On the Shark Superb, Arlong never thought he would see the day when he could leave that dark and hopeless prison.
When he finally returned to Fish-Man Island, he learned the reason behind his release from Impel Down—it was all thanks to Jinbe joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Upon hearing this news, Arlong, who had initially felt a fleeting sense of gratitude, flew into a rage.
To him, Jinbe joining the Warlords was nothing short of betrayal against their people.
Enraged, he led his followers to break away from the Sun Pirates and left Fish-Man Island together.
After leaving, he established the Arlong Pirates, naming the crew after himself.
Breathing in the sea air once again, a bold idea took root in his mind—to travel to the weakest of the four seas, the East Blue, and establish his own Fish-Man empire.
To fund his grand ambitions, he began plundering relentlessly as he sailed from the Grand Line toward the East Blue.
Any ship that crossed his path—merchant or pirate—was fair game.
---
"Boss! There's another unflagged ship on the left side!"
As Arlong lay back on his beach chair, leisurely plotting his plans, a Fish-Man crewmate reported the sighting.
"A ship?"
"Fire a warning shot with the cannons first. Let Momoo swim closer!"
Without hesitation, Arlong gave the order.
His casual demeanor made it clear—this was routine.
Following his command, his crew sprang into action. Moments later, the deafening roar of cannon fire erupted from their massive pirate ship.
With the sound of gunfire echoing across the sea, Momoo, the giant sea cow, turned its head and began swimming toward the distant ship.
Boom! Boom!
Whistle—!
Suddenly, cannon fire rang out from the approaching vessel!
Two black cannonballs arced through the air, heading straight for the deck with deadly precision.
"Huh?"
Arlong, still lounging in his chair, was momentarily taken aback.
With a swift motion, he swung his arm, deflecting one of the incoming cannonballs.
The other, however, he caught directly in his jaws.
With a slight clench of his powerful jaws—BOOM!—the cannonball exploded in his mouth.
"Poof!"
Spitting out the charred remains, Arlong stood up, his face twisted into a murderous grin.
"These filthy humans... how dare they resist?"
"Kill everyone on that ship. Leave no one alive."
"Anyone foolish enough to defy superior Fish-Men doesn't deserve to live."
Grabbing his massive serrated sword, Kiribachi, he set his sights on the approaching vessel, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
To Arlong, Fish-Men were naturally superior to humans.
And for a human to fight back? That was nothing less than defying the laws of nature.
"...Huh? What's that at the front of their ship? A... shark?"
As time passed, the Arlong Pirates gradually closed in on the ship. Someone on the deck finally noticed the disturbance on the water's surface.
"I-It really is a shark?"
"What kind of blue shark is this…?"
"Damn humans! How dare they enslave sea creatures to pull their ship?! They're courting death!"
The moment they saw the blue shark towing the vessel, the entire deck of the Arlong Pirates erupted in fury.
Not only had these humans dared to resist them…
But they also had the audacity to enslave sea creatures for their labor?!
That was an unforgivable crime!
One by one, the Fish-Men swore that when they boarded that ship, they would slaughter every single human in the most brutal way possible.
---
Splash! Splash!
Waves churned as the two ships neared each other, their hulls cutting through the water, leaving white trails in their wake.
Soon, the two vastly different-sized ships were sailing side by side.
"Huh?"
"That guy…?"
"A Fish-Man?"
"What species is he?"
The moment their ships aligned, the Arlong Pirates' crew immediately focused on a particular figure standing on the smaller ship's deck.
A towering, rugged figure with a monstrous face—his most striking feature being his sheer appearance.
For a brief moment, the entire Arlong Pirates crew reacted as if they had just seen a long-lost relative.
"Huh?"
"These guys… why are they even uglier than me?"
On the deck, Kisame Hoshigaki rested his Samehada on his shoulder, his dead-fish eyes blinking in mild astonishment as he stared at the group of grotesque-looking Fish-Men aboard the massive pirate ship.
"A F-Fish-Man?!"
Behind him, Zeff's voice carried a note of shock.
At the same time, the sound of a cabin door opening echoed, followed by Revy's surprised voice.
"Whoa, they're really Fish-Men!"
"Fish-Men? These are Fish-Men?"
Kisame found it hard to believe.
Looking at these misshapen freaks, he suddenly felt like he might actually be the better-looking one.
Upon seeing Kisame, the Arlong Pirates' furious energy eased—at least slightly.
However, the moment Zeff and Revy stepped onto the deck, their rage reignited.
"Bastard Fish-Man! How dare you mingle with humans?!"
"You disgrace our entire race!"
"A Fish-Man who betrays his kind to live among humans doesn't deserve to exist!"
In an instant—
Shouts, curses, and battle cries surged like a tidal wave.
Kisame looked at the furious, self-righteous Fish-Men before him, utterly bewildered.
What the hell was wrong with these ugly bastards?
"A Fish-Man who willingly degenerates by siding with humans deserves to die!"
A cold, sinister voice echoed from the massive pirate ship.
A hulking shadow leaped into the air, descending rapidly toward their deck.
More figures soon followed, jumping down one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Within moments, five Fish-Men stood on the already cramped deck.
The one at the forefront carried a massive, serrated blade—its design eerily similar to Kisame's Samehada.
The resemblance between the two was striking, though their sizes differed significantly.
Kisame narrowed his eyes as he sized up his so-called counterpart.
This Fish-Man was at least a meter taller than him, sporting a grotesque saw-toothed nose.
At that moment, Kisame began to seriously doubt if he was even a Fish-Man himself.
At the very least, he wasn't that hideous—he still had some semblance of a human appearance.
This thing in front of him? It didn't look even remotely human!
"You disgrace your own kind by standing with humans!"
"If you kill these two right now, I'll allow you to join my Arlong Pirates."
"Together, we'll go to the East Blue and establish a new Fish-Man paradise."
Arlong, towering over Kisame, eyed the smaller warrior.
He could tell that Kisame was strong just by the weapon he carried.
If this rogue Fish-Man was willing to see reason, Arlong would welcome him into his ranks.
"Are you stupid?"
Kisame blurted out instinctively, eyeing the arrogant, self-important brute before him.
For some reason, Arlong's self-righteous attitude reminded him of a certain preachy guy he used to know…
There was something very similar about how they spoke.
"Huh?"
"You dare insult me?!"
A flash of fury crossed Arlong's face as he raised Kiribachi, bringing it crashing down toward Kisame.
"Even the weapon is similar!"
Kisame muttered a bizarre remark, watching the massive serrated blade swing toward him.
Without hesitation, he tightened his grip on Samehada and swung upward to intercept the attack.
BOOM!
The two weapons collided in midair, sending a deep, resonant shockwave through the deck.
"Kill the humans!"
Seeing Kisame resist his strike, Arlong's rage burned even hotter.
"Heh… you really are just a thug, huh?"
Kisame sneered, holding Samehada with one hand.
His sharp, shark-like teeth gleamed as he flashed a wicked grin.
(End of Chapter)
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