Nami left Arlong and his crew in Moya's hands, with no intention of interfering.
Genzo had originally wanted to hand all the Fishmen over to the nearby Marines.
But Moya had his own plans. Besides, he refused Genzo's suggestion on the grounds that some of the Marines had been colluding with Arlong, and said he would handle things himself.
During the banquet in Cocoyasi Village, Moya had already finished processing Arlong's memories a second time to see what he could learn.
Moya had originally planned to personally escort Arlong, who had lost most of his memories and been beaten into an idiot, along with all the Fishmen, to Loguetown to collect the bounties and establish goodwill with the Marines.
But after learning Jinbe's Den Den Mushi number from Arlong's memories, Moya changed his mind.
He had also found more than ten Den Den Mushi in Arlong Park. They really were a pirate crew that had returned from the Grand Line.
It was Moya's first time seeing such a cute little creature, and he took to it immediately.
He seemed to have forgotten to ask Buggy and the other pirates about Den Den Mushi earlier.
Without hesitation, he chose the best-looking one as his own Den Den Mushi, then handed the rest out to Nami and the others, as well as the officers.
"Bolo, bolo~"
"Bolo~"
Moya's Den Den Mushi began to transform, taking on the appearance of a handsome young man with a whale shark Fishman's distinctive features and eyebrows like clouds and swirling vines.
"Moshi moshi~ Who's this?"
Jinbe looked at the unfamiliar, handsome young man his Den Den Mushi had transformed into and felt a little puzzled.
As a Shichibukai, his Den Den Mushi number wasn't something just anyone could know. Apart from people he knew, only the Marines and the World Government had it.
"I'm Moya, captain of the Moya Adventure Group. I've just defeated Arlong's Fish-Man Pirates and freed dozens of villages he had enslaved. I heard you were his protector. Did you order him to do all this?"
Moya opened with a damning accusation, pinning it on Jinbe. He knew Jinbe was one of the few Fishmen who upheld Otohime's ideals. Jinbe had a strong sense of justice and was known as the "Knight of the Sea."
"What do you mean? I haven't been in contact with Arlong and his crew for a long time. I don't know what they've been doing. If they've harmed humans, please allow me to apologize to you on their behalf."
Jinbe's apology came through the Den Den Mushi.
"They've killed countless innocent civilians and enslaved countless villages for over a decade. They've committed heinous crimes and colluded with the local Marines to exploit the villagers. Their crimes are unforgivable."
"I only want to ask you one thing: as a Shichibukai, did you ever protect him and let them run wild?"
"Now the villagers are about to take revenge on Arlong and the other Fishmen I defeated. They're going to beat them to death."
"In that case, I can only take their heads to the Marines and collect the bounties."
Moya wore an expression of anger and indignation, and the Den Den Mushi acted it out vividly.
"Please, stop the villagers at once. The other Fishmen are innocent. They were simply misled by Arlong's words and actions. I apologize to you again."
The Den Den Mushi's expression clearly conveyed Jinbe's anxiety.
"Spare me the useless talk. I understand that you're a justice-minded Shichibukai, the 'Knight of the Sea,' Jinbe."
"To free those dozens of villages, I fought Arlong and lost more than a hundred crew members."
"That made me realize how weak I am, so I want to learn how to grow stronger: advanced training methods for Fishman Karate, Fishman Jujutsu, Haki, and the like."
"You're asking for quite a lot. Those are all secrets of Fish-Man Island, not meant to be passed on."
Jinbe's calm tone seemed to conceal his anger.
"Enough, Mr. Jinbe. I don't want to argue with you. I'll give you a choice, and you can tell me what you decide."
"First, I do nothing about the fate of Arlong and these Fishmen. I let the furious villagers beat them to death, then take their heads to collect the bounties."
"Second, I protect these Fishmen and escort them to the Marines alive to collect the bounties. That would at least spare them their lives, but you'd have to pay me something in return."
"Third, I take only Arlong and the officers to collect the bounties and let the other Fishmen go. Of course, you'd have to pay an even higher price for that."
"Fourth, I take only Arlong and let all the other officers go. But have you prepared what I need?"
"One last thing, Mr. Jinbe. Those so-called secrets of Fish-Man Island are being spread everywhere by the Revolutionary Army, as far as I know. Heh."
"Could Fish-Man Island have some connection to the Revolutionary Army? I wonder what kind of negative impact that information would have on your island."
"Y-you're threatening me?"
"No, no. We're making a fair deal. The choice is yours. I'm very friendly toward Fish-Man Island. I've already planned a visit."
"More friends mean more paths forward. I also love seeing the different races live in harmony, and I fully support Fish-Man Island returning to the surface."
"I'll have territory of my own someday. You're welcome to come to it. I'll treat every resident fairly and impartially. Humans as friendly to all races as I am are hard to find."
"One last thing I'll let you in on: I have Conqueror's Haki."
Jinbe fell silent on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
Anyone with Conqueror's Haki was no ordinary person. It might not be a bad idea to befriend him.
"I can give you all those training methods, but can you let Arlong go too?"
"No! Arlong personally killed the mother of the woman I love. My bottom line is that he goes to prison. The fact that I'm not killing him myself is already an act of mercy."
"Very well. I hope you keep your word."
Moya wasn't about to let Arlong go, now that he'd lost his memories. The Marines would only get an Arlong who'd been beaten into an idiot.
Moya and Jinbe eventually reached a deal. Once the other Fishmen were aboard, one of them would contact Jinbe through a Den Den Mushi and report their situation.
Once they were safe, Jinbe would recite the training methods for Moya to write down, after which the Fishmen would be allowed to leave unharmed.
The accusation that Fish-Man Island was colluding with the Revolutionary Army, along with Moya's potential to wield Conqueror's Haki, meant Jinbe didn't dare make any rash moves for the time being.
Jinbe had wanted to come in person to collect the Fishmen and give Moya the training manuals, but Moya didn't want to meet him just yet. Perhaps the disparity in their strength made him uneasy.
"Hatchan, I know you have a good heart, so I won't make things difficult for you this time. But I'm going to deal with Arlong. That's the deal I made with your boss, Jinbe."
"I know you're acquainted with Rayleigh. Let's be friends. When I get to Sabaody Archipelago, I hope you can put in a good word for me. I'll pay him a visit. Sorry for the trouble."
Hatchan, whom Jinbe had chewed out, and Kuroobi and the others didn't dare resist in the slightest.
Hatchan seemed relieved. In the end, he responded in good faith and agreed to pass on the message.
Hatchan and the other Fishmen left the archipelago by Cocoyasi Village, carrying Moya's message back to Fish-Man Island, where they told Jinbe about the crimes committed over the years.
Just as Moya thought everything had gone smoothly, the sea beast Momoo suddenly burst out of the water and bellowed, frightening the women.
Under Moya's Haki-imbued iron fists, which worked only now and then, Momoo fled underwater in tears. Moya couldn't go beneath the sea, so he had no way to pursue it.
In the end, with Hatchan and the other Fishmen calling out and helping him, Moya's interest was piqued, and he tamed the sea beast, making it the beast that pulled his ship.
Seeing this, Moya thought about keeping a few Fishmen on board. Having Fishmen aboard would greatly improve their safety at sea, especially since they already had several Devil Fruit Users on the ship.
Moya had also taken a liking to Kuroobi's Fishman Karate, Fishman Jujutsu, and Tile Fist. Kuroobi could become their teacher, letting Moya and his crew learn the techniques.
But Kuroobi and all the other Fishmen had no intention of staying. If anything, there was a hint of hatred in their eyes.
Moya didn't want to upset Nami, so he gave up the idea.
As for kindhearted Hatchan, Moya didn't make things difficult for him because of his connection to the Dark King Rayleigh. Moya was eager to get on Rayleigh's good side and learn his advanced training methods for the Three-Color Haki!
Moya also asked Hatchan to pass on his wish to visit the Merfolk Royal Family and meet Neptune and Shirahoshi.
As for revealing that Hody Jones was connected to Otohime's death, Moya decided he didn't want to interfere with the storyline too much for now. Besides, this incident was his chance to earn Fish-Man Island's trust.
He would be the one to expose the truth.
Before you continue