Hachi smiled beside her and said:
"Koala, you can go back home now."
Koala kept her head down, fidgeting with her index fingers:
"Um... well..."
"It feels a little strange..."
Hachi laughed:
"Hahahaha, you look so different."
"I almost didn't recognize you."
"We bought those new clothes just for you."
"They look great."
The Fish-Man Pirates around them laughed along.
Fisher Tiger, however, remained composed, glancing toward Arlong, who stood apart from everyone.
Hachi looked at Koala's newly cut hair:
"You've had a haircut, too."
"Your mom will be so happy to see you like this."
Koala was at a loss, unsure how to express herself.
Suddenly, she pulled a rag from somewhere, knelt down, and began scrubbing the floor.
Hachi nearly jumped in exasperation:
"You have to stop working whenever something troubles you, Koala!"
"This isn't Mary Geoise!"
Aladdin, the ship's doctor, shook his head:
"Let her be, Hachi."
"Emotional wounds don't heal that easily."
Hachi scratched his head:
"Oh, I see."
Arlong, standing alone in a corner, suddenly spoke:
"Sounds like you understand her pretty well, Brother Aladdin."
He walked over with a vicious grin:
"You were both slaves, after all. Of course you can relate."
"You actually want to kill her right now, don't you?"
"She's a human, just like the ones who kept you."
With that, he crouched down with a vicious grin and reached toward Koala's head.
Fisher Tiger's expression darkened, and he suddenly spoke:
"Stop it, Arlong."
But Arlong acted as though he hadn't heard, speaking to Koala with a savage expression:
"Your parents look down on fish-men, too, don't they?"
Seeing Arlong like this, Koala was too frightened to speak.
Arlong stood and let out a loud laugh:
"Shahahahaha!"
"That's what humans are like."
"They think they're the most perfect species in the