Ordinary humans stood no chance against Fish-Men.
Even those who escaped by boat were no threat to the Fish-Men.
That was because Fish-Men were even stronger in the water than on land.
Aside from those who had been killed for resisting, everyone else had been herded into the center of the village. The fierce-looking Fish-Men surrounded them, watching with ill intent.
Arlong came over carrying Kiribachi, and the Fish-Men watching stepped aside to let him pass.
Perhaps because of what had happened to Hatchan, Arlong was in a foul mood.
"I'm Arlong of the Arlong Pirates. Listen up, you lowly species! From now on, your village is under my protection. Every year, each adult will pay me 100,000 Belly, and each child will pay 50,000. If you can't pay, then you have no reason to keep living."
Arlong's voice was icy.
His words made many people's faces change.
100,000 for each adult, 50,000 for each child.
A family might have to pay 200,000 or 300,000 Belly, or even more.
But these people lived by growing fruit and fishing. They were lucky if they had enough to eat, and even if they saved, there was no way they could put together that much money.
At the thought, many of them looked terrified.
They couldn't afford the ransom.
They had already seen how terrifying these Fish-Men were.
Arlong noticed the looks on their faces and deliberately raised a hand to point.
He pointed at a young woman.
She looked around sixteen or seventeen and had a little girl in her arms.
"We'll start with you."
At his words, a Fish-Man immediately stepped forward, grabbed the young woman and the little girl in her arms, and tossed them in front of Arlong.
"100,000 for the adult, 50,000 for the child. That comes to 150,000 Belly."
Arlong grinned down at them.
The young woman and the little girl were so terrified that they couldn't speak. They clung to each other, too afraid even to look up.
"Damn it, didn't you hear what I said?"
Seeing the two of them trembling in each other's arms, a murderous glint flashed in Arlong's eyes.
"Sir, we don't have any money," the young woman stammered, looking up in terror.
"If you can't pay the ransom, then die!"
At her words, Arlong raised Kiribachi high.
His gaze swept over the other villagers, and then he smiled cruelly as he brought his blade down with all his strength.
After this, the others would learn to behave. Getting them to pay him several million Belly each year was a pretty good deal.
Kiribachi came down, slashing toward the two of them.
Boom!
Flames fell like a shooting star, spreading in every direction before quickly fading away.
A hand wrapped in Armament Haki caught the saw-toothed blade.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
The terrified villagers and the Fish-Man pirates surrounding them were no exception.
Arlong's expression stiffened. His eyes were fixed on the person gripping his blade.
Dunn looked at Arlong, who towered over him, and took in the entire village with Observation Haki.
He had already seen plenty of reports like this in this world, but this was the first time he had actually witnessed pirates attacking civilians.
"Who the hell are you?"
Arlong's expression turned grave as his gaze fell on Dunn's hand gripping the blade.
Haki!
Having come from the Grand Line, Arlong naturally knew about Haki.
Dunn didn't answer. He calmly looked at Arlong, then turned his gaze to the pirates around them.
The young woman and little girl sat huddled together on the ground beside Dunn, staring at him in astonishment.
Flames appeared on Dunn's hand and spread along Kiribachi.
Arlong struggled 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 shouted an order to the Fish-Men.
[Fish-Man Pirate]
That was the label above their heads.
The label above Arlong's head was white, while the other Fish-Man pirates' labels were gray.
That meant they posed no threat to Dunn.
At Arlong's command, the Fish-Men around them grabbed their weapons and charged at Dunn.
Dunn rested a hand on Flame's hilt. The blade rasped against its scabbard.
Whoosh!
A horizontal slash.
Flame's unusually long blade swept through the bodies of the two Fish-Men charging toward him.
Their weapons and bodies split cleanly apart as Dunn walked past.
Dunn's steps were unhurried. Each time he swung Flame, the blade cut through the pirates around him.
Nothing could stop it.
Flame's razor-sharp edge cut through the Fish-Men without the slightest resistance.
Dunn had already become a master swordsman and reached the level of cutting steel. How could these flesh-and-blood bodies possibly stop him?
A flash of light, and blue and red blood spilled across the ground.
"Damn it, stop!"
A Fish-Man pirate suddenly roared and aimed his Fire Pistol at the young woman Dunn had saved.
Boom!
Dunn, whose steps had been unhurried, was suddenly beside the Fish-Man pirate with the gun. He kicked him away, and the enormous force sent the Fish-Man flying across the entire village and crashing into the sea on the other side of the island.
Floating where he landed were pieces of a ship and the bodies of villagers the Fish-Men had killed earlier.
The Fish-Men who had just charged at Dunn were now filled with fear.
Dunn's attack had killed their companions, but they hadn't even had time to process what happened.
Now, looking at the bodies of their companions, each cut in two, they understood what fear was.
If they had been fast enough, or if they'd been fighting a large-scale battle, they might not have had time to think about fear.
But now, Dunn was killing them silently, without a word.
It was as if an invisible hand had closed around their throats and was slowly tightening its grip. The suffocating sensation chilled them to the bone.
Dunn turned around again and swung Flame, flinging the Fish-Man blood from its blade.
Behind him, Arlong stared at Dunn.
"Brother Arlong!"
The Fish-Men around him looked terrified and turned as one to face Arlong.
"Attack together! He's only one man."
Arlong's voice was cold and menacing.
"Yes!"
At Arlong's words, the Fish-Men all turned toward Dunn and charged at him with their weapons.
It seemed that after hearing Arlong's order, the Fish-Men had suddenly stopped fearing death.
Dunn paid no attention to their reaction. Whether they charged or tried to flee, they were going to die either way.
As the Fish-Man pirates charged, Dunn returned his sword to its scabbard and gripped the hilt.
"Nadeshiko Slash!"
Dunn's calm voice rang out. In the next instant, he vanished.
A dull, dark blade of light flashed before everyone's eyes.
The villagers, still frozen in terror, and the Fish-Man pirates charging at Dunn all saw the dim blade of light.
The only difference was that the villagers weren't its targets.
Dunn reappeared in front of Arlong. Behind him, the Fish-Men's bodies split open along the lines of the slash, their momentum carrying them forward.
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