While the villagers of Cocoyasi Village were still reeling from the shock of the troubadour who had descended from the sky, the Arlong Pirates, resting at a natural harbor on the same island, received an unusual visitor.
"You're saying we should entrust our money to a bank run by humans?"
The leader of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong, was a sawshark Fish-Man. His grayish-blue skin, long jagged nose resembling a saw, and the fin on his back—an iconic feature of his kind—set him apart.
At the moment, he was seated in a large wooden chair, laughing heartily at the human standing before him, as if the man's proposal was the most absurd thing he had ever heard.
The captain's quarters of the Arlong Pirates' ship were filled with Fish-Men, who stood on either side of Arlong. Across from them stood the lone human in the room—a middle-aged man.
This man, Antonio, was impeccably dressed in a neatly pressed plaid suit without a single crease. He held a round-brimmed hat in his hand, pressed against his chest, revealing his neatly groomed short hair.
Despite Arlong's mocking laughter, Antonio showed no trace of anger. He maintained a polite smile throughout. It was said that Fish-Men were naturally stronger than humans—a claim Antonio couldn't verify—but the towering, muscular figure of Arlong certainly dwarfed him.
Even though Antonio wasn't short by human standards, he still had to look up to meet Arlong's gaze. "Sir, our bank merely manages assets and provides financial services for our clients," Antonio explained.
"If you leave your money in some damp cellar, it'll just rot away. But if you entrust it to us, we can not only legitimize your wealth but also provide services to help you spend it when needed," Antonio continued. "I hear you're planning to settle here. While this natural harbor is decent, are you really planning to let your warriors live exposed to the elements? If you become a client of our bank, we can provide building materials and professional construction teams to create the facilities you desire, sparing you and your warriors the trouble of handling such matters yourselves."
Arlong sneered. "Your proposal isn't bad, but you humans are too weak. I wouldn't feel safe entrusting my money to you."
"The Flash Gold Bank has maintained an excellent reputation in the East Blue since its establishment. We've never had any issues. What's there to worry about?" Antonio countered.
"That's only because the East Blue is the weakest sea," Arlong scoffed, but then he paused, his tone shifting. "You said your bank has a good reputation in the East Blue? That must mean you have a lot of clients."
"Of course. Many high-profile clients, just like you, have chosen to store their wealth with us after thorough consideration," Antonio replied.
Arlong's eyes gleamed with interest. "I do want to build a base here. If what you're saying is true, I might consider depositing some of my wealth in your bank."
"That's wonderful news," Antonio said enthusiastically. "How much Beli are you planning to deposit? Our bank recently launched a loyalty program. Based on the amount and duration of your deposit, we offer exclusive financial services to our valued clients—"
Before Antonio could finish, Arlong interrupted, raising a single finger. "I'm thinking of depositing one hundred million Beli, but I have conditions."
"What conditions?" Antonio asked.
"I'm still not entirely convinced about the security of your human bank. So, I'll have some of my subordinates accompany you to personally escort the money to your bank. They'll also inspect whether your bank is truly capable of protecting my wealth. If I'm satisfied, I'll deposit even more money," Arlong said, rubbing the armrest of his chair.
Antonio glanced at Arlong's expression, hesitating briefly before responding.
"What's wrong? Don't agree with my terms?" Arlong asked, raising an eyebrow.
Antonio quickly regained his composure, his polite smile unwavering. "That's a perfectly reasonable request. Why wouldn't I agree? Ensuring our clients feel secure about their deposits has always been the mission of the Flash Gold Bank."
"Then get off the ship," Arlong said dismissively, waving Antonio off like a servant. "I'll arrange for my subordinates to accompany you. They'll board your ship shortly."
After Antonio left, a burly Fish-Man with a body like an inverted triangle and a distinctive double top-knot hairstyle stepped forward. "Boss Arlong, are you really planning to entrust money to humans?"
Another Fish-Man chimed in, "Humans are so weak. If they could protect their own wealth, they wouldn't be so easily enslaved by us. How could they possibly protect ours?"
"My comrades, you're absolutely right," Arlong said, laughing as he slapped the armrest of his chair. "Of course, I don't trust them to protect their wealth. That's exactly why I'm sending you along."
"That idiot human mentioned their bank has many clients. There must be a fortune stored there. Why bother raiding villages and collecting money one by one when we can rob an entire bank in one go?" Arlong said smugly, glancing around at his comrades, who now looked enlightened.
"Kuroobi!" Arlong called out.
The burly stingray Fish-Man with the double top-knot hairstyle responded immediately.
"Hatchan!"
A clumsy-looking octopus Fish-Man, with suction cups on his body and six arms, responded instinctively.
"Chew!"
Finally, Arlong called out to a long-faced Fish-Man.
Arlong gave his orders: "To deal with these inferior creatures of the East Blue, the three of you leading the charge will be more than enough. I'll assign thirty more of our comrades to follow your ship underwater. Once you reach the bank's location, take all the money stored there!"
Arlong couldn't help but mock Antonio's foolishness. "These humans are truly ignorant of danger, daring to come to us to do business!"
"Uh?" Hatchan, the six-armed octopus Fish-Man, seemed to just realize something. "So we're robbing them? We're not actually doing business with them? I thought we were going to pay them to build houses for us?"
"Pay them?" Arlong sneered. "In this world, as long as you're stronger than others, you can control them as you please. As a superior race, why should we pay to hire humans who can be easily enslaved? Doing business? Sure, you could call it that. Consider this transaction as them paying us to teach them a lesson: in this world, weakness is a sin!"
...
Meanwhile, Antonio, the Flash Gold Bank's account manager, returned to his ship. The bank staff on board immediately rushed to greet him. They were full of admiration for Antonio's courage in boarding the Arlong Pirates' ship alone and negotiating business surrounded by these dangerous criminals.
"How did it go, Manager? Did you close the deal?" one of them asked.
"Those Fish-Men are even dumber than I expected," Antonio said, shaking his head. Then he asked, "If I'm not mistaken, Lord William is currently inspecting White Pine Town, correct?"
When the others nodded in confirmation, Antonio gave an "Oh" and said, "Well then, it seems we're about to make an easy one hundred million Beli."
A quick-witted staff member asked, "What? Another fool trying to rob the bank? How many does that make this year?"
In the East Blue, Arlong wasn't the first pirate to realize that banks held large amounts of cash and treasures, nor was he the first to attempt robbing one. One of William's goals in establishing the Flash Gold Bank and the White Pine Town Free Trade Zone was to attract pirate funds. However, given the nature of pirates, how many of them would willingly conduct honest business?
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