After comforting Nami, Kaito gave Arlong a few hard kicks and found that the fishman was still barely clinging to life.
Thinking for a moment, Kaito waved over the remaining fishman underlings.
They looked at each other in confusion, pointing to themselves uncertainly, unsure who he was calling. Kaito narrowed his eyes impatiently, and the fishmen immediately scrambled over in a panic.
Clack! Kaito tossed a gun onto the ground and said,
"Whoever picks up this gun and shoots your captain gets to live."
The fishmen stared at Kaito in horror. Not one dared move.
Kaito didn't bother repeating himself. He simply said,
"I'm going to count to three. One."
"Two…"
Bang! Before he could even say "three," a slightly shorter fishman had already snatched the gun off the ground and, without hesitation, shot Arlong.
Arlong, still lying facedown, convulsed violently but didn't die. The fishman physique really was something else—tough as hell.
The fishman who fired looked at Kaito with pleading eyes. Kaito gave him a slight nod, signaling he could leave.
The fishman looked as if he'd just received divine mercy. He bowed deeply to Kaito three times, then bolted, silently vowing never to step foot in human territory again.
The moment the others saw that, they went completely berserk, scrambling madly for the gun. Fights broke out as they clawed at each other. Before long, the ground was littered with fishman corpses.
Kaito watched the scene unfold with interest. He gave Arlong another kick and said,
"Well? Still breathing? So this is your noble Fishman race? Look how hard they're trying to kill each other."
Arlong remained silent.
At that moment, he felt even more hopeless than Bell-mère had. His faith had been utterly shattered—there was no redemption left. Now, all he wanted was death.
Kaito clapped his hands, and the fishmen who had been at each other's throats just moments ago fell completely silent.
"All right, you—yeah, the one who looks like an octopus. Come here."
He was talking to Hatchan.
Throughout the chaos, Hatchan had stood silently, watching his fellow fishmen slaughter each other with a sorrowful expression.
Startled by Kaito's call, Hatchan shivered and slowly shuffled forward.
Kaito used Universal Pull to yank the gun out of another fishman's hands and handed it to Hatchan.
"You. Take the final shot."
Hatchan cradled the gun in his trembling hands. It felt like the heaviest thing he'd ever held.
When he just stood there frozen, Kaito raised a hand behind him and unleashed a Almighty Push at the remaining fishmen.
Ever since eating the Gravity Fruit, Kaito's Almighty Push had become more than twice as powerful as before. Even this casual blast tore the group of fishmen into bloody chunks.
"Ahhh!"
Seeing the carnage, Hatchan completely broke down. Shaking all over, he raised the gun and unloaded several shots into Arlong.
Only then did Arlong finally go silent—face frozen with tears that had yet to dry.
Kaito gave a satisfied nod and gestured for Hatchan to leave as well.
Hatchan turned stiffly, like a puppet, ready to go, but Kaito suddenly stopped him.
"Oh, right. When you get back to Fishman Island, tell Jinbei that I'm the one who killed Arlong and his crew. If he's got a problem, he can come find me. My name is Uchiha Kaito. I'm currently a Marine Headquarters Captain. Got that?"
Hatchan nodded numbly.
Kaito waved his hand, letting the mentally shattered Hatchan leave.
With that, the once-dominant Arlong Pirates were effectively wiped out.
The villagers of Cocoyasi instinctively shook their heads, as if trying to confirm they weren't dreaming.
Kaito turned and gave the villagers a warm smile—but it only made them step back in fear.
Even though Kaito had lived among them for ten years, they simply couldn't reconcile the image of the boy who used to catch fish with the person who had just slaughtered fishmen like livestock.
But Nojiko and Nami didn't care about that.
The two of them, one on each side, helped support Bell-mère as they approached Kaito. Their voices rang out sweet and clear as they called, "Kaito!"
Bell-mère, however, looked at the boy before her with a complicated expression.
It hadn't even been a full year since their farewell at the beach, and yet the young man before her had grown to such terrifying heights.
She had already heard about Kaito's battle with Silvers Rayleigh.
Which meant the power he displayed just now... was likely only the tip of the iceberg.
What terrifying talent. Why was the gap between people so vast?
Bell-mère smiled bitterly and shook her head.
Next to her, Nojiko asked with concern,
"Bell-mère, what's wrong?"
Bell-mère turned to the worried girl and smiled gently, assuring her that everything was fine.
On the other side, Nami looked at Bell-mère's injuries. Her eyes flashed with fury.
She turned to Kaito and said,
"Kaito, I want to join the Marines! I want to kill pirates!"
Well, she was clearly done with pirates forever.
Kaito looked at the determined little orange-haired girl, a bit helpless. She was way too young. If he took her to enlist now, the rest of the Marines would probably laugh him into the ground.
Somehow, Bell-mère mustered the strength to grab Nami by the ear.
"You're just a kid. What kind of Marine are you gonna be? And did you forget what that Arlong bastard said earlier?"
Nami shook her head furiously like a rattling drum.
"But Kaito's a Marine too! He saved us! And he's a high-ranking officer, right? Joining up should be easy if he just says the word!"
Hearing this, Kaito chuckled. Sure, a Marine Headquarters Captain wasn't exactly a small role—but calling it "high-ranking" might be pushing it.
Still, something Bell-mère said caught his attention.
He pinched Nami's cheek and asked,
"Let's talk about enlisting when you're older. For now, tell me what Arlong said."
Nami's face darkened further, and she recounted everything about Nezumi in vivid detail.
Nojiko stood beside her, nodding tearfully. With Kaito here, she knew they wouldn't be wronged anymore.
Kaito's expression turned cold. He stood up silently and looked off in a certain direction.
Then he asked,
"I understand. Don't worry—I'll take care of it. How's Granny Lisa doing?"
Bell-mère, still weak, replied,
"She's safe. As soon as I got word of the Arlong Pirates, I helped the villagers hide her and some of the elders in a hidden chamber."
Kaito nodded, visibly relieved. He bowed deeply to Bell-mère in thanks.
Startled, Bell-mère struggled to her feet, trying to stop him.
"No, you saved us. What I did doesn't count for anything."
Hearing this, even the villagers who had been afraid of Kaito just moments ago stepped forward one after another.
"That's right, Kaito—you're the hero of our village!"
"Sorry we didn't thank you sooner—we were just in shock!"
"We're lucky to have you, Kaito!"
Kaito said nothing as he looked at these honest, simple villagers. The fire burning in his chest grew hotter.
Slowly, he began to float into the air. He closed his eyes for a moment, sensing the surroundings—then blasted off toward a certain direction.
...
Down below, Nami tugged on Bell-mère's sleeve, concerned.
"Bell-mère, why did Kaito leave so suddenly? Where's he going?"
Bell-mère stared at the spot where Kaito had vanished, her voice laced with hatred.
"He's off to deal with the scum of the Marines."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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