At Arlong Park, a sordid transaction was underway.
Today was not only the day the Arlong Pirates collected their bounties, but also the day they paid their bribe to Captain Nezumi.
The entire Arlong Park was enclosed by high stone walls, with a single large stone gate opening towards the sea.
Inside the gate was a long waterway, specifically designed by Arlong for his kind, the fish-men.
Alongside the waterway were two equally wide pools, the usual play areas for the Arlong Pirates.
At the end of the waterway stood a tall, five-story tower. Atop the building, on a spire shaped like a gaping shark's mouth, the Arlong Pirates' flag fluttered in the wind.
On the walkway between the tower and the waterway lay a large fish-man with a long, sharp, serrated nose.
This fish-man was "Arlong," the captain of the Arlong Pirates.
Facing Arlong was a man resembling a mouse, clad in a Marine officer's coat, with two nameless Marines standing behind him.
This must be Captain Nezumi.
"Here's this month's cut, take it!"
Arlong took a thick stack of money from a subordinate behind him, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Captain Nezumi.
"Chirp chirp chirp!!"
"Brother Arlong, your mind is truly unlike that of ordinary pirates!"
Captain Nezumi's face beamed as he looked at the money before him.
He quickly snatched the money, stuffed it into his chest, and nodded with satisfaction, smiling at Arlong. "You're truly a man of the world!"
"Hahaha...! Likewise!"
Arlong spread his arms and laughed heartily. "As long as you're willing to be my friend, you can enjoy endless benefits in the East Blue."
He then stopped laughing, brought his hands back, sat up straight, and leaned on the table, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Captain Nezumi.
"Understanding this proves you are a smart Marine captain!"
Although he wore a smile, his eyes were icy cold.
This man was a complete racist.
He believed that "merfolk are naturally superior to humans" and that "humans resisting merfolk is equivalent to defying the laws of nature." He ruled the humans under his control with an iron fist, regarding their lives as worthless.
Not only was he greedy and cruel, but he was also obsessed with money, believing it to be "the best thing, and the most reliable thing."
Meeting Arlong's cold gaze, Nezumi broke out in a cold sweat and forced a laugh, saying, "I've truly been a bother all this time."
"Hahaha...! Why say such things now?"
"Harmony breeds wealth!"
Arlong leaned back, his posture relaxing.
He laughed heartily at Nezumi. "Money is a good thing, more trustworthy than anything else."
"Although I despise humans, exceptions can be made for fellows like you who understand the way of things."
Looking at Arlong, Captain Nezumi felt a prickle of unease.
He knew Arlong was spouting nonsense, yet he had to play along, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
After all, Arlong was stronger than him and was his source of income.
When Arlong finished speaking, Nezumi quickly stood up and said to Arlong, "Then, I must take my leave for today."
He had no desire to stay here. The fish-men around him looked at him like he was some kind of beast, making him deeply uncomfortable.
Just then, a voice filled with mockery echoed from the left wall.
"Leave?"
"Where do you think you're going?"
"You might as well wait to go to hell together!"
"Who?"
The twenty-odd fish-men lounging or sitting by the pools, along with Arlong and his group, all turned their heads towards the high wall on the left.
Two figures had appeared on the high wall, though no one knew when.
These two were, of course, Kōta and Kuina.
They stood atop the wall, having overheard Arlong and Nezumi's conversation for some time.
It was only when Captain Nezumi was about to leave that Kōta finally spoke.
The fish-men by the pools, seeing only two humans, breathed a collective sigh of relief and returned to their activities, paying them no further attention.
However, Arlong's body seethed with rage.
These two humans dared to stand higher than him. How could such an inferior race as humans look down upon the great fish-men race?
He would rather these two humans break through the wall than stand on top of it.
He glared menacingly at the two figures on the wall.
"Mere humans, daring to trespass into my Arlong's territory and threaten my guest, you are truly courting death!"
As he spoke, he crushed the wine glass in his hand, the liquid pooling in his palm.
He clenched the liquid and the glass shards, then forcefully swung his arm towards Kōta and Kuina.
As glass shards and water flew towards them, Kōta and Kuina's eyes remained unfazed.
A flash of red light crossed their eyes as they slightly turned their heads, dodging the projectiles.
From the moment Kuina stepped onto the wall, she had her eyes fixed on Captain Nezumi. His demeanor was too conspicuous; he reeked of treachery.
Kōta, on the other hand, watched Arlong with amused interest, making no effort to hide his disgust and coldness.
It was precisely this gaze, as if he were looking at fish on a cutting board, that completely enraged Arlong.
Ever since arriving in the East Blue, he had been the only one to look at humans this way. When had humans ever dared to look at him like this?
His eyes immediately turned blood red, flashing with a bloodthirsty gleam. He glared at Kōta and roared loudly.
"My brethren, tear them to shreds!"
Arlong's killing intent-filled voice echoed throughout Arlong Park.
The fish-men by the pools had already stood up when Arlong crushed his wine glass.
Hearing their leader's command, their eyes blazed with ferocity, and they lunged towards Kōta and Kuina, baring their teeth and brandishing their weapons.
As the fish-men charged, Kōta was about to move when Kuina spoke.
"Kōta, you promised. This place is mine."
Her killing intent was practically bursting forth.
Kōta quickly stopped, rubbing his head, and repeatedly apologized to Kuina.
"Sorry, Kuina, look at me, I almost forgot."
He had been itching to fight these fish-men. It had been a while since he last moved. Although these fish-men were no more than a single strike each and couldn't fill him up, they could quench his thirst.
Kuina's eyes had been fixed on Captain Nezumi from the start. Standing on the wall, she was like a grim reaper, her eyes filled with cold indifference.
Nezumi was the first person she wanted to kill.
The boundless killing intent radiating from Kuina's eyes caused Nezumi's entire body to ache as if pricked by needles.
His mind screamed an alarm.
Danger, danger, danger...
Nezumi stood frozen, cold sweat streaming down his face.
He looked up at Kuina, his mind roaring.
"What is with this woman!"
"He doesn't even know her, why has she been staring at him like this since they arrived!"
As the fish-men were about to reach the wall, Kuina finally withdrew her gaze and leaped down.
Ignoring the charging fish-men, she turned her attention back to Nezumi and walked towards him at a leisurely pace.
Kōta, looking somewhat bored, squatted on the wall, yawned, and took the wine gourd from his waist.
Drinking and watching the show.
The first two fish-men who charged saw Kuina and their rage intensified.
They attacked from both sides, one raising his fist and the other a sword, aiming for Kuina's head.
Just then.
"Zing—!"
As the fish-man on the left threw his punch, a flash of blade had already sliced through his throat.
Then, her eyes flashed red as she slightly leaned to the left and stepped forward, dodging the other fish-man's sword.
She paused for a moment, twirled her blade, and with a reverse grip, thrust and retracted to the right.
She then paid no further attention to the two fish-men, calmly walking between them and continuing forward.
Only then did the two fish-men, who had been standing frozen, fall to the ground with a "thud."
Seeing their two compatriots twitching on the ground, the fish-men behind them skidded to a halt, stunned.
In just one exchange, two of their comrades had been cleanly dispatched.
"Ah...!"
Then, their fury erupted. Their eyes instantly turned blood red, and with a furious roar, they charged at Kuina.
Kuina, however, continued her unhurried walk towards Nezumi, completely unfazed by the fish-men.
She spun her right hand, holding the sword in a regular grip, and a cold, dazzling light flashed on the blade. With the blade pointed at the charging fish-men, she executed a simple horizontal slash.
As the blade flashed, the charging fish-man's body instantly stopped in place.
*Poof—!*
Kuina sidestepped to the right, dodging the blood spurting from the fish-man's chest.
She glanced indifferently at the fish-men behind her, flicked her sword, and shook off the bloodstains.
The bloodstains scattered on the ground formed a large character "一," shimmering with a dazzling red light under the sun.
Kuina's indifferent gaze caused the fish-men behind her to ache all over.
They had completely forgotten that the way they looked at humans was exactly the same as how Kuina was looking at them now.
It was only now that these fish-men began to feel fear.
They all stopped their charge, staring at Kuina, their pupils dilated, and their bodies involuntarily retreated.
This human was definitely not an ordinary human, but a powerful grim reaper.
Three cuts.
Three comrades.
They couldn't even see the blades; all they saw was a flash of light.