Arlong

The guy who appeared before Bright was named Hody Jones. Even before Bright regained his memories, Hody had already been the person he hated most on Fish-Man Island.

After regaining his memories, Hody's ranking had not dropped in the slightest.

Bright and Hody could barely be considered childhood friends. They had grown up together in the Fish-Man District, and Hody was only two years older than Bright.

Hody regarded Arlong as his idol and had fully embraced Arlong's fish-man supremacy ideology. He was even more extreme than Arlong.

Arlong at least cared deeply for his fellow fish-men. He merely hated humans for discriminating against them. From a fish-man's perspective, he could not exactly be called monstrously evil.

But Hody was different. He was just as cold and ruthless toward his own kind. He believed in extreme rule by strength and had bullied weaker children in the Fish-Man District since he was very young.

And Bright, a half-fish-man born of a human and a fish-man, was naturally even more of a thorn in his side.

Hody called Bright a half-breed, but that had not always been the case.

When they were children, Hody had used an even more insulting name whenever he saw Bright.

But even though they were both shark fish-men, there was still an enormous gap between Hody, a great white shark, and Bright, a Megalodon. It had been that way since childhood.

So Hody had taken quite a few beatings from Bright when they were young. Later, he finally learned a little restraint and changed his wording, but his attitude had not changed in the slightest.

"Hody." Bright sneered. "I seem to remember warning you many times. Watch your mouth around me."

He raised his hand directly.

There was really nothing to say to this guy.

A trace of wariness appeared on Hody's face. His smaller body instinctively took a step back, and he gave a somewhat unconvincing sneer. "Are you here to see Brother Arlong? What a shame. Brother Arlong probably doesn't want to see you right now."

He raised his voice. "Brother Arlong! Bright's here to see you!"

"Bright?"

Laughter came from inside the house. "Shahahahaha! Has my dear little brother arrived?"

A figure emerged from the room.

He wore an open floral shirt, exposing the Sun Pirates' mark on his chest. He had a fur hat on his head, and his nose was shaped like an arrow.

"Oh! Bright, my good brother!" Bright's big brother, Arlong, laughed when he saw him. "It's been a long time!"

Bright nodded, somewhat moved as well. "It really has been a long time, Brother Arlong."

"Brother Arlong, entertain this guy properly. I'll be heading back first. I have patrol duty tonight."

After shooting Bright a mocking glance, Hody bid Arlong farewell.

"Alright, take care, Hody." Arlong's smiling attitude was very friendly.

Hody left without looking back.

Bright watched his retreating figure.

Unlike Arlong, that guy would cause trouble on Fish-Man Island sooner or later.

Maybe he should find an opportunity to get rid of him.

Hag alone was already more than enough. He did not need a second person who might disrupt his peaceful life.

"Hey, hey, hey, you still can't let it go, can you, Bright?"

Arlong laughed. "You two never got along when you were little, but you're grown now. Shouldn't you learn to let go of your grudges? You're both our kin!"

It was hard to imagine those words coming from Arlong's mouth.

"I have nothing to say to him," Bright said casually.

"Shahahaha! You stubborn brat. Come on, let's go inside and see some old friends!"

Arlong laughed and headed into the house.

Bright followed him.

And so he did not hear Hody Jones, who was leaving the Fish-Man District, curse in a twisted voice, "Bright—damn bastard! Just you wait!!"

This was not Bright's first time at Arlong's house. Once inside, he saw fish-men packed tightly together.

Quite a few of them were acquaintances of Bright's, companions from the Sun Pirates. The rest were familiar faces from the Fish-Man District.

"Are you having a party?"

Bright said with a smile.

He greeted his old friends.

But only a few of them responded. Some turned their eyes away, while even more glared at him angrily.

It seemed the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

Bright sighed inwardly.

"Shahahaha, because something wonderful has happened!"

Arlong dropped onto a wide chair at the center, surrounded by fish-men. "It's even better now that you're back, Bright."

He said seriously, "So, what do you think, Bright, my brother? Join my pirate crew."

"..."

Bright fell silent for a moment. "Brother Arlong, are you leaving the Sun Pirates?"

At that moment, a fish-man stood up. "What are you still pretending for, Bright? Didn't you just come from Jinbe? Didn't he tell you about this?"

The news spread fast indeed.

Was everyone in the Fish-Man District, with nothing better to do, really that fond of gossip?

"Bright, Jinbe sent you here to persuade us, didn't he?"

The speaker was a fish-man wearing a martial arts uniform, with blue skin and two fins at his elbows.

His name was Kuroobi, one of the future officers of the Arlong Pirates. He said sternly, "Have you taken Jinbe's side?"

Bright replied calmly, "I just don't want the Sun Pirates, which Brother Fisher Tiger built with his own hands, to split apart."

That was what Jinbe had asked him to do.

Although they had been saved, Arlong was deeply dissatisfied with Jinbe's compromise with humans. He had decided to leave the Sun Pirates and form a new crew of Fish-Man Pirates.

"Don't talk nonsense, Bright! Jinbe destroyed the Sun Pirates!"

Another fish-man shouted, "That weakling Jinbe bowed his head to those lowly humans! He submitted to the World Government that killed Brother Fisher Tiger and became a human lapdog!"

Bright frowned.

"Alright, alright, there's no need to put it that way."

A fish-man stepped forward to smooth things over. He had six arms, and the Sun Pirates' emblem was marked on his forehead. His name was Hachi. "No matter what, Boss Jinbe did save us."

"There's no need to persuade us, Bright."

Arlong stared straight into Bright's eyes. "Since Jinbe has forgotten our hatred, then let me avenge Brother Fisher Tiger! Let us fish-men take revenge on humanity!!"

He shouted fervently, "Let blood and death make humanity understand that we fish-men are the true superior race!!"

Bright felt a little sad.

How many years of hatred had built up to turn the Arlong who had once taken them sneaking up to the surface, his eyes shining as he gazed at the Sabaody Archipelago, into this?

"Help me, Bright!" Arlong stretched out his hand eagerly. "If it's you, humanity will never forget it!!"

Facing Arlong's invitation, Bright shook his head. "Sorry, Brother Arlong. I don't want to be a pirate anymore. I just want to stay quietly on Fish-Man Island and live a peaceful life."

"What did you say!!"

That calm answer instantly enraged Arlong. He nearly lunged forward and grabbed Bright by the collar. "Bright! What are you saying? Someone like you, someone so gifted like you!! You're planning to do nothing?"

"Have you forgotten Brother Fisher Tiger's hatred too? Have you forgotten humanity's oppression of us fish-men? What made you so weak?"

Bright pressed his lips together.

What could he say? That in another ten years or so, Monkey D. Luffy would change everything?

But even if Arlong believed such an absurd claim, he would not care. All he wanted was revenge against humans.

"I told you already, Brother Arlong! This brat has taken Jinbe's side! He's taken humanity's side!"

The fish-man who had questioned Bright earlier shouted, "Don't forget, he was never a complete fish-man to begin with. He's human too!"

Bright fell silent for a moment.

Humans called him a fish-man, yet fish-men called him human.

How ironic.

"Is that so? I see—"

Arlong released Bright and sneered as he stepped back. "Has the weakness rooted deep in human blood affected you too, Bright?"

"How pathetic. Leave this place, Bright. Don't show your face in front of me again! You're no longer welcome here!"

There was nothing more he could say now, was there? Everyone was glaring at him angrily.

Bright could only leave.

Walking down the main road of the Fish-Man District, Bright felt somewhat melancholy.

What exactly should he do about Arlong?

To be honest, the lives and deaths of a group of humans far away in the East Blue had nothing to do with him.

Even if they were characters from the story, even if they were major characters, what did that have to do with him?

If he had not regained his memories, he certainly would not have hesitated at all.

But the problem was that the memories of his previous life as a human had awakened.

Now, not only was his blood divided in two, but even his thoughts had become a fusion of human and fish-man.

Could he simply watch Arlong go hurt a group of innocent humans?

And in the end, drag himself down into hell because of it?

Even if he wanted to stop him, how could he?

Arlong's hatred for humans had already taken root too deeply. It was impossible to change him with words.

So was he supposed to come to blows with Arlong for a group of humans he had never met?

"This is really troubling."

Bright felt a headache coming on.

And now, he had another new worry.

Because of something Arlong had said, the matter he had always deliberately avoided now surged to the forefront of his mind.

Was this really alright?

Was the life he wanted—doing nothing and quietly living on Fish-Man Island—really alright?

Would the world after Monkey D. Luffy became king truly be a world where both fish-men and merfolk could smile?

Why did it feel like coming home had brought him so many troubles too?

"This is the kind of time when I should go talk to her."

Bright decided to find his true childhood sweetheart.

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