Drip, drip—
As Kuro and Alvida watched the soaked figure of Davy Jones rise from the sea and lock eyes with them, an inexplicable chill crawled up their spines.
It felt as though the entire Arlong Park had been submerged in suffocating, shimmering seawater—and that water was now rushing into their lungs and sinuses.
Unconsciously, the two lowered their heads, pretending to glance casually at the ground.
In truth, this was because something had changed about Davy Jones.
The fear he had harvested from his victims had once again evolved into a form of "spine-chilling terror." When he locked eyes with others, their minds were now injected with dread. That fear expanded within, spawning brief terror-induced hallucinations. The exact effect varied from person to person.
For someone like Kuro or Alvida—whose strength was far outmatched—the fear manifested in full hallucinations almost instantly. That eerie sensation, like ants crawling across your skin, lingered and refused to fade away.
In addition, Davy Jones' crab claw and tentacles had acquired the ability to generate water out of thin air—enough to form water blades and water bullets for combat.
While he no longer needed surrounding seawater to create this liquid, proximity to the sea greatly amplified the strength of these water-based attacks.
It was a decent upgrade.
As Davy Jones approached, he closed his eyes for a moment, and both Kuro and Alvida felt the heaviness lift from their chests. The terrifying pressure vanished. They each let out a quiet breath of relief.
Lying nearby was Hatchan, sprawled flat on his back.
His body was covered in deep claw wounds from Kuro, and all six of his swords had been broken by Alvida's iron mace. He was gasping for breath, barely conscious.
"He's still alive?" Davy Jones was a little surprised. He had assumed everyone in the Arlong Pirates—aside from Momoo the Sea Cow—had been wiped out.
Alvida misunderstood his tone and thought he was questioning their competence.
"Captain, we were just about to finish him off. Allow me," she said, raising her spiked mace high.
"Wait." Davy Jones stopped her.
He looked Hatchan up and down, then crouched and asked in his deep, chilling voice, "I remember—it was you who summoned Momoo earlier, right? You're its caretaker?"
Hatchan had initially braced himself to die with pride, like his fallen comrades. But when he met Davy Jones's eyes… his courage crumbled.
Especially since Arlong still hadn't resurfaced from the sea, his mind began to imagine all kinds of gruesome outcomes.
A man who even Arlong couldn't defeat…
"Y-yes," Hatchan mumbled, his long mouth twitching.
"Interesting." Davy Jones stood up, relieving some of the pressure on Hatchan. "From now on, Momoo belongs to me. I'll be taking it to the Grand Line, and then to Fish-Man Island."
Hatchan's eyes widened.
Fish-Man Island.
It had been so long since he heard the name of his homeland.
He had followed Arlong to East Blue for years, and not a day passed when he didn't miss it. The idea of Momoo returning there brought him comfort.
Even if he couldn't go back himself, at least Momoo could.
That was enough.
He closed his eyes and waited for the final blow.
But the attack never came.
He opened his eyes again, confused to see everyone just standing there.
"I came to Cocoyasi Village for two reasons," Davy Jones said as he sat down on a crumbling stone pillar nearby.
"The first," he began, "was to observe your Fish-Man Pirate crew—to see if contact or cooperation was possible. But it turned into a clash of ideologies."
Despite being at Arlong Park, Davy Jones had been aware of everything happening aboard the Terror Ghost.
When Chew and his subordinates tried to forcibly board the ship, only to be counterattacked and then defeated by Buggy, Davy Jones fully gave up on any alliance with Arlong's crew.
If even Chew was that reckless and uncontrollable, then Arlong would be far worse.
Arlong would never serve under another, nor work with humans. Bringing his crew aboard the Thriller Wraith would be asking for instability.
Davy Jones had lost the ability to manipulate human lifespans, so for now, he valued control and discipline over numbers.
Conflict had become inevitable. But it also made for a perfect testing ground for his newly awakened Haki.
The results had exceeded expectations—none of the Fish-Man Pirates had been able to resist.
"The second reason," he said, pipe in his mouth, "was to claim Momoo the Sea Cow. I've already forced it into temporary submission, but I'll need someone else to tame it long-term."
He flipped the pipe around and pointed the long mouthpiece directly at Hatchan.
"So I propose a deal—if you still want to live."
Here it comes again.
Alvida glanced at her captain. Another deal. Another contract.
Kuro tensed at the memory of his own.
"You'll submit to me," Davy Jones said, "train Momoo for me, and guide me to Fish-Man Island. Once we arrive, you'll be set free."
Hatchan blinked in disbelief.
He hadn't expected that even as a defeated enemy, practically lying on the execution table, Davy Jones would offer him such a fair, acceptable agreement.
If this had been Arlong, the options would be death—or being wrung dry of every ounce of value.
Just like how Arlong had exploited Nami's cartographic talent when she was a child.
Even though the deal sounded fair, Hatchan hesitated.
But then his eyes met Davy Jones's again—and he remembered the massacre of his comrades.
Compared to them… he was lucky.
The will to survive surged inside him.
He struggled to sit upright.
And he thought of Momoo again.
He had raised Momoo from the start. No one else understood the creature's moods or habits like he did.
How could he just abandon it?
"Nuoh…" he mumbled—his usual vocal tic. His eyes, however, were filled with hope.
"If I agree… you'll really honor the contract?"
"Of course," Davy Jones replied, a slow, squirming smile curling across his face. "As long as you don't break the deal, I have no reason to harm you. Releasing you is not difficult."
That's enough. That's all he needed.
Hatchan nodded.
"Alright… then, Captain Davy Jones, I accept your deal. I'll take full responsibility for training and caring for Momoo."
So it was done.
Hatchan had become Davy Jones's newest contract-bound crew member.
Davy Jones gave a slight nod, then turned to Kuro. Everything he said before had also been a subtle warning—to remind Kuro where he stood.
Kuro lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with his captain.
"Help him up," Davy Jones ordered casually as he stood and walked toward the gates of Arlong Park—never once looking back.
Alvida blinked and quickly followed him.
That left only Kuro and Hatchan behind.
Hatchan scratched his head and looked at Kuro politely. "Could you help me up?"
"Tch." Kuro frowned, adjusted his glasses, and reluctantly hoisted the wounded fish-man to his feet.
As soon as his hand touched Hatchan's slimy, mucus-covered skin, Kuro clenched his fist in disgust.
He wanted to cut the guy down on the spot.
I'll have to wash my hands a hundred times… Kuro thought bitterly.
"Thanks," Hatchan said with a smile—completely forgetting that this was the man who mutilated him minutes ago.
Kuro didn't respond.
He said nothing, just lifted Hatchan and moved forward.
And so, with Kuro's help, Hatchan limped along behind Davy Jones and Alvida, following them slowly but steadily.
Before long, they had returned once again…
…to Cocoyasi Village.
PS: Access advance (100+) chapters at