One Piece: Wind-Wind Fruit

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Back at Arlong Park, Arlong narrowed his eyes and looked at Hachi.

"Hmph… of all of them, Kuroobi's the only one I can truly trust."

—

Cocoyashi Village – A small, quiet house.

Brrrr... brrrr...

"Hello?"

A clear, youthful voice answered.

"Yes, it's me, sir," the woman said softly.

"…Who is this?"

The voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi clearly didn't recognize her.

"I'm the lead field reporter assigned to Arlong based in Cocoyashi Village."

"Oh! You're the Arlong post!" the man's tone perked up with sudden curiosity. "You got something juicy for me?"

"I do. Do you remember the Hurricane Pirates?"

The young woman adjusted her round-frame glasses as she spoke.

"Hurricane? You mean the crew that took out Krieg's fleet near Rubber Island a few days ago? You're saying they're in Coco Village?"

"I can confirm it. Their captain, Aero, is here and he's got two incredibly strong crewmates. They already fought one of Arlong's top officers: Kuroobi, with a 9 million Berry bounty."

The editor on the other end nearly jumped from his chair.

"Who won?!"

"Hurricane Pirates won completely. It was two-on-one, but Aero himself didn't even join the fight," she said matter-of-factly.

"YES!! This is Big News, This is front-page gold!" The editor's laugh echoed even through the receiver. After a pause, he calmed his voice. "Keep watching. What about Arlong? Has he reacted yet? Have they fought directly?"

"After beating Kuroobi, Captain Aero ordered a retreat. He plans to face Arlong tomorrow morning. As far as I can tell, Arlong still doesn't know his officer's been taken down. No erratic behavior yet."

She paused, thinking of something else, then added, "Also, the villagers have joined the rebellion. Some are siding with the Hurricane Pirates. Even the Navy's involved in the chaos. Should we… alert them?"

"What was that?" The editor's voice dropped an octave, cold and dangerous.

The woman didn't notice. "Should we notify the Marines? We could collect the bounty on both pirate crews—"

"Shut your mouth!"

The editor's roar exploded through the Den Den Mushi, making her go stiff.

The silence that followed was unbearable. She tried to speak, but then came his voice again calm but stern:

"We are journalists. We don't take sides. We don't interfere. We report. That is all."

"Yes, sir. Understood…" she murmured, eyes wide.

After a moment, she asked, "So… should we just do nothing for now?"

The editor exhaled. "You mentioned two powerful crew members. Did you get any photos?"

"…No. Aero was too close. I didn't dare."

"Tch. In that case, it's settled. Run the story. Use photos of Aero and Arlong as the headline images. I want this in tomorrow morning's paper. And keep your eyes glued to the fight tomorrow every detail."

Back at the press office, the East Blue regional chief leaned back in his chair, a cigar dangling from his lips.

"Aero Eichi…" he muttered. "He's the real deal."

A few days ago, the man had no bounty. Now? He'd crushed Krieg's fleet and was picking a fight with Arlong.

The editor could barely contain his excitement.

"This kid's a rising storm."

He scowled as he thought back to the reporter's earlier comment. "Stupid woman. If we take sides even once we're finished. It could get us killed… or worse. Especially with our top boss still operating in the New World."

—

The next morning

Aero woke feeling refreshed. Nojiko brought him a warm breakfast, and he ate with a smile.

Dylan and Eddie had already removed their bandages. To Nojiko, they looked completely healed.

She marveled at them. "You guys bounce back like monsters…"

As she continued to comment in awe, Aero casually unfolded the morning paper.

Inside, just as he expected—

Headline:

"Shocking Clash: Rookie Pirate Crew vs. Veteran Warlord Who Will Win?"

Beneath it were side-by-side photos of Aero and Arlong.

Dylan and Eddie leaned in over his shoulders, eyes wide. It was exactly as Aero had predicted.

Nojiko blinked. "How did the press even know all this? Won't this ruin your plans?"

Aero shook his head with a calm smile.

She finally relaxed.

—

Arlong Park

Arlong sat at the palace gates, flipping through the morning paper.

Upon seeing the article, his yellow eyes narrowed. A sharp grin spread across his face.

He crumpled the page and tossed it aside.

"HAH-HAHAHAHA! That rookie pirate crew from the Krieg incident actually came here?!"

The article hadn't mentioned Kuroobi's defeat so Arlong still had no idea what had happened.

He turned to the blond, thick-lipped Fishman beside him.

"Where the hell is Kuroobi?"

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