Ordinary humans had no chance of fighting back against Fishmen.
Even those who escaped aboard ships were no match for the Fishmen.
Fishmen were far more powerful in the water than on land.
Aside from those who had been killed for resisting, everyone else had been herded by the Fishmen into the center of the village. The vicious-looking Fishmen surrounded them, eyeing the villagers with ill intent.
Arlong came over with the Kiribachi slung over his shoulder. The Fishmen watching made way for him.
Perhaps because of what had happened to Hatchan, Arlong was in a foul mood.
"I'm Arlong of the Arlong Pirates. You lowly races better listen up! From now on, your village is under my protection. Every year, each adult will pay me one hundred thousand Beli, and each child fifty thousand. If you can't pay, then there's no point in you living."
Arlong's voice was cold.
His words made many people turn pale.
One hundred thousand for an adult, fifty thousand for a child.
A family might have to pay two or three hundred thousand Beli, or even more.
But these people made their living growing fruit and fishing. They were lucky if they had enough to eat, and even if they saved up, there was no way they could amass that much money.
At the thought, many of them looked terrified.
They were the ones who couldn't afford the ransom.
They had already seen how terrifying the Fishmen were.
Arlong noticed their expressions and deliberately pointed at someone.
He pointed to a young woman.
She looked about sixteen or seventeen and was holding a little girl in her arms.
"We'll start with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, a Fishman stepped forward, grabbed the young woman and the little girl in her arms, and shoved them in front of Arlong.
"One hundred thousand for the adult and fifty thousand for the child. That's one hundred and fifty thousand Beli."
Arlong bared his teeth as he looked down at them.
The young woman and the little girl were too terrified to speak. They clung tightly to each other, not even daring to lift their heads.
"Bastard, didn't you hear what I said?"
Seeing the two of them only clutching each other and trembling, a murderous glint flashed in Arlong's eyes.
"Sir, we don't have any money."
The young woman shuddered, then looked up and spoke in terror.
"If you have no ransom, then you can die!"
At her words, Arlong raised the Kiribachi high above his head.
His gaze swept across the other villagers' faces. Then he smiled cruelly and brought his blade down hard.
After this, the others would be much more obedient. Making them pay him millions of Beli every year was a pretty good deal.
The Kiribachi came down, slashing toward the two women.
Boom!
Flames fell like a meteor, spreading in all directions before quickly fading away.
A hand wrapped in Armament Haki had caught the serrated edge of the Kiribachi.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
The terrified villagers and the Fishman pirates surrounding them were no exception.
Arlong's expression stiffened. He stared at the person gripping his blade.
Dunn looked up at Arlong, who towered over him, and used Observation Haki to take in the entire village.
He had seen plenty of reports like this since arriving in this world, but this was his first time actually witnessing pirates attack civilians.
"Who the hell are you?"
Arlong's expression turned grave, his gaze fixed on Dunn's hand gripping the blade.
Haki!
Having come from the Grand Line, he knew about Haki.
Dunn didn't answer. He calmly looked at Arlong, then turned to face the pirates around him.
The young woman and the little girl sat huddled together beside Dunn, staring at him in shock.
Flames appeared on Dunn's hand and spread along the Kiribachi.
Arlong desperately tried to pull his weapon free, but it was no use. As the flames neared his hand, he let go and jumped back.
"Kill him!"
As he retreated, Arlong roared an order to the Fishmen.
[Fishman Pirates]
That was the label above their heads.
The label above Arlong was white, while the other Fishman pirates' labels were gray.
That meant these people posed no threat to Dunn.
At Arlong's command, the surrounding Fishmen grabbed their weapons and charged at Dunn.
Dunn rested a hand on the hilt of Flame. The rasp of the blade sliding against its sheath rang out.
Whoosh!
A horizontal slash.
Flame's unusually long blade swept through the two Fishmen charging at him.
Their weapons and bodies split cleanly apart as Dunn walked past.
Dunn didn't move quickly, but every time Flame swept through the air, its blade cut apart the pirates around him.
Nothing could stop it.
Flame's keen edge sliced through the Fishmen's bodies without the slightest resistance.
Dunn had already become a master swordsman and reached the realm of Iron-Cutting. How could mere flesh and blood stop him?
A flash of blade, and blue and red blood spilled across the ground.
"Bastard, stop!"
A Fishman pirate suddenly roared and raised his Fire Pistol, aiming at the young woman Dunn had saved.
Boom!
Dunn, who had been moving at an unhurried pace, was suddenly beside the Fishman pirate holding the gun. He kicked the Fishman away, and the force sent him flying across the entire village before he crashed into the ocean on the far side of the island.
At the spot where he landed, pieces of ships and the bodies of villagers killed by the Fishmen floated on the surface.
The Fishmen who had been charging at Dunn moments earlier were now gripped by fear.
Dunn's attack had killed their companions, but they hadn't even had time to process what had happened.
Now, as they looked at the bodies of their companions, cut cleanly in two, they understood what fear was.
If the fight were fast-paced enough, or if it were a battle involving a great many people, they might not have time to think about fear.
But now, Dunn slaughtered them without a word, without a sound.
It was as if an invisible hand had clenched around their throats, slowly tightening its grip. The suffocating sensation made their blood run cold.
Dunn turned around again and swung Flame, flinging the Fishman blood from its blade.
Behind him, Arlong stared fixedly at Dunn.
"Arlong, big brother!"
The Fishmen around him looked terrified and all turned toward Arlong.
"Attack together! He's only one man."
Arlong's voice rang out, dark and ominous.
"Yes!"
At Arlong's words, the Fishmen all turned toward Dunn, then charged at him with their weapons.
It was as if Arlong's words had suddenly made them fearless.
Dunn paid no attention to their reaction. Whether they charged at him or tried to run, they were all going to die.
As the Fishman pirates charged, Dunn returned his sword to its sheath and wrapped his hand around the hilt.
"Nadeshigiri!"
Dunn spoke calmly. In the next instant, he vanished.
A dull, muted flash of swordlight flickered before everyone's eyes.
The villagers, still too shocked to recover, and the Fishman pirates charging at Dunn all saw the dim flash of the blade.
The only difference was that the villagers weren't its targets.
Dunn appeared again in front of Arlong. Behind him, the Fishmen's bodies split open along the cuts, their momentum carrying them onward.
Before you continue