Cage's ruthlessness not only annihilated the Arlong Pirates but also greatly shocked his own Marine forces.
"So amazing."
Nami continuously swallowed, her developing chest heaving violently.
It was too insane!
A pirate crew she might never have been able to handle in her entire life was completely wiped out by a single bullet. Nami's heart churned like a stormy sea, unable to settle for a long time.
"This kid actually didn't die; fate truly favor him," Cage glanced at Arlong, then raised his rifle again. "Looks like I'll have to waste another bullet."
"Please, don't kill me!"
Arlong no longer cared for dignity at this point. In the face of death, anyone would abandon their pride. He pleaded with a weeping voice, "One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe, is my boss! Spare me for his sake!"
Arlong was once a member of the Sun Pirates.
"Sorry, that excuse doesn't work with me. Your comrades are all dead. If you're still alive, that's just not right."
BANG!
Cage fired another shot.
Crack!
After hitting Arlong, his body vanished, leaving only a puddle of blood mixed with shattered flesh.
The air was thick with a strong scent of blood. Looking around, there were corpses everywhere, and their deaths were horrifying. Some were completely charred, others were missing limbs.
This hellish scene made even Nami, despite being his victim, avert her gaze.
"Isn't that a bit too much? If this gets to Jinbe, a Warlord of the Sea, it might displease him," Ain said, worriedly. "It's said that the World Government invited Jinbe to be a Warlord specifically to ease the conflict between humans and Fish-Men. This..."
"Ease what conflict, 'ease what conflict?!' Arlong's gang treated humans like slaves! Is that easing racial conflict? He didn't even see humans as people, shamelessly plundering them like farm animals. Trash like that deserves to die. You think Jinbe would dare seek revenge on me?" Cage said, completely unperturbed.
"Alright, you're the higher-ranked officer; you make the decisions."
Ain rolled her eyes, helpless. After all, the people were already dead. What was the point of talking about it now?
"Return to base."
Cage turned and walked towards the cabin. At that moment, Nami suddenly followed him. "Commodore Cage... can I become a Marine too someday?"
"You...?"
The question made Cage lose himself for a moment. Then he ruffled Nami's hair, saying gently, "When you're a few years older, come find me. I'll make you an excellent Marine!"
What a good potential Marine! Why would she become a pirate!?
Three days later.
The news of the Arlong Pirates' complete annihilation in the East Blue caused a massive uproar in the region.
Pirates who had been operating defiantly all seized the opportunity to disappear.
This Commodore Cage was truly ruthless; not a single living soul remained from the vast Arlong Pirates. He was practically a remorseless executioner.
Marine Headquarters also received the news.
What should have been a trivial matter became a significant headache for Sengoku due to a certain individual.
"I joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Is this how you Marines treat my Fish-Man kind?!"
"Arlong committed many heinous acts; that bastard probably deserved to die... But the Fish-Man soldiers who followed him weren't necessarily deserving of death! You Marines went too far, didn't you? You didn't even give me a chance to collect their bodies!"
In the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters, Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was in a furious rage.
He had long advised Arlong to abandon his hatred for humans, but that guy had ignored him. His death was his own doing, but for those massacred Fish-Men—besides Arlong, there were also some former Sun Pirates members—to be killed like that, Jinbe couldn't stomach it.
What enraged him most was that Cage had even thrown their bodies into the sea to feed the fish.
"Sengoku, you Marines owe me an explanation!"
Jinbe glared at Sengoku, fuming. "And that guy named Cage, a mere Commodore... What does he think he's doing? To ruthlessly slaughter them all, even killing my friend Hachi!"
"Watch your tone, Jinbe! This is Marine Headquarters, and this is my Fleet Admiral's office!"
Sengoku admonished him sternly, deliberately shifting the focus. "That Fish-Man Arlong was an arch-criminal, treating humans as slaves... His subordinates also aided his tyranny and committed too many acts that angered both gods and men."
"But that doesn't warrant killing all of them, even burning their bodies clean away," Jinbe said, looking aggrieved. Sengoku's mouth twitched, speechless.
"If you don't give me an explanation, I might withdraw from the Seven Warlords of the Sea and seek revenge on that Cage," Jinbe threatened loudly. When these words fell, everyone frowned. This guy clearly intended to blow things out of proportion.
Everyone fell silent. Logically speaking... since Jinbe joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea, his subordinates should naturally be protected. Moreover, the government still wanted to use Jinbe to ease relations with Fish-Man Island.
"A bunch of trash on the high seas. If they're dead, they're dead."
Just as everyone remained silent, a tall figure suddenly stood up, disdainfully dismissing the dead Fish-Men. He scoffed, "Flies don't bite seamless eggs. Those Fish-Men brought their own demise by doing stupid things! Their deaths are well-deserved!"
"Cage is not only innocent, but I believe he should be rewarded for his merits! As for those Marines who colluded with pirates, treating the dignity of the Marines as a complete joke, no trial is needed; they should be immediately executed!"
"Jinbe... Not only do we Marines bear no responsibility, but we should add to your transgressions! You can't even manage your own subordinates. You're utterly useless as a leader!"
When this person finished speaking, the entire room was stunned. The one who spoke in support of Cage was none other than Admiral Akainu!
In reality, Akainu rarely got involved in such matters, but Cage's actions perfectly aligned with his own principles: pirates, simply put... deserve to die!
As for feeding the bodies to fish... perfectly executed! That way, there's no need to pollute land resources!