Alright! Cesar just upgraded to the "Author Only" tier—so you know what that means! ? Extra chapter time! Huge thanks for the support, Cesar!

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  Nojiko was lost in thought, thinking Coby was about to attack her, however, Coby's iions were elsewhere. With a burst of speed granted by his Stealth Foot teique, he vanished from Nojiko's direct line of sight. The air where he oood seemed to ripple with the suddenness of his movement. Nojiko barely had time tister his disappearance when she felt a rush of air behind her. Coby reappeared, not as an aggressor to her but as a protector, his sword raised to intercept a massive fist that was ing down towards Nojiko.

  The Fishman behind her, a hulking brute with scales that shimmered darkly in the sunlight, roared in frustration as his attack was thwarted. Coby's bde met the Fishman's fist with a resounding csh, sparks flying from the impact. The force of the blow was immense, but Coby held his ground, his muscles tensed and his grip on the sword unwavering.

  Nojiko stumbled back, her eyes wide with shod fusion. She had been pletely unaware of the danger lurking behind her. Now, with this stranger intervening on her behalf, a flurry of questions ran through her mind. Who was he? Why was he helping her? Her gaze flickered between Coby and the Fishman, trying to make sense of the situation.

  The Fishman, angered by the interruption, bellowed a challenge and lu Coby again, his massive form moving with surprising speed. Coby, anticipating the attack, sidestepped with a fluid grace, his movements a blur. He tered with a swift ssh, aiming for the Fishman's vulnerable spots. The Fishman howled as the bde cut through, dark blood spilling onto the sand.

  Coby didn't let up. He pressed his advantage, his sword dang in his hands as he delivered strike after strike. The Fishman, for all his brute strength, couldn't keep up. Blow after blow nded, and with a final, desperate cry, the Fishman colpsed onto the ground, dead.

  Looking at the system message that appeared in front of him, Coby hummed in aowledgment. The dispy read: [bat success! 50 SP awarded for defeating Fishman. Current SP bance: 453.] The increasing numbers were a small fort in the grand scheme, but every bit helped.

  He then turo Nojiko and smiled, "Are you okay, Miss? Sorry if I startled you." His charm alpable, his pink eyes log onto her blue ones with a gentle, inquiring gaze.

  Nojiko, still reeling from the sudden violend the ued rescue, managed a nod. "I... yes, thank you," she stammered, her voice a mix of gratitude and bewilderment. She regarded Coby with a cautious curiosity, the presence of an unknown, capable stranger on their isnd both a and a potential bea of hope.

  The man standing in front of Nojiko was, in one word, striking. His pink wild hair framed his face, giving him an almost untamed appearance. His muscur body was stylish light blue, pink and white-toned clothes, with a pink sash at his waist where a sword hung, its hahin easy reach. Boots adorned his feet, pleting the look of a man not only ready for bat but also carrying an air of nont fidence. He was handsome and striking, and the rush of being saved bined with his impressive figure set butterflies fluttering in Nojiko's stomach.

  Nojiko gulped down her buddiions, her voice barely above a whisper, "Leave while you . Outsiders are not wele here." Coby smirked, his gaze drifting to the fallen Fishman. "By you or these fishes?" he quipped, kig the corpse with his boot.

  Nojiko, her arms crossed defensively, watched Coby with a wary eye. "People here don't take kindly ters, especially those wh trouble," she said, her voice firm. Although she was thankful, she was afraid Coby's existence would cause retaliation from Fishman.

  Coby leaned on his sword, his rexed posture trasting Nojiko's tense one. "Looks like trouble was here long before I arrived," he remarked, gesturing to the wreckage around them.

  Nojiko felt a surge of gratitude towards the stranger who had just saved her life. His timely intervention had spared her from a cruel fate at the hands of the fishman. However, amidst her relief and thankfulness, a heavy realization weighed on her. She knew Arloer than anyone else in the vilge except Nami, and she was acutely aware of his ruthless nature.

  If Arloo discover that one of his men had been killed she knew he would unleash his wrath without mercy. He wouldn't limit his vengeao just the perpetrator; instead, he would indiscrimiarget i vilgers, holding them collectively responsible for harb the murderer.

  Nojiko's heart ached with guilt as she looked at the stranger who had risked his own life to save hers. Her sce grappled with her pragmatism, torween two flig desires.

  On one hand, there was the urge to hand over the stra, to offer him as a scapegoat to appease the impending storm 's fury. It was a grim but pragmatic choice, ohat might temporarily protect the vilgers from the mad pirate's wrath.

  Oher hand, there was a deep-seated o ehe stranger's safety. He had shown kindness and bravery in a situation where most would have turned a blind eye. Nojiko couldn't bear the thought of him suffering because of his selfless act. She wao chase him away, to send him far from the clutches and his crew, to give him a ce at a future where he wouldn't have to stantly look over his shoulder.

  Nojiko was visibly torn, the weight of the situation pressing down ohe stranger before her had just saved her life, yet his presence could meaer danger for everyone on the isnd. She knew all too well the wrath and the Fishmen. They ruled with an iron fist, and any challeo their authority was met with brutal retribution. Her mind raced with the implications of harb a man who dared to stand against them. She hated herself for eveertaining the idea of turning this stranger in, but that was the reality she grew up with. She was forced to this mold of viciousness and powerlessness. It was just ao used to tame humans and trol the nd with iron grip.

  Coby, her distress, offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he said fidently, his voice calm and posed. "I'm here f's head to begin with. I don't want t trouble to anyone, but I am not leaving this isnd." His decration was bold, almost defiant, a stark trast to the fear that gripped her.

  Nojiko gasped, her eyes widening in shock. The notion of someone ing to their isnd with the express purpose of challenging Arlong was unthinkable. It was a death wish, a suicidal mission that no sane person would uake. Yet, here he was, a man who had just effortlessly dispatched one 's crew, standing before her with a determined glint in his eye.

  "You're insane," she blurted out, her voice a mix of awe and . "Do you even know what you're up against? Arlong and his crew are monsters. They've destroyed lives and broken spirits. You 't possibly hope to defeat them alone."

  Coby's smile didn't waver. He held the handle of his sword and took a step closer to her, his gaze steady and unwavering. "Hehe," he chuckled. "He is just an rown fish who thinks he terrorize people of the weakest sea. In the Grand Line, he would escape with his tail between his legs."

  Nojiko shook her head, her mind struggling to prehend his audacity. "You don't uand. This isn't like any other pirate crew. Arlong is a tyrant, a demon of the sea. He'll stop at nothing to maintain his trol."

  Coby shook his head, dismissing Nojiko's s with an air of fidehat bordered ance. He began to walk towards a seemingly random dire, trying to remember the yout of the isnd. Watg behind the ss was not like living it, after all. Nojiko, her emotions a tumult of fear, disbelief, and a grudging respect, followed behind him.

  Coby was not a racist by any means. He didn't harbor any i prejudices against different creatures or races. In his view, everyoarted off on a ral ste with him, and from there, it to their as and behavior to earn his favor or disfavor.

  However, to Coby, everyoarted in minus. To be more clear, he didn't like people he didn't knoeople would climb up the stairs by earning positive points that was regardless of their race or species. He was most unracist person, he disliked everyohe same. Hehe. It wasn't that he actively despised them; he simply didn't feel any particur emotion towards them, be it ive or positive.

  To him, it ractical and straightforward way of dealing with the diverse popution he entered in his world. The only exception were people he formed bonds with. If anyone posed a threat ed someone he cared about, they were dead. And in this case, Arlong had hurt Nami, a girl he had e to resped care for. So, for Coby, it was simple: Arlong had to be killed, decisively and painfully if possible, if not swiftly.

  --

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