After that day, things took somewhat of a turn. Not only could Brynlee now freely go between Arlong Park and Cocoyashi Village without hiding her wings, but the Fishmen had become more… tolerable, let's say. They seemingly held some begrudging respect for Bellemere, who'd not only open-heartedly accepted Brynlee, but who'd also stood up to Arlong to get better working conditions for Nami (she'd started working herself past exhaustion to try and make good on their deal, and the anxiety was seriously getting to her, hence why they'd shown up in the first place).

Brynlee had also taken upon herself to answer everyone's questions to the best of her abilities – mostly the children's, though. With the Fishmen not even dropping by for brief examples of terror, it was only expected that the children would eventually grow curious rather than fearful of their new neighbors. Unfortunately, Brynlee didn't exactly have all of the answers and, eventually, she decided to try something.

"What do you want, girl?"

"I wanted to ask your permission for something."

"Permission?" scoffed Arlong. "You always do as you please."

"Alright, I'd like a favor, then."

"A favor's gonna cost you."

"I don't mind."

"Fine, let me hear it."

"I'd like for one of your men to accompany me to Cocoyashi so he can teach the children about Fishmen and Fishman Island, and maybe mermaids too."

"… what?"

"They're curious, and I haven't got many answers for them," she shrugged. "If you'd allow it, could Hatchi return with me to help answer their questions? I'll pay for it."

Arlong's teeth glinted a bit malevolently. "My culture isn't something you can buy, brat. Why should we bother teaching humans? They're unworthy."

"Because you'll gain more from people sympathetic to your cause. Because that discrimination you stand against – its roots take place in people's ignorance. You may claim Fishmen are superior to humans and, in some ways, it's true. But humans are still greater in numbers by a wide margin, and a number of them possess Devil Fruits capable of equaling the Fishmen's innate strengths." She shrugged again. "Take it as a long-term investment, I say. The more humans side with Fishmen, the less stand against them – and trust me, it can make all the difference in the long run." She paused, but it looked like he was listening. "And you know… Humans regarded Lunarians as Gods, and that's the exact reason we were almost completely decimated. They fear those they deem greater and disdain those they deem lesser – the only shot you have at getting a better end than we did is by making them understand that you're equals."

"We're not," he seethed, though his expression had lost some of its usual murderous edges. "Fine. Fine. Do whatever you want. It'll be 10 000 berries per hour."

[FEAT UPDATE]

Silver Tongue

Level: 4/20

+ 1 bonus (Will of D.)

"Got it. Thanks, Mister Arlong. I'll go get Hatchi now!"

Cocoyashi entered a new period – one where curiosity slowly began chipping away at the initial fear and anger. With Brynlee keeping the middle ground and Hatchi actively and kindly answering all of the children's endless questions, something akin to a truce seemed to settle, somehow. Sure, they were still being extorted, but with the children excitedly welcoming the octopus Fishman whenever he dropped by, and with him being so sincerely gentle with the kids, there was no denying the sheer potential.

And then, without warning, the children banded together and started sneaking out of the village and into Arlong Park.

Well, rather, they went right up to the gates and peered through the cracks of the fences, trying to catch a glimpse of the other Fishmen and their various activities. At first, Arlong and his crew were unsettled and often scared them off but, the more time passed, the bolder the children grew. And when Brynlee had curiously asked them why they bothered the pirates so often, they'd simply answered: "Well if Hatchi is actually nice, then the others must be too!" and that was that.

Simple, childish, and maybe a bit naïve – but not entirely untrue.

And before anyone could really make sense of it, the children began actively entering Arlong Park and engaging with the Fishmen. Frankly, Brynlee thought the pirates were too flabbergasted to do anything rash – human children seeking them out without fear or prejudice? Absurd, but happening, nonetheless. And then Kuroobi began showing off his Fishman Karate, and Chew started doing all sorts of tricks with his fire-breathing techniques, and a couple more even started showing them how to play gambling games (for which Brynlee got a bit of an earful, since she was supposed to look after the kids, but she couldn't bring herself to care).

Children's laughter now filled Arlong Park, and the tides of Fate shifted.

Another chapter, as promised! Hope you're liking how things are slowly turning out!

PS. Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited this story and a special thank to everyone leaving comments!

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-CHARACTER PROFILE-

[CHARACTER INFORMATION]

[EQUIPMENT]

[SKILLS]

[FEATS]

Silver Tongue: 4/20

[ABILITIES]

[TITLES]

[QUESTS]