Ten-odd minutes before Arlong shared his thoughts, the Going Merry arrived at the island where Cocoyasi Village was located.
There were several large towns and over a dozen small towns on it. According to Nami, over twenty villages were being ruled. One of them was a port town named Gosa. It still had a functional port, and the Going Merry stopped there.
The sea breeze whistled, and half the sky was dark.
'It hasn't been destroyed.'
On the bow deck, Hiroto stood against the wind, a look of contemplation flashing in his eyes.
In the original story, Gosa Village was completely wiped out by Arlong as a warning to others because of one person's resistance. But now it seemed that this hadn't happened yet.
Just as he was thinking this, an incredibly piercing gunshot suddenly rang out in Gosa Village.
Bang!
The town, which still had some sounds of people, quickly went quiet, as silent as the dead.
Hiroto grinned upon hearing the sound and looked at Zoro behind him. "What do you think is in that gunshot?"
Zoro recalled the village under Arlong's rule as Nami had described and said, "There is anger."
"So we've come to the right place."
Hiroto laughed even more happily, but his eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Now, let's see just what makes this so-called 'superior race' so special."
"Good, I'll test my blades on these Fishmen."
Zoro's eyes immediately grew fervent, a surging battle intent welling up.
He couldn't let Hiroto hog all the opponents this time, his Wado Ichimonji still belonged to Hiroto right now.
Then the two disappeared, having actually leapt from the bow onto the pier.
Nami and the others were already used to it and began docking the ship with great proficiency, then followed to disembark.
On the pier, the civilians of Gosa Village swarmed toward the place where the gunshot had come from, and then they heard a cry of grief-stricken rage.
"100,000, I'm just 100,000 short! It's only 100,000 berries! I'm a waste, a fool, an idiot, an incompetent husband!"
"Fine, you win, you took my wife! But don't you dare think of taking my only child now! Don't even think about it!"
On the streets of Gosa Village, a man roared with extreme grief, accompanied by the sound of continuous gunfire.
A half-grown girl hid behind the man with a face full of fear.
On both sides of the street, the civilians of Gosa Village, who had originally hidden in their houses, stood at their doorsteps with complicated expressions.
Even though gunshots rang out, there was no flinching in their eyes. There was a hint of fear, but more of something indescribable.
Like... a volcano about to erupt.
Someone looked at the little girl hiding behind the gunman, her dirty little face was filled with terror. As if reminded of something, they unconsciously clenched their fists.
That child wasn't actually Kalei's child, but one he picked up after his wife died—another child left homeless in the wild by the Fishmen. She looked very similar to Kalei's wife and was raised by Kalei as his own child.
However... no matter what Kalei thought, the Fishmen would not allow such a thing to happen.
Those who defied the Fishmen had to endure the most miserable circumstances until death.
"Damned bastards."
Curses hummed at a low volume, yet no one stepped forward to help Kalei.
Even the few men whose blood was boiling were held back by their wives as they were about to step out of their homes. They had no choice but to stop, clenching their fists and watching in silence.
Bang!
The gunfire ceased.
At the end of the street, the 3.5-meter-tall Fishman Shioyaki shook his body nonchalantly.
A series of crisp clangs rang out as deformed bullets fell to the ground. An old flintlock pistol and bullets of questionable potency had no way of piercing his powerful body, bolstered by strength ten times that of a human.
"Out of bullets? For a mere human to dare provoke my race, that is a grave sin." Shioyaki showed a hideous smile, staring at the two prey in his eyes.
"You... you..."
Kalei's hand holding the gun was shaking, his eyes filled with terror.
Bullets... bullets couldn't pierce that Fishman's flesh.
This was a Fishman!
This was what Arlong said—a superior race compared to humans, so it was only natural for Fishmen to rule and for humans to grovel at their feet?
Monsters that were completely impossible to deal with... even with a flintlock, there was no hope of victory.
Could humans really not resist the exploitation and dominance of the Fishmen?
Thump!
The ground trembled as Shioyaki charged straight over, his massive body incredibly agile and fast.
In the next second, the dazed Kalei was grabbed by the neck, the massive force letting out a creaking sound under the grip.
Kalei struggled but was powerless.
Creak... Creak...
A slight sound suddenly rang out, and Shioyaki, who was strangling Kalei, looked around.
He saw a group of human civilians silently walking out of their homes, holding various weapons.
"Have you decided to be slaughtered once again?"
Shioyaki didn't show the slightest bit of fear. Instead, he glared back at them one by one with mockery. Wherever his gaze fell, those humans couldn't help but lower their heads.
"Heh... heh..."
Kalei's face turned red as he watched in despair while Shioyaki reached his other hand toward his daughter.
"Listen well and watch closely, brat. Fishmen are a superior race that you humans can never resist, only kneel and grovel to be used by. Anyone who dares to provoke us, no matter who they are, cannot escape death."
"Your family was like this, this idiot man who dared to adopt you is like this, and you—even more so."
With a sneer, Shioyaki's large hand reached for the dazed girl's head. Once he grabbed that pitifully small head, with just a little force, she would be just like the man in his other hand.
Spraying a beautiful flower of blood, becoming a pile of mangled flesh.
Everyone here would also witness the fate of those who dared to oppose the Fishmen, firmly welding the rule that 'humans are born to be ruled by Fishmen' into their minds.
Of course, this was just the interest.
The humans here clearly had the heart to resist. After going back, he had to tell Arlong to think carefully about how to deal with these disobedient 'money-making livestock'.