At first, Johnny and Yosaku had been on edge every time the imprisoned fishmen tried to get Hatchan's attention. They'd tense up, hands moving to their weapons, expecting some kind of breakout attempt.
But after watching Hatchan just sit there with his eyes closed, completely motionless, they gradually relaxed. The guy was either the world's heaviest sleeper or he wasn't going to help his former crewmates.
Eventually, the two bounty hunters got comfortable enough to go back to their fishing, though they kept one eye on the prisoners.
Inside the stone prison, the fishmen had started out hopeful. Surely their old friend would come to his senses and help them escape. They just needed to be patient.
But as time dragged on and Hatchan continued to ignore them, that hope curdled into despair and then into rage.
Kuroobi looked at the octopus fishman through the bars, then finally shook his head in disgust. "Forget it, Chew. That bastard's not going to move."
Chew glared furiously at the octopus. "Hatchan! Are you seriously betraying us? Becoming a servant for the humans?"
But the only response was the same silence Hatchan had maintained for hours.
It was the same kind of silence he'd once shown toward humans, now he was giving that same cold treatment to the desperate cries of his former companions.
Chew's face twisted with rage. "You spineless sea slug! Traitor! You disgrace to all fishmen!"
"Yeah!" another prisoner joined the cursing. "Barnacle brain! You're nothing but fish bait now!"
"Worthless bottom-feeder!" another prisoner snarled. "Tiger would be ashamed of you!"
"Coward! Jellyfish! You've got no backbone!" Chew continued. "When we get out of here, you're going to pay for this betrayal!"
"Cum-sucking sea worm!" one of the younger fishmen shouted angrily.
The other prisoners suddenly went quiet, turning to stare at him with raised eyebrows.
"What?" The fishman looked around defensively. "What's wrong with you guys? Don't you agree? He's a scum-sucking sea worm!"
"Oh," Chew said slowly, "scum-sucking. Right."
"Yeah, that's what I said," the fishman muttered, looking confused by their reactions.
The others exchanged glances and decided not to explain, just nodding along. "Sure, scum-sucking. That's... that's what we all heard."
The insults kept flying, calling Hatchan everything from a "gutless sea cucumber" to a "bottom-dwelling parasite" and a "worthless piece of kelp."
Still no reaction.
Finally, it was Arlong who spoke up to put an end to the verbal assault.
"Enough."
"Hatchan, have you really thought this through? Have you forgotten how Tiger died? Do you still believe in humans after what they did to him?"
After a brief silence, Hatchan finally opened his eyes. He even stood up and walked to the edge of the ship, looking directly at the imprisoned Arlong.
"Nyuu... I haven't forgotten how he died. But, these past few years you've become more and more like those bastards from Sabaody Archipelago."
Those words hit Arlong hard, leaving him speechless inside his stone cell.
Of course, it wasn't the silence of shame or self-reflection, it was pure rage.
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting? You followed Arlong to the East Blue because you agreed with his methods, didn't you? And now you suddenly have a change of heart? When you watched human villages burn, you were already an accomplice! You've got blood on your tentacles just like the rest of us!"
Chew had never liked Hatchan much anyway. The octopus was too soft. If it hadn't been for Arlong's tolerance toward his old crewmates, he would've driven Hatchan out of the crew years ago.
Hatchan sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging. He couldn't argue with that point, it was true. When he'd originally followed Arlong away from Fish-Man Island, it had been largely out of anger over Tiger's death, hatred toward the humans who had killed their leader.
But time had a way of changing perspectives. Eight long years had passed, and he'd seen everything that had happened on this island with his own eyes. The final straw had been watching what they'd put Nami through.
Arlong had once hated humans with a burning passion, he'd been the one who opposed letting humans join the Sun Pirates back in the day. But after Tiger's death, when Arlong first arrived at Cocoyasi Village, he'd actually kept his word. As long as the humans paid their tribute, he wouldn't cause trouble.
But gradually, that promise-keeping Arlong had disappeared.
Whenever he was in a bad mood, he'd pick fights with innocent people. Even when the villagers had done nothing wrong, he'd find excuses to fly into a rage and kill someone as an example to the others.
Yet when dealing with the visiting Marines, the very same Marines whose organization had orchestrated Tiger's murder, he became increasingly cordial. What had started as threats and intimidation had evolved into friendly cooperation.
The same Marines Arlong had once sworn to destroy were now his business partners.
"Nyuu... you're right. I was an accomplice," Hatchan admitted quietly. "But the one who changed wasn't me, it was you, Arlong."
With that, he turned away and walked back to his restraints, sitting down and closing his eyes again.
As for Johnny and Joseph, they both scratched their heads. They understood the words, but it felt like their brains were itching.
The Arlong Pirates were supposed to be notorious villains of the East Blue, monsters who considered themselves a superior race and treated humans like garbage. But listening to them now, it almost sounded like they were the victims, just seeking revenge for past wrongs.
But weren't they the ones who'd been oppressing and killing humans for years?
The contradiction was giving both bounty hunters a headache.
Just then, they spotted the Straw Hat crew approaching in a small boat from the village.
"Hey! Over here!" Johnny waved frantically.
"We could hear shouting from halfway across the bay," Sanji called out as they climbed aboard. "What the hell was all that about?"
Johnny and Yosaku quickly recounted everything they'd just witnessed.
The Straw Hat crew fell silent as they absorbed this information. Only Nami was missing from the group, apparently still saying her goodbyes in the village.
Marcus wasn't surprised by any of this. He understood the fishmen's tragic history better than most.
The discrimination...
The slavery...
Tthe cycle of hatred that had consumed so many of them.
In the East Blue, far from the Grand Line's horrors, there was no visible slave trade. The worst you'd see was the usual divide between nobles and commoners. And the newspapers that reached these remote islands were carefully filtered by the World Government.
After all, this world had more than just Morgans' independent news service. Every member nation of the World Government received official reports that painted the government in the best possible light. Non-member nations got no such service, which was why Morgans had become the Emperor of the Underworld.
His papers weren't exactly legal, but because he was willing to print anything and everything, they'd gained a reputation for credibility that the official government papers could never match.
Unfortunately, such uncensored newspapers rarely made it to the East Blue.
Marcus had no intention of explaining all this history to his crewmates. After all, no amount of explanation could compare to seeing the truth with your own eyes. Besides, the crimes Arlong's crew had committed couldn't be forgiven just because other fishmen had suffered elsewhere.
The tragedy of their people didn't excuse the eight years of terror they'd inflicted on innocent villagers.
"So, uh... Nami didn't come with you?" Johnny asked awkwardly, desperate to change the heavy subject.
Yosaku nodded eagerly. The conversation had gotten way too depressing for his taste.
"She told us to go ahead," Kira said with a smile. "Probably wanted some time to say goodbyes to everyone."
She'd been spending a lot of time with Nami over the past few days. They were around the same age and got along well, plus Kira had been picking up navigation tips from the more experienced girl.
Just as she finished speaking, a voice rang out across the water.
"Set sail!"
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Nami running toward the dock, being chased by a group of villagers who were shouting and waving their arms.
Though confused, the crew sprang into action, preparing the ship for departure.
Then came the famous scene.
Nami made a leap, soaring through the air to land perfectly on the ship's deck.
The pursuing villagers came to a halt at the water's edge.
Then she lifted her shirt slightly, revealing her waist, and more importantly, the dozen or so purses she'd somehow hidden underneath her clothes.
One by one, the stolen purses tumbled out and fell to the deck.
The villagers who'd been chasing her immediately burst into laughter and playful curses, shaking their fists in mock anger.
"You little thief!"
"We should've known you'd try something like this!"
"That's our girl!"
Their anger transformed into fond farewells as the ship began to pull away from the dock.
Marcus watched the whole performance and asked curiously, "So you left all the money behind in the village?"
"Is that... is that okay?" Nami gave him the most pitiful, pleading look she could manage.
After all, the money from selling those gold ingots had all come from Marcus originally. Almost seven or eight hundred million berries...
She'd sold off all four gold bars he had given her, converting them into cash that could actually help the village rebuild and prosper.
Whenever money was involved, she always put on this "adorable girl" act. If Marcus had been Sanji, he probably would've exploded in hearts and instantly forgiven her anything.
Unfortunately for her, he was completely unmoved by the puppy dog eyes.
It wasn't that he was immune to attractive women, he just knew her personality way too well by now. She was a master manipulator when it came to getting what she wanted.
"Like I said before, I gave it to you. How you use it is your business." Marcus shrugged. He had plenty more gold where that came from.
Nami's expression immediately shifted from innocent to a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
"Then, could you maybe spare a little more gold for your favorite navigator?" She held out her hand expectantly, looking exactly like an old miser shaking down someone for coins.
Marcus stared at her for a long moment, then burst out laughing.
"You're unbelievable."