Arlong grabbed Hachi by the collar, his anger turning into a grin. "Hachi, remember this well! Humans are an inferior race! The noble Fish-Men will never surrender to such lowly creatures!"
"…Arlong?" Hachi wasn't sure if it was fear or if he was simply shaken by Arlong's words, but beads of sweat, the size of soybeans, formed on his forehead.
"Do you remember now?" The sawtooth shark Fish-Man carefully studied the other's expression. Seeing Hachi hastily nodding, he loosened his grip and shoved him in Crocodile's direction.
"See him out!" Arlong impatiently waved his hand. Although this fellow Fish-Man hadn't outright 'betrayed' them like that damned Jinbe, the fact that he voluntarily helped the Marines deliver a message still left Arlong extremely displeased.
Crocodile helped the fallen Hachi up and whispered, "Hachi, you'd better come back another day to see Arlong-nii. He's in a foul mood right now, but at the end of the day, we're still of the same blood."
Hachi looked dejected and muttered, "I don't understand… Why can Jinbe-oyabun get along with humans, while we have to fight and kill them?"
He scratched his head, feeling like he had forgotten something. "Nyu~ I'll come back another day then."
Crocodile sighed helplessly at his childhood friend's natural airheadedness. He patted Hachi's shoulder. "Alright, I'll walk you out. Seriously, next time, don't get involved with the Marines."
The word "Marines" suddenly made Hachi freeze. Finally, he remembered the news he had originally come to deliver.
"Arlong-nii! Everyone! I got some information from the Marine forces!" Hachi turned back anxiously, while beside him, Crocodile slapped a hand over his face.
Didn't we just tell you to leave? Why would you bring up the Marines again and provoke Arlong?!
With a face that said, "I'll just stand here and watch you dig your own grave," the stingray Fish-Man instinctively took a few steps away from Hachi.
Hachi raised his voice and shouted, "The humans—The Marines came to Fish-Man District this time to investigate Makuro's group. It seems Makuro has been helping human traffickers abduct Fish-Men."
"You said… WHAT?!!"
Arlong abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned to face Hachi, who had delivered the news.
The Fish-Man pirates exchanged glances with one another. Just half an hour ago, Makuro had left their base.
"The Marines came to investigate Makuro, but they didn't tell me exactly what they were investigating. I only found out by secretly listening to Jinbe-oyabun's conversation!" Thinking Arlong hadn't heard him clearly, Hachi repeated his words.
"Bastard!"
"Damned humans!"
"That bastard Makuro…!"
"Kill them!"
Arlong hadn't spoken yet, but the Fish-Men gathered behind him were already cursing furiously. Crocodile remained silent, but his expression was grim. Even Hatchan's usual adversary, Chu, looked excited.
Their leader and captain—Arlong—had been preaching Fish-Man supremacy to them for years. Under the banner of racial pride, Arlong had gained considerable influence in Fish-Man District, attracting many Fish-Men who believed in his ideology.
Now, the thought of their own kin being abducted by a lowly race, with a traitor among them assisting the enemy—it was something they couldn't accept or forgive.
Yet, unlike his subordinates, the sawtooth shark Fish-Man wasn't blinded by rage. Though the fire of fury burned within him, it also made him unusually calm.
Arlong frowned. "Did the Marines tell you this information?"
"N-no, no, no!" Hachi shook his head rapidly and raised a finger. "I overheard it when the Marines were discussing it with Jinbe-oyabun!"
He looked at Arlong with anticipation. "Arlong-nii, what do we do? Should we capture Makuro and beat him up?"
"Hachi, leave this to us. You should go now." Arlong slowly removed his hat, his voice deliberately calm, but he gave no direct response.
"But…"
"Don't ask any more questions! Just leave this to us!!!" Arlong suddenly roared.
"Yes! Got it! No problem!" Hachi frantically gestured various signs of understanding before quickly swimming out of the sunken ship's exit.
Only after Hachi's figure disappeared did Crocodile approach his big brother. "Could this be something the Marines deliberately leaked to Hachi?"
From the second level, the archerfish Fish-Man Chu leaped down. "No need to guess—it's definitely something the Marines fed him. That idiot got used again."
Arlong suddenly let out a cold chuckle. "Looks like what the Marines really wanted to tell us wasn't that nonsense about 'surrendering.' The information Hachi overheard was their true message."
Crocodile kept his arms crossed. His elbows, covered in sharp, triangular bone plates, tensed as he frowned. "If Hachi's words are true, then what do we do? Makuro just left not long ago. Should we chase him down?"
Arlong's expression darkened further. He looked at Crocodile and said in a low voice, "Hachi is definitely telling the truth. Those Marines may be scum, but they didn't lie to us."
He pointed to a closed cabin door—their crew's treasure storage room. "I was just wondering why that bastard Makuro suddenly came to contact me privately and even left behind a big chest of money from who-knows-where."
"That damned bastard… Are we just going to let him go?" Chu clenched his fists in frustration.
Arlong suddenly burst into laughter. "Makuro's group tried to use money from selling our own kind to hire us—they think we're tools to be used. The Marines, too, want to use us as their weapon. Do they really think I'll dance to their tune?"
——————————
One of the most prosperous ports on Fish-Man Island, Coral Hill, was home to the highest property prices. Years ago, a shipping company had purchased one of the most expensive buildings there.
"I've already met with Arlong's group in Fish-Man District according to your arrangements." A pale-yellow gulper eel Fish-Man sat casually on the sofa, looking at the two humans in the dimly lit room.
One of the humans was clad in luxurious clothing and adorned with jewelry, yet his obese belly and dull skin tone made it impossible for him to exude any true noble elegance.
Upon hearing those words, the fat man looked up. "How did it go, Makuro? Did they agree to work with us?"
"Hahaha! When I make a move, how could things go wrong? Arlong made it clear—he intends to cooperate with us to get rid of those idiotic Marines!" Makuro laughed heartily, though he still felt a sting of pain at the thought of the large chest of Berries he had left behind.
Leaning against the doorframe, the human pirate captain barely listened to the idiotic Fish-Man's boasting. If dealing with a Marine Headquarters admiral candidate was as simple as using a few bottom-feeder Fish-Men, then he might as well challenge Whitebeard himself!
With a sense of self-awareness, Debt Collector Bobbin never actually planned to use the Fish-Men to kill the Marines. The true purpose of contacting Arlong was to find a scapegoat.
Bobbin glanced at his employer. "As long as we push Arlong's group to the frontlines, we can blame the abduction of Fish-Men and mermaids entirely on them."
"Exactly. We are just a 'normal' shipping company." The slave-trading merchant retrieved a small pass from his pocket—an official permit issued by the Celestial Dragons of Mariejois, symbolizing their support for his business.
Even if they avoided direct confrontation with the Marines, as long as they erased the evidence, the Navy wouldn't be able to touch them.
This was his true source of confidence in dealing with Sakazuki. No matter how ruthless that man was, he had to weigh the authority of the 'gods' behind him, didn't he?
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