Aboard the White Dragon, Bardock raised his hand. A unique News Coo fluttered down from the mast, landing gracefully on the railing. Its eyes sparkled with acute intelligence.
This was Morgans's personal envoy. It had delivered the Eternal Pose Bardock requested and hitched a ride to snap some exclusive photos of the impending clash.
Bardock had tolerated its presence during the battle, but now that the dust had settled, it was time to send the bird packing. Allowing one of Morgans's spies to linger on the ship was a massive security risk; that albatross would print any secret he got his hands on.
Bardock slipped the Eternal Pose into his coat, tucked a few Belly into the bird's satchel, and gave its wing a gentle pat. "Give Morgans my thanks. Now, fly back and report your scoop."
The News Coo nodded, spread its wings, and took off, quickly vanishing into the horizon where the sea met the sky.
Morgans had been more than happy to facilitate this ambush. The news of the Arlong Pirates' defeat was merely a trivial appetizer. He was truly invested in the impending, high-stakes collision between "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe and the White Dragon crew. Providing a few scraps of intel for the chance to break a headline involving a Warlord was an absurdly profitable gamble.
Meanwhile, the wounded fish-men had already been fully patched up by Mansherry. Before they could launch a counterattack, Leo zipped across the deck, utilizing his Stitch-Stitch Fruit to securely sew their clothes and limbs flush against the wooden planks.
Bardock motioned for Law to step forward.
"Law, they're all yours. Pluck their hearts out so they can't cause any trouble."
Law didn't object. Although he was effectively executing Bardock's scheme, these fish-men were the ones who initiated the unprovoked slaughter. Consequently, he felt absolutely zero moral burden.
"You human scum! Let us go!" "Curse you! I'll kill every last one of you!" "Boss Arlong! Wake up!" "Don't do it! NO!"
Ignoring their frantic shrieks and death threats, Law methodically activated his Op-Op Fruit, deploying his surgical sphere to extract their beating hearts one by one.
The moment the translucent cubes materialized, a few of the fish-men nearly died of sheer terror. However, upon realizing they were still breathing despite the gaping square holes in their chests, their feral aggression flared up again, baring their fangs at the young doctor.
Law remained utterly expressionless. He simply gave one of the cubed hearts a firm, experimental squeeze.
Instantly, the corresponding fish-man shrieked in agonizing pain, thrashing violently against his stitches. Had he not been sewn to the deck, he would have writhed hard enough to polish the floorboards.
The demonstration was highly effective. The rest of the fish-men instantly fell dead silent. They might not have grasped complex philosophy, but avoiding agonizing pain was a universal instinct.
Arlong was the final patient. He was also the only fish-man still unconscious. Since Bardock had merely knocked him out with a precise physical strike, Mansherry hadn't bothered wasting a heal on him.
Accepting Arlong's cubed heart from Law, Bardock didn't hesitate. He clenched his fist tightly around the organ. "Wake up. How can you sleep at a time like this?"
"GAAAAH!" Arlong's eyes snapped open, bulging wildly as his massive body arched off the deck, a guttural scream tearing from his throat.
"Boss Arlong!" "Boss, are you okay?!" "You cowardly bastard! How dare you?!" "Release the Boss!"
The fish-men lackeys proved incredibly fiercely loyal, shouting furiously at Bardock despite the threat to their own hearts.
"They're getting a bit too noisy," Bardock remarked coldly, his voice slicing through the clamor like a razor. "Should I just kill them all?"
The absolute, freezing killing intent behind his words instantly silenced the lackeys.
"No!" Arlong gasped, clutching his chest as he glared at Bardock. "Don't... don't hurt my brothers."
"I don't recall prisoners of war possessing any leverage to negotiate," Bardock sneered.
"As long as you spare them, you can do whatever you want with me," Arlong gritted his teeth, looking up from the deck.
Bardock chuckled softly. "How strange. Aren't you already completely at my mercy?"
"You haven't killed us yet. You clearly have some ulterior motive," Arlong stated, his voice tight. "Let my brothers go, and I swear I will fully cooperate with whatever scheme you're planning."
Bardock fell silent for a moment before clapping his hands lightly. "Color me surprised; you actually possess half a brain. Fine. Releasing the grunts is acceptable. But the four of you officers will remain on my ship as hostages."
He pointed a finger at Arlong, Hatchan, Choo, and Kuroobi.
Arlong reluctantly nodded. "Deal."
"Boss Arlong!" The lackeys wept, deeply moved by his sacrifice. Hatchan and the other two officers remained silent, offering no objections.
Truthfully, Bardock had only thought of this specific angle a few moments ago. Keeping dozens of hostile fish-men on board was completely unnecessary and a massive waste of rations. As long as he held Arlong hostage, Jinbe was absolutely guaranteed to intervene.
"The rest of you, get lost. You can take your ship," Bardock ordered. "Sail straight to Fish-Man Island and deliver a message to Jinbe. Tell him to meet me in the Drum Kingdom. Of course, if you don't care about getting your hearts back, you're free to ignore my instructions."
Hearing Jinbe's name, Arlong's face twisted furiously. He desperately wanted to shout, but he had just promised his full cooperation. With his brothers' lives still hanging by a thread, he squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed his venomous pride.
The fish-man grunts tearfully bid farewell to their captain and officers. After Law unceremoniously returned their hearts, Leo snipped their stitches, and they dove into the sea, rapidly swimming back to the Shark Superb.
"Alright, let's head to the island to restock our supplies," Bardock instructed the crew. "Buy as much premium booze as the ship can hold, and then we set sail."
He planned to purchase an ocean of alcohol for a very specific reason. According to the Vivre Cards he possessed, Dorry and Brogy still hadn't left Little Garden. Bardock was incredibly curious: had the two giants finally shattered their legendary weapons, forcing them into a stalemate of bare-knuckle brawling?
He decided to swing by Little Garden to check on them. The massive haul of booze would serve as the perfect reunion gift.