One Piece Chapter 072

Cover

Adventures of the Buggy Gang, Part 25: The Silhouettes in the Sky!
The Kumate have been beaten up and Buggy’s gang is now free. You can see Buggy, Mohji, Cabaji and Alvida on a rock in the distance.

Storyline

East Blue, Kokos: Usopp learns of Arlong’s plan to build an empire in East Blue and is alarmed, since his village is also in East Blue. Nojiko just says there’s nothing he can do about it yet. Before Usopp can inquire further, they hear fighting noise from the village square. Genzo is being held by Arlong. Possession of weapons means rebellion, so Arlong wants to kill him as a deterrent. Nojiko runs into the square and tries to stop Arlong. They have been paying tribute for eight years without fighting back, they are not planning to rebel. Arlong doesn’t listen to them, to him owning weapons is already a rebellion and if they have a problem with it, he will destroy the entire village. More residents have come to the square, but Genzo stops them from doing anything, because otherwise the last eight years will have been for nothing. They had decided to ride out the terror of the fish people with patience and forgo force of arms.

Arlong agrees that life is too good to die and slams Genzo’s head against a wooden stake. Weaker ones always have to serve the stronger ones and since they are the strongest as fish people, the humans have to obey them. Arlong throws Genzo to the ground and the enraged villagers seek revenge, but are stopped by Genzo, who urges them not to sacrifice their lives senselessly. Arlong reaches around Genzo’s stomach with one hand, intending to crush him. However, a fireball hits him before he can kill Genzo. On the roof of a building stands the gunman, Usopp, who with trembling knees introduces himself as the great Captain Usopp and threatens the fish-men to send his 8000 men after them if they don’t leave. A fish-man recognizes Usopp as the escaped pirate from Goza.

Arlong is not impressed by the 8000 men, he is furious and wants to blow them up. He lifts the building Usopp is standing on into the air, some fish people want to dissuade him from doing this because it will destroy another village and they won’t be able to pay tribute. Arlong just wants to collect the missing tribute from other villages and throws the building through the air. Usopp narrowly escapes and flees across the rooftops. The still pissed off Arlong wants to chase him, but is held down by his comrades who want to prevent him from actually destroying the village. Hatchan, however, warns the villagers that they will be back. Meanwhile, Usopp is being pursued by other fish people and shoots them with rotten eggs. The attack doesn’t work as planned, however, and only makes the pursuers angrier.

The villagers have gathered around Genzo. They are discussing what happened when Nami appears in the village and greets them. Everyone but Genzo and Nojiko leave. Later Nami sits on a cliff by a grave. She is still missing 7 million, Nojiko has also come to the cliff and mentions Nami’s still bad reputation in the village. But Nami smiles, she is a pirate. Money works wonders for Arlong, Nami wants to buy the village from him for 100 million.

Arlong Park: After Zoro was freed by Nami, he killed the fish people present. Although Nami wanted him to escape, he promised Luffy not to come back without Nami.