After disclosing all she knew about the Arlong Pirates' treasure hiding place, little Nami finally collapsed onto the ground, unable to bear the hellish pressure, once Alucard and his crew had left.
It was too terrifying.
Of course, she still didn't realize that the flirtatious look she had just given was the truly "terrifying" part.
"Nami!"
About ten minutes after Alucard's group left, a blue-haired girl about Nami's age, maybe a little older, rushed over. Behind her was a large group of villagers led by Genzo.
It was Nami's adopted sister, Nojiko.
Nojiko rubbed Nami's back with one hand and rested the other on her shoulder, comforting her. "What happened? Are you okay?"
As she spoke, Nojiko looked around at the messy, heavily blood-stained Arlong Park. Suppressing a sickening urge to vomit, she asked, "W-what exactly happened here? Where are the Fish-Men? And A-Arlong, where is he?"
Nami, looking completely shell-shocked, barely managed to lift her head, her gaze vacant. "He... he was eaten."
"What?" Nojiko was stunned, completely failing to grasp the meaning of Nami's words. Indeed, he was eaten.
Nami felt she would never forget the sight of Wolf chewing and swallowing Arlong.
Arlong had spent a considerable amount of money constructing Arlong Park. The Immortal Pirates only managed to recover about 520 million Berries, but that was entirely sufficient for their trip to the East Blue.
Setting sail once more, Alucard sat on the throne on Wolf's back, resting his eyes. The sound of the waves washing over him became a soothing lullaby.
On a ship several hundred meters away, the navigator finished looking at the map and reported to Matthew: "Boss, we'll reach the Captain's destination, Foosha Village, in a few days."
Matthew took the map and looked at the small windmill symbol marking the village in the corner of the map, frowning. "I don't get it. Why would he want to go to a corner of the weakest sea?"
"However, a few dozen miles west of Foosha Village is the richest and most beautiful country in the East Blue, the Goa Kingdom. It's one of the World Government's affiliated nations."
The navigator pointed to a city west of Foosha Village on the map, which was marked with the English abbreviation for "Goa."
"The richest kingdom, huh..."
Matthew rubbed his hands together, excited. "I smell treasure. Get ready to move and snatch everything they have!"
"What about Captain Alucard's orders?"
The navigator's question stumped the pirates, including Matthew.
Even now, Alucard had only said they were going to Foosha Village; he hadn't given the specifics of his orders.
Matthew looked somewhat awkward. "Well, in any case, let's get to Foosha Village first."
A few days later, the Immortal Pirates successfully arrived at Alucard's destination, Foosha Village, an inconspicuous little village located in the borderlands of the East Blue.
"Mayor!"
Mayor Woop Slap of Foosha Village, who was taking a stroll, heard someone call his name from behind. He turned around and saw two villagers running quickly toward him, shouting, "Pirates! Pirates are coming!"
Foosha Village was not a wealthy place and didn't usually attract the attention of Pirates. More importantly, it was the hometown of the Marine Hero Garp; Pirates with any sense wouldn't dare cause trouble here.
"This is serious, Mayor! It's a pirate crew with over a thousand members! One of them is swimming in the sea, and he's... he's several hundred meters tall!"
Hearing the two men, the other villagers on the street looked shocked. Slap frowned, waving his cane at the residents on the street. "Everyone hide in your homes! Don't worry about anything
else! Hurry! I'll notify the Marines!"
The villagers on the street quickly mobilized, returning to their homes, but many still peeked out from the edges of their windows, assessing the situation outside.
"Captain, there's nothing worth stealing in this run-down little village."
"Can we hurry up and get the objective? Moving around aimlessly like this is frustrating."
The villagers heard the murmurs of the group. Looking in the direction of the voices, the villagers hiding inside their houses were startled. So many people! And every single one of them looks vicious.
Alucard noticed a bar nearby, turned, and walked inside. The sight caused many of the observing villagers' hearts to clench in fear. That's Makino's bar!
It was only a small bar and couldn't accommodate many people. After Alucard entered, only a very small number of executives followed him. Even though there were plenty of seats inside, most of the crew chose to wait outside, emanating an aura of "keep away."
A slender woman with a yellow headscarf and medium-length, dark-green hair was wiping down dishes. Seeing Alucard and the others enter, she offered a professional smile.
Alucard sat at the bar counter. Makino smiled and said, "Would you like a drink? Or something to eat?"
"Start with your most distinctive offering, and then... I have something I'd like to ask about," Alucard said calmly.
Makino placed a wooden mug, large enough to hold a liter of water, in front of Alucard and filled it with a pale gold liquid. "This is our Foosha Village specialty wine. I brewed it myself."
Alucard took a couple of sips and commented, "Not bad." Makino smiled. "Thank you."
"Captain, can't you tell us yet? What exactly is the objective? That guy Arlong still doesn't know..."
"Silence."
A single word from Alucard silenced Matthew and the others standing behind him. Alucard said coolly, "I'm about to ask."
Makino was somewhat surprised by the fearful respect Matthew and the others showed. She gave a strained smile. "Then, who are you looking for? If I may say so myself, I know almost
everyone in Foosha Village."
She only hoped she could provide a satisfactory answer so that the men wouldn't take their anger out on the village.
"Is that so? That's perfect."
Alucard tilted his head back, smiled, and spoke the target's name. "He's called Monkey D. Luffy."
Clatter!
Makino, who was wiping a plate, was startled. The plate slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
"Well, do you know him? Don't tell me he's not from this village," Alucard chuckled softly.
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