Although Arlong had agreed to meet the Navy at dusk, the cunning fish-man pirates remained vigilant. They feared that the human Navy might go back on their word, turn their guns around, and attack them as pirates.
As a precaution, Arlong's crew ambushed the area three hours ahead of schedule, hiding near the coral reefs surrounding the warship.
"I say, why hasn't the human warship docked at the port? Why is it anchored in such a remote area, far from town?" A triggerfish fish-man grumbled, uncomfortable from being pressed against the hard coral.
More resilient, Kuroobi shook his head. Compared to the bruises he had sustained during his Fish-Man Karate training, when Jinbe's water droplets struck him like bullets, this was nothing.
He lowered his voice, "Stop complaining. If they had docked at Coral Hill, we wouldn't have had a chance to strike."
Arlong, however, had his own perspective. "Humans are afraid. They fear the citizens of Fish-Man Island. They fear the warriors of the Fish-Man race launching an attack against them. That's why they only dare to anchor in such a secluded place."
To some extent, Arlong's analysis was actually spot on. Sakazuki had initially worried that if the warship docked at a busy port, it could be attacked by criminals with deep hatred toward humans.
"But tonight, they won't escape this calamity!" Arlong glared fiercely at the distant warship, itching to tear it apart.
Before long, neatly arranged squads of Neptune's Army soldiers arrived at the warship's location under the leadership of their respective captains.
But something was odd—each squad, consisting of dozens of Neptune's Army soldiers, was escorting a massive black iron chest.
"Hm? What's going on? Why is Neptune's Army here?" Hatchan started to lose his composure. "Could they have discovered our plan?"
"Shut up, Hatchan." Arlong's expression darkened. A pirate officer shouldn't be speaking such panicked words at a time like this.
Arlong ran his fingers over his sharp, saw-like nose, carefully analyzing the formation of Neptune's Army in the distance. "Neptune isn't here in person, so who's leading them this time?"
No one needed to answer. In the next second, Arlong spotted a familiar figure. He clenched his teeth and locked eyes on the towering silhouette in the distance. "Jinbe!"
A burly figure on the warship pushed past several Navy soldiers guarding the deck and looked down at the fish-man troops below. "Where is His Majesty Neptune?"
The whale shark fish-man stepped forward, raising his voice toward the Navy stationed on the warship. "His Majesty Neptune must remain in Ryugu Palace to oversee matters. He has entrusted me with leading the elite forces of Neptune's Army to assist the Navy in eliminating the human trafficking group at Coral Hill."
Even though Arlong's crew was positioned far from the warship, Jinbe and Sakazuki's voices carried across the dozens of meters separating them, allowing the sawshark fish-man to hear their conversation clearly.
"The Navy actually invited the elite troops of Neptune's Army as reinforcements?" Arlong was alarmed. He wasn't sure about the Navy's strength, but he knew exactly what Jinbe was capable of.
If that were the case, their next plan would need some adjustments. He had no intention of clashing with Jinbe at Coral Hill.
The sturdy elite soldiers of Neptune's Army waved their hands, signaling for several soldiers to push forward the towering iron chests positioned within their ranks.
These massive iron chests, nearly ten meters high, were clearly filled to the brim. Even with large auxiliary wheels attached to the sides, Neptune's Army soldiers struggled to move them.
Deep ruts were left in the soft ground as the heavy chests rolled forward. Jinbe personally climbed onto one of them and, with great effort, lifted the heavy latch, revealing the contents inside.
At that moment, golden, exquisite treasures gleamed, causing everyone to momentarily hold their breath—gold coins, golden goblets, jewelry inlaid with gemstones and massive pearls…
Jinbe scooped up a handful of dazzling gold coins and spoke loudly, "As an apology, His Majesty Neptune wishes to gift these ten chests of treasure to the Navy, hoping that you will do your utmost to eradicate the human traffickers."
Arlong's crew, crouching in the distance, had their eyes widened in disbelief, completely mesmerized by the sight of the golden treasures.
Arlong, in particular, looked enraged. He had previously coerced Ryugu Palace into giving him a fortune under the pretense of eliminating human pirates.
But now, it was clear that the gold he had extorted—after so much effort—wasn't even half of what was currently being offered.
The fish-man pirate leader's eyes turned red with fury. When he had demanded treasure, the Ryugu Palace had been reluctant. Yet now, they were offering ten entire chests of riches to the human Navy as an apology!
"Neptune! You bastard, you're utterly despicable!" Arlong cursed bitterly in his heart, filled with hatred.
Sakazuki nodded in satisfaction. "Jinbe, leave the goods here. His Majesty Neptune needs warriors like you by his side. The Navy will do its best."
"But… His Majesty ordered me to assist…" Jinbe hesitated in response to the human Navy officer.
The Marine Vice Admiral waved his hand impatiently and said, "No need for more words. Return to Ryugu Palace at once."
His eyes remained locked on the gold as he called out to the soldiers beside him, "Hurry, hurry! Move everything onto the ship."
The whale shark fish-man remained silent for a while before ultimately complying with the order. He turned around and led a thousand Neptune's Army soldiers back the way they came.
Watching this unfold, Arlong almost burst out laughing. Just moments ago, he had been worrying about how to deal with Jinbe. But now, this greedy Navy Vice Admiral had solved the problem for him.
"Do you see it? The ugly true nature of humans?" Arlong turned his head to look at his companions. "They call themselves noble, yet they reject the aid of fishmen. Their eyes are glued to gold, oblivious to the fact that they are pushing themselves toward destruction."
"Tonight, we will make these inferior races bleed! The decayed Ryugu Kingdom—your treasures now belong to the Arlong Pirates!" Arlong's eyes burned with frenzied zeal, though whether it was hatred toward humans or greed for treasure was unclear.
As the sky gradually darkened, the Marines had already loaded the treasure-laden carts onto the warship's deck. These treasure chests, towering at ten meters high, were far too large to fit inside the ship's storage hold.
Sakazuki kept an eye on the time. On the deck beside him stood nearly a thousand Marine soldiers. The Vice Admiral scanned his surroundings and made his final rallying speech: "This battle is not just for Fishman Island! It is a fight for equality, for the freedom of the people! Against these dark and evil forces, the Marines shall strike with an iron fist! Fight well! Fight victoriously! For justice!"
"For justice!!"
Arlong calmly watched as Marine soldiers disembarked from the warship one after another, forming neat formations as they marched toward Coral Hill.
Even when the Marines had moved far away, he still gestured to hold back his impatient comrades, carefully observing the number of Marines left to guard the ship.
He waited for quite some time, and only when he saw the few dozen remaining guards laughing cheerfully as they carried their meal bowls toward the ship's cafeteria did he finally make his move.
He was the first to stand up, launching himself toward the warship under the cover of darkness. Behind him, the fishmen, roused by his words, quickly followed.
Earlier, they had observed everything from afar—the number of guards stationed on this warship was only so many. As Fishman Island's security had continuously improved over the past few days, the humans had long since lowered their vigilance.
Meanwhile, having marched to Coral Hill, Sakazuki suddenly remembered something. He turned to an experienced officer beside him and asked, "How was my acting earlier?"
The officer nodded repeatedly, nearly singing praises to the heavens. "Oscar-worthy! Absolutely flawless!"
Sakazuki let out a light sigh. "Let's just hope when the fighting starts, they don't tear our warship apart."
Arlong and his crew quickly reached the warship. He shook the hook in his hand and, with a powerful throw, latched it firmly onto the ship's railing.
The fishmen, with their strength nearly ten times that of humans, climbed onto the deck with ease.
A wicked grin spread across Arlong's face as he let out a chilling chuckle. "The Marines are all in the cafeteria! Charge in at once and slaughter them before they can react!"
Ahchoo and the others wore bloodthirsty smiles—they were already eager for a satisfying massacre!
Kill all these humans! Take back the treasure that belongs to us! Then we'll rush to Coral Hill—once the human Marines and the slave-trading scum have worn each other down, we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop! We are the true hope of Fishman Island!
"This is a holy war!" Arlong roared, then kicked open the cafeteria doors.
But for the first time, things did not go as he expected.
Inside the spacious cafeteria, there were no terrified Marine soldiers—only a towering figure standing in the center.
A swaying tail fin. Arms as thick as an ordinary fishman's waist. A muscular, burly frame. The trident in his hand and the crown on his head made his identity unmistakable.
The King of Fishman Island. The current ruler of Ryugu Kingdom. The Great Knight of the Sea. Poseidon's Champion—Neptune!
Neptune was gently rolling his stiff neck. Though the iron chests seemed enormous to ordinary people, they appeared small compared to the extraordinary size of a coelacanth-type fishman.
His sharp gaze swept over Arlong and his subordinates, and he sighed softly, "There are always rebels trying to harm Us."
Arlong's eyes widened in shock. Wasn't Neptune supposed to be in Ryugu Castle?
How could this be…? We've been tricked! The thought flashed through Arlong's mind, but at this moment, there was no turning back. The brutal fishman pirate simply tightened his grip on his serrated greatsword, "Zanpū," and swung it fiercely at Neptune.
"Futile resistance!" But Neptune didn't even bother blocking with his trident. Instead, his left hand smoothly assumed the standard stance of Fishman Karate.
"Fishman Karate—Four Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Before Arlong could react, a terrifying shockwave struck him head-on. He was instantly blasted out of the cafeteria, crashing hard against the ship's railing. The sheer force bent the steel plating of the hull.
"Protect His Majesty! Arlong and his crew are attempting to assassinate the King!"
From within one of the "treasure chests" on the deck, an enraged voice suddenly rang out—it was Minister of the Left!
Then, to the horror of Arlong and his crew, one by one, elite Neptune Army warriors began pouring out from the "treasure chests!"