In the southeastern part of the civilian district of Fish-Man Island, in the suburban area of the port town known as Coral Hill.
At this moment, although the sunlight from the Sunlight Tree Eve was still bright, the area was filled with a chilly breeze and covered in frost. About twenty humans, their bodies covered in frost, were shivering as they were quickly escorted by a group of Marines towards a distant warship.
These pirates had heard that there would be hot water provided on the warship, so even the prospect of being taken to a prison cell was something they were eager for.
As for the idea of resistance or struggle, it had long since vanished.
What a joke, that was a Navy Admiral candidate, and a top-tier Logia user at that. They could only blame themselves for being so unlucky, sigh—
On the other side, Kuzan was conversing with three female Fish-men, or more accurately, two young Mermaid ladies and a young Mermaid girl.
"Big brother human, thank you so much for saving us, but you've made it so cold here. Are these crystal-like things ice?"
The black-haired girl, who looked no more than four or five years old, asked with a shiver in her voice, her teeth chattering with excitement. At the same time, she squeezed her small body into the ample bosom of her sister, seeking more warmth.
"Ahahaha, is this your first time seeing ice? By the way, my name is Kuzan, what's yours?" Kuzan replied with a cheerful smile.
Just moments ago, he had saved these three Mermaids from the hands of those pirates. Such a righteous act had put him in a good mood, making him feel as if the blood in his veins was heating up.
"My name is Shyarly!"
"This is Sister Emily and Sister Ivonne. Aren't they beautiful? Do you want to date them, big brother human?"
The little girl, very lively, introduced her sisters before they could speak themselves, looking up at Kuzan with a mischievous grin.
At the same time, she secretly wondered, isn't this big brother a human? Why is he so tall? He's much taller than many Fish-man brothers, so much taller! "Oh, Shyarly-chan, don't say such things!" The Mermaid sister holding Shyarly blushed deeply, while subtly sizing up Kuzan's appearance.
Tall, strong, powerful, and it seemed he was a high-ranking officer in the Navy. His personality also seemed good—cheerful and gentle. "Vice Admiral Aokiji!"
At that moment, a Marine ran over and urgently reported, "Vice Admiral, the construction team at Merman Bay has been attacked by a group of Fish-man thugs."
"Hmm?" Kuzan raised an eyebrow and turned to look, asking, "Were there any injuries? How many Fish-men? I remember that area was under the responsibility of Major Hodgson."
"Thirteen workers were injured, ten with minor injuries and three in critical condition, unconscious. Two excavators were damaged. There were eight Fish-man thugs, reportedly called the Arlong Crew, and they've already been apprehended by Major Hodgson."
The Marine, having spoken a long string of words, paused to catch his breath before continuing.
"Major Hodgson sent word that the Minister of the Left from Ryugu Castle has arrived with some people, requesting that the Arlong Crew be handed over to the Neptune Army for custody. He hopes you can go over to handle the matter."
Kuzan nodded, signaling for the Marine to return to his post, while preparing to bid farewell to the three Mermaids.
But before he could say anything, little Shyarly, who had buried herself in her sister's bosom, nervously asked, "Big brother Kuzan, can I go with you to see?"
"Why?"
Kuzan looked at the other person with confusion.
"That... Arlong, he seems to be my older brother, but I heard from others that he was abandoned by our parents at an orphanage in the Fish-Man District a long time ago. I... I just wanted to see what he looks like," Shyarly said timidly.
Hearing this, Kuzan thought for a moment and replied, "Alright, but let me make this clear first—no matter what the outcome of his punishment is, you cannot interfere."
"Okay, okay!"
Shyarly nodded repeatedly. She was merely curious about this brother she had never met; as for any emotional attachment, there was none to speak of.
"Alright then, let's go."
About twenty minutes later, the warship once again docked beside the World Government vessel anchored at Merman Bay. Kuzan disembarked with a large contingent of Marines and three mermen.
"Vice Admiral Aokiji!"
Major Hodgson had been waiting for some time, accompanied by the Minister of the Left, Jinbe, Aladine, and other soldiers from the Neptune Army.
Kuzan glanced around the scene, his eyes particularly drawn to Arlong and his crew, who were tightly bound with specially made steel ropes. Their faces still bore traces of shock, as if they couldn't believe how strong the human Marines were.
"Vice Admiral Aokiji, I deeply apologize for such a heinous incident occurring. This is a failure on the part of Fish-Man Island. I've already notified the doctors, and we will do everything we can to treat the injured workers!"
The Minister of the Left approached, showing no intention of glossing over the matter. He was filled with regret, thinking that they should have sent some Neptune Army guards earlier.
They had assumed that with the Marines handling security, nothing would go wrong. Moreover, the Fish-men and mermen of their nation were generally quite peaceful, but they had overlooked the existence of the Fish-Man District and Arlong's crew.
Thinking about it, it made sense. How could high-ranking officials and nobles of a nation pay attention to a few lowly thugs and ruffians?
"Thank you for that. As for this incident, there's no need for you to blame yourself. Ultimately, it's the failure of my subordinates. As for the punishment of Arlong and his crew..."
Kuzan pondered for a moment, and during this time, everyone present waited for his decision.
Meanwhile, Shyarly curiously examined the disheveled Arlong, inwardly scoffing, "What's this? He's not handsome at all!"
She felt somewhat disappointed. After all, he was her biological brother, and she had hoped he would have a better image. But now, it seemed he was just a troublemaking thug—no wonder their parents had abandoned him.
"Here's what we'll do. This time, I'll hand over Arlong and his crew to the Neptune Army," Kuzan finally spoke.
The Minister of the Left's face lit up with joy, but before he could express his gratitude, Kuzan continued.
"However, this is a one-time exception. If any Fish-men maliciously attack Marines or World Government personnel in the future, we will send them to Enies Lobby for trial. I hope you can convey this to King Neptune."
The Minister of the Left was one of the few on Fish-Man Island who had a deep understanding of the World Government. Hearing the mention of Enies Lobby, he immediately understood what it meant.
Impel Down! The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He had heard of that place—a veritable hell on earth.
"Yes, yes, I will certainly convey this to His Majesty and do my utmost to prevent such incidents from happening again. Our Neptune Army will also be responsible for security from now on, so please rest assured, Vice Admiral Aokiji!"
Kuzan was quite satisfied with the Minister of the Left's attitude and gave instructions to Major Hodgson, saying, "Hand over Arlong and his gang to the Neptune Army."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Aokiji!" The major naturally had no objections and turned to handle the matter, personally transferring the prisoners.
Kuzan then turned his attention to Jinbe and Aladine, smiling as he asked, "These two are the important Fish-men that Marshal Kong personally mentioned, right?"
He had already reviewed the relevant information before coming and was very supportive of the formation of the Fish-man unit. The speed and strength of Fish-men in water were indeed remarkable, though he had no interest in Fish-Man Karate whatsoever.
"Yes, I am Jinbe. I look forward to your guidance in the future, Vice Admiral Aokiji." Jinbe appeared very composed and dignified, with a calm demeanor, which left a good first impression on Kuzan.
"I am Aladine, and I am very interested in human swordsmanship. I wonder who the strongest swordsman in the Marine Headquarters is?" Aladine asked curiously.
"Swordsmanship?"
Kuzan was momentarily taken aback, then thought to himself, "As for swordsmanship, I remember Sakazuki practiced it for a while but stopped later. Now, it should be Borsalino, right?"
Apart from that, he really couldn't say who the top swordsman in the Marine Headquarters was. Although he occasionally enjoyed using a sword himself, it was a strange phenomenon. From the training curriculum at the Marine Headquarters, it seemed that they trained in swordsmanship from the lowest-ranking Marine, yet in later events, no famous great swordsmen emerged. Borsalino and Gion seemed to be, but there was no special mention of them being great swordsmen. Instead, other groups often had top-tier swordsmen.