AN: On checking the wiki, I found out I got one canon detail wrong: Arlong's previous conquest and Nami's homeland is an archipelago (Conomi Islands), not just a single island. It would be annoying to go back and fix this in previous chapters, but I'll make sure to get it right from now on.

A few days later, Arlong was in one of the high-end stores of Marine Shopping Mall. He had picked up two different bottles of wine and was now inspecting them closely.

I've drunk plenty of booze in my life… but that didn't exactly prepare me for judging what would be best for a wedding gift…

Hmm…

Hodge's wedding was still some way away, but he didn't want to leave things to the last minute. That would only lead to misery.

Eventually, Arlong swallowed his pride and asked the nearest employee of the store what she thought would be best. The employee recommended a set of three bottles, apparently a vintage that had been aged for more than a hundred years.

She definitely picked this to maximise the store's profits… eh, it's still probably better than anything I could pick on my own.

Arlong paid for the wine and then walked out of the store. He looked around at the bustling mall.

There's nothing I really need to buy, but I might as well look around a bit more. I might find some business willing to accept me.

As he walked through the mall, Arlong thought about the past few days… and his series of failed job applications.

Dammit! "My apologies, but we already have plenty of skilled applicants"… I could do ten times the work of any of those youngsters!

But from an objective viewpoint, that only made sense. Arlong had only been able to tell his prospective employers about his skills using words. He didn't have much of an employment record, nor many acquaintances who could vouch for his skills… and what records and acquaintances he did have wouldn't help him in getting legitimate work.

Fish-Man Island is a huge place with five million people! This job search shouldn't be so hard! Just how the hell did Shyarly manage it!?

Grr… I have to calm down. I won't get any job if I'm scaring everyone around me. In fact, they're screaming already…

Wait, screaming?

Arlong focused on his surroundings instead of his past failures. He thus noticed a commotion nearby.

"—no way, he's back already!?"

"It feels like his last visit was only yesterday!"

"Ah… maybe this time, I'll be lucky enough to shake his hand…"

"Is this guy really that amazing?" asked one young boy, who wasn't even as tall as Arlong's knee.

"Of course!" replied a fish-man who seemed to be the boy's father. "You'll get it as soon as you meet Jinbe!"

Arlong let out a gasp, though the nearby people were too excited to even notice.

He's… back…?

Of course he'd be back eventually… but at a time like this…?

In the back of his mind, Arlong had been making plans on what to do when he returned. But now that it had finally happened, he was too nervous to remember any of those plans.

Dammit, I haven't really been trying to hide myself, none of my men have, either! It won't be long before he hears about the Arlong Pirates coming here, and when he does…

Arlong hurried towards the nearest exit of the mall, moving as fast as he could manage without breaking the wine bottles he'd bought.

Should I lie low, even if it means abandoning everything I left in the inn, and sleeping in an alley? Even if Jinbe hears I'm here, Fish-Man Island is a big place. He won't have the time to do a proper search, not before he has to leave for Warlord duty again.

Arlong burst out from the mall and looked around, internally debating which direction he should go.

But it'll be a different story if he gets the help of the Neptune Army for that search… and my men wouldn't all be able to hide, even if I could warn them in time…

It was a beautiful day today, with warm sunlight shining down on the island. For most of the island's people, this day was even better thanks to the arrival of Jinbe, their hero, one of the few who was as esteemed as Fisher Tiger.

For Arlong, it was one of the worst days in his life. He wanted nothing more than to run away from it all, to delay the inevitable for as long as possible…

...but he'd already been running for too long. He'd run all the way to East Blue, a sea he'd never planned to visit before, to avoid Jinbe's wrath. When that "weakest sea" had proved too dangerous for him, he'd run all the way back home.

No more running… I'm going to tell him. If nothing else, I can focus all his anger on myself…

Just the thought of it made Arlong tremble. But the desire to protect his men was one of very few things that could outweigh that fear.

-ooo-

By following the gossip, Arlong found his target easily enough. He encountered Jinbe, along with several others of the Sun Pirates, in a plaza near the entrance to Fish-Man Island.

There was already a large crowd here. They were practically clawing at each other for the chance to get a glimpse of their hero. The air was filled with calls of "Jinbe!" and "Knight of the Sea!"

Arlong didn't try to approach Jinbe. He simply stood on a nearby rooftop in Jinbe's approximate line of sight.

After a few moments, Jinbe looked up and stared at Arlong. No emotion could be seen on his face, including surprise, but Arlong still shivered.

Jinbe then looked down and seemed to be saying something. It was too far away for Arlong to see much detail. But after a few moments, one of the Sun Pirates, a tall octopus fish-man, disappeared. The crowd didn't seem to notice, too focused on Jinbe himself.

...Even though I expected that, I still lost track of him… What path is he using to get here?

Arlong whipped his head around and watched his surroundings, trying to detect anything unusual. His senses were sharp from decades of fighting and surviving…

...yet he still jumped in surprise when he heard someone behind him.

"Still haven't picked up Observation Haki, Arlong?"

While forcing himself not to turn around too quickly, Arlong replied, "None of you lot ever tried to train me in Haki, Ahab."

The octopus fish-man was now on the same roof as Arlong. He wore a sailor's hat, a black sleeveless shirt and pale pants. His three pairs of arms were all folded, creating quite the imposing sight.

"Don't lie about the past to someone who knows it as well," Ahab said. "You never had the patience for it. When we offered to teach you, you laughed it off, saying you didn't need it to be strong."

One of Arlong's eyes twitched, but he suppressed his violent urges. Not only were Ahab's words true, but—like Jinbe's other loyalists—he was someone Arlong didn't fancy his chances against in a fight.

"I'll get to the point, since that's something we'll both appreciate," Ahab said. "The captain will meet you in that trench west of the island. You remember it?"

"I do," Arlong answered at once.

There was a certain trench to the west of Fish-Man Island, well-concealed by surrounding kelp. Some rare and delicious crabs could be gathered there, though it was also dangerous due to being in Sea Beast territory. Few people ever came anywhere near that trench, making it a good place for a private meeting.

Ahab left without another word. Arlong watched him carefully, yet lost track again as soon the octopus fish-man slipped behind a building.

...More reminders of just how weak I am, in the grand scheme of things…

While stewing in such thoughts, Arlong jumped off the rooftop as well. He began making his way west.

-ooo-

On a boulder on one side of the trench, Arlong was sitting. He'd already spent half an hour in this manner.

A Sea Beast—more specifically, a Sea Rhino—had attacked earlier. Arlong hadn't even needed to stand up to drive it off. A simple glare from him had caused the Sea Rhino to swim away in terror.

...It's a shame I won't be at Hodge's wedding, though… Before coming here, I passed the wine to one of his friends to hold onto, but I didn't give a proper explanation…

Arlong had never been the most eloquent of people, and even a master of words would have trouble explaining what he was going to do next. It had been simpler to tell a small lie, to say he might be getting into a fight in the Fish-Man District, and he wanted someone to watch over his property.

What'll they think when I never come back? No, what'll Jinbe say to them afterwards?

Such thoughts had been running through Arlong's head constantly. He'd gone through a roller coaster of emotions, from fear to grief to loneliness to fear again. But no matter how many times he felt the temptation to flee, he forced himself to stay put.

Eventually, the one he'd been waiting for arrived.

"Arlong!" Jinbe called out, swimming closer at a fast pace.

As if on cue, Arlong stood up. "Jinbe."

The whale shark fish-man was dressed similarly to how he appeared in the newspapers: an orange kimono marked with concentric square symbols, a purple obi around the waist and a red cape over his shoulders and back. He had moderately long black hair, some of it tied into a topknot, and pale blue skin. His figure was distinctly thick and rounded… but Arlong knew, from personal experience, that there was plenty of muscle under that fat.

"You're earlier than I expected," Arlong said. He did a fairly good job of keeping the fear out of his voice. "Thought you'd go visit the royals first."

"They'll understand if I have something else to do first," Jinbe replied, settling down on the seabed in front of Arlong. "Arlong, why have you returned?"

Arlong scoffed. "What, can't a man just return home because he wants to?"

"You've never returned before," Jinbe said, a stern look on his face. Combined with the scar over his left eye and his two protruding fangs, it was a sight that would have scared most people. "Whenever I came back, I asked around for news of anyone with your appearance. There was never any news… until today. So, why have you returned?"

Arlong had been hoping to draw out this conversation for just a little longer. Now there was no more opportunity for that. He'd just have to grit his teeth and confront the inevitable.

"Before this, I…" Arlong began. "Me and the boys went to the East Blue, as pirates… We got beaten in a fight, got captured by the Marines… then we broke out and decided to go home again, just for a break…"

Arlong stopped talking at that point. The sheer aura of intimidation emanating from Jinbe was now too much for him to bear. It took all of Arlong's willpower to just face him.

"...I see," Jinbe said. "I shouldn't have expected anything else. I was a fool, all those years ago, when I let you go thinking you might change."

Jinbe made no move to attack yet. However, Arlong was already filled with the cowardly desire to run again.

Dammit… I have to pull myself together! The whole reason I decided to come here, to meet him, was to take the heat away from my boys! I can't back down now!

"What exactly happened in East Blue, Arlong?" Jinbe asked, his voice conveying more pressure than that of the ocean depths.

Arlong looked down and considered his reply.

"After sailing around for a while, we found a few tropical islands. Nice climate, nice food, and not much of a Marine presence. And… on my order… we decided to take over the place."

"...In what way?"

Arlong tried to meet Jinbe's gaze, but he just couldn't lift his eyes from the ground.

"On my order… we made the islanders pay us every month," Arlong admitted. "A hundred thousand for each adult, fifty thousand for each kid. Anyone who resisted… we killed, or 'just' beat up to serve as an example."

Jinbe remained silent. That was more terrifying than any obvious anger, yet Arlong couldn't stop the words tumbling out of his mouth.

"To stop the Marines from acting, we made a deal with their local captain, bribing him with some of our profits," Arlong continued. "With what was left over, we built a base for ourselves, and prepared… to take over all of East Blue."

That was it. The truth had been revealed. All Arlong could do now was hope that Jinbe still had his old honour, would limit his wrath to Arlong alone.

"...Arlong," Jinbe said, his voice far too quiet. "A long time ago… you said I'd betrayed Brother Tiger by working for the World Government, for the humans who'd killed him. Do you remember that?"

"I… do."

Then Arlong was slammed into the boulder by a single blue hand. Stone cracked underneath his back, while a furious visage filled up his vision.

The Sea King Arlong had fought before was like a mere sardine compared to Jinbe.

"THEN WHY, ARLONG!? WHY DID YOU BETRAY HIS LEGACY IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE!?"

The mentions of Fisher Tiger stirred up something in Arlong, despite his fear and the vice-like grip on his shoulder.

"I… I…" Arlong stammered. "I DID NOTHING THAT HUMANS DON'T DO TO EACH OTHER! I NEVER TREATED THE ISLANDERS LIKE SLAVES! IT WAS NO DIFFERENT FROM… FROM RULERS TAXING THEIR PEOPLE!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME, ARLONG! YOU KNOW FULL WELL THAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND BELLIES IS EXORBITANT! THEY MUST HAVE BEEN GIVING YOU MOST OF THEIR INCOMES!"

Jinbe pulled Arlong away from the boulder and threw him. Despite the resistance of the water, Arlong still flew for over twenty metres before hitting the ground, after which he skidded across the mud for a few more metres.

Arlong scrabbled to his feet and quickly brushed off the mud from his gills. Before he could do anything else, Jinbe was upon him again.

"Were you already planning this, when you left the Sun Pirates!?" Jinbe growled, holding up Arlong by the neck. "Yet you still had the nerve to say I was betraying Brother Tiger's legacy!?"

Arlong couldn't even retort, too busy trying to pry away Jinbe's fingers before his brain ran out of oxygen.

Then Jinbe slammed Arlong down into the ground. "After doing such a thing, you thought you could just return home and your crimes would be forgotten!?"

The fingers around Arlong's throat had loosened slightly, so he gasped, "N-No… that wasn't it…"

"THEN WHY DID YOU RETURN, ARLONG!?"

Arlong should have lied, should have said anything that would raise his odds of survival even a little. But he could not lie. The combination of pain and terror left him in no state for anything except telling the truth.

"I… I told my crew to go home so we could all relax…" Arlong said. "And… so that we… so I could train so I'd never… lose again…"

Jinbe looked down on Arlong in a way normally reserved for sea lice and other vermin.

"You want to become stronger, Arlong?" Jinbe said, his voice fearfully quiet once more. He took his hand off Arlong's throat and moved back. "I see. Then get up."

"What…?"

"Get up, Arlong."

Arlong rose weakly to his feet. Now, Jinbe was standing with his hands raised and his feet wide apart—a Fish-Man Karate stance.

"I've done wrong by you, Arlong," Jinbe said. "I never taught you some things you ought to have learned. It's time for me to fix that."

Now, Arlong remembered that day of agony, the day when he'd challenged Jinbe to kill him. Jinbe hadn't complied, obviously… but he'd come within an inch of doing so. He'd only stopped because others had pulled Jinbe off of Arlong.

There was no one else around now. And Jinbe was in a less merciful state now than he'd been back then.

Arlong wanted to flee as fast as his legs could take him, to hide in any place that would keep him safe. The only reasons he stayed put were his resolve to keep his men safe… and his certainty that no amount of running would let him escape.

"Come, Arlong," Jinbe said, tranquil fury on his face. "Let us settle this… just like in the old days."

In the old days, Arlong had never won against Jinbe in a fight, not even once. And Jinbe had spent the time since then fighting, whereas Arlong had spent most of his time relaxing in luxury.

Yet Arlong still clenched his fists, then raised them in front of his body. Perhaps it was out of pride, or out of a desperate hope that this battle would turn out differently from before… but he refused to just lay down and die.

The two fish-men faced each other for perhaps ten seconds, neither making a move.

Then Arlong took the first attack. He didn't bother with any cunning tricks, for Jinbe would see through them all. He simply ran as fast as he could, thrust his fist as fast as he could at his enemy's face—

—then that enemy disappeared.

"Observation Haki lets you hear the voices of all things."

Arlong whirled around in a roundhouse kick, but his leg struck nothing but water. Jinbe was infuriatingly just out of reach.

"It can be used to evade… and to attack."

Arlong hurriedly shielded himself with his arms. There was a blur of motion, then Jinbe's fist slipped past his arms and struck him in the chest.

"Argh!"

Moving mostly on reflex, Arlong lowered his guard and thrust his head forward, trying to impale Jinbe with his sharp, barbed snout. A powerful impact struck the top of his head, making him see stars and knocking him down to the ground.

"Without superior speed, you cannot overcome it!" Jinbe declared.

"Shut… up!"

Arlong pushed off the ground with both hands and feet, putting some distance between himself and his enemy.

"Next, Armament Haki," Jinbe said. One of his fists darkened and took on a metallic sheen. "It is the ability to clad oneself in armour without substance."

Desperate, Arlong grasped the water and threw it. Almost a tonne of water was now hurtling forward at the speed of a bullet—

—yet Jinbe met that aqueous projectile with his fist alone. He scattered the water effortlessly, producing a loud bursting sound. And then he began advancing with speed unexpected for someone of his bulk.

"This, too, can be used to attack!"

Knowing he couldn't block that fiist, Arlong threw his body to the side in an attempt to evade. Yet a reinforced fist still struck him in the belly.

"GUAAAARRRGGHHH!"

Arlong flew backwards, blood trailing from his open mouth. When he rushed through water at this speed, it felt as if he was being slammed through solid stone. Every part of his body cried out in agony.

And this time, Arlong didn't have time to hit the ground. A darkened fist appeared in his vision again, for a tiny fraction of a second, then there was more pain.

"Ugh…! Gak…!"

Arlong was knocked upwards this time. Teeth, many of them broken, scattered through the water, along with more crimson blood.

For the next few moments, Arlong slowly sank down. He was filled with wild thoughts of this being the afterlife, that the pain would now be over.

Then he spotted Jinbe out of the corner of his eye, and he clenched his fists once more.

"No matter… No matter what I've done…" Arlong groaned. "I'M NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!"

Arlong kicked off the water, swimming at Jinbe rapidly. It might be with his fists, his snout, his teeth or anything else, he had to land at least one blow on that bastard.

There was a furious exchange of attacks. Arlong felt his bones crack, his skin be torn, and more of his teeth be knocked out. One of Jinbe's punches even bent his snout to the side.

But he did not stop.

He couldn't even tell if his own attacks were landing or not.

He couldn't even feel the pain of his wounds anymore.

Even so, he kept swinging his mangled fists. He swung them again, and again, until he was swallowed up by darkness.

-ooo-

Arlong groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He saw the familiar sight of sunlight trickling down through water.

"Is… Is this…?"

"Unfortunately for you, this is not the afterlife."

Arlong quickly sat up, despite the pain that caused him. He spotted Jinbe and Ahab in front of him… and he also spotted the bandages and splints on his body. Then he noticed his own snout had been straightened and, by feeling around with his tongue, noticed that his lost teeth had regrown.

"Before this… meeting, I borrowed some medical supplies from Aladine," Jinbe explained, not meeting Arlong's gaze. "I had a feeling they would be needed."

"Why?" Arlong asked. "I…" he steeled himself for more pain, this time emotional instead of physical. "I betrayed everything Brother Tiger fought for… Why would you show me mercy?"

From a short distance away, Ahab scoffed. It didn't sound as if he agreed with Arlong in any way. Rather, it sounded like he was in on a joke and Arlong wasn't.

"This is not mercy," Jinbe said, now looking at Arlong. "If I killed you here, you couldn't do anything to make up for your crimes. I let you live so you could undergo your punishment. A punishment you may find more painful than mere death."

"What… you want me to go and admit my crimes in public, or…?"

Jinbe shook his head. "When I came here, I heard rumours of a movement in the Fish-Man District, a movement of those who believe fish-men are superior to humans… and should subjugate them. Perhaps you've heard of them as well."

Arlong certainly had. He remained silent, not sure where this conversation was going.

"Now, I could track down the perpetrators and capture them, but that wouldn't be a long-term solution," Jinbe said. "As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, I cannot remain here long enough to change the attitudes that led to this movement in the first place."

Then realisation struck Arlong. "You… You can't mean…"

"I know you used to spread such attitudes in the district," Jinbe said. He folded his arms. "None of us has the power to change the past. However, we can make up for our past mistakes… This is your punishment, Arlong: stop that movement and fix up the Fish-Man District."

Arlong forced himself to stand up. "Are you mad, Jinbe!?" That shout proved to be too much of a strain on his body, so he added in a quieter voice, "I'm a thug, a pirate, someone who knows how to break or steal things, not to fix them."

Maybe that's why people kept refusing me for jobs… they noticed what kind of person I really am.

"That's the sort of thing Brother Tiger was suited for," Arlong continued, "but even he could never really fix up that cesspit."

"Making it a fitting punishment for you," Jinbe retorted. "You came back home to improve yourself, Arlong, to learn new skills. This is your chance. And you do already have skills relevant to this punishment, such as fighting skill and an understanding of the criminal world."

"Nothing good'll come of you just throwing me back there," Arlong insisted. "Like you said, I'm one of the reasons the Fish-Man District is the way it is."

"Ahab will be observing you, making sure you're doing your duty," Jinbe said. He nodded at the octopus fish-man. "And he will make sure you do not leave the Fish-Man District early."

"If he can follow me, why can't he—?"

"I didn't grow up in the Fish-Man District like you and Captain Jinbe," Ahab said, cutting off that feeble argument. "I don't know the place like you do, I don't have the same connections. And you're the one the captain is trying to punish."

"But… But what about my men?" Arlong asked, a little fearful.

Jinbe frowned. It was clear he knew that they'd agreed with Arlong, despite Arlong insisting that they've moved on his orders.

"...As acknowledgement of your determination, I won't do anything to them, not at the moment," Jinbe said, his face relaxing. "Most of them are unlikely to go back to piracy again, I suspect. I will give you one day to explain your punishment to them, which should discourage anyone else who still wishes to be a pirate. If any of them decide to help you in your punishment, that will be their choice. But make no mistake, I will inform King Neptune about this. If any of the former Arlong Pirates return to crime…"

Jinbe leaned forward, his eyes boring into Arlong's.

"All of you will be arrested and punished accordingly. Do you understand?"

That'd probably mean life behind bars, Arlong thought. Since it was the best he could hope for, he said, "I understand."

"Then it's settled, Arlong," Jinbe said resolutely. "You betrayed Brother Tiger by enslaving people. It's only fitting that you atone for that by freeing people from miserable poverty. I can hardly send you back to East Blue to atone directly, so I'll settle for you finishing the work that Brother Tiger started. You'll start as soon as you finish explaining everything to your crew, and not a moment later."

Meaning I've got one day to recover… it's a rather cruel demand, Arlong thought. Then again, I came here expecting to be killed, and only got half-killed… again.

"...Fine," Arlong said, sighing. "I'll do it… Though at first, I might only tell my officers the full truth. For the rest, I'll say… I'll just say I've got business I have to settle in the Fish-Man District. I don't want to make them depressed now—one of 'em's getting married soon, you see."

Arlong threw that fact out to see if it would make Jinbe uncomfortable. If it did, Jinbe showed no visible signs.

"Then take him away, Ahab," Jinbe said, closing his eyes. "I never want to see him again."

Ahab went over to Arlong and grabbed him using his three left arms. Then he kicked off the seabed and began swimming away, heading back to Fish-Man Island. It was embarrassing to be carried like a child, but Arlong was in no state to make the swim himself.

The trench disappeared from view, as did the lone fish-man who continued sitting there. Arlong could only guess at what was going through his head now.

He spared me, again… Is it because Brother Tiger would do the same?

But like he says, it's not true mercy. Not even for my men… Jinbe knows that we're a close-knit group, have been ever since we split off from the Sun Pirates. He knows that quite a few would join me in this punishment…

After some time, Arlong said to his transporter, "You… just what do you think about this? Surely you don't think it's a good idea?"

"The captain has always made correct decisions," Ahab replied, not bothering to look at the one he was speaking to. "If he thinks this is the best punishment for you, then I'll go along with it. And let me make this clear, Arlong. Nothing you say will make me stop watching you, so you had better be on your best behaviour."

"Hmph…. I get it."

Ahab continued swimming while carrying Arlong. Rather than heading for one of the island's main entrances used by tourists, they were heading for one of the smaller entrances only known to a few residents. Arlong had left through one of these to get to his meeting with Jinbe.

I started today just looking for a wedding gift and a job… Now I've been stuck with the job of fixing up a mess that can't be fixed.

And it can't even be called a job… I'm not getting paid for it, in fact, if I want to make even a small difference, I'll need to pay out of my own money…

Yet despite his battered body, despite the punishment that had been forced on him… Arlong felt like a burden had been taken off his shoulders, a burden he'd carried ever since his defeat by a human in a straw hat.

AN: Ahab is based on one of the unnamed Sun Pirates who remains with Jinbe, shown in one panel of Chapter 624 of the manga.

Jinbe's decision is something I spent a lot of time on, rewriting the chapter several times until I was satisfied. Please let me know what you think.