Chapter 17 Bane's brutal style
In Arlong's paradise, Arlong was discussing some issues with his subordinates.
"That guy Nezumi called us a few days ago. He said we should keep a low profile and not cause any trouble. It looks like the navy in the East Blue Sea is clearing out pirates," Arlong said calmly while sitting in his chair.
Most of his crew members are Fishman and followed him from Fishman Island.
However, there is one exception, Nami from cocoyasi Village.
She is the only human in the entire Arlong Pirates. When Arlong took over this place, he noticed Nami's skills as a navigator and her drawing abilities. He wanted her to create a nautical chart to help the fish-men control the sea. So, he forced Nami to become their "partner" and promised that if she paid 100 million berries, he would give her and the village freedom.
To protect her village, Nami had to work for them, even though she deeply hated Arlong and his pirates who killed her adoptive mother.
Arlong was not arrogant and did not want to confront the navy in the East Blue Sea, so he told everyone to avoid going out to sea for plunder and to stay low key.
"But we can do other things without looting, Nami. I heard there is a group called 'Baki Pirates' in our East Blue Sea. They might have nautical charts for the Grand Line. Also, that guy called Buggy seems to have a treasure. You should go and try to get the chart. Maybe there will be 100 million berries in the treasure? " Arlong said, looking at Nami with a mischievous glance.
Nami hated Arlong but never showed it. She agreed without much expression and said, "I understand. I will go out to sea to find them in two days. "
In the original story, Nami met the Straw Hat Pirates when she went to trouble the Buggy Pirates and eventually joined them.
After explaining this to Nami, Arlong turned to the rest of his crew and said, "Since we can't rob for now, let's increase the tolls. All merchant ships that come to our territory will need to pay a protection fee of 100,000 berries. "
"I understand, boss! " the group of fishmen replied happily.
Just then, a small fishman walked in from outside the paradise and said, "Boss, a merchant ship seems to be approaching. "
Just as he was talking about collecting protection money, someone knocked at the door. Arlong waved his hand and said, "Kuroobi, go deal with them and kill all the disobedient ones. "
Kuroobi is one of the fighters of the Arlong Pirates. He is skilled in fish-man karate and other things.
He smiled and replied, "Understood. "
Meanwhile, Bane and Zoro got off the boat without any issues. Several fishman pirate minions were nearby, checking the merchant ship. Seeing how the ship owner skillfully paid money, he must have been aware of the situation here for a long time.
After all, Arlong and his crew have been here for many years. Cocoyasi Village is still part of the route for commercial ships, which shows that they have rules that everyone follows.
"Are those the Fishmen you mentioned? " Zoro asked Bane as he observed the fishman pirates with curiosity.
"Well, they are ten times stronger than regular humans, and even more powerful in water. Honestly, I don't understand why they have such abilities but are struggling in this ocean-themed world," Bane said with a hint of emotion.
The Fishman's home is secure, deep under the ocean, ten thousand meters below. It is easy to defend but hard to attack. People on the sea can't do anything to them. Plus, the fishman are gifted and favored in this world. They have Poseidon, the king of the sea, one of the three ancient weapons said to have the power to destroy the world. With such an advantage, Fishman Island has become a second-rate country, too afraid to resist because of discrimination and oppression. It is truly puzzling.
As the two were talking and preparing to leave the port dock, they encountered a group of fish-man pirates. Bane recognized Kuroobi right away. Although he couldn't recall the name, he remembered the face and knew he was one of Arlong's key members.
"You bastards, wait here for a while. We are collecting new protection fees now," Kuroobi shouted while pointing at Zoro.
Zoro: ? ? ?
Has this guy always been this bold?
However, even though he was very angry and wanted to draw his sword to attack this bastard, Zoro still respected Bane. So, he turned to look at Bane next to him, ready to ask his big bro how to handle the situation.
When he turned around, he saw dark power coming from Bane's hands. Then, a hand cannon larger than his head appeared in Bane's grip.
Kuroobi on the opposite side was also shocked when he saw this. Before he could react, Bane had already pulled the trigger.
With a loud bang, the hand cannon released a fierce flame. The huge projectile was unavoidable at such a close distance and hit Kuroobi directly.
After all, it was the Imperial Lieutenant's standard hand cannon that Bane bought by selling his old house. It was extremely strong! Normally, these big, muscular fishmen could withstand hits from the navy's shells without dying immediately.
But now, Kuroobi's whole upper body was blown off, his lower body was in pieces, and his waist was covered in blood. He was thrown dozens of meters away by the force of the blast. He fell to the ground and rolled several times. His blood stained a large area around him, and his body parts were scattered everywhere. The scene was very brutal.
After killing Kuroobi with one shot, Bane looked at Zoro and said, "Why are you looking at me like that? You don't have anything to say to these bastards, do you? "
It was also the first time Zoro had seen such a brutal scene. For a moment, he saw his big brother in a new light. However, he did not dislike this behavior. He had wanted to kill the enemy just moments ago, but Bane's methods were much more violent.
"Of course not." Zoro shook his head.
"Why don't you get to work? Kill all the fishmen in this village; they are all pirates! " Bane patted Zoro's shoulder.
In the next moment, Zoro took his sword from his waist, stepped forward, and attacked the two fishmen who had not reacted. With two quick slashes, the fight was over.
However, the noise from the hand cannon was so loud that it alerted Arlong, who was holding a meeting for employees in Arlong Park.
"What's going on! ? " Arlong suddenly stood up from his chair and looked toward the port with a frown.
The Navy! ?
The other officers were also confused and surprised, but Nami's eyes brightened, as if she had some hope. She had read the newspaper recently and heard that the navy in the East Blue Sea was strengthening its military discipline.
Maybe those corrupt navy officers from before had been dealt with? Now that the navy had more resources, was it going to take down the Arlong Pirates?
At this moment, the gate of the paradise opened again. A fishman rushed in, panicking. He said, "Boss Arlong, it's bad! Two strong humans have come to the port. They killed Kuroobi and are coming this way! "
"What! ? Kuroobi is dead! ? " Arlong shouted in anger.
He is cruel to humans but cares deeply for his own kind. He is a typical racist. He also heard that it was not the navy but two foolish humans. This made him even angrier. He decided he would skin those two humans alive.
But he didn't need to go there. Zoro and Bane had already charged toward the gate like it was nothing. They kicked the door open. Bane then walked in and said, "Good afternoon, you bastards. I heard there's a very skilled and beautiful navigator here. I came to invite her to join our better gang, no, team! "
As he spoke, Bane looked at Arlong, grinned, and said with a menacing smile, "I'll take your ship while I'm at it."