Arlong's Proud Tactics

While the world was in chaos, the number of pirates in the East Blue showed a decreasing trend, preserving the Navy's last shred of dignity. After investigation, the Navy's high command discovered that there were two reasons for the peace in the East Blue.

The first reason is Vice Admiral Garp, the naval the Superstar.

He would return to the East Blue every few days to visit his grandson and, incidentally, wipe out any pirates he encountered.

Those petty thieves new to the sea might not know who Garp is.

However, pirates who have reached a certain level will actively avoid the East Blue to avoid encountering this uncontrollable force.

Therefore, the upper limit of pirate strength in the East Blue is very low; there are almost no powerful pirates that the Navy cannot deal with.

The second reason is the 77th Branch.

This small branch, with only 176 naval personnel and a medium-sized warship, has performed remarkably well in the anti-piracy operations over the past year.

The 77th Branch doesn't launch attacks frequently, but each time they accurately track their targets and capture the pirates in one fell swoop, rarely returning empty-handed.

This was undoubtedly thanks to Shazo, who had been a sailor in this area for many years, serving Boatswain for two years and captain for more than half a year, and was extremely familiar with the surrounding waters.

After receiving information about the pirates' ship locations just two or three times, Shazo could estimate the pirates' current location and their target island.

The vast ocean is boundless, but that doesn't mean you can sail freely. After all, the waters in unfamiliar waters are unpredictable, and you could encounter hidden reefs at any time.

Sailing ships have limited range, and to avoid running out of water and food, they can only travel between islands where they can stop and resupply.

Therefore, there is never absolute freedom in navigation; one must strictly follow the designated sea lanes.

His career as a sailor and captain also allowed Shazo to accumulate a wide network of contacts, providing him with more accurate and timely intelligence than even Colonel Pudding Pudding, the base Colonel.

Therefore, Shazo was able to guide the warships to take a shortcut and intercept the pursuing pirates in advance.

Once the pirates' ship is blocked, it can be easily destroyed with naval cannons, and the pirates can be wiped out in one fell swoop.

The pirates of the East Blue are weak, and that's no exaggeration.

The 77th Branch made a great contribution, and all officers and soldiers at the base were promoted, especially the base commander, Colonel Pudding Pudding Colonel, who was promoted to brigadier Commodore.

The highest military rank in the East Blue has been increased to general, but the Commodore general can only command a base with fewer than 200 people and a single warship. This strange situation clearly indicates a problem.

Xia Zuo knew, of course, that Brigadier General Pudding's promotion was entirely to suppress him, a lieutenant colonel.

Over the past year, Shazo has diligently trained soldiers, handled official documents, formulated maritime patrol plans, and developed combat plans, resulting in 26 resounding victories for the base.

In addition, Shazo Zuo devoted all his energy to training, and finally developed the potential derived from the Saint Seiya Shazo and the Saiyan Shazo. His Haki training progressed rapidly, and his strength leaped to the level of Admiral.

Furthermore, under the guidance of the Nine Swords General Outline, he mastered the Six Powers, forming his own unique fighting style.

Shazo now only needs an opportunity to defeat a formidable enemy and prove his strength to everyone.

Shazo's diligence, self-discipline, and formidable strength won over the hearts of the base's navy. His victory impressed the officers and soldiers of several nearby Marine Base, fostering a positive atmosphere of close cooperation and coordinated operations across a significant portion of the East Blue Navy.

Although there were still branches as utterly corrupt as the 16th Branch, their duties were completely overridden by other branches, leaving no opportunity for pirates to take advantage.

It was with this foundation that the East Blue Pirates were able to decline against the tide.

In 1510, the 77th Branch was ordered to hunt down the "Fire Pistol" pirate crew.

As is customary, Shazo devised a course based on intelligence, and the warships took a shortcut along the edge of the Calm Belt to reach the waters of Squid Island, where they lay in ambush in the shadows beneath the island's cliffs.

Just half an hour later, the lookout shouted, "Pirate ship spotted to the southwest! Three Fire Pistol and Fire Pistol Hand Pirates!"

"Wait, there's another ship, and it's flying a different kind of skull and crossbones flag. Two pirate crews have arrived!"

Brigadier General Pudding frowned and asked, "Lookout, what kind of flag is that?"

The lookout observed carefully for a while, then took out Complete Pirate Flag Guide and compared it with the records before shaking his head and saying, "It's not in the records. This is a new pirate crew."

"Commodore, two pirate crews are fighting! They're battling each other!"

The Commodore walked to the statue on the bow of the ship and loudly commanded, "Good opportunity! No matter which pirate crew they are, since they've been caught by our 77th Branch, they're just Bad Luck!"

"I command, all ships to attack! Annihilate both pirate groups!"

The navy sailors responded in unison. Working together, they lowered the anchor, adjusted the sails, and, taking advantage of the sea breeze, left the island's shadowy area and rushed towards the battlefield where the pirates were fighting.

The sight of the Marine warship emerging from the shadows, their menacing appearance startled both groups of pirates.

The Fire Pistol Hand Pirates, who were firing volleyball-like shots, panicked upon seeing the 77th Branch's flag. They lost all will to fight and turned their ship to flee.

Unfortunately, the pirate crew fighting them had no intention of letting them go. Instead, they inexplicably accelerated, and the jagged ship's Ship Figurehead a ram, rammed into the Musketeer's hull, firmly fixing the two together.

When Shazo saw the strangely shaped Ship Figurehead, a flash of inspiration struck him. Then, looking at the skull and crossbones flag decorated with Great White Shark on the mast, he knew the origin of this new group of pirates.

The Arlong Pirates are led by Arlong, a giant shark-man, and all members of the crew are fish-men.

This group of Fish-Man were originally members of the Sun Pirates. After the death of their leader, Fisher Tiger, Arlong and Jinbe had a clash of ideologies and left the Sun Pirates to form the Arlong Pirates.

The problem is, the timing is wrong.

How could the Arlong arrive in the East Blue so early?

The reason is actually quite simple: Fisher Tiger died two years prematurely.

Because when he arrived at Mary Geoise, the dangerous individual Shazo happened to be passing through Mary Geoise.

Admiral Borsalino of the Navy had been keeping a close eye on Shazo, so he saw the fire in Mary Geoise and provided immediate support.

The Marine Admiral are the pinnacle of naval power. Despite Borsalino's half-hearted efforts, he still managed to seriously injure Fisher Tiger, who nearly died in the Holy Land.

After that, Fisher Tiger was busy forming the Sun Pirates, and his injuries never fully healed. Finally, not long ago, his injuries flared up again, and he collapsed completely.

Fisher Tiger was a staunch Fish-Man supremacist who refused to accept human blood into his body, so he was unable to undergo surgery and ultimately died at sea.

The Sun Pirates were taken over by Jinbe, the strongest member of the crew. Arlong and other Fish-Man, unable to accept his peace ideals, chose to leave the Sun Pirates and form their own Arlong Pirates.

However, Arlong was very self-aware and knew that he was not strong enough to lead his pirate crew to survive on the Grand Line.

So he used the Sea Kings he raised to tow his pirate ship across the Calm Belt and settled in the weakest part of the East Blue.

Crossing the Calm Belt was an extremely arduous and dangerous undertaking. Even with the Sea Kings at their disposal, the Arlong Pirates exhausted their fresh water and food supplies. After leaving the Calm Belt, they encountered the Fire Pistol Hand Pirates, Arlong couldn't wait to launch an attack.

His pirate crew desperately needed to replenish their fresh water and food, but more importantly, they needed to seize the nautical charts.

Only by obtaining navigation routes and understanding the distribution of islands, countries, and Marine Base in the East Blue can the Arlong decide which island to settle on.

He didn't come to the East Blue simply to seek refuge; his plan was to acquire enough wealth to forge the most powerful weapons before returning to the Grand Line.

Arlong's goal is to defeat Jinbe, reclaim the Sun Pirates, and revive the great Fish-Man race.

Therefore, the location for settling in the East Blue must be carefully chosen. There must be enough villages nearby to rob, and it must be far enough away from the Marine Branch.

However, the Fire Pistol Hand Pirates were composed of three snipers who were extremely skilled with Fire Pistol. They used their precise volleys of fire to keep the Fish-Man at bay.

The Arlong charged several times but was driven back each time. Although the lead bullets could not break his skin, the intense pain was unbearable.

So he ordered the Fish-Man to use the ships as cover to sneak into the sea from the other side and dive close to the enemy ships.

But just as the stalemate was at hand, the navy suddenly appeared, throwing the Fish-Man into chaos.

Hachi hurriedly suggested, "Boss, we should retreat quickly. We're scattered, everyone's hungry and thirsty; we can't possibly win a battle against the Navy."

The Arlong sneered, "Hachi, you're such a fool!"

"Our compatriots approached the group of human pirates underwater. By the time they swam back to retreat, we had already been attacked by the Navy."

"Moreover, we don't have a East Blue Sea, so we don't even know where to retreat. If we get lost at sea, we Fish-Man will die of thirst."

Shioyaki asked, "Captain, what should we do now?"

The Arlong looked at the medium-sized naval warship, suddenly had an idea, and revealed a ferocious smile.

He jumped onto the jagged bow of the ship and shouted, "Fish-Man brothers!"

"The current situation is that only fighting can ensure survival, while retreat will inevitably lead to death. We are noble Fish-Man; are we not even capable of defeating the mere human navy?"

The Fish-Man who left the Sun Pirates with the Sea Arlong were all staunch Fish-Man supremacists and racists.

Hearing the captain's provocation, he excitedly drew his strangely shaped weapon and screamed wildly, "Kill humans! Fish-Man supreme!"

The Arlong was pleased with his men's morale. He turned and pointed at the panicked Fire Pistol Hand Pirates, ordering, "Have Momoo push the ship hard and ram the human pirates' ship!"

"We'll kill all the human pirates first, then wipe out the human navy, and seize this warship to make it the new flagship of our noble Fish-Man pirates!"

The Fish-Man listened with fervor, brandishing their weapons and shouting, "Fish-Man supreme!"

The Fish-Man on the ship responsible for taking care of the Sea Kings jumped into the sea, piloted the Sea Kings Momoo, and dragged the Shark pirate ship towards the Fire Pistol Hand Pirates.

As the serrated edge pierced the side of the Fire Pistol Hand Pirates ' ship, the Fish-Man on board swarmed forward, braving a hail of bullets to charge at the pirate ship, and a fierce battle ensued.

The Fish-Man had gone to sea earlier emerged from beneath the surface and climbed up the ship to the back of the Fire Pistol, completely disrupting the human pirates' formation and dragging the battle into a chaotic melee.

The melee best utilizes the fish's advantages in Human Body and stamina.

Commodore Pudding was quite surprised, but also very happy, to see the two groups of pirates fighting even more fiercely instead of fleeing from the naval warships.

He changed his order, "Halt!"

"It's good for pirates to kill each other. Let's wait here and let more pirates die."

"Straighten the ship, load the cannons, and prepare to fire."

The battle between the pirates ended quickly. The Fish-Man of the Arlong Pirates routed the Fire Pistol Hand Pirates, and even the pirate captain "Sniper" Edward had his head chopped off by Arlong.

The Arlong, holding Edward's head, stood at the edge of the ship and taunted the navy. "Human navy, if you don't want to die at the hands of the great mermaid, you'd better run for your lives!"

Commodore Pudding muttered, "Fishmen are all idiots. They actually dare to threaten the Navy with cannons in front of them."

Shazo warned, "Sir, fire! Those Fish-Man— "

Brigadier General Pudding raised his hand to stop Xia Zuo, saying, "I know the characteristics of fishmen, Lieutenant Colonel Xia Zuo. You don't need to remind me of this common sense."

Pudding Pudding deliberately gave Shazo Zuo a hard time because he received orders from the Navy's high command to suppress Shazo's achievements and prevent Shazo from being promoted due to his merits.

Shazo shook his head and ignored the officer.

The smooth sailing battles of the past year made this base commander, who had unjustly enjoyed his achievements and promotions, arrogant and no longer able to accurately assess his own true strength.

Actually, this wasn't Xia Zuo's fault. In the original history, Commodore Pudding Pudding took the initiative to wipe out the Arlong Pirates, who were not in his defense zone, and ended up being completely wiped out.

Commodore Pudding walked to the ship's railing, stood in front of all the officers, and shouted loudly, "I am Commodore Pudding Pudding of the 77th Naval Squadron. We are the most elite naval force in the East Blue. If you fish-men are willing to surrender—"

Upon hearing the rank of Commodore, the Arlong felt a chill run down his spine; he still remembered the imposing presence of Marine Admiral Borsalino, who had hunted down Fisher Tiger.

The Marine Admiral transformed into a dazzling golden light, Onslaught the Sun Pirate Ship. Even powerful figures like the captain and Jinbe were unable to catch up with or attack him.

The entire Sun Pirates, consisting of hundreds of powerful Fish-Man, was completely overwhelmed by a single Marine Admiral, utterly powerless to retaliate.

Arlong himself tried to attack, but was knocked unconscious by a single kick from Marine Admiral. He didn't even know that Borsalino had already shown mercy.

If Marine Admiral are so formidable, then how powerful Commodore be?

Upon hearing that the naval commander was a Commodore, the Arlong felt an involuntary sense of fear.

He even instinctively wanted to turn around and run away.