AN: Can't believe I made another canon mistake—Arlong actually already knows of Vander Decken IX, having tried to recruit him in the past (but before the latter started stalking Shirahoshi). This is major enough that I went back and edited the previous chapter to fix it.
Arlong looked down at the single-digit number of bills in his hand. This now represented a major chunk of his remaining savings.
If I had to run out of money, I should've spent it on food and booze and other kinds of fun.
Arlong looked out at the reborn Fish-Man District. Now, two months after the start of the reconstruction atop Noah, it had colourful buildings that didn't look like they were about to fall apart. It had lush fields of kelp and coral that grew well in the sun shining on Noah's deck. The people no longer showed signs of hunger or criminality. Overall, it was a scenery no different from what would be found on the main island.
…Shouldn't have blown my savings on helping the rebuilding. There was already plenty of money going in, anyway, my contribution wasn't that much in comparison.
Damn you, Shyarly… You planted this idea, made me think I shouldn't use that money for myself…
The Arlong Pirates had originally obtained eighteen million berries legitimately, by selling off that Sea King carcass. But there was no way for Arlong to get his share of the money back.
And, if he was honest with himself… he felt better after using that money for a good cause, like he'd just removed a ton of weight from his shoulders.
Anyway, what should I do next? There's no meetings coming up… I'm feeling a bit peckish now, could stop by Hatchan's new restaurant.
Arlong began making his way towards Hatchan's restaurant. In the end, the octopus fish-man had decided to pursue his dreams despite the advice of others, and opened a restaurant exclusively focused on takoyaki. Others had opened restaurants with other specialties, so it hadn't been a major problem for the district's culinary scene. And as Arlong had learned recently, Hatchan was an absolute god when it came to making takoyaki.
It'll be also be another chance to… heh… tease him about that mermaid working part-time for him…
Unfortunately, fate had other plans for Arlong today.
As Arlong was making his way to Hatchan's takoyaki restaurant, Arlong spotted a group of four fish-men up ahead. All of them had scars, but their expressions were softer and their clothes neater than before.
Let this just be a chance meeting, Arlong prayed silently, even as the former thugs glanced at him. Let this just be a chance meeting…
The group of four passed by Arlong, one of them brushing lightly against his side. When Arlong checked his pocket afterwards, he found a crumpled-up paper note inside.
That guy must've had pickpocketing experience, before becoming a thug, Arlong thought. And now they're all model citizens now…
Arlong walked over to the nearest alley and read the note. The contents made him sigh loudly.
Not how I wanted today to go… but it's not like I have any choice.
I need to find him before he leaves. Hopefully, the reputation I've got now isn't too big of a deal. And after that, I need to find…
-ooo-
On the deck of an enormous ship, a four-legged bullhead shark fish-man was humming cheerfully. He opened the door to a room filled with oversized weapons. However, this was not an armoury, as some might think at first glance.
Let's see… which gift should I throw to my beloved today? Vander Decken IX wondered. An axe? A sword? A spear? We have some clubs here now, I could try one of them…
Hmm, better go with an axe. It's a classic choice for me!
Decken removed a glove from his right hand. He then picked up an axe taller than himself and with a rose design on either side of the blade. He walked out of the room, moving carefully to avoid losing balance, and looked towards Fish-Man Island.
"My dear Shirahoshi!" Decken shouted. "I hope you enjoy this gift just as much as the previous ones!"
Decken threw the axe. He didn't even have to strain himself for the axe to fly off at high speed. Even as it disappeared into the murky water, it showed no signs of slowing down. Afterwards, he put his glove back on.
With the gift delivery started, Decken began strolling down the deck of his ship, the Flying Dutchman. Along the way, he greeted and was greeted by his crew.
Decken was just about to return to his cabin for a nap when he saw a crewmate approach him. It was Grag, a sardine merman.
"Cap'n, big news!" Grag said. "It's a message from Arlong! Arlong, I'm telling ya!"
Decken raised one eyebrow. "Arlong… the ex-member of the Sun Pirates, who started his own crew? That Arlong?"
"Yeah, him!" Grag said. "When I went into the district to buy more supplies, I found it's completely different! It's on top of Noah now, and it's all clean and tidy! And Arlong's some kinda bigshot there now! And, here's the important part, he said he wants to meet you!"
"He does? What exactly did he say, Grag?" Vander Decken asked.
"He said somethin' like," Grag put on what he presumably thought was an intimidating look, and deepened his voice. "'Interested in an alliance, Decken? You 'n' I both hate the idiots in charge, even if it's for different reasons. It's time to take 'em down. And…'" Grag frowned for a moment. "Oh! I remember now! 'It's not like my offer last time! This'd be an alliance between partners, not you being my follower!'"
It was a rough and crude offer, but that was quite fitting among pirates. Decken certainly didn't mind the tone Arlong used.
Hmph, it's been years since I last heard from him… but there's no chance his hatred of humans has changed. If there was a book about fish-man hatred of humans, Arlong's face would make a good cover picture. He must certainly hate the Neptunes still, for their policy of peace with humans.
"You said Arlong is a bigshot in the district now?" Decken said. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, everyone looks up to him, not like a boss, but like a big brother!" Grag said, waving his hands for emphasis. "The way some people are talkin', he's the one who fixed up the district!"
"Trying to follow Fisher Tiger's footsteps, is he?" Decken said. "Though this is still the same man who broke away from Jinbe for a disagreement over humans. I've decided, Grag! Go back to Arlong at once and call him here!"
Grag saluted and immediately swam off the ship.
Decken returned to his cabin as originally planned. However, instead of a nap, he was planning what he'd say to Arlong.
Arlong's returned, and apparently improved the district by moving them to the sunlit deck of Noah… that wouldn't go over well with the unreasonable fools in Ryugu Palace.
No one in the modern era was quite sure of the purpose of Noah. Oh, some claimed the giant ship was for the grand task of transporting all the people of the sea to the surface. But Noah had no conceivable means of movement, nor would the existing people on the surface welcome such a large-scale incursion. The ship thus remained on the seabed, unused yet venerated by fish-men and merfolk. Even the downtrodden residents of Fish-Men District had historically stayed away from it.
Arlong must have riled them up to ignore tradition and move onto Noah… There'll inevitably be a reprisal from the king, who wouldn't want criminal scum polluting such a valuable ship. It definitely explains why Arlong wants an alliance again.
And that suits me perfectly well…
Contrary to his reputation, Decken wasn't just a crazed stalker. He knew that simply throwing weapons wouldn't get him near Princess Shirahoshi. At the same time, he had no chance against the Neptune Army in a straight fight.
Arlong's always been a tough one, and he's got strong officers too. And if he's taken over the district, there's tens of thousands of cannon fodder who he could rile up for a rebellion.
With Arlong's help, I'll be able to finally get rid of those obstacles. I'm not sure if Arlong plans to become the new king—another thing I should ask him when he gets here. But that doesn't really matter. He's not the type who'd get between me and Shirahoshi.
Decken rubbed his gloved hands together with glee.
Without her stupid family getting in the way, I'll finally be able to meet Shirahoshi again! And she'll be so grateful at not being forced into a political marriage, she'll definitely accept my proposal!
-ooo-
Grag reappeared with Arlong about two hours later. Vander Decken went back out onto the deck to greet the latter.
He looks much like in the old days, except for different clothes and maybe a few wrinkles around the eyes… Decken observed. Well, we all get older each day. The important thing is that he looks just as strong as in the old days.
Actually… taking a closer look, maybe even stronger. He must've been fighting constantly over the years since we last met. Good, good, that just means he'll be an even better ally.
When he reached the Flying Dutchman, Arlong looked Decken up and down. "Hmph… you look the same as when we parted ways, Decken."
"What a coincidence, I was just thinking the same thing, Arlong!" Decken replied.
Arlong held out a bottle of whiskey. Even a cursory glance told Decken that it was an expensive brand, not the badly brewed swill that would typically be sold in the district.
"I'm not as cheap as I was in the old days," Arlong said. "You can have this, a present to show this offer's genuine."
"Why, thank you!" Decken said. "I'm no connoisseur of alcohol, so how about we share this as we discuss our alliance? I think that's the best way to use up this bottle!"
"Sounds good to me."
Decken led Arlong across the deck towards his cabin. But just before they arrived, intense waves began to resound through the deck and the water. This wasn't a seaquake, though mistaking it for one would be understandable.
A colossal silhouette, as big as the Flying Dutchman, approached. Arlong tensed up.
"Relax, relax, it's just one of my crew, Wadatsumi!" Decken said jovially. "Wadatsumi, this is Arlong! Say hello to him!"
The silhouette came close enough for details to become visible. It was a tiger blowfish fish-man with a large round head, a barrel-shaped torso and relatively small limbs—though "small" was quite relative, even a single one of his fingers was longer than the average fish-man was tall. Copious hair covered his head and body, including a moustache than ran all along his upper lip. He carried a dead Sea King in one hand.
"Hello, Mister Arlong!" Wadatsumi said in a disconcertingly childish voice. "Nice to meet'cha!"
"Yes… hello," Arlong said.
"Thank you for bringing in more meat, Wadatsumi!" Decken said. "Just put that in the hold, please!"
"Okayyy!"
With a loud creaking sound, a hatch opened in the side of the Flying Dutchman. Wadatsumi bent down slightly to deposit his catch in the hold.
"Let's get to the main business already, Decken," Arlong said.
"Yes, yes, then here we are!"
After that brief interruption, Decken led Arlong to his cabin. He took out two glasses, uncorked the whiskey bottle and then filled the glasses.
"Come, sit!" Decken said. "It's time to quench our thirsts, I think!"
Arlong accepted his glass and sat down opposite Decken, a table in between them. He didn't start drinking just yet.
"Decken, one question before we go any further," Arlong said. "I've been hearing about you throwing weapons at the Mermaid Princess for years. What the hell's that about?"
Decken chuckled. "It's only natural you're curious! Then allow me to explain myself!" He took a sip of whiskey. "This grand tale of star-crossed lovers begins ten years ago! An unexpected visitor to Fish-Man Island, a World Noble who'd been shipwrecked! There was some arguing at the port, the World Noble pointed a gun at the late queen's head… and what do you think happened next?"
"Not in the mood for riddles, Decken," Arlong said flatly.
"Sea Kings!" Decken exclaimed. "Not juveniles like the one Wadatsumi brought in just now, but full-grown, adult Sea Kings! They appeared, making the World Noble faint in terror and saving the queen… just as her daughter wanted!"
Arlong frowned. "Wait… you're saying she somehow called the Sea Kings?"
"PRECISELY!" Decken said, slamming a hand on the table for emphasis. "For you see, Princess Shirahoshi is no ordinary mermaid! She holds a unique power that my family has sought, going back to the very first Vander Decken! In fact, according to ancient records I found, she may be the reincarnation of an ancient mermaid, whose name was—"
Decken's words were cut off then and there. An iron vice—no, a hand was now wrapped around his throat.
"Gak—Argh—!"
"I was wondering how you'd try to justify stalking a kid," Arlong growled, holding Decken up off the floor. The table and chairs had been knocked to the side. "And this nonsense is the best you could come up with!?"
Arlong threw Decken at the wall with enough force to crater it. Decken sank down to the floor while clutching his throat.
"D-Damn you… Arlong…!" Decken said, fury warring with surprise in his mind. "I was… telling you… the truth…!"
Arlong scoffed. "No mermaid, or merman, can talk to Sea Kings. Even if anyone could, why would those giant beasts even care what small fry like us have to say?"
"That's why! I was trying… to explain—gah!"
Arlong grabbed Decken by the throat again. He seemed to be applying even more force this time. Decken weakly clawed at the hand using both of his own.
"I'm a pirate, a thug from the district, no matter what some idiots now think," Arlong said in a low voice. "I spent most of my life living with, fighting with the same kinds of people. But there's no way in hell I'd ever ally with a scumbag like you!"
Filled with nothing but the instinct to survive, Decken kicked out with his two front legs. The daggers hidden in his sandals extended, reading to stab into his attacker's belly.
But before that could happen, Arlong slammed Decken onto the floor. In addition to the impact, Decken felt the sharp pain of his own daggers against his legs.
Decken abandoned all semblance of dignity, for that would be useless to a dead man. "HELP! ARLONG'S GONE MAD, HE'S—!"
"Save your breath," Arlong said coldly, "you're not escaping this time."
"HELP! SOMEONE!"
Decken felt two hands lift him up roughly by the shoulders. For a moment, he feared Arlong was going to kill him right now, before anyone could possibly come to his head.
Instead, he was dragged out of the cabin and back onto the deck. There were dozens of fish-men and mermen out here, many having drawn their weapons thanks to Decken's cry for help.
"C-Captain!?"
"Let go of him, you traitor!"
Arlong didn't show the slightest sign of fear despite all these shouts. He simply replied, in a voice so chilling that even Decken shivered to hear it, "I came here to stop this crazy stalker! If any of you have a death wish, then try and stop me!"
The bulk of the crew froze in their tracks. The sole exception was Wadatsumi, who was swimming alongside the ship.
"M-Mister Arlong!?" Wadatsumi cried out in shock. Due to his size, many others covered their ears to avoid being deafened. "I thought you were the cap'n's friend!"
"We were never friends!" Arlong said. "I don't have a lot of standards for who I work with, but not chasing after a little girl is a low bar to clear!"
"As I've been telling you," Decken protested, "that's not why I—"
"LET GO OF HIM!"
Wadatsumi thrust one enormous hand towards Decken and Arlong, quickly blotting out the sunlight with his hand's shadow. Decken felt a tiny amount of satisfaction that Arlong was going to die, and a large amount of fear that he'd die as well.
"Wadatsumi, slow down!"
But before that hand made contact with anything, Decken saw Wadatsumi jerk to the side… and heard the giant imbecile scream.
"OUCH!"
The rest of the crew panicked, crying out "Wadatsumi got hurt!?" and "Where'd that attack come from!?"
Then Decken saw the blurs in the water. Each one only lasted for a mere fraction of a second. It was like watching bullets flying on a battlefield… except that based on the size of the blurs, it was a fish-man doing this. No, judging from the speed, it could only be a merman.
And with each blur, Wadatsumi jerked around in a different direction, accompanied by more screams.
"STOP… HITTING… ME!"
Wadatsumi lashed out with both arms. His left arm hit nothing but clear water. His right arm knocked off the top of one of the Flying Dutchman's masts, causing the crew underneath it to hurry out of the way.
In the next instant, Decken saw a fish-man appear right before Wadatsumi's face.
An octopus fish-man thrusting six palms forward, striking Wadatsumi in the forehead.
"GWOOOAAARRGHHHH!"
Despite being thousands of times his attacker's mass, Wadatsumi's head snapped back from the blow. His eyes became unfocused and he began sinking.
Impossible… Decken thought. Wadatsumi… lost…?
Arlong tightened his grip on Decken's shoulders.
"I didn't come here alone," Arlong said. "And that bastard's too good at his job to fail. Now, while I'd normally kill a scumbag like you with my own hands, that's not an option this time. But don't worry, Decken. You'll have plenty of company in your new home."
-ooo-
Six hours later, it was evening and Arlong was in Ryugu Palace again. He was in a random corridor rather than in the room where the trial was being held. It wasn't as if he was needed as a witness, and he wouldn't ever be comfortable in places of law and authority.
It's just… odd, that I'm now catching criminal after criminal and handing them over to the law, Arlong mused. Me, a pirate… a former pirate. At this point, I've basically become… Jinbe.
When he had that realisation, Arlong shivered in disgust.
No. No way. No way in hell.
Arlong spent the next few minutes leaning against a wall and trying to banish the thoughts going through his mind. He was making some strange expressions, judging from how passers-by looked at him, but he didn't care.
"Hey. Are you alright, Arlong?"
Arlong looked up to see Ahab. The trial must have finished now.
"I'm fine," Arlong said. "Anyway, isn't it about time you left to go back to Jinbe? You've already seen that I won't give up on the Fish-Man District, and with Decken captured, there's nothing else that really needs you to be here."
"It's true that I'll be heading out soon—today, in fact," Ahab said. He clenched his fists, clearly worried about something. "Captain Jinbe needs all the help he can get."
That drew Arlong's undivided attention. He'd just seen Ahab take down a giant fish-man, and he knew that Jinbe was on an entirely different level.
"…What just happened, out on the surface?" Arlong asked.
Ahab glanced left and right. Understanding his meaning, Arlong followed Ahab to an empty room of Ryugu Palace.
Once they were inside the room, Ahab said in a low voice, "The king told me this personally, and specifically said you should know as well… 'Fire Fist' Ace, a prominent member of the Whitebeard Pirates, has been captured by the World Government. It's a high-level secret, not announced to the public yet."
The affairs of humans normally would have been no more relevant to Arlong than the affairs of worms burrowing in the seabed. This, however…
"Whitebeard… he's famous for treating his crew like family," Arlong said. "Even I know that. He'd never let the government execute one of his own."
"It means war, without a doubt," Ahab said grimly. "The World Government knows this, also without a doubt, so they'll bring in all the forces they can get… including the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Now Arlong realised. "But Jinbe wouldn't—couldn't fight against Whitebeard. It's his flag that keeps Fish-Man Island safe from attack!"
"Not something you would've admitted even a short time ago, Arlong," Ahab said.
"That doesn't matter!" Arlong snapped. Remembering the importance of secrecy, he added in a whisper, "What the hell does Jinbe plan to do? If he refuses this order, it'll also bring trouble to the island."
"I don't know," Ahab admitted. "But I have to head back to him today."
"That's fine," Arlong said. He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Then… this is goodbye. Tell Jinbe for me… not to get himself killed."
Ahab smiled. Yet again, Arlong felt like punching him in the face. And even though there were no witnesses around this time, Arlong stayed his fists yet again.
"Goodbye, Arlong. Hope you keep up the good work in the Fish-Man District."
Ahab left the room. Arlong lingered for some time, still trying to sort out his thoughts.
I should be there too… not just messing around down here. I can't let Jinbe be the only voice for fish-men out there.
But Arlong wouldn't be much use as a fighter. That had been shown quite decisively with Ahab's easy defeat of Wadatsumi, an opponent Arlong would've had trouble against. And the Sun Pirates had more monsters like that.
As infuriating as it sounded… Arlong was probably doing the most good by staying to help the district. Indeed, Jinbe's eyes might pop out in surprise when he heard of what Arlong had been doing.
But even if it's the logical thing to do… it just… makes me feel… like a coward.
Arlong didn't like thinking about humans. He also didn't like thinking about his past defeats. Yet at this very moment, he found himself thinking about a certain pirate crew.
Those idiots declared war on the World Government, broke into Enies Lobby, and escaped with their lives. Their captain's got an even higher bounty than Brother Tiger ever had! I'm not… brave enough to do the same thing.
That news had caused quite a stir when it finally trickled down to Fish-Man Island. The Straw Hat Pirates had been a rather small-time crew up until then. The normal citizens were exchanging dozens of stories about what they were like, stories with varying degrees of truth.
Stories that had been helped along by Arlong's friends. Some of the former Arlong Pirates talked about the Straw Hat Pirates as if they were invincible demigods, so if their own loss to the crew ever became known in the island, it would be less embarrassing. It was barely even exaggeration when one looked at the Straw Hats' latest achievement.
Arlong, for his part, had spent a good chunk of his free time examining newspapers, magazine articles and other records of the Straw Hats' achievements. He had a strong suspicion that they'd been doing even more than was publicly known—for example, the defeat of the Warlord Crocodile had happened at around the same time as the Straw Hats were at Alabasta…
Come to think of it, they're not a fully human crew. They picked up a reindeer mink at some point. Looks like a boy, and has a tiny bounty, but I'm sure he's just as much of a monster as the rest.
Arlong shook his head in disbelief. At the time he'd fought them, the Straw Hat Pirates had been comparable to him in strength, if only their strongest trio was counted. Their captain's bounty of thirty million had been outstanding in the East Blue but chump change here in the Grand Line. Mere months later, they were making great waves in the world.
Even little Nami's got a bounty now… and she prefers sneaking around over getting into fights!
Arlong groaned out loud. Above all else, he didn't like about thinking about Nami. That reminded him of all the slavers he'd used to fight in the Sun Pirates, back when Brother Tiger was still alive. That reminded him that he should be in prison as well, along with Macro's gang, Hody's gang and Decken's crew.
…I can't go back to the surface again.
I'm not strong enough to make a difference.
I'm more useful down here.
And… I don't deserve to see the real sun again.