Ben saw the shoreline of Cocoyasi Village. They had finally arrived.
“Okay girls, gather up,” Ben said. Alvida, Honey, Kaya and Belo Betty gathered around Ben.
“We will be liberating this village under pirate rule. The citizens had suffered for over 10 years. Their lives were ruined. Parents and loved ones were killed for simply looking at them the wrong way. The marines have turned a blind eye as they are in their pockets.” Ben explained.
Belo Betty gritted her teeth and said, “Typical scum.”
Ben continued, “Our fight is with the Arlong Pirates. We will defeat them. They are fishmen so their strength is greater than a regular average human but all our training means we will be able to handle them. We are one crew member down but together we can defeat them.”
He added, “Before we do a head-on assault, I would like to recruit a new crew member. She will be very valuable and help us become stronger.”
“Another girl. You perverted captain,” Kaya said.
“You know the rules,” Alvida replied. Kaya sighed.
“We will dock the ship in a remote location away from everyone. We then split into two groups. First will be me, Alvida and Kaya. The second will be Belo Betty and Honey. My group will go and find our next crew mate and get her to join us. The second group will lay low around the town. Then we will assault Arlong Park together.” Ben told his plan.
“Why don't we just beat these scum,” Belo Betty asked.
“ It's important to get our new crew member on board,” Ben replied.
“So a damsel in distress?” Kaya asked.
“Something like that,” Ben replied.
The girls nodded. They docked the ship a bit away from the main town. They hopped off board and Ben`s group headed to town. Walking on the dusty road, the palm trees provided shade and a cooling breeze, while the rice fields were lush and green. The fields looked like they were being irrigated by a system of canals, which brought water from a nearby river. There were not that many people on this path of the island which worked in Ben`s favour.
As the group got closer to the village, they smelled a repulsive smell.
“What is this?” Kaya said, holding her nose.
“This is awful,” Honey also mentioned.
“Death,” Belo Betty said in a single word.
“Let's keep moving but stay on your guard,” Ben said.
The group all stared at her. They got closer to the village expecting the worse.
The village was a quiet place. The shops were all worn out, with peeling paint and cracked windows. The streets are deserted and some parts of the road were covered in a red colour.
The girls were in shock. It looked like a ghost town but they knew people lived here.
“Okay girls, let's split up. Be careful.” he said to Belo Betty and Honey.
Ben, Alvida and Kaya walked away from the town to a house outside the town while Belo Betty and Honey went deeper into the town.
They saw a house which was a small, two-story building located on the outskirts of the village. It was made of wood and had a thatched roof. The house was painted a pale yellow, and the windows were framed with blue shutters.
They got closer to the house and saw the front door of the house was slightly open.
Ben knocked on the door and a young woman came to the front. The young woman had light blue hair and eyes, and tanned skin. Her right arm and chest was tattooed. She was wearing a beige sleeveless shirt, blue trousers and purple sandals.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I am Ben and I wanted to talk to you,” Ben said.
“About?” she asked.
“About you joining my crew and taking down Arlong,” Ben said. Kaya sighed and Alvida giggled.
Nojiko was in shock, her mouth was open. “Are you crazy?” Nojiko said.
“Even thinking like that could get you killed,” she added with a fear in her voice.
“I know you are scared. I know Nami is working to gather money to buy the village its freedom. Do you think that will work? Arlong is a brutal tyrant who can go back on his word,” Ben said.
Tears started dripping from her eyes. She knew that every word this stranger said was true. “If you beat him then, I will join your crew,” she said.
Ben smiled and said, “It's a promise, I will beat him. I want you to join my crew of your own accord. I promise I will keep you happy and not let anyone hurt you like this again.”
Ben wrapped Nojiko in his arms. “Arlong, you will pay for this and the suffering you have caused,” Ben declared.
“He does have his way with girls doesn't he,” Kaya said.
“My love will make the biggest and greatest harem and I will protect them all.” Alvida said.