Arlong Pirates
It's already June, Sand Crocodile has been in the East China Sea for more than half a month, but the Golden Lion is still nowhere to be seen.
In the Captain's cabin, Crocodile was not only puffing on a cigarette, but also had his feet propped up on the desk in front of him, staring at his unusually long shadow stretched against the wall...
"I said, do you really know where the Golden Lion is?" Crocodile said to his shadow, annoyed.
The shadow transformed into a cloaked silhouette, reassuringly stating, "In the East Sea."
Crocodile:!!!
"Is this what you wanted to say?" Crocodile felt his blood pressure soaring.
How big is the East China Sea? And... I don't know where it is. What directions have you been pointing me to these past few days?
"Calm down. You need to understand that the island where the Golden Lion is located is floating in the air. No one can be sure where he is," Sig explained.
"Then what direction have you been pointing?" Crocodile pressed.
"Huh? Didn't I say? Actually... I have a friend in the East Sea, and we might even have a child," Sig said matter-of-factly.
Crocodile's forehead throbbed with anxiety; he almost couldn't hold back, but in the end, he just coldly said, "You really are scum..."
Perhaps, there is a child.
At the same time, Sig is certain that Crocodile doesn't show much empathy emotionally—which suggests that his conflict with Whitebeard isn't due to Whitebeard's lack of concern for him, but rather stems from Whitebeard's attitude towards his "daughter."
However, he wasn't entirely devoid of empathy; at least Crocodile didn't deliberately deviate from the course, but rather tacitly agreed to make a trip for them...
Sig didn't directly point out the Cocoyasi Village, but instead pointed out a "side road," intending to fly there himself midway. Although bound by the alliance, Sig didn't plan to let Crocodile know too much if possible.
Furthermore, Crocodile going directly to Cocoyasi Village would be too conspicuous.
June 16, 1512.
Sig secretly returned to Cocoyasi Village.
Although Sig refrained from using his Byakugan or electromagnetic field to probe the surroundings in order not to alert the enemy, Sig still sensed something "abnormal" as he approached the nearby sea.
Sig's guess was quickly confirmed— Sig spotted the Arlong Pirates' flag in the villages and towns on the surrounding islands!
Upon arriving at the island where Cocoyasi Village is located, Sig saw the "Arlong Park" still under construction from afar.
The building looks like it belongs to the Ryugu Kingdom...
As expected, Arlong eventually brought his men to the East China Sea, specifically to the waters near Cocoyasi Village.
This is not surprising, after all, coming to the East China Sea is a strategic decision—and it is not easily changed.
Arriving in this area was a tactical decision, but a large part of the reason, at the tactical level, was that the naval branch here was very corrupt, making it possible to form an alliance of interests with Arlong!
Therefore, even with Sig around, which changed many things, Arlong's choice to go here was inevitable—the corrupt navy and the greedy pirates were heading in opposite directions.
Fortunately, Sig also took a look at the villagers of Cocoyasi Village...
Well, he seems more tired than when Sig first came. It's not just physical fatigue, but also because Sig's ability through the "Visionary" Pathway allowed him to perceive the collective consciousness of the surrounding area, making him more tired overall and less relaxed than before.
However, compared to the original story, life was much better; compared to Wano Country, it was a time of peace and prosperity.
More importantly, the still bustling port and taverns were filled with laughter and cheerful conversation...
Even when Fish-Man occasionally passes by, things only quiet down a little.
Clearly, Arlong had bullied many people. This "Arlong Park" didn't look like money they earned themselves. Moreover, even though they lived together, there was still a visible barrier between the Fish-Man Race and humans.
Neither Arlong nor the other Fish-Man here seem to have any intention of actively trying to get along.
However, what can be considered a lubricant is...
Now, not only are there Fish-Man, but also several Mermaid in Cocoyasi Village!
In particular, Sig also met Triton — the Mermaid whom Arlong had a crush on back then.
Mermaid are much more acceptable than Fish-Man, both in appearance and personality.
Although there was a group of Fish-Man who bullied people and extorted large sums of protection money, the presence of some pleasing-looking Mermaid still made things much better for the senses—humans are just that superficial.
More importantly, with Triton present, Sig estimated that Arlong wouldn't be able to go as far as in the original story.
Firstly, given Triton's personality, she wouldn't stand by and watch Arlong run wild. Secondly, with Triton around, Arlong's volatile temper could be calmed down to some extent.
There are also "three more"!
Sig had left a letter for Arlong —how could he dare disrespect Fei-ge?
Sig hadn't yet seen Bellemere, Nami, or Nojiko.
But...
I can already feel the call from my bloodline!
Sure enough...
It was only once...
If you calculate her age, she should be eight months older than Enki, already three and a half years old.
The source of this calling was the direction of Arlong Park —which was not unexpected for Sig. As long as Arlong knew it was his child, he would definitely take care of him.
With Arlong providing cover, the children are also safer...
Enkidu has scales!
However, Enkidu is the "Son of God" of Sky Island, so even if he grows bull horns, it's a good omen.
However, if Bellemere's children also had scales, and were surrounded by purely human environments, their fear of other species might have led to a less than pleasant childhood.
There's no need to worry about that now, since there are plenty of Fish-Man nearby!
Seeing that Arlong Park was still under construction, Sig nodded to himself with satisfaction—it would be asking too much of Arlong to be a "good person" or to actively promote mutual understanding between humans and Fish-Man.
Even if he has a conscience, he shouldn't cause too much harm to people.
Judging from the construction progress of Arlong Park, Arlong seems to be quite restrained. The reason it is not yet completed is partly due to its large size and partly due to its slow pace.
Sig had heard along the way that Arlong's base was only in Cocoyasi Village, but he actually controlled several small islands and more than twenty villages and towns in the surrounding area. Basically, within the area under Captain Rat's jurisdiction, except for a few countries that could contact higher-level navies, the rest were occupied by Arlong.
However, at that moment, Sig heard some discordant sounds, and... a sense of gloom was spreading.
"Sigh, Lord Arlong is going to charge extra for each person again..."
"Huh? Didn't we just add it once half a year ago?"
"Shh... keep your voice down!"
"What are you yelling about? Who said that? Step forward! You ate yesterday, why are you eating again today?"
Sig discovered that, for some unknown reason, Arlong seemed to be "levying exorbitant taxes" lately.
Sig recognized the Fish-Man present, but he was just an ordinary Sailor from the Sun Pirates. Sig didn't intend to reveal himself in front of him, but instead turned into shadow and hurried to Arlong Park.
What's Arlong Long up to? Is he that desperate for money? Sig is going to teach him a lesson!
Then Sig saw Kuroobi first, and found him handing money to a Fish-Man: "Here you go. Go to the Nezumi and exchange everything except the oil he gets. Warn him not to be greedy! Little Lucas is still clamoring for the Golden Chariot..."
Golden Chariot?
Who is Little Lucas.?
Sig suddenly had a bad feeling...
Sure enough, Sig later saw a child sitting on Arlong's shoulder, a child with whom he felt a strong blood connection, and this mischievous child was shouting, "Godfather, when will my Golden Chariot be finished?"
"Hahaha, almost there, Godfather, give those tight-lipped humans another push!"
Sig:...