability couldn’t collect templates from those significantly stronger than himself.
Like Garp, for instance.
Additionally, training his physical body was essential to eventually meet the threshold for learning two types of Haki.
"Speaking of which, Zoro, your strength is insane," Reiner couldn’t help but remark, eyeing the massive barbell in Zoro’s hands.
He roughly estimated it had to be around two tons, yet Zoro was casually doing nearly a thousand squats with it!
"Ah~, probably because I’ve been training constantly since I was a kid," Zoro glanced at Reiner. "You, on the other hand, your endurance is incredible."
The barbell Reiner held was only one ton, far less than Zoro’s, but he had already done two thousand squats.
"It’s because controlling my undead consumes my stamina, so I focused on training that aspect."
"Of course, the main reason is the boost from my Devil Fruit; my recovery rate is far beyond a normal person’s."
"Is that so? Devil Fruits have abilities like that?"
"Yeah, Zoan type Devil Fruits grant significant enhancements to the user’s physical abilities."
In the East Blue, Devil Fruits were legendary items to most people.
Details about their different types were even less known.
Reiner patiently explained it to Zoro.
"Wait a minute! Based on what you’re saying, wouldn’t Logia types be invincible?"
Zoro was astonished after hearing the explanation.
Being able to transform one’s body into an element sounded like something out of a fantasy tale.
"Not necessarily invincible. There are still ways to counter them."
Reiner went on to explain Seastone and Haki to Zoro, leaving him stunned.
"Well, you’ll see these things for yourself eventually."
"Is that so? The sea truly holds all kinds of wonders."
Zoro said with fascination. "That man probably possesses the kind of power you mentioned too. And here I was thinking about challenging him after setting sail... looks like I’m still far too lacking."
"You mean the World’s Strongest Swordsman, right? He could probably beat you without even using a sword, hahaha."
"If he appeared before you right now, would you challenge him?"
Hearing this, Zoro glanced at Reiner, thought for a moment, and said, "I don’t know. Probably, yes."
"Is that so? Figures, you stubborn mule." *(Lit: Iron Head King)*
Reiner gave a slight cough, silently roasting/commenting in his mind.
Old times had daredevil, who was courage incarnate.
And you, my friend...
You are daredevil incarnate! *(Translator’s note: Implying reckless bravery rather than just courage)*
And so, two days passed. The Going Merry finally carried them to the waters near the Conomi Islands.
This was an archipelago composed of over twenty small islands, each with its own village.
Without exception, all were under Arlong’s rule. Everyone was forced to pay fees; failure to pay meant death.
Several villages had even been completely wiped out.
"Let’s head to Cocoyasi Village first. If we go straight to Arlong Park, our ship will probably be destroyed before we even get close," Nami said quietly, her face grim.
Her mood was written all over her face, and the others remained silent.
Reiner summoned two undead to handle the ship’s helm. Following Nami’s directions, the Going Merry slowly sailed towards Cocoyasi Village.
"It’s pirates! Pirates are here!"
"Quick, go find Genzo!"
"Wait, look! Isn’t that Nami up there?"
The villagers were clearly thrown into disarray by the Merry’s appearance, but soon they spotted Nami standing at the bow.
"I’m back, everyone!"
"It’s Nami! She’s back!"
"Quick, go tell Genzo and Nojiko."
"No need, we’ll head straight over."
"Okay then... By the way, Nami, these pirates behind you..."
Several villagers at the port eyed the crew with a degree of caution.
Nami smiled and waved dismissively. "Don’t worry, they’re not bad people. They’re my nakama."
"Is that so? Well, anyway, it’s good that you’re safe, Nami."
"Then I’ll head back now, everyone. Goodbye."
With that, Nami led them towards the village.
Occasionally, they saw houses that had been completely overturned.
Although they had heard about it from Nami, seeing it firsthand still made them marvel at the astonishing strength of the Fish-Men.
"Hey, are you kidding me? Are we really going to fight monsters like that?"
Usopp was already starting to tremble.
Nami led the way, speaking without turning back:
"Arlong’s crew doesn’t know we’re here yet. If you want to back out, now’s the time. I won’t say anything if you just leave."
"Don’t underestimate us, stupid woman! I can do that kind of thing too."
The only one on the ship who called Nami ’stupid woman’ was Zoro.
Reiner had no doubt Zoro could flip a house; in terms of sheer wrist strength, even Luffy couldn’t compare.
Though when Luffy fought, the tension generated by stretching his rubber body significantly increased his actual attack power.
"We already said you’re our navigator. We’re not going to give up."
Luffy’s face wore a rare serious expression.
Reiner lit a cigarette and followed behind. Soon, the group arrived at Nami’s tangerine grove.
As they approached, they heard the sounds of an argument coming from within.
"...Stop it! This is all money Nami worked painstakingly hard to save!"
"What saved money? This was all stolen! It’s illicit funds and should be confiscated!"
"Damn it! Can you even call yourselves Marines acting !?"
"Oh no!" Hearing the commotion, Nami gasped, gritted her teeth, and rushed into the tangerine grove.
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