While Arlong was lost in his own self-importance, Jinbe, having no more to say to him, bid farewell to Doflamingo and prepared to leave.
"Mr. Doflamingo, thank you for your words. I understand now," Jinbe said, expressing his gratitude once more.
"It was nothing," Doflamingo replied. "But saving Fish-Man Island is a long and arduous road. Can you truly bear that burden alone?"
"I know I cannot bear it alone," Jinbe said calmly. "But even so, I want to do everything in my power to protect the homeland I love."
"I see. Well, I wish you good luck. If you ever decide to trust me, the Donquixote Pirates might be your best choice. I am confident that I am no less than Whitebeard."
Doflamingo had no intention of letting a fighter of Jinbe's caliber, a Warlord of the Sea, slip through his fingers. If he could recruit him, he would. If not, then it was simply Jinbe's loss. In truth, from Jinbe's reactions, Doflamingo had already guessed his thoughts, which was why he had made the offer.
Jinbe had recognized that strength was the only true path, but he was surrounded by incompetent allies and lacked the power to support the entire island on his own. He had no choice but to seek outside help.
And why not the World Government? Even without Doflamingo's speech, Jinbe knew they were unreliable. In fact, the World Government was the root cause of all their problems.
Jinbe didn't answer right away. Hearing Doflamingo's boast, his number one fan, Baby 5, eagerly jumped in to support him. "Our Young Master is the strongest! No matter how strong Whitebeard is, he'll be defeated by our Young Master sooner or later! The title of the World's Strongest will belong to our Young Master!"
The others nodded in agreement.
But whether they believed it or not, Jinbe's expression didn't change much. Even with Baby 5's cheerleading, he still believed Whitebeard was the strongest in the world.
"Thank you for your kind offer. I'm sure there will be an opportunity in the future," Jinbe said, not rejecting him outright and leaving the door open.
Doflamingo simply gave a slight nod and said nothing more. Arlong and his crew watched the exchange in silence. Though their chosen paths were different, their goal was the same.
"Then I will take my leave. I hope you enjoy your time on Fish-Man Island," Jinbe said to Doflamingo.
"It's a beautiful island. We will certainly take a good look around," Doflamingo replied politely.
With that, Jinbe left, ignoring everyone else in the room.
"Finally, the government lapdog is gone," someone muttered as he departed. There were always petty people like that in any crowd. Arlong said nothing.
Seeing Jinbe leave, Arlong no longer felt like staying either. He had more important things to do. But before that, there was something he needed to take care of.
"Mr. Doflamingo, we won't disturb you any longer. I'll have my sister Shyarly and the others take care of you," Arlong said, pushing Shyarly forward as he made his own farewell.
"Don't worry about us. Go and do what you need to do," Doflamingo said casually, returning to his seat to continue sipping his coffee.
"Shyarly, come with me for a moment."
As he was about to leave, Arlong looked at his sister, intending to give her some instructions. Shyarly assumed he was just going to tell her to take care of Doflamingo's group. Even if he hadn't, after seeing Doflamingo's performance just now, she would have been happy to do so. She reluctantly followed him. He was her brother, after all; she had to give him some face.
As they left, Arlong cast a couple more meaningful glances at Doflamingo.
In a private space, Arlong studied his sister carefully. His scrutinizing gaze made Shyarly's skin crawl.
"If it's just about taking care of Doflamingo and his crew, you don't have to tell me. I'll do it," she said, speaking first.
"Shyarly, it must have been hard for you all this time," Arlong began, his voice dripping with false sentiment. "Opening this cafe all by yourself, you must have put in a lot of effort. I'm happy for you."
"Stop. Arlong, don't give me that. Just say what you have to say," Shyarly cut him off, unable to stand his act of brotherly affection. Since when had they been so close?
"Shyarly, is that any way to talk to your older brother?" Arlong's tone immediately reverted to its usual harshness.
"Now that's more like you. What is it? Spit it out, I'm busy," Shyarly said, relieved that he was back to normal.
"Busy? Busy with your unreliable fortune-telling?" Arlong scoffed.
"I..." Shyarly was at a loss for words.
"Can your prophecies save Fish-Man Island? Can they save our people?" Arlong demanded.
Shyarly lowered her head, silent.
"Every citizen of Fish-Man Island has a duty to save it. Don't forget who you are, Shyarly," he reminded her.
"Of course I know that! But what can a weak woman like me do? I want to be strong, to defeat our enemies and save our people, but... I can't do anything!" Shyarly said helplessly.
"Mr. Doflamingo once told me that everyone has their own role to play. Don't ever deny your own worth. Even the smallest ant can have its day to shine. Now, Shyarly, that time has come," Arlong said, his voice encouraging.
"Me? What can I do?" Shyarly was moved by his words. If she could help save Fish-Man Island, she wanted to do her part.
"You know, Mr. Doflamingo's words are correct. But for us to achieve that goal... it's too difficult," Arlong sighed. Though his ambition was lofty, he had some self-awareness, far more than Hody Jones. "Arlong, what are you trying to say?"
Arlong ignored her question and continued, "Jinbe and I both understand that Mr. Doflamingo is right. But our island is too weak. We need to develop. If we truly want to stand on equal footing with humans, then the best way right now is to find an outside ally."
Arlong wasn't a complete fool. He had thought things through. The only ally he could rely on now was Doflamingo.
"An ally?" Shyarly repeated, then it dawned on her. "You mean... you want to join forces with Doflamingo?"
"That's right. We will eventually have to face the power of the World Government. Only with Mr. Doflamingo's help can our island withstand their assault," Arlong nodded.
"Arlong, are you overestimating him? I don't deny that what he said was right, but is he really that strong?" Shyarly questioned. Living on Fish-Man Island, she hadn't heard the news of Doflamingo's exploits.
"Shahahaha! Shyarly, are you an idiot? If a man who can fight two Admirals alone and walk away can't help us, then who can? Whitebeard? He's done more than enough for us already, giving us his protection when we're no blood relatives of his," Arlong laughed.
"What? He's... that strong?" Shyarly was shocked.
"You should watch the news more, Shyarly," Arlong advised.
Shyarly's face flushed with embarrassment.
"But will he agree? He seems to have a good attitude toward us, but we're not related to him either. Why would he help?" she asked.
"Shahahaha! My foolish sister, you're not completely stupid! That's right. To get something, you have to give something. No one will help you for no reason," Arlong laughed.
"Then what can I do?" Shyarly asked, confused.
"I just praised you for being smart, Shyarly. Haven't you figured it out yet?" Arlong's smile vanished, his gaze intense.
Seeing his expression, a look of disbelief crossed Shyarly's face. A horrifying thought occurred to her. Her slender hand, with its melancholy blue nail polish, trembled as she pointed at him. "You... you want to give me to Doflamingo?"
"Not so stupid after all," Arlong sneered.
"You bastard! Arlong, I'm not a piece of merchandise! Are you even my brother?" Shyarly screamed.
"Can't you think about Fish-Man Island for once?" Arlong said, taking the moral high ground. "Sacrifice yourself to give the entire island a chance at strength. Besides, Mr. Doflamingo is a good man. You won't be losing out by being with him."
"Is this how you sacrifice your own sister?" Shyarly demanded, her face cold.
"I am working for the future of Fish-Man Island," Arlong said without a hint of guilt.
"What? Is our island's salvation now dependent on a weak woman like me?" she shot back.
"Of course not. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I've specially saved for you, Shyarly. My dear sister, why can't you understand my intentions? I'm doing this for your own good," Arlong coaxed.
"Give it a rest! I don't have a brother like you! I am me, just Shyarly. I don't have a brother named Arlong," she said mockingly.
"You—" Her words left Arlong speechless with anger.
"A man like Mr. Doflamingo, he's strong and handsome. What's there to be dissatisfied about? I'm not pushing you into a pit of fire; I'm finding you a good match. Why can't you understand? And once you're with him, won't our island have a powerful backer? Have you forgotten the miserable sight of our people being enslaved and humiliated?"
Arlong did his best to sell Doflamingo, using both emotional blackmail and reason to persuade her. Hearing his words, Shyarly couldn't help but picture Doflamingo's handsome face, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.
Seeing her shy reaction, Arlong knew he had a chance. So she's just putting on an act. Saying no, but her heart says yes. He decided to add more fuel to the fire.
"With your connection, and with the efforts of all our people, I believe we can finally stand up. Don't you want to see our people standing under the same sky as humans, breathing the same air, basking in the same sunlight?"
"Don't... don't say any more. I... I agree," Shyarly finally gave in. A handsome and powerful partner—who wouldn't want that? Men desire beautiful women, and women desire handsome men. It was a mutual thing.
Arlong had been about to say more, but he was surprised she had agreed so quickly.
"Are you serious?" he asked, just to be sure.
"Yes. I agree," she said, her voice soft. "Doflamingo... I do find him quite attractive. But... will he agree?"
"You don't have to worry about that. What man would refuse a beautiful woman? Even if he doesn't agree right away, you can just follow them for now. Feelings can develop over time," Arlong said smugly.
"But... my Mermaid Cafe," Shyarly said, her heart aching.
"For the sake of Fish-Man Island, it's just a cafe. Can't your sisters help you look after it?" Arlong chided.
"Alright."
Since it was all settled, she accepted her fate.
Having come to an agreement, the two of them returned to the cafe. However, something about Madam Shyarly seemed to have changed. She looked at Doflamingo with a shy, embarrassed expression, a blush on her cheeks.
The others found it quite strange.
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