"What should we do, Arlong?"
"That's right, just tell us what to do, and we'll follow your lead!"
Arlong glanced at Hachi, Chew, Kuroobi, and the others, pleased with their unwavering support. He then lowered his voice and began issuing instructions.
"There are eight of us in total. Hachi, Chew, and Kuroobi will follow me to deal with those Marines. Kingen, Shioyaki, Ajo, and Pisaro, you'll split into two groups. One group will focus on sabotaging the equipment, while the other attacks the workers. Remember, speed is crucial. Keep an ear out for my signal—the moment you hear the word 'retreat,' immediately dive into the water and head back to Fish-Man District. Understood?"
In Arlong's eyes, humans were pitifully weak, only managing to dominate the world due to their sheer numbers. The key advantage was that humans couldn't breathe underwater, so as long as they made it back to the water, humans would be powerless.
"Understood!"
Hachi, Kuroobi, and the other Fish-men nodded in unison. The danger of this operation didn't even cross their minds.
It was common knowledge that Fish-men were ten times stronger than humans, and these individuals were even stronger than the average Fish-man. The only things worth noting were the humans' firearms and how to avoid capture by the Neptune Army afterward.
Soon, the eight of them split into two groups. One group stealthily maneuvered around to the other side of the crowd, preparing for a pincer attack. Meanwhile, teams of construction workers, carrying toolboxes and following vehicles, slowly made their way to the construction site under the watchful eyes of numerous Mermen and Fish-men.
Including the Marines on guard duty, no one expected anything unusual to happen. The scene at Merman Bay was too serene, even idyllic. Some Marine soldiers accidentally locked eyes with a beautiful Mermaid, and both parties blushed in embarrassment.
Mermen were curious about humans, and humans were equally curious about Mermen. As for Fish-men? Well, that was more of a morbid fascination.
"Go!"
At that moment, chaos erupted. Four burly figures leaped out from the Fish-man crowd on both sides, charging maliciously toward the vehicles and workers in the center of the road.
"Who's there?"
"Stop!"
The surrounding Marines, all from Marineford, were too disciplined to let their guard down completely. They immediately raised their guns or drew their swords, attempting to intercept the attackers.
Meanwhile, Arlong, Hachi, Chew, and Kuroobi took advantage of the distraction caused by Kingen and the others. Without hesitation, they launched their assault.
Bang!
"Ahhh—"
Almost simultaneously, four Marines were struck hard, managing only a scream before collapsing to the ground. Some were knocked unconscious on the spot, while others clutched their injuries, howling in pain.
"It's Arlong and his crew!"
"Why are they doing this?"
The surrounding Mermen and Fish-men gasped in shock. Those who recognized Arlong and his gang glared at them with disgust. For years, these eight had been causing trouble, earning themselves a reputation as thugs and troublemakers among the residents of Fish-Man Island.
However, faced with such violent chaos, the onlookers didn't dare stay any longer. They quickly scattered, some diving into the water to swim away, fearing they might get caught up in the mess.
As a result, the scene descended into even greater disorder.
In just a short span of one minute, over a dozen construction workers were attacked, and a bulldozer bearing the emblem of the World Government was overturned by Ajo and Pisaro with their bare hands, followed by a punch that blew out its tire.
"Capture them!"
The Marines in the distance noticed the situation and were quickly moving in to provide support. Sensing this, Arlong, after knocking down four more Marines, shouted loudly.
"Retreat!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he turned around without hesitation, ready to make his escape. However, at that moment, the nearby Marines had already arrived.
A whistling sound rang out.
A burly Marine, about 1.8 meters tall, wearing the same blue trousers as the other Marines but with a fitted yellow T-shirt, a white vest, and a Marine cap, swiftly closed in on Arlong. His right fist, already charged with power and clad in cold iron knuckles, shot through the air towards Arlong's face.
"Hmph~"
Arlong looked disdainfully at the seemingly small human before him. Although he was only seventeen, his species, the sawtooth shark, endowed him with a towering height of 2.4 meters, and he was still growing.
Without backing down, he swung his fist, as large as a bowl, directly towards the Marine lieutenant's iron knuckles. The collision in mid-air produced a dull thud, and the air at the point of contact rippled faintly as if an explosion had occurred.
"How is this possible!"
Arlong was astonished to see the human Marine, who had only been pushed back four or five meters and seemed largely unaffected after their fist clash. Since when could human strength rival that of a Fish-man? Ignorant as he was, he had no idea that the so-called tenfold strength of Fish-men over humans only applied to ordinary Fish-men and ordinary humans—those who had received no training and were under 1.8 meters tall.
The Marine before him, though only slightly over 1.8 meters tall, was a genuine lieutenant from the Marine headquarters, equivalent to a branch officer in the four seas. In terms of pure strength, he was more than capable of overpowering an ordinary Fish-man!
At that moment, the Marine lieutenant, flexing his wrist, sneered, "You look big, but your strength isn't much to speak of. Or is it that you Fish-men don't get enough to eat?"
"You inferior race, how dare you mock the superior Fish-men?"
Just one sentence was enough to enrage Arlon completely, and without a second thought, he charged forward.
At this age, he was at his most impulsive and extreme. Provoked by what he saw as an inferior being, all he could think about was how to torture the other to death.
But he failed to notice that Hachi, Chew, Kuroobi, and others were also being engaged by Marine lieutenants and ensigns, and in an instant, a dozen or so individuals almost turned into streaks of afterimages as they clashed fiercely.
Meanwhile, the number of armed Marine soldiers around them was increasing.
Finally, a Marine major wearing a Justice Coat arrived. He first glanced at the chaotic battle in the field and then inquired about the situation from a Marine soldier.
"Major Hodgson, through conversations with several Fish-man civilians, we have basically identified these eight Fish-man thugs as a gang of hooligans from the Fish-Man District. They are reportedly extreme racists who view us humans as an inferior race!" the Marine soldier said angrily.
"What? We humans are an inferior race?"
Major Hodgson, standing over two meters tall with a mane of reddish-brown hair, found this statement utterly unbelievable. He distinctly remembered that the Fish-man race was once not even considered human, but rather classified as fish.
It was only two hundred years ago that they began to be regarded as a sub-human species, and even now, many humans still hold onto that outdated belief.
After observing the battle for a dozen seconds, the major shook his head.
Although the lieutenants were skilled, there was almost no chance they could subdue these Fish-man thugs in a short time. The priority now was to restore order at the construction site. If the chaos continued for too long, it would be a dereliction of his duty.
[Whoosh—]
In an instant, he vanished from his spot. The next second, he appeared right in front of Arlong. Before the latter could react, a powerful downward kick slammed into his skull.
With a loud thud, Arlong's head hit the ground first, his body sprawling flat. The force was so intense that he nearly blacked out, his head spinning and throbbing with pain.
At that moment, a polished black leather boot pressed down on his head.
"Hey, this is your boss, right?" Major Hodgson called out to Hachi, Kuroobi, and the other Fish-men, his foot firmly planted on Arlong.
The Fish-men instinctively turned to look and were so shocked that they halted their fighting.
"Arlong!!"