Cocoyasi Village, inside Arlong's Park, Arlong was discussing a few matters with his subordinates.
"Nezumi called on a Den Den Mushi a couple days ago. He said we should keep a low profile lately and not cause trouble. It seems the East Blue Marines are cleaning up Pirates," Arlong said, sprawled arrogantly in his chair.
Most of his crew were fish-men who had followed him from Fish-Man Island all those years ago.
But there was one exception: Nami of Cocoyasi Village.
She was the only human in the entire Arlong Pirates. After Arlong took over this place, he saw Nami's talent for navigation and mapmaking. He wanted to use her abilities to draw nautical charts that would allow him to lead the fish-men to dominate the seas, so he forced Nami to become their "partner." He had also promised that as long as she handed over one hundred million Belly, he would return freedom to her and the village.
For the sake of the village, Nami had no choice but to work here, despite her intense hatred and disgust for the Pirates who had murdered her adoptive mother.
Arlong was not truly stupid enough to go head-to-head with the Marines in the East Blue, so he ordered everyone not to sail out and plunder for the time being. They were to keep a low profile.
"But even if we're not plundering, there are other things we can do. Nami, I heard there's a group in the East Blue called the Buggy Pirates. They seem to have a nautical chart of the Grand Line, and that Buggy fellow apparently knows of a treasure. Go find them and figure out a way to get that chart. As for the treasure, perhaps it contains one hundred million Belly?" Arlong said, looking at Nami with an evil gleam in his eyes.
Nami hated Arlong deep down, but she revealed none of it on her face. Expressionless, she agreed, "Understood. I'll sail out to find them in a couple of days."
In the original story, Nami had gone looking for trouble with the Buggy Pirates, which led her to encounter the Straw Hat crew and eventually join them.
After giving Nami those instructions, Arlong looked at the rest of his underlings. "Since we can't plunder for now, raise the tolls. Any merchant vessel docking in our territory will be charged one hundred thousand Belly in protection money."
"Understood, Boss!" the fish-man underlings replied enthusiastically.
Just then, a young fish-man entered from outside the park. "Boss, it looks like a merchant ship is about to dock."
They had just been talking about collecting protection money when someone came right to their doorstep. Arlong waved a hand. "Kuroobi, go take care of them. Kill anyone who refuses to cooperate."
Kuroobi was one of the Arlong Pirates' combatants, skilled in Fish-Man Karate and the like.
He gave a savage grin and replied, "Understood."
Meanwhile, Bane and Zoro had disembarked from the ship without incident. Several low-ranking fish-man Pirates nearby were inspecting the merchant vessel, and judging by the ship owner's practiced manner of handing over money, he had clearly known about this place for a long time.
After all, Arlong's group had occupied this place for years. Cocoyasi Village was still on the merchant shipping routes, which showed that their own rules had long since been accepted here.
"Are those the fish-men you mentioned?" Zoro asked curiously as he followed beside Bane, looking at the fish-man Pirates.
"Yeah. They're ten times stronger than ordinary humans, and they're even more formidable in the water. Honestly, I can't understand why, with such gifts, they're doing so poorly in a world built around the sea," Bane said with a faint sigh.
The fish-men had a stable homeland hidden ten thousand meters beneath the sea. It was easy to defend and hard to attack, and the people on the surface had little way to deal with them. Fish-men were naturally gifted and practically favored by the world. Even the bloodline of Ryugu Palace possessed Poseidon, one of the three Ancient Weapons said to be capable of destroying the world. Yet despite holding such a winning hand, Fish-Man Island had somehow become a second-rate nation, suffering discrimination and oppression without daring to resist. It was truly difficult to understand.
The two were still talking as they prepared to leave the harbor when another group of fish-man Pirates approached them. Bane recognized Kuroobi at a glance. He could not remember the man's name, but he remembered enough to know that he was one of Arlong's officers.
"You filthy vermin, wait here. We're collecting a new protection fee now," Kuroobi barked, pointing right at Zoro's nose.
Zoro???
Was this guy always this bold?
Though fury surged through him and he wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and cut down this bastard, Zoro still gave Bane plenty of respect while they were out here. He turned to Bane, intending to ask his senior brother how they should handle this.
But when he turned around, he saw Darkness Power radiating from Bane's hand. Then, a Hand Cannon larger than Bane's head appeared in his grasp.
Kuroobi was stunned by the sight. Before he could react, Bane had already pulled the trigger.
Bang! The Hand Cannon belched a vicious blaze. At such close range, the massive round was impossible to evade and struck Kuroobi directly.
It truly was worthy of the Imperial Officer Standard Hand Cannon Bane had bought only after selling his shabby house. Its power was beyond question!
Normally, these tough and burly fish-men could withstand even Marine cannon fire. A single hit would not usually kill them.
But now, Kuroobi's entire upper body had been blown away. His lower half was mangled beyond recognition, his waist a bloody mess. The blast hurled him dozens of meters away, and he hit the ground rolling several times. Blood stained a wide area, while severed limbs and chunks of flesh scattered everywhere. The scene was utterly brutal.
Only after blasting the man apart with one shot did Bane look at Zoro. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you had something to say to this trash?"
It was Zoro's first time seeing such a savage scene, and he gained a new understanding of his senior brother. Still, he did not dislike it. He had wanted to kill that guy himself just now; his senior brother's methods were simply more brutal.
"Of course not." Zoro shook his head.
"Then get to work. Kill all the fish-men in this village. They're all Pirates!" Bane said, patting Zoro on the shoulder.
The next second, a cold gleam flashed from Zoro's waist as his blades left their sheaths. He pushed off the ground and lunged at the two fish-man underlings who had yet to react. Two slashes later, the battle was over.
However, the Hand Cannon's report was far too loud. It immediately alerted Arlong, who was still holding a meeting for his crew inside Arlong's Park.
"What's going on!?" Arlong sprang up from his chair, frowning toward the harbor.
Did the Marines attack!?
The other officers were equally confused and shocked, but Nami's eyes lit up with a hint of hope. She had read the newspapers recently and heard that the East Blue Marines were cleaning up their ranks. Perhaps those corrupt Marines had been dealt with? Perhaps the Marines had finally freed up their hands to destroy the Arlong Pirates?
Just then, the gates of the park were pushed open again, and a fish-man underling rushed in frantically. "Boss Arlong, this is bad! Two incredibly strong humans have come to the harbor! They killed Brother Kuroobi and are fighting their way over here!"
"What!? Kuroobi is dead!?" Arlong's rage exploded in an instant.
He was as vicious toward humans as he was protective of his own kind. He was a textbook racist!
And now that he knew it was not the Marines but merely two humans who did not know their place, he was even more enraged. He immediately decided to skin those two humans alive!
But there was no need for him to go out. Bane and Zoro had already cut their way to the gates like slicing melons and vegetables. With one kick, they blasted open the gates that had just been shut. Bane then swaggered inside. "Good afternoon, you scum of the seas. I hear there's an exceptionally talented and beautiful navigator here. I've come to invite her to join our more promising gang—no, team!"
As he spoke, Bane turned his gaze to Arlong. His lips curled into a savage grin. "And while I'm at it, I'll be requisitioning your ship."
Before you continue