Chapter 297: I Am Allergic to Docking Ships
It was incredibly common for Marine warships to request supplies at ports they passed through during their patrols.
Aside from specialized, heavily fortified Marine-exclusive naval bases, essentially every single civilian port belonging to an affiliated nation of the World Government served as a potential resupply depot for the Marines.
However, for the residents of those specific supply towns, a Marine visit wasn't always a cause for celebration.
The sheer, monumental scale of the global Marine organization meant that an incredibly diverse spectrum of individuals wore the uniform of Justice.
There were men like T-Bone—who possessed a horrifyingly skeletal, terrifying visage, yet harbored a heart of pure gold, genuinely dedicating his life to slaughtering pirates and protecting the innocent.
There were men like Garp—who profoundly understood the horrifying, corrupt truths of the upper echelons, yet obstinately refused to leave the Marines, instead choosing to "slack off" while maintaining his legendary Hero status.
There were men like Onigumo—absolute, ruthless fundamentalists who completely disregarded civilian casualties, willing to unleash a Buster Call to annihilate an entire island of innocent people just to ensure a single pirate didn't escape.
And then there were men like Morgan and Nezumi—corrupt, pathetic tyrants who abused their authority to play "Emperor" in the isolated, remote regions of the Four Blues, actively terrorizing and exploiting the very civilians they were sworn to protect.
While true powerhouses occasionally originated from the Four Blues—monsters like Ryokugyu and Fujitora, who possessed enough raw strength to instantly become Admirals—the average combat power across the Four Blues was pitifully weak compared to the Grand Line.
In the Four Blues, situations where a single individual could violently shift the tide of battle with raw martial might were incredibly rare.
While the Grand Line already saw widespread use of semi-automatic weaponry and advanced artillery, the armaments in the East Blue were severely outdated. A standard Marine flintlock pistol required the user to manually reload and cock the hammer after every single shot.
In such a technologically and physically stunted environment, the Marines—backed by the endless logistical and financial support of the World Government—possessed a catastrophic advantage in sheer firepower, granting them absolute, terrifying deterrence over ordinary civilians.
When resupplying at non-military civilian ports, the method of transaction varied wildly. Some honorable Marines paid in full with hard cash. Some left official promissory notes, requiring the local government to request reimbursement directly from Marine Headquarters.
And some entirely bypassed the concept of a "transaction." They simply forcibly confiscated the supplies like a brutal tax collection, then submitted forged requisition reports to Headquarters claiming they had purchased the goods, smoothly embezzling the entire allocated operational budget into their own pockets.
Marine Headquarters periodically dispatched elite Internal Affairs Inspectors specifically to root out and execute these corrupt officers. Nezumi, unfortunately, fell precisely into this final, parasitic category.
He specialized in extorting remote, isolated villages, scraping together enough dirty money to heavily bribe his superiors and ensure his lucrative little empire remained blissfully undisturbed.
The massive, sudden construction project in Cocoyasi Village had naturally caught the attention of the nearby 16th Branch. Currently, Nezumi had not yet been promoted to the rank of Captain and wasn't the absolute base commander yet.
However, as a Major, he still possessed the authority to command a warship and conduct independent patrols. He had sailed to Cocoyasi specifically to violently shake down the locals and line his pockets.
Unfortunately, his grand extortion plan encountered a catastrophic roadblock before it even began. They couldn't even dock the ship.
When Nezumi arrogantly attempted to ignore Jack's stern verbal warning and forcefully approach the pier, Jack simply stood on the dock and casually punched the empty air. The resulting terrifying, hyper-pressurized shockwave slammed into the warship, violently pushing the massive vessel backward across the water.
Nezumi felt a massive headache coming on. He was genuinely terrified of the hulking behemoth's absurd physical strength. But noticing that Jack had merely pushed the ship and hadn't actually harmed anyone, Nezumi assumed the giant was afraid of the Marines' political backing. Consequently, he grabbed a megaphone and began aggressively leveraging the name of the Marines to force compliance.
"Jack, what's the situation?"
Before Nezumi could receive a response, Arlong arrived at the shoreline. Seeing that a full-scale slaughter hadn't broken out yet, Arlong instantly slowed his frantic sprint to a calm, dignified stroll.
As the commanding officer, looking panicked and disheveled in front of his subordinates was highly unseemly.
"Arlong-senpai, are you tired? Why did you suddenly slow down so much?" Jack asked bluntly.
"..."
Arlong completely forgot that Jack's Observation Haki had awakened far earlier than his own. He was also painfully reminded that this kid's "political intelligence" and basic social awareness only functioned correctly when dealing directly with Nereus.
"Those Marines said they wanted to dock here to resupply," Jack grunted, glaring at the ship. "I don't know why, but the moment I heard the word 'dock,' I suddenly felt incredibly pissed off."
Seeing Arlong remain silent, Jack didn't press the issue and simply provided a blunt summary of what had just transpired.
"You did exactly the right thing," Arlong praised, nodding approvingly. "This is our territory now. There is absolutely no reason to allow a Marine warship to casually dock here."
Obviously, the Marines were not considered "friendly diplomatic partners" by the Ryugu Kingdom. Thanks to Nereus's brutal, global crackdowns, the frequency of Fish-Man enslavement incidents had plummeted dramatically.
But the citizens of Fish-Man Island had absolutely not forgotten the centuries of bloody history. This was especially true for the newest generation; the mandated historical curriculum in the Kingdom's academies explicitly taught the undeniable truth that the Marines had historically acted as silent accomplices to the Celestial Dragons' slave trade.
Regardless of whether an individual Marine genuinely believed in "Justice," that Justice had never once been extended to protect Fish-Man Island.
Perhaps on an individual, personal level, a Marine and a Fish-Man could become friends. But on a macroscopic, political level, there had never been true friendship between the two factions.
The fact that Jack had merely pushed the ship away instead of instantly violently sinking it with a single punch was already a monumental display of restraint.
"So, should I sink them now?" Jack asked, cracking his massive knuckles.
"No, no, no! Have you completely forgotten what we're here to do?!" Arlong sighed, rubbing his temples. "In the eyes of the vast majority of civilians in the East Blue, the Marines are the absolute embodiment of 'Justice.'
"If we just violently sink a Marine warship unprovoked, it will catastrophically ruin the friendly reputation we just spent millions of Berries trying to build!
"We'll let them dock. If they try to engage in standard, legal commerce, we ignore them. But... if they turn out to be corrupt Marines trying to cause trouble... then we can use them as the perfect stepping stone to highlight our own 'Justice'!"
Arlong smirked, motioning for a subordinate to signal the warship with flags. Adopting a superficial posture of submission, he allowed Nezumi's warship to approach the docks. Simultaneously, he had someone fetch Genzo, intending for the local sheriff to handle the Marines exactly as he usually would.
Because Bell-mère had previously mentioned the horrific conflict between the King of the Fish-Men and the Marines to him, Genzo simply assumed Arlong wanted to avoid a direct confrontation.
After all, when Genzo rushed to the docks, aside from Jack—whose appearance was practically identical to a massive human—every single other Fish-Man and Mermaid had mysteriously vanished.
"I am Major Nezumi, newly transferred to the 16th Branch!" Nezumi declared arrogantly, stepping off the ship. "We are currently conducting a critical regional patrol and require immediate resupply at this port!
"We need a massive stockpile of fresh water, vegetables, and your highest-quality fruits!"
A Marine patrol wasn't like a local security guard taking a stroll around the block. The operational jurisdiction of a single Branch was massive. Sailing the open seas for weeks or even months at a time was standard procedure.
"The pirate population in this region has been spiking recently," Nezumi continued, a greasy, malicious smile plastered across his face. "And your village seems to have a surprisingly large population. If we weren't out there tirelessly protecting you... who knows what horrific tragedies might occur here? Right, Sheriff?"
Nezumi was heavily, aggressively dropping hints, but Genzo genuinely didn't seem to understand the extortion attempt.
Because of the massive amusement park construction, there were already countless food vendors operating near the docks. The requested supplies were gathered incredibly quickly.
"We don't have a massive surplus of vegetables, but we do have plenty of tangerine orchards," Genzo explained. "These are all incredibly fresh, premium tangerines."
Nezumi waved his hand dismissively, ordering his subordinates to load the heavy crates of tangerines onto the warship. A few moments later, a Marine soldier rushed back down the gangplank and whispered urgently into Nezumi's ear.
"Sheriff?" Nezumi's expression instantly darkened. "Perhaps you didn't fully comprehend my meaning. Is this just tangerines?!"
"What else would it be? Didn't you specifically ask to resupply your food stores?" Genzo frowned, confused.
"I just told you, there are a lot of vicious pirates swarming this sea right now!" Nezumi snapped, his voice dripping with venom. "Our forces are stretched incredibly thin! We might be too exhausted to prioritize responding to a distress call from this specific village if you were attacked! Do you understand me now?!"
Nezumi's threats were practically screaming the word "bribe," but Genzo remained stubbornly oblivious. While Nezumi was undeniably corrupt, he wasn't quite at Morgan's level of blatant, unapologetic tyranny. He didn't dare flat-out scream, 'Give me all your money!' in front of so many witnesses.
Cursing his terrible luck under his breath, Nezumi turned in disgust and prepared to board his ship.
"Wait! You haven't paid yet!"
"Paid for what?" Nezumi scoffed.
"For the tangerines, obviously! Do you think Marines don't have to pay for the things they buy?!"
Nami and Nojiko suddenly sprinted forward, bravely blocking Nezumi's path to the gangplank.
Nezumi's warship wasn't massive, so the sheer volume of supplies they requisitioned wasn't astronomically high.
However, tangerine orchards were the absolute lifeblood of Cocoyasi's economy. Genzo, harboring a slight bias for his friends, had specifically tipped off Bell-mère about the massive Marine order first, ensuring her tangerines were the ones sold to maximize her profit.
Unfortunately, Genzo's good intentions had seemingly backfired catastrophically.
"Do you two little brats have any idea who is out there bleeding and dying on the ocean to protect your pathetic lives?!" Nezumi roared, his face contorting in rage. "We took a few crates of your worthless fruit, and you have the absolute audacity to demand money from us?!
"If we weren't out there slaughtering pirates, do you think you'd be able to peacefully build houses and grow tangerines?! You should be honored that we even took your garbage! Now get out of my way!"
Already furious that his extortion attempt had failed, Nezumi completely ignored the fact that they were children. He viciously shoved Nami and Nojiko aside, sending them tumbling to the dirt, and stormed toward his ship.
"Major Nezumi! That is going entirely too far!"
Genzo furiously helped the two girls up before violently grabbing Nezumi's shoulder and spinning him around.
However, Genzo's righteous anger was immediately met with the terrifying click-clack of a dozen Marine rifles being leveled directly at his head.
A corrupt officer never operated entirely alone. Nezumi was surrounded by a loyal cadre of equally corrupt Marines who eagerly shared in his extorted spoils.
"You—"
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
A rapid succession of piercing, high-speed whistling sounds suddenly erupted from the water's surface. Several hyper-pressurized bullets of water flawlessly struck the Marines' rifles. Although they were merely projectiles made of seawater, the sheer kinetic force instantly snapped the steel barrels of the rifles cleanly in half.
"The Marines of the Four Blues truly are a pathetic, cowardly joke. Is terrorizing ordinary civilians the absolute limit of your capabilities?"
Arlong sat casually atop the shell of a massive sea turtle that had just surfaced, his eyes filled with profound, icy contempt as he stared down at Nezumi.
"You pay for the things you buy. Even a child understands this basic concept. I don't know which Marines are actually out there fighting pirates... but it is absolutely, undeniably not you pathetic pieces of trash."
"F-Fish-Men?!" Nezumi shrieked, stumbling backward in horror. "Are you... are you the Fish-Man Pirates?!"
"The Fish-Man Pirates? Shahahaha! You actually have a pretty sharp tongue on you, rat!"
Hearing Nezumi scream that infamous name, Arlong—along with the rest of the Fish-Men and Merfolk who simultaneously emerged from the surrounding waters—burst into uproarious laughter.
In the current Ryugu Kingdom, the "Fish-Man Pirates" were technically a relic of history. But their legendary existence had absolutely not vanished.
Much like how the Giant Warrior Pirates held profound, sacred significance in Elbaf, the Fish-Man Pirates commanded unparalleled prestige within the Ryugu Kingdom.
And the absolute final member ever officially recruited into the Fish-Man Pirates was their very own Warlord, Luna! After her recruitment, Nereus had finalized his diplomatic treaty with the World Government, and the crew had never accepted another member.
Having the "Fish-Man Pirates" on one's resume meant you were considered the absolute, most authentic core elite of the Kingdom.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Nezumi screamed, his voice cracking with terror. "We are the Marines!! Are you formally declaring war on the Marines?!"
"You sailed into our territory and violently robbed our citizens! A pathetic Branch Major brazenly allowing his troops to pillage the residents of an affiliated nation! Who exactly is declaring war on who here?! THE MARINES?!"
The moment the word left his mouth, Arlong vanished. Even the massive sea turtle he was sitting on didn't register his movement.
In a fraction of a second, Arlong appeared directly in front of Nezumi, his massive, webbed hand violently clamping around the Major's throat and hoisting him entirely off the ground.
Simultaneously, the rest of the crew sprang into action. The Marines surrounding Genzo were instantly knocked unconscious by a single, sweeping kick from Kuroobi.
Jack, utilizing blinding speed, had already materialized directly on the deck of Nezumi's warship. Grabbing the barrels of the ship's two main cannons, he effortlessly twisted the massive cylinders of solid steel together like a pretzel.
"Drop your weapons," Jack rumbled softly. "If a single one of you moves, the next thing I twist will be your necks."
The sheer, apocalyptic display of force instantly paralyzed every single Marine on the ship. The more cowardly and corrupt a military unit was, the more exclusively they relied on bullying the weak.
Nezumi's subordinates possessed absolutely zero courage to fight a genuine battle to the death.
(I never thought the day would come where I could embody the exact same 'No Killing' philosophy as Big Bro Tiger and Queen Otohime...) Arlong thought to himself, a fierce grin spreading across his face.
When Arlong referred to "Big Bro Tiger," it was a highly exclusive, deeply personal title of profound respect. After all, back when Arlong was just a violent punk growing up in the Fish-Man District, Fisher Tiger had been the undisputed Boss of their entire generation.
"W-What... what are you going to do to me?!" Nezumi choked out, his legs kicking frantically in the air.
"Huh? Didn't I just make it perfectly clear?" Arlong sneered, his sharp teeth glinting in the sun. "Hand over the money for the tangerines you stole. And then... get the hell out of my sight. This sea does not welcome trash like you."
Arlong violently yanked Nezumi closer, leaning in to whisper directly into his ear.
"You can certainly try to use your Marine authority to cause trouble here. But remember this... in this day and age, it's incredibly common for a ship to mysteriously sink into the abyss without a single trace. Do you understand me?"
This was a blatant, lethal threat. When it came to the dark arts of intimidation and extortion, Arlong was infinitely more experienced and terrifying than a petty rat like Nezumi.
After being violently stripped of every single Berry on their persons to pay for the tangerines, the Marines scrambled back onto their ship and fled Cocoyasi Village in absolute, humiliating defeat.
Arlong knew with absolute certainty that Nezumi wouldn't dare report this incident to Marine Headquarters.
If he blew the situation out of proportion, an Internal Affairs investigation would inevitably uncover his own rampant corruption, resulting in a severe court-martial. If he tried to play dirty behind the scenes, Arlong possessed countless methods to make him permanently "disappear" into the ocean.
As for Nezumi trying to spread rumors that they were vicious pirates...?
Arlong wasn't flying a Jolly Roger, and he had the absolute, terrifying political backing of the Ryugu Kingdom behind him. He wasn't afraid of pathetic slander in the slightest.
Even in the original timeline, Nezumi had absolutely no authority or capability to arbitrarily issue a bounty on Luffy just because he felt like it.
Luffy had violently systematically dismantled every single major pirate threat in the East Blue. If he hadn't loudly and proudly declared his ambition to become the Pirate King—and if he hadn't been Garp's grandson—Nezumi would have been the one thrown into a military prison, and Luffy would have been hailed as a phenomenal Marine rookie.
"Alright, little girl! Here's the money for your tangerines! Hurry up and take it back to your parents before you lose it!"
Arlong chuckled, casually tossing the thick wad of Berries directly to Nami.
"Thank you, Mr. Fish-Man!" Nami beamed brightly.
When it came to money, Nami's courage vastly eclipsed Nojiko's. She eagerly snatched the cash out of the air and immediately began meticulously counting it.
At that exact moment, in Nami's eyes, Arlong wasn't a terrifying monster in the slightest; he was an incredibly rare, incredibly wealthy "Good Guy."
"From this day forward, this territory is under our absolute protection!" Arlong roared to the surrounding villagers. "No matter what happens, if any outsiders come here trying to cause trouble, you come find us!"
While his subordinates scattered to loudly advertise their heroic deed to the rest of the village, Arlong suddenly called out to Nami just as she finished counting her cash and turned to leave.
"Hold on a second."
"What's wrong?! You already gave me the money! You can't take it back!" Nami shrieked, instantly clutching the Berries tightly to her chest.
"Shahahaha! You really are a greedy little girl, aren't you?" Arlong laughed genuinely. "Even if I accidentally gave you too much, you can keep it! I just wanted to give you something extra."
Arlong reached into his coat and pulled out a thick, leather-bound book, heavily annotated with bookmarks and sticky notes, and handed it to Nami.
"This is the personal, advanced training manual my navigator used when he was studying cartography. It contains highly classified navigational data and survival protocols specifically for navigating the Grand Line. You won't find knowledge like this anywhere in the East Blue.
"I saw you were highly interested in drawing sea charts, so I'm giving this to you."
"Is it... free?" Nami asked suspiciously, eyeing the massive book.
"Of course it's free! I absolutely love kids!" Arlong grinned, patting her head.
Arlong's words were entirely insincere, and his actions were driven by intense, calculated ulterior motives. At best, he simply enjoyed showing off his wealth and power in front of children. He was absolutely not a benevolent pacifist like Queen Otohime.
(His Majesty explicitly ordered us to positively influence the worldview of the next generation of humans. And Shyarly warned me to be cautious. This money-obsessed little girl... she's definitely the golden opportunity I've been waiting for!)
Hearing that it was a highly rare, priceless navigational textbook, Nami was completely incapable of refusing. However, she still meticulously tucked her Berries safely into her pockets before excitedly reaching out to accept the massive book from Arlong.
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