Impulse

Around seven or eight years ago, the World Government had come up with the harebrained idea of granting the seven pirate overlords of the New World the title of Shichibukai in exchange for their submission, hoping to rule the entire sea that way.

At the time, the World Government's position was actually more secure than it would be ten years later, and it still maintained a certain degree of influence in the New World.

Sig had also noticed that the Revolutionary Army had very little presence at the moment. That brought to mind that the World Government had probably declared them its primary enemy sometime after one of its conferences. Vivi had still been a little girl at the time of that conference, so it was likely only a few years ago.

However, when the Shichibukai system was first announced, Silver Axe was the only one who accepted the World Government's appointment. Whitebeard apparently found him too embarrassing and drove him out of the New World.

Naturally, to save face, the World Government wouldn't admit that it had been humiliated. So it appointed six other Great Pirates and formalized the title of "Shichibukai," with exactly seven members. It wasn't that the World Government had failed to recruit the seven overlords. It just happened to want seven people...

Of the original Shichibukai, only one had appeared in the original story: the promising young Crocodile, who had fought Bullet at the age of twenty and later challenged Whitebeard, only to fail.

Of the Shichibukai who came later, Moria was the oldest. But in terms of "experience," Crocodile was actually the "oldest."

As for the most famous one, that was undoubtedly the pirate overlord Silver Axe.

Who hadn't heard of the Golden Lion, Silver Axe, Whitebeard, and Pink Skirt of the Hachinosu Pirate Alliance back then?

Before Sig had crossed over, he'd barely heard of Silver Axe, and he hadn't known that Big Mom had once gone by the nickname "Pink Skirt."

Not long ago, one of the Shichibukai had fought Mihawk and been thoroughly carved up. Mihawk had now taken his place, becoming the second Shichibukai Sig was relatively "familiar" with.

Of course, he was only relatively familiar with him. They weren't actually friends, and Mihawk becoming a Shichibukai had nothing to do with Sig. There was no need for him to bring a gift.

Tom estimated it would take about ten days to fully install the feature that let the Sea Bass leave Dan's tail behind.

For the first seven days, Sig trained with twice his usual effort. He'd discovered that his Fish-Man Karate improved incredibly quickly amid the unusual fluctuations of Sea Power here!

Even... starting on the third day, Kuroobi had caught Sig's enthusiasm. He stopped going out to party every day and began hiding away to practice his punches, too.

Sig guessed Kuroobi didn't want anyone thinking that he'd started training hard because Sig had inspired him!

On the evening of the eighth day, Hachi couldn't take it anymore and insisted on dragging Sig to a bar.

Sig thought it over. He needed to balance work and rest, after all, so he said, "All right, but I have to be back to train before midnight..."

"Sure, sure! I'll come practice swordsmanship with you tomorrow, too." Hachi pushed Sig along, grinning.

When Arlong saw that Hachi had brought Sig along, he frowned deeply. "What's he doing here?"

"Little Fei gets bored punching every day, too!" Hachi hurriedly explained.

"Bored? Kid, I'm warning you—we're going to a respectable bar, the kind without human women serving drinks!" Arlong warned him scornfully.

"Don't talk like you've ever seen me go to an indecent bar! I'm telling you, if the bar we go to has even one pink lamp, I'll turn around and leave..." Sig retorted irritably.

King Kong, Salt Burn, Ajou, and Bishara were with them, along with several other Fish-Man Sailors who stuck close to Arlong.

Chuu later dragged Kuroobi along as well, and Arlong, as "promised," found them an especially "wholesome" bar. Because of the difference in their tastes, Arlong was very uncomfortable with human women servers coming up close. The old bartender suited him much better.

But before they'd had much to drink, Arlong and the others had shifted to the same topic as ordinary pirates: women...

Female Mermaids only, of course!

You'd never know it from how they were all too scared to talk to the Mermaids aboard the ship. Now that they were talking behind their backs, they all sounded like experts.

"Sig, what do you think?" Hachi noticed Sig hadn't said a word and tried to draw him into the vulgar conversation.

"I think... have any of you ever talked to the Mermaids aboard the ship? Picking a fight with them doesn't count," Sig asked seriously.

The lively atmosphere fell silent at once.

"I... hic... Of course I have! That night... I talked with big brother Aladdin for a long time!" Chuu protested indignantly between hiccups.

Sig: ...

It was impressive that Chuu had managed to find a male Mermaid aboard the ship!

"Actually, they don't have to get off the ship. Arlong... I've heard you mention Triton several times. Why not..." Sig began, trying to talk some sense into Arlong.

But Arlong slammed a hand on the table and sprang to his feet. "First, call me 'Big Brother Arlong'! Second... what are you trying to say? I'm a pirate! What Triton? I only said she swims badly. I'm not interested in them, hahahaha..."

Sig pursed his lips, then said, "All right, all right. Then how about we look around Water Seven? See if there's anyone who can catch 'Big Brother Arlong's' eye? This is the island with the most Fish-Men outside Fish-Man Island, right?"

Only then did Arlong grumble and sit down. But just then, an unfamiliar scoff came from nearby. A group of obvious pirates jeered, "The place with the most Fish-Men besides Fish-Man Island should be Mary Geoise, shouldn't it?"

"Ha ha ha..." The speaker grinned, showing off his rotten teeth, and burst out laughing. The people at his table and the two nearby tables, who seemed to be with him, joined in.

Sig and the others couldn't help freezing...

Sig had actually noticed these people snickering at Arlong and the others earlier.

When it came to talking about women, they'd revealed the most "pathetic" side of themselves.

They had no eye for human women, and they didn't dare make a move on their own kind, either...

If the mockery had stayed at that, Sig would've just watched for the fun of it. But... this was no longer just people in a bar making fun of each other. It was the greatest insult to the Fish-Man Race!

"Hm? What's the matter? Don't like it?" Rotten Tooth Baka had first been startled by the weighty aura Arlong and the others had taken on. Then he grew angry with embarrassment, walked over, and slammed his fist down hard on the table in front of them.

As he did, he made sure to show off the skull tattoo on his arm, set against two crossed long axes—the flag of the Giant Axe Pirates!

A vein popped on Kuroobi's forehead. His long braid whipped violently on its own, and he looked ready to wrap it around the man. But Arlong, who was equally murderous, put a hand on his arm and whispered, "Don't cause trouble!"

The Sun Pirates couldn't expose themselves now...

Arlong hated humans, but his "respect" for their captain, Fisher Tiger, clearly outweighed that hatred.

Arlong had originally been more familiar with Captain Jinbe, but during the few months they'd spent at sea, Fisher Tiger's charisma had won over the other Fish-Men as well.

In the original story, when Jinbe couldn't hold back and knocked out a Marine, then angrily tried to keep attacking, it was Arlong who stopped Captain Jinbe and reminded him that the man had already "lost consciousness."

"Ha ha ha... Don't worry! It's fine if we cause trouble. The Giant Axe Pirates have principles, too. We don't 'restock' in Water Seven!"

Seeing Arlong and the others stay silent, Rotten Tooth Baka laughed even more brazenly.

But in the very next moment, his face slammed into the wooden bar and sank straight into it, sending splinters flying.

Then Sig's hand came into view, pressed against the back of his head...