"Boss, they're coming straight for us!" Chew shouted, spotting the approaching slave ship and alerting Arlong.
"What's there to be afraid of? They're coming at just the right time! Brothers, let's go kill them!" Arlong roared, his battle spirit ignited as he looked at the enemy ship, his excitement palpable.
"Kill the enemy!"
"Kill the enemy!"
The pirate ship erupted in cheers, their fighting spirit soaring.
"Heh, a bunch of lowly fish-men. You'll get what's coming to you," Sam sneered from the bow of his ship, watching the jubilant fish-men with mockery.
He then turned to his men and commanded, "Remember, when the fighting starts, whatever you do, don't kill them. They're our money!"
"We know, Captain! We wouldn't mess with our money!" one of his men joked.
"Haha, you're right about that. Why would we mess with money? The more of it, the better!" Sam laughed.
The two ships finally drew close. Sam sized up Arlong's crew, and Arlong did the same to his.
"Haha, so many fish-men! Captain, we're going to be rich this time! I wonder how much the Celestial Dragons will pay for them!" the men on the slave ship exclaimed, their excitement growing as they looked at the numerous fish-men.
They knew that fish-men and merfolk usually lived deep under the sea, making them difficult to capture. The Celestial Dragons, however, had a particular fondness for collecting them, which only encouraged unscrupulous individuals to target them. But capturing them on Fish-Man Island was too difficult and risky. Encountering so many fish-men at once... Sam and his crew were truly lucky.
"Tsk, tsk. A pity they're a bit ugly. It would have been better if they were mermaids. But, oh well, this is good enough. A pleasant surprise, I suppose," Sam said, looking over the Arlong Pirates and judging them like cattle.
"They are a bit ugly. But we're sure the Celestial Dragons won't pass them up, Captain. Don't you worry," one of his men said, trying to console the dissatisfied Sam.
"So it's you, you damn slavers! You want to capture us?! How many of our people have you captured?! And now you want to capture us?! Today, I will have my revenge!" Arlong roared with hatred, looking at Sam and his crew.
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
The crowd was incensed. The way Sam looked at them, as if they were mere cargo, had enraged them. This time, it was a fight to the death.
"Kill them!"
At Arlong's command, all the fish-men charged towards the slave ship.
"Men, capture them! They're our money!" Sam yelled, not to be outdone, and gave the order to attack.
Splash, splash, splash! A large number of fish-men leaped into the sea, rapidly closing in on the slave ship.
Out on the open sea, the fish-men's natural advantage came into play.
"Captain, bad news! Our ship is taking on water!" a subordinate reported. The fish-men who had jumped into the water had damaged their hull. It had to be said, Arlong and his crew had some brains.
"Damn it! Everyone, board their ship! Abandon ours!" Sam decided.
"But, Captain, what about the cargo on our ship?"
"Forget it! Forget it! How can they compare to these fish-men? With them, what do we have to fear?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Everyone, get on their ship now!"
Sam was calm and composed, completely unfazed by Arlong's tactic. He looked at Arlong with a smug expression. "Once I'm on your ship, let's see what you can do. You lowly fish-men, get ready to be my slaves!"
Arlong understood the meaning in Sam's eyes and realized his intention. But he had been wanting to take care of this guy personally anyway. Since they were delivering themselves to him, he couldn't be happier.
Soon, the slave ship sank to the bottom of the sea, taking a ship full of slaves with it. Perhaps this was the best end for them. After all, a quick end was better than a life worse than death.
Sam easily boarded the Arlong Pirates' ship, looking at them with utter contempt.
"You're Arlong, right?" Sam said arrogantly.
"You dog of the World Government. Are you ready to die?" Arlong said impatiently.
"Still talking tough. Since you won't submit willingly, I'll have to subdue you myself!" Sam sneered.
"Die!" Arlong had no patience for talk. He swung his sharp claws and charged at Sam. The other fish-men also clashed with the World Government's lackeys.
"Pathetic," Sam didn't even spare Arlong a glance. He was a seasoned player in the Grand Line, having captured countless slaves and won numerous battles against pirates. Why would he be afraid of Arlong?
Inside the cabin, Diamante and Doflamingo watched the show, with no intention of intervening. This was Arlong's battle; they were under no obligation to help.
"Dof, who do you think will win?" Diamante asked, bored.
"Neither of them will win. The winner... will be us," Doflamingo said with a cheerful laugh.
"Haha, you're right, Dof. They're just a bunch of trash," Diamante laughed in reply.
The two of them then turned their attention back to the battle.
It had to be said, Arlong and his crew were impressive when it came to bullying civilians, but when faced with truly strong opponents, they were severely lacking. After all, among the fish-men, only one or two were truly noteworthy. Besides Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, and Fisher Tiger, the captain of the Sun Pirates, the others were not of much use. Yet, like Arlong, they were arrogant and didn't know their own limits.
Therefore, defeat was inevitable. If Doflamingo and his companion weren't here, Arlong and his crew would likely have become slaves today.
On the deck, the battle was fierce. At first, all the fish-men were full of fighting spirit, ready to die. But after actually clashing with their opponents, they realized how tough they were.
They had no choice but to fight to the death. This was their ship, after all. They could have jumped overboard to escape, but they wouldn't. Because they could still ask Doflamingo for help, even if they were reluctant to do so.
"Arlong, is this all you've got? Just accept your fate. It's already sealed. You're destined to be a slave," Sam said, easily dodging Arlong's claws and bites with a mocking tone.
"You bastard! My fate is my own to decide! I will never be a slave! I'd rather die!" Arlong roared in anger.
"Haha, that's not up to you. Your life is mine to control. Just submit!" Sam said, putting force into his fist and landing a heavy blow on Arlong's stomach, making him spit up bile.
"Tsk, tsk. Didn't you say your physical strength was ten times that of ours? How can you be so weak?" Sam sneered, looking down at the kneeling Arlong.
"Die!" Arlong roared, desperately lunging at Sam.
THUD!
With a heavy kick, Arlong was sent flying across the deck, crashing into a crowd of his men.
"Boss!"
"Arlong-san!"
All the fish-men watched in disbelief. They couldn't believe Arlong had been defeated so easily.
"Hey, hey, pay attention to us, will you? Getting distracted during a fight... you're really asking for death!" Sam's crew took advantage of the fish-men's distraction and swiftly landed severe blows on all of them. They wouldn't die, but they would be heavily injured.
"Argh!"
Painful cries echoed across the deck as all the fish-men fell.
Inside the cabin, Doflamingo and Diamante observed the scene with their Observation Haki.
"Dof, Arlong and his crew have lost. They really are trash. On what grounds can they cooperate with us?" Diamante said with disdain, looking at their pathetic state.
"When did I say I was going to cooperate with them?" Doflamingo asked in return.
"Um... Dof, didn't you, that day...?" Diamante trailed off sheepishly.
"I just gave them a thought to cling to. A place as good as Fish-Man Island... of course, it must be controlled by me personally. How could a bunch of trash like them be worthy?" Doflamingo said with a mocking smile.
"So... Dof, you plan to stir up the waters of Fish-Man Island?" Diamante asked carefully, after some thought.
"Diamante, you understand. You don't need to say it out loud," Doflamingo reminded him.
"Haha, I understand, Dof. You're as brilliant as ever," Diamante praised him with a laugh.
"Later, you can take care of those clowns. The dogs of the World Government. Consider it collecting some interest," Doflamingo said coolly.
"Leave it to me, Dof," Diamante promised. His new sword had yet to taste blood. It was time for a good meal.
On the deck, the situation was decided.
Sam quickly walked over to Arlong and stomped his foot heavily on his head.
"Tsk, tsk. Weren't you full of spirit just now? Why so pathetic now?" Sam taunted.
"Hahaha, so pathetic! All talk and no strength. Just be good slaves."
Sam's crew put on the airs of victors, relentlessly mocking the Arlong Pirates.
Pinned to the ground, Arlong looked at Sam with humiliation and fierce hatred in his eyes. The desire to kill him was stronger than anything he had ever felt.
"What? Not convinced?" Sam asked, looking into Arlong's eyes.
THUD! Arlong was kicked several meters away again, leaving a long trail of blood.
"Boss!"
"Arlong-san!"
The fish-men cried out in grief, only to be met with another round of beatings.
"ARGH!"
Miserable screams filled the air. The scene was too brutal to watch.
But Arlong did not beg for mercy. He endured.
"What a tough guy. Let's see which is harder, your mouth or your body! Beg me! Beg for mercy!" Sam seemed to have gone mad, kicking Arlong's body relentlessly.
"B-boss..."
The fish-men were in despair.
Sam was getting carried away, and Doflamingo and his companion were enjoying the show. They wouldn't make a move until the time was right.
"Captain, stop! If you keep hitting him, he's going to die! We'll have to pay to get him treated, and that's not a small expense," one of his men finally couldn't take it anymore and tried to persuade Sam.
"Tch. What a tough bastard. Refusing to beg for mercy. Fine. I can't let my anger get in the way of money. That's enough," Sam said, tired. He gave up on teaching Arlong a lesson.
"Captain, we've had a great harvest this time."
"Mm. Indeed," Sam replied coolly.
Lying on the ground, Hachi looked at Arlong's miserable state, his heart filled with sorrow. He didn't know why Arlong wouldn't ask Doflamingo for help, but they couldn't go on like this. Someone had to save them. They already owed Doflamingo once; what was one more time?
"Mr. Doflamingo! Please, save us! Save us!" Hachi roared with all his might.
"Save us!"