Fish-Man Attack! Dunn, Who Became Flame

"Pirates! It's pirates!"

On the edge of a peaceful island village, a shrill, terrified cry rang out. The person who shouted sprinted madly toward the village, screaming at the top of his lungs as he ran.

Those who heard the commotion rushed out, watching the man dash past them.

Then, those closer to the shore looked toward the sea and saw a pirate ship approaching from the distant horizon.

A strange pirate flag fluttered in the wind, featuring a red shark crossed with two bones.

In an instant, the entire village erupted in chaos.

This place was close to a Marine base, so most pirates usually avoided attacking it; after all, it took time, and they risked being intercepted by the Marines.

Now, however, the villagers were reminded of the true terror of pirates.

Some scrambled to flee by boat from the other side of the island, while others grabbed pitchforks and other metal objects, hoping to put up a fight.

BOOM!

The speeding pirate ship didn't dock at the shore; it plowed straight onto the land, crashing into the village without slowing down.

The massive vessel smashed through houses, sending clouds of dust and debris billowing into the air.

"Boys, round everyone up! Kill anyone who resists or tries to run!"

Arlong brandished his Kiribachi and roared at the top of his lungs.

Cheering Fish-Men swarmed off the ship, charging into the village with wild excitement.

In a heartbeat, the village was filled with cries of grief and screams of agony.

Arlong stood at the bow of the ship, blade in hand, watching the scene with excitement as he waited for the spoils of his raid.

Humans were greedy.

He had a plan.

Since there was a Marine base nearby, he could perhaps negotiate once the Marines arrived.

If he went too far, he might attract a massive Marine force, which would be detrimental to his plan to conquer the East Blue.

If he could cooperate with the commander of the local Marine base, things would be much simpler.

"Sha-ha-ha-ha! I really am a genius."

Arlong gave himself a mental pat on the back for coming up with such a strategy.

Aside from Arlong, the octopus Fish-Man Hatchan was also on the ship.

Listening to the wails and screams below, Hatchan shrank back and quietly contacted Jinbe.

Jinbe had arrived in the East Blue several days ago; he should be catching up soon.

He hoped Brother Jinbe would hurry.

If Arlong killed too many people, it would surely make things very difficult for Jinbe.

Brrr-brrr.

Arlong's ears twitched. He spun around sharply toward the source of the sound, then hoisted his blade onto his shoulder and began walking toward it.

"Brother Jinbe, please hurry. Arlong has started; he's attacking a human village."

Hatchan lowered his voice as he spoke into the Den Den Mushi.

"Can you stop him?"

Jinbe's voice came through, sounding exceptionally grave.

"Brother Jinbe, I can't stop Brother Arlong."

Hatchan's tentacles twitched involuntarily as he answered, clearly distressed.

"I understand. I will be there soon."

After saying this, Jinbe hung up the Den Den Mushi.

Hatchan sighed, but when he turned around, his body suddenly stiffened.

"Hatchan, who were you contacting? You actually dare to betray me?"

A fierce glint flashed in Arlong's eyes as he glared viciously at Hatchan.

At these words, Hatchan's body trembled violently, but he held his ground and stared back at Arlong.

"Brother Arlong, humans are far stronger than us. Whether it's Boss Fisher or Boss Jinbe, they both want Fish-Men and humans to live in peace. What you're doing now will destroy their efforts!"

Hatchan mustered his courage and shouted.

"You bastard! Humans will never live in peace with us! How did Boss Fisher treat humans? Yet, in the end, he died at their hands, and even in death, he refused to accept a human blood transfusion. I am the one who inherits the will of Boss Fisher; Jinbe is nothing but a coward!"

Arlong glared fiercely at Hatchan, swinging his blade wildly, clearly enraged.

"If Brother Jinbe hadn't become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, you never would have been released by the Marines, Brother Arlong," Hatchan continued.

However, this sentence seemed to strike a nerve with Arlong.

The Kiribachi, which had been swung through the air merely to vent his rage, was now gripped tightly by Arlong as he brought it crashing down toward Hatchan.

Hatchan clearly hadn't expected Arlong to actually turn his blade on him; he tried his best to dodge, but he still couldn't avoid the blow.

Three of his tentacles on his left side were severed in a single strike.

The excruciating pain sent Hatchan crashing to the ground, where he rolled about and screamed.

Arlong also snapped back to his senses, looking at the maimed Hatchan with an unreadable expression, though in the end, he did not continue his attack.

Arlong turned and walked away, leaving Hatchan writhing on the ground.

In the village on the island, the Fish-Men were running rampant.

Anyone who dared to resist was killed.

The physical constitution of an ordinary Fish-Man far exceeded that of an ordinary human.

This was innate.

The villagers were merely common folk, mostly fishermen, and naturally, they were no match for the Fish-Men.

As the village chief watched his people being slaughtered, he suddenly remembered the Den Den Mushi left behind by that young man not long ago.

He could never have afforded a Den Den Mushi himself.

He remembered clearly the words left behind: if they encountered pirates, they were to use the Den Den Mushi to contact him.

Thinking of this, as if clutching at a straw, he pulled the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and fumbled with it in a panic.

Brrr-brrr.

The Den Den Mushi seemed to have just woken up, and under the chief's operation, it let out a few sounds.

The call was quickly answered.

"Under attack by pirates?"

"Yes, it's the Fish-Man pirates."

Hearing the voice from the Den Den Mushi, the chief spoke hurriedly.

But the next moment, a Fish-Man wielding a blade rushed in, saw the chief holding the Den Den Mushi, and flew into a rage. With a wave of his arm, he slashed off the arm the chief was using to hold the device, then stepped forward to finish him off.

The Den Den Mushi was not hung up, and the chief's dying screams were broadcast through the line.

On the calm sea, a ship drifted with the waves. Dunn listened quietly to the screams coming from the Den Den Mushi—some close, the dying cries of the village chief, and others distant, numerous in count.

Boom!

A ball of flame erupted around Dunn's body. With his legs slightly bent, Dunn shot into the sky.

Flames enveloped his entire form, his legs transforming into jets of fire. Dunn became like a meteor streaking across the horizon, trailing a long tail of fire as he headed in one direction.

Dunn had given a Den Den Mushi to every village in the vicinity.

Although his purpose here was to save Bell-mère.

Of course, he didn't have any ulterior motives regarding Bell-mère or Nami.

He had simply thought of it, had the ability to do so, and happened to be out for training, so he did it.

And now, the guy he had been waiting for had arrived.

The flames streaked across the sky.

Just as Dunn had anticipated, this method of movement was indeed fast. Of course, it might not compare to Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi, but by sparing no expense in consuming his stamina, he could briefly exceed the speed of sound several times over.

In just a few minutes, Dunn saw the thick smoke rising from the burning target village.