Target, Little Thief Cat!**
Adrift on the endless azure sea, a small pirate ship with a hand-painted Jolly Roger sailed without a clear destination.
On deck, Esdeath leaned against the railing, eyes closed in meditation.
The cabin was too cramped—and after days at sea, far too pungent—for proper focus.
Willie squatted at the stern, tinkering with something mysterious.
Sealy and Old Johnny huddled over nautical charts in the wheelhouse, deep in their daily ritual of trying (and mostly failing) to decipher their location.
And their fearless captain—the notorious "Death God" Yang Ning, 8-million-Berry bounty and all—was currently **wrestling a fish** on the deck.
It was a massive, scaleless, bright red creature—nearly two meters long, with jagged teeth and a temperament as foul as its breath.
Yang Ning had it pinned with arms and legs, wrestling like his life depended on it.
"Hey, Esdeath! Come help me!"
From her perch, the silver-haired swordswoman let out an almost imperceptible sigh—without even opening her eyes.
This was Yang Ning's sixth battle with a sea beast this week. His record? Four wins, two losses.
*Thump. Crack. Splash.*
Abandoned once again, he thrashed, grunted, and finally—triumphantly—subdued the thrashing monster.
"Hehe! Another fish I've never seen before," he declared, panting. "We're having a feast tonight, Esdeath!"
"Mm. Tie it up and toss it in the kitchen," came the calm reply. "I'll handle it later."
When it came to cooking, the swordswoman never missed a beat.
After securing the fish, Yang Ning strolled over to the helm.
"How's the research coming today?"
Same question. Same routine. Same expected answer.
But today—miraculously—was different.
Old Johnny looked up, eyes gleaming with the exhausted joy of a student who'd finally cracked an impossible problem.
"We've got it! The flight path—I've triangulated our position. I *know* where we are!"
Yang Ning squinted at him sideways.
*This old coot actually figured it out? He can pinpoint our location in the middle of nowhere?*
He didn't believe it—but he played along.
"Good work! You get the fattest slice of fish belly tonight. Now—where's the nearest island?"
Johnny pointed to a mark on the chart.
"Southeast. Five days' sail. The **Konomie Archipelago**."
*Wait… Konomie?*
The name rang a bell—loudly.
And then Johnny dropped the bombshell:
"I heard there's a Fish-Man pirate crew based there. Even **Krieg** avoids that area."
*Fish-Man Pirates… in the East Blue?*
That could only mean one thing: **Arlong's gang**.
And if Arlong was there, then **Cocoyasi Village**—Nami's hometown—had to be nearby.
Yang Ning did a quick mental calculation.
It was early winter, Sea Calendar Year 1521.
Luffy wouldn't set sail until early summer 1522.
Which meant… **Nami hadn't been "kidnapped" by the Straw Hats yet.**
She was still trapped—forced to draw maps for Arlong, her village bleeding dry under his tyranny.
A slow grin spread across Yang Ning's face.
*Perfect.*
He'd just been complaining about needing a navigator.
Who better than the future Straw Hat cartographer herself?
*Little thief cat… Fish-Man Pirates…*
*Well, here I come.*
"Set course!" he announced, adjusting the *Windbreaker*'s rudder with a flourish.
"**Destination: Konomie Islands!**"
---
Meanwhile, in **Cocoyasi Village**…
A crowd of villagers stood gathered at the entrance—not by choice, but by fear.
Before them loomed a squad of Fish-Men:
- **Kuroobi**: tall, pale-skinned shark-man, twin topknots swaying.
- **Chew**: lanky, blue-skinned kissing gourami with a permanent sneer.
- And three others, equally grotesque.
At their front stood a yellow-skinned Fish-Man, gold tattoos blazing on his forehead and chest. He barked:
"Time to pay! Adults—100,000 Belly. Kids—50,000. Hand it over—*now*."
He tossed an empty sack at their feet.
No one resisted.
One by one, the villagers shuffled forward, dropping their hard-earned coins into the bag.
Soon, it bulged with Pele—enough to feed a family for months.
Jinbei—no, **not Jinbei**, just a grunt under Arlong—counted the loot, smirked, and signaled his crew to leave.
Only when the Fish-Men vanished over the horizon did the villagers dare breathe.
Tears flowed.
"It's too much… we can't keep this up."
"They're killing us slowly…"
They'd seen what happened to villages that resisted—**wiped off the map**.
Even the Navy had tried—and been **annihilated at sea**.
What hope did simple farmers have?
Among them stood a man with a windmill in his hair and a scar across his face—Genzo, the village constable.
His fists clenched and unclenched, trembling with helpless rage.
Only when a blue-haired girl tugged his arm and shook her head did he sag, defeated.
He turned and walked silently toward the orange grove.
*Just a powerless policeman…*
---
Back at sea, the *Windbreaker* lived up to its name—cutting through waves like a blade through silk.
Five days passed in a blur.
The Konomie Archipelago sprawled across more than twenty islands.
Cocoyasi Village sat on just one of them—but Yang Ning had no idea which.
Old Johnny knew even less. In fact, he hadn't even heard of the village.
With no choice, they landed on the nearest island.
The docking was easy—every island here had piers.
But they were **eerily abandoned**. No merchants. No warships. Just a few weathered fishing boats.
And the fishermen?
They didn't flee. Didn't shout. Didn't even flinch at the sight of a pirate flag.
They just… **watched**.
Eyes dull. Postures broken.
Yet—strangely—**a flicker of hope** lingered in their gaze.
*Hope?* Yang Ning thought. *When pirates show up?*
It was surreal. Something was deeply wrong.
Old Johnny's pupils glowed faint red—Observation Haki on high alert.
Esdeath's hand never left her sword hilt.
But Yang Ning understood.
This wasn't hope for *them*—it was hope that **someone, anyone**, might finally end Arlong's reign.
He approached an elderly fisherman.
"Oi, old man. How do I get to **Cocoyasi Village**?"
The man froze—staring as if woken from a trance.
Yang Ning's smile vanished.
He leaned in, left hand resting on the hilt of *Kotetsu*.
"Can't speak?"
The fisherman jolted, then pointed shakily southeast.
"Two islands… that way."
Yang Ning straightened, smile returning—but softer now.
"Good. Hold on a little longer."
**"You'll be free soon."**