"…and that's why the captain has forbidden any talk or action regarding Arlong and his Fishman subordinates."
The young Marine recruit stood nervously in Hiro's office, his voice shaking as he confessed.
Though his superiors had explicitly forbidden mentioning Arlong, the weight of Hiro's unyielding stare had loosened his tongue.
Hiro tapped his fingers on the desk, giving the recruit a steely gaze. "Is that so? You know what? Go take twenty laps around the training grounds. If I hear you're even one short, you'll be doing them every day I'm stationed here. Clear?"
The cadet's face blanched, but he saluted and rushed off, leaving Hiro alone once again in his office.
"Looks like they're trying to make a fool out of me here, aren't they?" he muttered to himself, barely suppressing a sardonic smile.
But it wasn't entirely surprising. He had seen this play before – a young officer, newly assigned, given an impossible task and set up to fail. This was a game he knew all too well.
After a bit of digging, Hiro had pieced together the situation.
The entire local Marine force, it seemed, was in the pocket of this Fishman pirate named Arlong, a monstrous brute who had taken control over three villages on the Conomi Islands.
He was apparently ten times stronger than any human, terrorizing the islanders while the Marines turned a blind eye.
The pieces started to click.
His 'superiors' wanted him to confront Arlong – to intimidate the new guy, to have him humiliated and controlled by the unspoken terror of the islands. Hiro recognized it for what it was – a power play to keep him in line, using fear as leverage.
But they'd made a mistake. They assumed Hiro would take the hint and fall in line. Instead, he saw it as a test of his own strength.
"Well then," he said, reaching for his revolvers, his face split by a dangerous smile. "Let's go meet the big bad Fishman."
It wasn't long before Hiro found himself at the entrance of Arlong Park, a massive, fortress-like resort built on the shore. The place had an open layout, with two entrances – one from the sea and one from the land.
Hiro had approached from the land entrance, ignoring the shadows of armed Fishmen watching his every move.
As he entered, he took in the sight of these strange creatures – humanoid but distinctly fish-like, their grotesque features as foreign as their aggressive glares.
He noticed a Fishman with the head of a squid leering at him from the side, and he couldn't help but grimace. 'So, these are the dreaded Fishmen, huh? With ten times the strength of a human?'
More and more Fishmen paused their activities to turn toward him, their laughter and conversation dying as he strode forward, each step brimming with confidence. Hiro was surrounded, but instead of flinching, he met each hostile gaze head-on, daring any of them to make a move.
"Where's Arlong?" he demanded, his voice calm but laced with deadly intent. The nearest Fishman — a shark-headed brute with cold eyes — gave a cruel smirk.
"He's up here, human scum," a deep voice echoed from above.
Hiro tilted his head back and saw a towering figure standing on the fourth floor, arms crossed, looking down at him with pure disdain.
Arlong.
The notorious pirate's muscular, blue-skinned form seemed to radiate strength as he leaned over the railing, grinning like he'd found some kind of amusement in Hiro's arrival.
Without warning, Arlong vaulted from the height, landing with a thunderous impact just a few feet in front of Hiro.
His enormous figure, standing at a towering eight feet seven inches, was intimidating, even to someone of Hiro's height and stature.
Arlong loomed over him, his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth set in a mocking grin.
"Look at this scrawny little Marine," Arlong sneered, his voice carrying a guttural edge. "Coming into my domain. You're either very brave… or very stupid."
Hiro met Arlong's gaze, his own eyes steady and cold.
He could feel the suppressed anger simmering beneath his calm exterior, but he kept his voice steady, almost indifferent.
"It may be hard for your fish brain to understand, but this isn't your 'domain.' It's World Government property, and you're here as a… 'paying guest.' Problem is, you haven't paid in months. So, I suggest you cough up the money and get this over with."
"Jah-jah-jah-jah!" Arlong's laughter boomed across the room, followed by the mocking chuckles of his Fishman underlings.
Arlong took a step closer, cracking his knuckles. "Look at this human, coming in here, trying to collect from me!" He grinned widely, his shark teeth glinting in the light. "You've got some guts, Marine. But it's a shame you didn't leave your brain at home."
Hiro didn't flinch, holding Arlong's gaze with pure disdain. "Let's cut the games. I just got here from the New World. And don't think I haven't heard the rumors about a certain gang of Fishmen who swam all the way to the East Blue, running away from bigger sharks."
At the mention of the New World, the laughter died, and Arlong's expression shifted completely. His face tightened, and he looked at Hiro with new interest. Hiro smirked internally, knowing he'd struck a nerve.
"All I want," Hiro continued, "is the money. You send the payments in on time, and I won't have to set foot in this dump again. Sounds simple, doesn't it?"
The silence that followed felt thick as tension radiated off Arlong, who clenched his fists. For a moment, Hiro wondered if the Fishman might strike, but Arlong only clicked his tongue in irritation, turning his back.
"Fine, Marine," Arlong growled, striding back into the main building. He shouted something, and a moment later, a heavy duffel bag came flying through a window, smashing it on its way out and landing at Hiro's feet with a loud thud. The weight of the bag confirmed that it was full of cash.
"Take it, and don't come back," Arlong's voice echoed. "I'll send the next payment myself. Now get out of my sight."
Hiro exhaled, feeling a surge of satisfaction at Arlong's submission.
Without another word, he picked up the bag and turned, making his way back through the crowd of Fishmen, their eyes watching him with cold fury.
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