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While Noir and the villagers celebrated their victory at the banquet, there were always some unfortunate souls in the darkness.
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On a small, isolated island, a group of fish-men lay on the ground in disarray.
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At the forefront, the saw-toothed shark fish-man clutched his chest, a deep wound across it. His webbed hand covered his mouth, but it couldn''t stop the blood gushing from his maw.
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"Arlong!!"
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The three main fish-man cadre, who had been unconscious, had awakened and rushed to Arlong''s side, worried.
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Kuroobi looked at the nearly dead Arlong with anguish and said, "If it weren''t for that human, we wouldn''t be in this state!"
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Chew, with his deformed mouth and terrified eyes, trembled as he said, "That guy isn''t human! He''s a Devil!"
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Hatchan, covering his bleeding wound, whimpered, "What should we do now?"
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The fish-men fell silent again. This defeat was their most significant blow.
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They had retreated from the Grand Line to the East Blue, believing that fish-men were the noblest race, and had come here to conquer humans.
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Who would have thought that their grand plan to dominate the East Blue would be thwarted by a mere human boy from a small village?
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"I must prove that fish-men are the strongest race..." A weak but determined voice broke the silence, revitalizing the fish-men.
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Arlong, half-kneeling, straightened up. His eyes glowed red with rage and hatred, his weak voice filled with determination: "We''re going back to the Grand Line!"
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"What?!" Kuroobi and the others exclaimed in shock.
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"We can''t get stronger here. I need more powerful challenges!" Arlong laughed maniacally, sending shivers down the spines of the fish-men.
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In this way, Noir had unknowingly altered Arlong''s life trajectory, creating a future where Arlong would become even stronger.
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But this was still far off. At this moment, Noir was still sleeping with a few villagers in a tight embrace.
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Suddenly, Noir''s eyes snapped open.
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He felt a strange sensation, as if something was disturbing his mind, making him restless and causing him to shiver all over.
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Was this the Observation Haki sensing something?
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Noir concentrated, then realized...
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He needed to pee!
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Noir ran to a small grove outside, relieved himself with precision, and sighed with comfort.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
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Whistling, Noir walked along the night path when he heard the creaking of wooden boards.
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With his keen senses, he stopped and looked towards Arlong''s pirate ship in the distance. Two figures were moving about on the deck under the hazy moonlight.
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This was Arlong''s ship, left behind during Noir''s chase.
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Noir raised an eyebrow, puzzled: Did Arlong return?
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No way, did he come back just to retrieve the ship?
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Noir grabbed his sword and strode towards the ship.
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Using the moonlight, he silently reached the ship, lightly tapping the wooden planks and effortlessly perched atop the mast, observing the deck.
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On the deck, two people in plain clothes were moving around. Despite the darkness, Noir could see they were two women.
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The girls appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, each with a long sword at their waist and a decent physique.
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One of them searched the ship, then suddenly sat down and spoke.
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"Sister! Is this really the Arlong Pirates'' ship?"
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Her voice was so loud that Noir almost lost his balance and fell.
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The noise was deafening in the quiet night, and Noir wondered if her companion''s ears had gone deaf.
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Before Noir could react, the other girl shouted even louder, "Keep your voice down! We''re sneaking in!"
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Noir almost kneeled. Where did these two come from?
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How have they survived this long without getting killed?
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"Arlong! That bastard has ruined so many villages! We must kill him this time!" The younger sister shouted, ignoring her sister''s warning.
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Noir couldn''t take it anymore and casually asked from the mast, "Are you enemies of Arlong?"
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"Who''s there?!" The sisters reacted quickly, shouting in unison.
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"Be careful, sister, hearing the voice before seeing the person means he''s a master!"
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"Right, get closer and don''t get ambushed!"
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Noir looked at the two spinning around on the deck and said, "Look up."
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The older sister tensed up and warned, "Don''t look, it''s a trap!"
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The younger sister realized, "Trying to ambush us when we look up? No way!"
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"We''re the smartest women in the village!"
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Noir laughed in frustration. Were there no other women in their village?
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He couldn''t talk to these two any longer; it might give him a brain hemorrhage.
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Noir jumped down to the deck, looking at the two wary sisters, and asked, "Who sent you to find Arlong?"
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Up close, he noticed the girls weren''t bad-looking. Each had a single ponytail, one on the left and one on the right.
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Their faces were not stunning, but they were quite pretty, with delicate features and a charming demeanor. They wore crop tops and shorts, with long swords at their waists, looking like wandering warriors.
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Such good-looking girls, but such loud mouths...
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"We''re pirate hunters, here for Arlong''s bounty," the older sister, who had the louder voice, said to Noir.
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She held up a bounty poster showing Arlong''s fierce face and a bounty of 20 million Berries.
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This was probably the highest bounty in the East Blue, no wonder the pirate hunters were interested.
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"Well, you''re too late. I''ve already dealt with Arlong," Noir said, shrugging.
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"Dealt with?" The older sister was surprised.
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The younger sister was skeptical, "Just you, a kid? That''s a 20 million Berries pirate!"
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"Is 20 million Berries strong?" Noir asked nonchalantly, fully showing off.
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The younger sister nodded seriously, "Absolutely strong, he could crush you many times over!"
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...
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Your sister is as dumb as mine...
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Noir was left speechless.
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It was hard to show off when no one was buying it.
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Noir looked at the two pirate hunters and said, "Then why don''t you try?"
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He slowly drew his sword, and the sharp blade gleamed in the moonlight.
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"Come on, you''ll see!"