VIII

o0o0o0o

… Take them to the infirmary…

… take these spikes out… you bastard! Get over here…

She let out a quiet whimper.

… no other Devil Fruit Users? Good fucking riddance…

… really did a number, didn't he…

… Yolande! Yolande!… Someone squeezed her hand. She was fairly sure it was Arlong, and she squeezed back, or was certain she did. There was so much pain it was hard to feel anything else, even the severe depletion of her Haki. She felt tears burn behind her closed eyes before she passed out again.

o0o0o0o

There were almost two dozen fishmen in the brig, including a child and several teenagers, all of them collared. Chew remembered all too well the humans that had tried to kidnap him before Arlong, Kuroobi, and Hatchan intervened. When he opened the door, they cowered from him, obviously expecting someone else.

"Are you a new slave?" one of them asked when they noticed the color of his skin.

"No. And you are no longer slaves," he assured them.

The group was mixed but with more men than women, all but one of them looking no older than himself. All stared at him in surprise before relief and joy started to creep into their features. He could not help but be buoyed by that, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction he had not felt in so long.

o0o0o0o

"Not all of the slaves are fishmen," Mido said as he glanced down at the captain's notes. Twenty-three fishmen were accounted for by Chew, though there were two more – marked as deceased. He frowned at that before moving on to a handful of names that represented the wealthy client – Lord Mukachin – and his retinue. There was his wife and then three more people as part of that group, one of them being the doctor who was found cowering in the infirmary, wearing a slave collar. There were a couple of other clients, though not as wealthy as the lord.

The captain's cabin had been ransacked by Mido and two other fishmen while Kuroobi and several more fishmen occupied the bridge, ensuring that if there was a human who'd somehow managed to elude them, they would not be able to reach the Den Den Mushis or the controls.

"So what to do with these humans?" Kaneshiro ashed.

"Well, Arlong will probably want to keep the doctor, but I don't know about the other two." One, a young female named Lily, was described as an 'entertainer'. Given that she was a slave, Mido had a good idea of what that 'entertainment' entailed. The other one, Hazel, was an attendant maid, kept in the elegant apartments that sat above the cabins. He set the register back on the table as he looked through the rest of the papers. Much of it was standard fare – maps, inventories, order lists.

"Ha!" Kaneshiro exclaimed triumphantly as he pried open a hidden compartment in the wardrobe, revealing a stash of Beli, a few pieces of gold, a couple of ledgers, as well as a pair of seastone cuffs. Mido smiled ruefully as Kaneshiro pulled out the cuffs. So apparently even the captain had some fear of the man that had been called Spike.

Not without good reason, Mido grudgingly admitted as he recalled the injuries that Spike had inflicted on multiple fishmen.

"There's more slaves. This wasn't the first… uh, expedition," Kaneshiro hissed angrily as he looked through one of the newly discovered ledgers.

o0o0o0o

Yolande moaned softly and stirred.

"Miss? Miss?" She heard a soft female voice and jerked back a bit to see an unfamiliar face – a human one on top of that – hovering over her own. Where was Arlong? Hatchan? It was a woman with plain but pleasant features.

"Hey, she's awake! Ishidai, go get Arlong!" Yolande was relieved to hear the familiar voice of one of the fishmen nearby and turned to see several fishmen lying or sitting in beds near her. Kaneshiro was propped on several pillows, his middle heavily bandaged. The goldfish fishman looked drugged out of his mind but as she studied him for several moments, she saw that his breathing was steady. Good. "Welcome back to the world of the living!" Shioyaki said in a pleasant but dry tone. She noticed bandages wrapped around his lower arm. He grinned as he saw where her gaze was. "Yeah, that bastard got one of his spikes through my arm. Would have been my face if I hadn't raised it."

"Is it true, miss? You pushed Spike off the boat?" the woman asked. She was middle-aged, and Yolande noticed a collar around her neck. Had Arlong decided to enslave her?

"Uh… yes?" She remembered the flurry of spikes, and how the large man had been in the middle of making more, hunched over so that he looked almost like a spiked ball. She remembered thinking that under no circumstances could he be allowed to finish producing them and had focused all her willpower in one push, using her hand as a way to channel that focus.

"Thank you!"

"… You're welcome?" she replied in a polite but confused tone.

"Go get her some water," Shioyaki said, waving his hand and dismissing the other woman. Seeing the question on her face, he shrugged. "There were a few human slaves here too. She's one of them. So Arlong set her and the other lady to work here with the doctor."

"… Doctor?"

"Would you believe they kept a doctor as a slave?"

"What?" she asked with a squeak. He threw his head back in a laugh.

o0o0o0o

Keeping the doctor was a no-brainer. Arlong told him that as long as he provided the fishmen with the best of care, he would be spared. The small man offered no argument.

The bridge was secured. The captain's cabin had been searched. The other two human slaves were brought down from the apartment. Only two humans remained up there, under the guard of several fishmen. The rest of the humans Arlong deemed fit to keep alive were locked in the brig.

Part of him longed to stay at his injured siren's side, to hold her and keep her safe, but as captain, he had plenty of work to do and was assured that she was safe under the watch of Shioyaki and Ishidai.

But now that things were settled down, the gravity of the situation sunk in. He'd nearly lost his siren. Two fishmen had been killed thanks to that goddamn Devil Fruit user, and a handful of others had been injured. He mourned the loss of these two fishmen and would ensure that they both got a proper burial at sea as befitting their sacrifice. Filthy humans and their Devil Fruits.

He turned to look at the twenty-three fishmen that stood before him. It was clear that they'd been mistreated in various degrees. Many of the adults bore signs of having been stabbed at least once by the quills. All of them looked like they could use a good meal, or three.

Arlong recognized the tactic from discussions with former slaves who joined up with Fisher Tiger. Because of a fishman's superior strength, 'breaking in' often consisted of food deprivation to sap their strength, and sometimes drugging them as well as heavy use of restraints. Add in a Devil Fruit user who could effectively and brutally discipline a fishman from a distance, and the story pretty much wrote itself.

Even though Whitebeard had Fishman Island under his protection, fishmen were sometimes lured away from the island or chose to leave on their own for whatever reason – like sneaking out to Sabaody. Looking back, Arlong realized how lucky he and his friends had been to not encounter slavers on their illicit trip to the fringes of the park, given its lure to those who lived on the fringes of society. And for others, the lure of a better life led them away from the Fishman District.

And humans laid in wait to exploit that. Aiuchi and his crew had kidnapped twenty-five fishmen before sailing away like the cowards they were.

Chew found the keys and was now taking the last collar off.

"You have the opportunity to join my crew. Unlike these filthy humans, I care for and protect my own."

A few of the freed slaves exchanged curious or thoughtful glances. One of the women – who looked like a starfish-type fishman – glanced at the child. "What about him?" she inquired. Arlong glanced at the little shark boy. The thick dark gray stripes running down his body denoted him as a pyjama shark. Not one of the bigger shark types, but as he'd seen before, the smaller ones could be quite fierce, like that little friend of Hody's.

"What's going on with him?" Arlong asked bluntly. He'd been observing the group, and it seemed the boy didn't respond to speech. The boy tugged at the sleeve of another fishwoman, a mottled gray-blue catfish. He waved his hand, making several gestures that the catfish seemed to have some difficulty understanding.

"That's Rekiin. He's deaf. His mother was killed by Spike and she was the only one who knew sign language. Now that she's dead…" The fishman gestured helplessly at the sharkboy and catfishwoman exchanging hand gestures.

"You're welcome to return to Fishman Island if that's what you want," Arlong growled.

"It looks like we're safer with you, though."

Arlong couldn't argue with that. "Well, you're fellow fishmen, so it's not like I'm going to kick you off the ship. You can stay here and rest. There are other matters to attend to."

o0o0o0o

Hatchan hadn't seen what happened with Yolande and Spike, but when he heard about what happened from Arlong, he was certain it was Haki. It was much more common in the New World, and almost unheard of on this side of the world, but he'd heard of it – and seen it demonstrated a few times – by his old friend Silvers. It was a way for people to exercise power, even if they didn't have a Devil Fruit. Of course, a Devil Fruit user who could command Haki was a fearsome force, indeed, so it was a good thing that Devil Fruits were relatively rare.

He hummed to himself as he made use of the kitchen on the White Mermaid, enjoying its range of appliances. The old ship had an adequate kitchen, but it was a bit small for the amount of mouths he had to cook for.

That ship had already been stolen by Arlong by the time Hatchan joined up with him again. And when Arlong talked about stealing a new ship, naturally the octopus man had his reservations. That had changed quickly enough, once he'd learned of the slaves being kept here.

"Here you go!" he said cheerily, setting some fried fish, rice, and vegetables before the newly liberated fishmen that now sat around the table in the kitchen with wide, expectant eyes, their stomachs growling as the scent of warm food wafted through the air. "Just be careful to not eat too much right now, I know it's tempting, but you don't want to get sick, okay?" he said.

The little shark boy practically dove at the plates, and the catfish woman – Catie – had to hold him back. He snapped at her, showing a row of little sharp teeth, and she made a few gestures with her hand. Hatchan understood the gist of it. 'Wait. Not too fast' he assumed she was trying to say, one hand held up before she waved it up and down. She took several pieces of fish and added some rice and vegetables, making up a portion for him before she set it in front of him. The food was gone in less than a minute.

It reminded him of Arlong when they had been kids. In the Fishman District, tasty food was not easy to come by, so when Arlong got his hands on some, it went down his maw before anyone had the chance to take it from him.

"Be sure to drink water too, okay?" he reminded them before he left the kitchen. Several fishmen bustled around, bringing stuff up from the old ship or cleaning up debris from the battle earlier.

Hatchan let out a low sigh. He knew how good humans could be. There were plenty of people he could name, and good deeds done by humans. But then, Arlong could say the same about bad humans and bad deeds.

The thing was, Hatchan could acknowledge that there were bad humans and plenty of bad things done by them. Arlong on the other hand seemed unwilling to acknowledge good humans. At the most, he would admit that some humans had their uses and might be spared. Would Arlong ever see beyond that? He sincerely hoped so, because, like him, Arlong had been through a lot of pain. But unlike him, Arlong held onto grudges. And for a while, Hatchan had been swept up in that. He'd defended Koala against Arlong or other hard-liners, but then Fisher Tiger died because he'd helped Koala, and Arlong had been able to take his grief and twist him into the fearsome octopus man that stood by while Bellemere was killed and her daughters taken into captivity.

At least he had the chance to apologize to Nami and earn her forgiveness. And what a relief that had been. He wondered if fate caused him to reunite with Arlong and the rest of his nakama. If Hatchan had seen the light, could Arlong, or was he too far gone?

o0o0o0o

Yolande had not been awake very long, but it was enough time for her to learn from the people around her regarding their current circumstances.

Two fishmen had died, bleeding out from their wounds. Over a dozen had been hit by the quills, some more critically than others, but she was relieved and surprised to see the human doctor – a short, slim, salt-and-pepper-haired man named Lew.

She said nothing about his collar or anything Arlong might have said to him – and she did not doubt that her mate had quite a few things to say to this little man – and answered his questions. After he was done, she tried to sit up, giving out a low groan of pain as she lifted her leg.

She'd have her arm in a sling for at least a bit because of her shoulder, and it looked like she might be limping around as well.

"Please don't overexert yourself, miss," Hazel said anxiously. Yolande looked down at herself, noticing she was dressed in a soft robe. A couple of the more critically-injured fishmen were dressed similarly. The robes were meant to be ankle-length on an average human but for her, it ended at her calf and at the knee for the fishmen.

Take would probably have a field day, she thought with a small smile as she imagined the sorts of items that would be in the wardrobe of a wealthy client who was rich enough to hire a crew to kidnap fishmen for him. She took a deep breath, wincing in pain as this movement pulled at her shoulder. Outside, there was the bustle of work and an occasional yell here or there as orders were relayed or questions answered.

"Would you like a shot?" she heard Lew ask. "I can give you some morphine for the pain."

Her reaction was instantaneous and she jerked back a bit, shaking her head. "… No, thank you," she whispered hastily. How she fucking hated needles – not without good reason, though.

She looked around, registering her surroundings again. Shades of pale green and blue mixed with white. Two rows of beds, along with several wardrobes and chests, and a desk. Not as well-appointed as a hospital, but it was better than most ship's infirmaries she'd ever seen, which reflected the status of the owner of this ship.

Who, as she had been informed, was being held captive in his apartment with his wife. The rest of the human survivors were confined to the brig. She'd have to see about all that soon enough, but it did bode well that Arlong didn't simply kill all the humans he saw. She looked down at herself, lifting her robe carefully to examine the bandaging around her shoulder and upper leg. She looked up to see Lew look at her, trying to hide his nervousness after she'd spurned his offer of a shot.

"Good job," she said, trying to put him at ease. He did not look taller than five feet, and she didn't doubt he must feel intimidated by being in a room with a bunch of fishmen much bigger and stronger than him even in an injured state.

"I'll take the shot," Shioyaki said. "My arm hurts like a bitch." As Lew went over to the salmon fishman, she looked at Hazel.

Her pants leg had been rolled up to bandage the wound, though some blood remained smeared on the fabric. Eh, something to worry about later. She reached down to tug the cuff back down but found it difficult with one good hand.

"Do you need help?" Hazel asked.

"… yes, please." Hazel was careful as she straightened the pants leg over the wound. There was still a hole from the puncture, but now she didn't feel so exposed in front of the other fishmen. She had always left Arlong's cabin in a full state of dress, maintaining a strict standard of modesty not just because of the cold, but because she was the only woman on a ship full of men. Well, not anymore, she realized as she glanced at Hazel. That could be nice.

Arlong stepped into the room. His head nearly brushed against the ceiling as his gaze swept across the room, taking in the fishmen, his mate, and the human slaves he'd deemed fit to spare. She remained where she was, her injured arm resting in her lap.

"How do you feel?" Arlong asked as he returned his gaze to her, this time locking in.

-Grief, rage, triumph, relief-

"I've been better. But it could be worse, I guess."

"Good. Come with me." Before anyone could say anything, he closed in on her, scooping her up into his arms. She winced at the jolt of pain it gave her shoulder, but offered no resistance as he carried her out.

Feeling his arms wrapped around her gave her a sense of relief and comfort she hadn't anticipated. She'd nearly died, and now here she was with her mate. She whimpered his name, digging the fingers of her good hand into his shirt.

Fuck. She'd nearly died. She'd just participated in piracy and nearly lost her life for it. Holy shit. She felt his arms tighten around her, and she looked up at him.

"It's over. You're safe. Now I'll show you your new quarters, my siren."

She bit back a grunt of pain as he deposited her in one of the plush chairs in the parlor of the lavish apartment. On the floor, a pair of humans were tied up with rope.

Lord Omald and Lady Elania Mukachin appeared to be in late middle age, but it looked like the woman had had a facelift. Mido and another fishman stood over them, glaring down at them, making no attempt to disguise their contempt at the bound pair.

She looked up at Arlong expectantly.

"We have money! We'll pay you!" Omald said.

"When the Celestial Dragons hear of this, you will feel their wrath!" Elania said in screeching indignation.

"The Celestial Dragons. Of course," Yolande said with a scoff. "People usually don't come across Devil Fruits randomly, especially for an ability like this." Like Kizaru Borsalino, she thought ruefully. She took a deep breath. "Hopefully if that ability appears again, it'll end up in better hands." Like any Devil Fruit user, Spike couldn't fight his way back up to the surface, and in the melee, there were more important things to focus on. He might have been a useful prisoner, but part of her was relieved to not have to deal with him again. She looked to Arlong. "What did you learn from the manifest?" she asked.

"They were headed home to Marzu Island. Perhaps my crew should raid that island," Arlong threatened.

"It was all his idea!" the woman gasped. "I told him it was a dreadful idea to take fishman slaves!"

"You bitch! You're the one who said how lovely it would be to have a new fishman maid or two, especially after complaining to me how worn-down Bebe was!" he shot back. Yolande bit back a snort, covering her hand with her mouth as they bickered.

"Hey! If you cooperate, Arlong might consider sparing your life," she said as she pulled herself up a little with her good arm. She hoped she didn't cross a line with that, but she got an approving nod from him. "I mean, look at him. Do you think he's one you want to fuck around with? Especially after you enslaved his fellow fishmen, including a child?"

Arlong bared his teeth and snarled at the pair.

o0o0o0o

After seeing the couple bicker, and enjoying the show, Arlong had them thrown in the brig. His blood lust had been great indeed, but he had obtained something of great value, and he should not squander it. Besides, he could still kill them after they'd ceased being useful.

He stared at the king-size bed that he had placed his mate on. Finally, a bed that accommodated his frame. Not quite as big as the one he had at Arlong Park, but it was a definite step up. The White Mermaid was indeed a fortuitous find.

He sat at the side of the bed, looking down at Yolande. She was pale from blood loss, but her breathing and pulse were steady. He leaned down, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. There was no denying the enjoyment he had of her when it came to fucking, but he was not displeased with what she could do outside of bed. If not for her, more fishmen would have died.

Hatchan mentioned Haki, and Arlong was intrigued. It was practically unheard of in the East or South Blue, but he'd heard of it ages ago on Fishman Island and figured it to be some spiritual mumbo-jumbo – he'd always been the more physical type. Perhaps he needed to rethink that, especially after Hatchan's stories of what he had seen.

He stilled as he remembered his confrontation with the rubber kid, comparing it to what he'd seen Yolande do. Normally, a kick wouldn't – and shouldn't – have done so much damage to him, destroying his beloved Arlong Park and rendering him weak enough for the Marines to take custody of him. If that could be done with Haki...

He cupped her face in his large hand, tilting it gently. Her human features had enabled her to fool Aiuchi and the others, luring them into his trap and allowing him a cleaner victory. He let out a low, rumbling sigh before she opened her eyes, looking at him.

"Are you all right?" she whispered.

"Look who's asking," he growled.

At that, she smiled shyly. "Will you stay with me for a bit?" she asked. He was more touched by that request than he had expected, and nodded, spooning to her loosely and draping his arm across her. She nestled against him, her forehead against his chest. When she fell asleep, he carefully disengaged from the bed, giving her a lingering glance before he left.

He stood at the table with Kuroobi and Chew, looking at the maps, manifests, and correspondence. Aiuchi's records were pretty damning. He and his crew operated under the facade of providing security to wealthy clients while they kidnapped fishmen or acquired the occasional human or Mink slave. The other clients on the ship also wanted fishmen slaves of their own, so this was some sort of fucked up vacation-slash-slave-collecting expedition for those who paid Captain Aiuchi.

"So there's supposed to be more slaves on the island. We've been wanting to do something for a while, and now we have a better ship, and we can rescue more of our fellow fishmen," Chew proposed.

"Hmm," Arlong frowned thoughtfully. There was merit to that suggestion, and it would bring him great satisfaction to destroy the humans that would enslave his kind.

o0o0o0o

Yolande leaned back in a chair, her arm in a sling as she observed the goings-on from the corner of the captain's cabin. It was time to hand out the booty. Naturally, Arlong got the biggest cut as captain, but she noticed he was quite even-handed with his nakama, giving everyone a portion of the stashes of beli that had been discovered through the ship. He also offered it to the fishmen that had been enslaved. Recompense for what they had been through, he explained as he handed each of them a stack of beli.

It was also a powerful enticement for the fishmen that were undecided about joining the crew. She watched as the fishmen thanked Arlong one by one as each of them received their portion, squirreling it away somewhere within their clothing.

"You all right?" Hatchan whispered. She nodded as she looked up at him. She'd slept through the night and most of the day but because of her injuries and Haki depletion, she was still tired and sore.

"You did a great job earlier," she said. "I felt a lot more comfortable with you around when I was having to deal with Aiuchi."

The octopus man grinned at that and gave her good shoulder a light squeeze.

"Do you know what Arlong intends to do with Lew and the other slaves?" she asked. He frowned thoughtfully.

"I know Arlong wants to keep the doctor. As for the others, I don't know. He's not planning to kill them, at least not now."

She raised her eyebrows, and he responded with a small shrug. Not now, he signaled. "There's plenty of things to go over right now. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"I could use a really strong drink." She gestured to her bandaged shoulder. He nodded sympathetically and slid away as Caten came forward with the boy.

"I'll be happy to give the boy his share, but does he have a place to keep it?" Arlong asked the fishwoman. Yolande had been staring off through one of the windows before she heard this and turned her attention to Rekiin. The young shark stared at Arlong expectantly, his hand held out for the money.

"I don't know," Caten replied. "I'm not his mother."

"But you are his guardian, it seems."

"Look, I feel bad for him, but I didn't ask for this. I've been taking care of him, yes, but now we're not slaves anymore and I'd really just like to go back to Fishman Island."

Arlong took a deep breath. Rekiin waved his outstretched palm and then moved his other hand in gestures Yolande recognized. He tapped his chest with his palm and then rubbed his fingers together in the almost near-universal gesture for 'money' Then he slid his palm against his chest in a circle, signing 'please'.

"He's asking for his money," Yolande said.

"I can see that," Arlong said with a huff. "His mother was one of the two slaves that died. He's deaf, and we've been having a hard time communicating with him."

Rekiin was staring at her and Arlong, and she recognized the focus that came from trying to read lips. It was so long ago, but she had not forgotten the signs, even though she might be rusty. He'd lost his mother and was stuck with a group of strangers and a significant communication barrier.

She looked at Caten. Some might call the young woman selfish, but considering what she'd been through, she couldn't blame the catfish woman for wanting to unload her charge as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"I'll be his guardian," Yolande said. Arlong's eyes widened with shock while Caten's shoulders slumped a bit as she tried to not make her relief too obvious.

"You'll what?" Arlong asked incredulously. She flinched back, wondering if she'd overstepped her bounds.

"I know sign," she said, speaking and moving her hands at the same time. "I'm an orphan, and so are many of us here. This boy has been through an ordeal and haven't you preached about supporting your fellow fishmen?" she asked Arlong.

His eyes flicked between her face and moving hands. "I'll be damned," he said with a short laugh. The couple looked back at the boy, who stared at Yolande with a fierce mixture of emotions in his face.

"The money is yours," she said to Rekiin. "Captain Arlong was just concerned about you having a safe place to put it." Rekiin stared at her with a thoughtful frown.

"We'll find a safe place for it, okay?" she offered with a smile. "Captain Arlong can hold it for you in the meantime?"

Rekiin gazed at her with scrutiny for a moment before nodding slowly. "Promise?" he asked.

Yolande repeated the sign he made, adding a firm nod of her head.

"All right. Hatchan's cooking up dinner, so go and relax. Enjoy," he said with a wave of his hand. Though she was no longer his official guardian, Caten still led him away, Arlong's directive clear. Only a couple of fishmen remained.

"So, where did my siren learn that?" Arlong asked as he beckoned her forward. She winced as she rose from her seat and came out of the corner, and he pulled her into his lap.

"I grew up with some deaf kids," was all she offered. She remembered the faces, the hands, the large, joyful gestures, or the furtive signals. So many years had passed, yet she felt emotion surge through her.

Before Arlong could ask more questions, Hatchan came to her with a glass full of fruit juice – pilfered from the ship's reserves – mixed with a hefty dose of rum. She sipped it, letting the sweet fire slide down her throat. Mmm, yeah, that helped. She took several more sips as Arlong watched, and the octopus man retreated from the room.

"You're lucky to have Hachi," she whispered to Arlong. "He's such a good friend."

The sharkman stared at her for several moments as she enjoyed her drink. "He also makes a bomb-ass drink. This is just what I need." All things considered, she felt she earned the right to seek the refuge of alcohol for a night.

"You are full of surprises." His gaze was calculating. She tried to steel herself, taking another swig of her drink. His arm squeezed around her middle. Kuroobi stood to the side, his arms crossed while Chew sat at the table. He'd been the one to count and divide the money. There were other things to be divided, such as the various luxury items the Mukachins and their friends had owned, medicine and weapons, and all, but the beli was easy enough to count and apportion.

"You never know what sort of skills you're going to pick up in life, especially when it helps one make an alliance for their benefit."

"Hmm." His embrace tightened a fraction.

"Since you're done with the splitting of the beli, I'd like to go and rest, please," she whispered, hoping to distract him.

"Was it Haki?" he demanded. She tensed, looking down and taking a sip of her drink.

"If more of us could do that, imagine how much that could benefit us," she heard Chew's cool, calculating tone. "Especially against people with weapons."

How predictable men could be – whether they be fish, monkeys, or otherwise. She tried to twist free, but Arlong's grip was inexorable.

"Don't you want to help your friends?" Arlong asked wheedingly, and she looked up at him to see him grinning at her, sharp teeth on full display. How she knew what these teeth were capable of…

She glanced toward Kuroobi. His face was mostly unreadable, but there was a faint hint of a smirk on his lips. Chew merely raised an eyebrow at her. She wished Hatchan was still here to ease the tension. Did she want to give fishmen the means to protect themselves against slavers? Hell yeah.

But she had come to know Arlong well in her relatively short amount of time with him. He would not use such a gift for altruistic purposes. It would be a new way for him to bully people and enforce his will. And Kuroobi was a formidable opponent already with a big chip on his shoulder against humans.

She parted her lips, but could not find the right words. Before she could lift the glass for another sip, he grabbed her wrist with his free hand. She let out a frustrated whimper, and Kuroobi's smirk stretched into a small grin.

"With Haki, I could rule the seas, with my nakama and my siren at my side." His hand moved up to her chin, grasping it in his large hand. His gaze was intense, and she felt him squeeze. Not enough to threaten her air supply, but enough to remind her of who had a literal hold on her. She frowned at him, and he bared his teeth in a silent snarl. She looked away from him, seeing Kuroobi staring at her, his brows furrowed in impatience. For a moment she thought about tossing the rest of her drink in Arlong's face.

They were not going to let this go. She gave out a defeated sigh. "Fine. But give me some time, okay? What you saw was a last-ditch attack, it took all of my energy. It'll be a while before I can do anything."

"I suppose that's fair enough, chu. What say you, Captain?"

Arlong looked down at her for several moments, a small, unreadable smile on his face as he let go of her chin. "Yes. You have been a g- sweet siren." A flash of anxiety came across his face before it disappeared as he caught himself. "You have earned your rest. Chew, take her upstairs."

"Wait, wait…" she said, clutching his shirt with her free arm. "If I could ask just one little thing from you…?"

"What is it?" he asked, his mood having softened with her surrender.

"What do you intend to do with the three enslaved humans?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I'm keeping the doctor. The other two, I suppose I can keep around for cleaning and drudge work?" he said. For the planning and possibilities they had considered in taking over this ship, no one had thought of the possibility of enslaved humans being abroad.

She had to bite back indignation at his hypocrisy. "You freed the enslaved fishmen, but not the enslaved humans?" she asked in a calm tone. His smirk faltered at that for a moment.

"I'm not the one who enslaved them. I'm simply stealing from slavers."

She pressed her palm to her face. Gods preserve her. She was treading dangerous territory, especially with Kuroobi and Chew around. Should she just shut up and go rest now?

"Save your sympathy for fishmen. You lived among humans and had to adapt to their ways. You are among fishmen now," Kuroobi said. His tone was calm but there was no mistaking the challenge. Her human half tainted her in the eyes of the ray fishman and she still had to prove herself to him despite having taken down Spike.

"It's not about being a human or fishman. It's about being fair, and shouldn't we prove ourselves better than the humans?" she demanded quietly. Kuroobi scowled at her.

"Let's save the philosophical discussion for later," Arlong said as he nudged her out of his lap. She'd riled them up enough, so she was grateful for the reprieve as Chew led her to the apartment as she gulped down the last of her drink. She tried to walk unassisted, but the stairs were not an easy task with her injured leg. Without a word, he took hold of her good arm and let he lean against him as he led her up the stairs.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You took care of me before. It's the least I can do," he said. "And we're nakama now, aren't we?"

She had to bite a retort to his comment. She'd been around Arlong and his crew long enough to have a good understanding of that word and what it meant, and considering what had just transpired in the captain's cabin, she had plenty to think about.

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