Chapter Four: You Are... a Murloc! (Fourth Update)

It took Mode three months on Mengmeng Island to raise his physical constitution to three stars.
Over the subsequent five months, even with the support of medicated meals and dishes, he failed to condense the fourth star frame.
When all is said and done, the only way to quickly increase his star rating was through hunting.
The Arlong Pirates were Mode's first target after an eight-month hiatus.
Regarding this, Mode was filled with anticipation.

The small sailboat glided smoothly with the wind on the sea.
Bepo lay on the cabin roof, sunbathing.
After days of sailing, he had almost grown accustomed to it.
At the bow, Mode gazed into the distance at the outline of land, his eyes burning with expectation.
Laffitte pinched his chin, pondering how to get a reliable masted ship as soon as possible.
Relying solely on this current small boat, let alone reaching the Grand Line, meant that encountering a storm in the East Blue could easily capsize them with a single large wave.
At this thought, Laffitte glanced at Mode.
Coming specifically to make trouble for the Arlong Pirates this time might just yield enough money.
To get here, they had even gone through considerable trouble midway to acquire a few nautical charts with coordinates.
Without these sea charts, even with Laffitte's decent navigation skills, it would have been difficult for someone unfamiliar with the East Blue to locate the island where the Arlong Pirates resided.

With his mind entirely occupied by thoughts of changing ships, Laffitte saw nothing amiss in Mode's persistent motivation to come here.
The East Blue was the undisputed weakest of the Four Blues.
Across this vast expanse of sea, the pirate with the highest bounty was merely twenty million berries—namely, Arlong, the leader of the Arlong Pirates.
In Laffitte's view, stepping the strongest pirate of the East Blue underfoot as the very first thing upon setting out to sea was the most normal course of action.
To make a name for oneself, trampling your peers is one of the fastest shortcuts.
Furthermore, ever since he was slapped with a bounty, Mode had spent a full eight months hoary and hidden on Mengmeng Island.
From the perspective of the outside world, this eight-month disappearance likely meant Mode had become a missing person.
Therefore, this punitive expedition against the Arlong Pirates could also be regarded as a signal flare announcing Mode's return to the public eye.
In addition, they could snatch a sum of money to upgrade their vessel.
Laffitte fabricated Mode's motive for attacking the Arlong Pirates entirely in his own mind.
And strangely enough, this self-constructed rationale was logical and well-grounded.

Mode, of course, had no idea what Laffitte was thinking. As the island drew closer, his thoughts gradually became more active.
"We finally see land!"
Bepo leaped onto Mode's shoulder, his face glowing with excitement.
Having to subsist entirely on dry rations over these past few days had been extremely grueling for Bepo.
His very first thought upon seeing the island now was to hurry ashore and indulge in a massive feast.

Laffitte observed the coastal environment before turning to Mode.
"Where shall we make landfall?"
As far as the eye could see, there were only cliffs and sandy beaches.
Given the size of their vessel, there were only a few suitable landing spots.
Yet Laffitte did not arrogate the decision to himself, choosing instead to consult Mode's opinion with the demeanor of a subordinate.
"The beach over there will do."
"Understood."

The small sailboat entered the shallow waters.
Laffitte first furled the sails, and then, simply picking up the small boat, he flew toward the beach.
Soaring over the shallows, Laffitte gently placed the boat down upon the sand and folded his wings.
"If we could just fly to the next island like this every time, how wonderful that would be."
Bepo muttered softly, clearly preferring the sensation of being carried through the air over tumbling back and forth across the ocean waves.
Laffitte acted as though he hadn't heard Bepo's murmuring.
If he were to replace navigation with this method of carrying the boat in flight, he would likely become the first crew member to die of overwork.

Mode stepped off the boat and surveyed his surroundings.
The end of the beach was bordered by a sparse grove of small trees, crisscrossed by a few well-trodden paths.
This location was situated in the east-northeast direction of the island, whereas the stronghold of the Arlong Pirates lay to the west-southwest.
Their respective locations formed almost a perfect diagonal.
Mode had intentionally circled more than half the island to arrive at this spot with the purpose of avoiding the Fish-men.
This choice of his was the only thing Laffitte could not quite understand.
Laffitte did not look down upon the Arlong Pirates, but neither did he consider them an enemy worthy of cautious treatment.
Therefore, there was truly no need to be this careful.
Laffitte refrained from asking questions, and Mode had no intention of proactively offering an explanation.
The reason he wished to avoid detection by the Arlong Pirates was to first head to Cocoyasi Village to make contact with Nami, and subsequently obtain more detailed intelligence regarding the Arlong Pirates from her.
To maximize their returns, such intelligence was exceptionally important.

"Laffitte, take Bepo to the village and get something to eat."
"And you?"
"I have some business to attend to. It's about money."
"Very well."

Hearing Mode mention money, Laffitte asked no further questions and departed for the nearest village, taking the enthusiastic Bepo with him.
Mode watched Laffitte and Bepo leave before walking along the coastline toward Cocoyasi Village.
Along the way, Mode encountered a middle-aged woman squatting on the beach, digging for clams.
To save time, Mode took the initiative to walk over.
"Ma'am, could you tell me the way to Cocoyasi Village?"
Mode asked with a smile.

At first, the middle-aged woman was quite wary; after all, Mode looked unfamiliar and didn't resemble a resident of the island.
However, because Mode was handsome and so well-mannered, she relaxed and pointed out the direction for him.
"Thank you."
After expressing his gratitude, Mode headed off in the direction indicated by the woman.
"Young man."
The middle-aged woman watched Mode, hesitated for a few seconds, and then called out to stop him.
Mode halted, turning his head to look at her with a questioning gaze.
"Is something wrong?"
"What are you going to Cocoyasi Village for?"
"To join some relatives."
Mode replied impassively.

The middle-aged woman had no reason to doubt him, but she said with a worried expression, "Young man, didn't your relatives tell you anything? I advise you to leave quickly. If you are caught by the Evi—"
Halting mid-sentence, the woman subconsciously clamped her mouth shut, lowering her head slightly as her face filled with profound dread.
Mode knew precisely what the middle-aged woman had been about to say, his gaze sweeping lightly over the expression of terror that seemed etched into her very soul.
This was the original sin of the weak.
Faced with oppression and lacking the strength to resist, they could only resign themselves to fate and live every day in constant panic.
The two dozen villages on this island ruled by the Arlong Pirates were merely an insignificant little corner in the vast world of pirates.
Places far more cruel and dark than this were countless.
Therefore, in this world, power was an immensely vital asset.

Mode looked at the middle-aged woman and smiled. "I know, but it's fine. Thank you for your concern, ma'am."
With that, Mode turned and walked away.
The middle-aged woman stared blankly at his departing back.
Knowing the danger, yet he still dared to come here?
The woman let out a worried sigh.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, the words the youth had just spoken gave her a strange sense of reassurance.
Shaking her head, she resumed digging for clams.
The villagers were forced to pay a head tax to the Arlong Pirates every single month.
Ten thousand berries for every adult, and five thousand berries for every child.
Such harsh conditions left the villagers struggling bitterly for survival here.

......

Half an hour later.
Mode arrived inside a grove of tangerine trees.
Possessing prophetic intelligence, there was no need for him to go all the way to Cocoyasi Village.
The tangerine trees in the grove were neatly planted, leaving spacious paths more than two meters wide between the rows.
As it was the harvest season for tangerines, every single tree was laden with richly colored and remarkably plump fruit, demonstrating the attentive care the owner poured into this grove.

Moving his gaze away from the tangerine trees, Mode walked toward a house not far off.
Hardly had he taken a few steps when a woman with a healthy complexion and carrying a shovel stepped out from the side, blocking his path.
The woman was Nojiko, Nami's family.
Staring warily at the stranger she had never seen before, she demanded in a deep voice, "Who are you? What do you want here?"

Faced with Nojiko's interrogation, Mode did not answer. Instead, he looked toward the nearby house and quietly exercised his Observation Haki.
"Not here..."
His Observation Haki swept through the house, sensing no presence within.
Realizing Nami was not at home, Mode muttered to himself with a hint of regret.
Nojiko noticed Mode's gesture of looking toward the house, combined with his unmasked murmur of regret.
Instantly, she realized that Mode had come specifically for Nami.
Drawing this conclusion, Nojiko's expression shifted. Driven by the protective instinct she harbored for Nami, she lunged forward a few steps and swung her shovel down toward Mode.
Her original intention was to knock Mode unconscious, so she had held back some of her strength.
Even if she had used her full strength, however, it would have been useless.
Mode raised his hand slightly and caught the shovel descending toward his head with absolute steadiness.

"Huh?"
Nojiko's expression changed completely.
Then, she stood in a daze as she watched Mode casually crush the shovel into a small ball of iron with his bare hands.
This is...
What terrifying strength.
"You..."
Watching this scene in sheer terror, Nojiko's mind suddenly went blank.
Subconsciously releasing her grip on the shovel handle, she staggered back two steps, only to trip and land heavily on her backside upon the ground.
"You're a... Fish-man!"
With her mind blank, the words blurted out of their own accord without a shred of rational thought.
Within her shallow understanding, only a Fish-man could possess such horrifying power.

"What???"
A string of question marks popped up over Mode's head.