Living in Harmony

When the sea cow saw its caretaker pinned to the ground, one arm gone and a blade held against him, it flew into a rage. As Momoo charged forward, its immense strength made the earth tremble without cease.

Ling Donglai let go, and the katana fell straight down. The sharp blade easily sliced off one of Hatchan's arms. He ought to be called Little Six now—Ling Donglai had cut off two of his eight tentacles.

"Aaaah!!!" Hatchan screamed.

Electric currents gathered around Ling Donglai's leg and coursed into Hatchan, making him go limp again just as he was about to break free from the paralysis.

"I told you to go back into the sea!" Ling Donglai drew another blade and aimed it at one of Hatchan's tentacles.

Momoo stopped in its tracks, like a finely turning gear that had suddenly jammed.

"Don't mind him! Charge in and crush him under your feet!" Arlong tried hard to maintain a fierce expression on his pig-like face, but with how drastically his appearance had changed, he simply could not pull it off.

Momoo looked at the blade and let out a helpless mournful cry before turning back toward the sea.

Compared to Arlong, it was still closer to its caretaker.

"Damn it. But whatever, he's just a Devil Fruit user. All I have to do is cut off this island's supply lines, and I can trap him here. Can a Devil Fruit user really fight Fish-Men in the sea?"

Even though he had been completely crushed in both speed and ability, Arlong remained confident that he could deal with this Devil Fruit user who had opposed him.

The weakness of Devil Fruit users was simply too obvious. As long as they came into contact with seawater or Seastone, they would be rendered powerless and become lambs awaiting slaughter.

Arlong did not possess something as high-end as Seastone, but he could use his numerical advantage to blockade the island and starve everyone on it to death.

As for massacring a few villages, that could easily be covered up. The Marine branch he had already bribed would not care in the slightest.

After all, they were just backward villages.

Momoo had completely retreated into the sea, but the danger had not passed. Arlong definitely would not let this go. Still, before dealing with all that, Ling Donglai needed a good meal.

His stomach rumbled like thunder. He was hungry again.

"Boss, bring out the food. Take these weapons and sell them. Consider the Beli payment for the food and drinks."

Ling Donglai pushed open the tightly locked restaurant doors, tossed the immobile Hatchan onto the floor, then sat down on a stool and called out.

"This is the first time I've ever seen someone beat Arlong, but what are we supposed to do now? Arlong isn't dead—he's retreated out to sea. Sooner or later, we'll all be trapped to death on this island."

The village chief who had seen Arlong approached Ling Donglai with the support of a cane.

"Arlong mainly wants to trap me. Once I leave, they'll naturally leave this island too," Ling Donglai said with a smile.

"Once I train for a while longer, I'll cross the sea. They won't be able to stop me."

"But they're Fish-Men. Their combat power doubles in the sea. How could we humans possibly defeat Fish-Men in the ocean? Sir, you should apologize to Arlong and the others..."

Ever since Arlong established Arlong Park, he had continually spread his ideology of Fish-Men supremacy and human inferiority. After being steeped in it for so long, coupled with the fact that no one had ever defeated the Fish-Men, the villagers more or less believed it.

Even if Ling Donglai beat Arlong right in front of them, they would instinctively make excuses for Arlong, believing that Fish-Men could not bring out their full strength on land.

"You're an interesting village chief. I drove Arlong away, yet you still want me to apologize to him." Ling Donglai found the chief's words amusing.

The chief shook his head. "You don't understand how terrifying Arlong is when he gets serious. If you don't kill a snake, it will bring endless trouble. You no longer have a chance to face him one-on-one."

The food had already been served. Some villagers who harbored deep resentment toward the Fish-Men tied up those who had lost the ability to fight and gave them a vicious beating, frightening the village chief into rushing outside to stop them.

He was already terrified of Fish-Men.

Ling Donglai shook his head and focused on eating, replenishing his energy.

A moment later, the village chief returned. He looked at Hatchan by Ling Donglai's feet, then at the stacks of plates on Ling Donglai's table. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He had not expected this young man to eat so much.

"Sir, I was wondering if you have any plans for this Fish-Man..." The village chief rubbed his hands together, revealing a fawning smile.

"No plans. Do you want this Fish-Man?" Ling Donglai looked at the chief as he wiped his mouth.

Hatchan's purpose was to hold off Momoo when Ling Donglai was too hungry to fight. Now that he had eaten and drunk his fill, he no longer needed Hatchan as a shield.

Ling Donglai looked outside. The Fish-Men had all been gathered together, and no villagers were beating them anymore. Their bodies were wet; the village chief had probably thoughtfully given them water.

Though these Fish-Men appeared unable to move because they had been paralyzed by electricity, even once the paralysis wore off, they would have no strength left to fight. In that instant, the high heat had ruined the moisture-retaining membranes on their bodies. On top of that, it was midday, and the sun was blazing.

Having lost their moisture-retaining membranes and been exposed to the scorching sun, they were practically dead fish. Even without the paralysis, they had no combat strength and could only be slaughtered by the villagers.

"Hehe, what if I offer these Fish-Men up now? Arlong might show us mercy, so..."

"If you keep these Fish-Men captive, Arlong might not attack you, since they are comrades he must rescue. But if you hand over these cards that could save your lives..."

Ling Donglai shook his head. From his experience as a pirate, this man was simply seeking his own death.

"If you think it'll work, then go ahead and do it. But if you do, I'll leave this place. Give Arlong my regards for me."

"Think it over carefully."

Threads of electric light flashed through Ling Donglai's eyes. Placing one's hopes in others had never ended well.

"As long as we pay the Beli on time, they won't do anything to us. We can live in harmony." The village chief shook his head, then carefully helped Hatchan outside to give him water.

"Living in harmony? That's nothing more than the self-deception of the weak."

Ling Donglai shook his head. Since the village chief had already made his choice, Ling Donglai would not remain on this island any longer. He pulled out a map, found the nearby islands under Arlong's rule, then punched down a large tree. Using the remaining katana he had yet to sell, he trimmed the trunk into a smooth cylinder.

Elsewhere, the village chief led the Fish-Men to the shore.

"Lord Arlong, I've brought all your subordinates over. As for the man who opposed you, he said he had already set sail and left. Please spare us. We're innocent..."