One Piece: Wudang Bai Ye, Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat Crew

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"Boss Arlong, Arzu and Yanshao were acting kinda weird today…"

After finishing up with Chu, the octopus Hatchan heard about how those two were supposed to be on patrol today but instead came running to Arlong to tattle.

Thinking back to how strangely they acted when they ran into him earlier, Hatchan started to feel a bit uneasy.

He added, "Could be some kind of scheme or something."

"What's there to worry about? Who around here would even dare try and pull something on us fishmen?"

The one who spoke up was Kuroobi, Arlong's right-hand man. He's a cartilaginous fishman and a master of Fishman Karate—40th-degree black belt. His signature move, the Thousand Tile True Punch, can smash through a thousand roof tiles underwater. In an underwater battle, any regular person would be completely screwed.

With his arms crossed and a dark expression on his face, he said coldly,"Even if someone is plotting something, we just kill them all."

"Hahahaha! That's right!"

Right then, Arlong also burst out laughing.

"Hatchan, don't forget—us fishmen are the evolved form of humans who've learned to breathe underwater."

His voice sounded like it came straight from the depths of hell, sending chills down spines.

"Even with just our fish traits, we're already way more noble than those lowly humans!"

Arlong laughed maniacally as he declared:

"Fishmen are the true kings of all living things!"

"Going against us is like going against nature!"

"Fishmen are invincible! Hahahaha!"

BOOM!!!

Just as Arlong and the others were laughing like lunatics, the gates to the park suddenly exploded open the next second.

Chunks of stone went flying everywhere, dust rising in thick clouds.

The first thing the fishmen saw—

Was a giant sea cow charging in!

"Moo-moo!!!"

Hatchan was the first to cry out in shock. He and Moo-moo had always been super close.

He rushed up, shouting in distress as he saw the sea cow lying unconscious:

"Who did this to you?! Who beat you up like this?!"

But before the other fishmen could even react, more screams rang out nearby.

And flying bodies of their comrades followed.

"Damn... Didn't expect fishmen to be this weak~"

A teenage voice rang out loud and clear for everyone to hear:

"Pretty sure I just heard someone say fishmen are invincible. Luffy, what do you think?"

As the smoke and dust settled, Luffy and his crew gradually came into view.

Luffy was walking at the front, wearing a "I'm so ready to throw hands today" kind of expression.

Without even turning his head, he replied to Bai Ye, "Yeah, they're actually kinda weak."

Standing just half a step behind Luffy on his left, Bai Ye chuckled when he heard that.

"Well, looks like someone's been talking out of their ass then."

Behind them, Zoro and Sanji were walking side by side.

Zoro already had his hand on his sword's hilt, and Sanji had lit a cigarette and started smoking.

At the rear were Nami and Usopp, whose legs were shaking, but he was still gripping his slingshot tightly.

"NAMI!!!"

Arlong didn't react when he saw Moo Moo and the others get knocked flying.

He clenched his teeth at Bai Ye's sarcastic tone, trying hard to hold back his anger.

But the moment he spotted Nami among them, he couldn't hold it in anymore and roared:

"You dare betray me?!"

The fragile nerves that had been shattered back in the Grand Line couldn't take it—he couldn't accept that someone he saw as the weakest among them would dare defy him.

It was the biggest insult to him!

Arlong stood up, his towering 2.6-meter-tall frame looking down at Nami and the crew like a predator.

His face twisted into something feral and full of rage.

"You really think that teaming up with a bunch of lowly humans means you can rebel against me?!"

His voice was ice-cold, and even the other fishmen nearby shivered from the chill in it.

Since coming to the East Blue, this was the first time they'd seen their boss Arlong this furious.

They looked at Nami like she was already dead.

"Fishmen are ten times stronger than you weak-ass humans!!"

Arlong's voice roared again:

"In the water, we're even more powerful! And you pathetic little humans dare to—"

Just as Arlong was getting carried away with his villain monologue, Bai "I-always-cut-off-the-bad-guy's-rant" Ye spoke up:

"You've been yelling about 'lowly humans' this whole time, but all you're really doing is trying to hide how insecure you are."

Watch out, Bai Ye was about to flex again.

"The final stop on the first half of the Grand Line—the so-called paradise—is a place called the Sabaody Archipelago."

Bai Ye continued calmly:

"If you coat your ship there, you can reach Fishman Island, which is located 10,000 meters under the sea."

"That's where the majority of the world's fishmen and merfolk live."

"But as far as I know~"

He paused deliberately here and glanced at Arlong, whose face was twitching with rage.

"Over there, fishmen don't rule over humans. They're discriminated against, even sold like merchandise."

"SHUT UP!!!"

Arlong couldn't take it anymore. His past traumas came rushing back, filling him with pain and fury.

"No way..."

Nami gasped, covering her mouth. This went completely against everything Arlong had drilled into her since she was a child.

"I don't agree at all with the discrimination against fishmen and merfolk," Bai Ye said, locking eyes with Arlong, "but I agree even less with what you're doing."

"You've been humiliated and oppressed, yet you don't dare strike back at those who hurt you. So instead, you turn your blade on people even weaker than you. That's disgusting."

Bai Ye didn't hold back at all, stabbing straight at Arlong's pride.

"Eight years ago, Jinbei broke you out of prison. Instead of joining him and continuing to fight for your people, you came to the weakest sea—the East Blue—and built your so-called paradise?"

Ignoring the murderous glare Arlong was shooting at him, Bai Ye turned to look at Arlong Park, which Arlong had spent years constructing.

"You even remodeled your base to look like Sabaody Park?"

Bai Ye let out a low laugh.

"So what, do you think you're some Celestial Dragon now? Someone who can just butcher humans like pigs?"

Silence. A long, heavy silence.

Then—"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!"

Arlong suddenly burst out laughing like a madman.

"Fishmen are the greatest race in the world! We're the pinnacle of all living beings!!"

He'd completely lost it—trapped in his own delusions.

He glared at Bai Ye, who'd been rambling nonstop, and his eyes were full of pure killing intent.

"Fishmen are ten times stronger than weak humans!!!"

He kept repeating it like a broken record.

"Ten times, huh?"

Bai Ye smirked.

"If you care that much, then let me show you just how meaningless that gap really is."

With a flick of his wrist, a few pills appeared in Bai Ye's hand.

They were from a special batch he'd made before heading to Baratie.

"Open your eyes and see for yourself. That so-called physical advantage of yours? It's nothing special."

[Grade-7 Pill — Marrow Cleansing Pill]

"A must-have for ancient aspirants before they began their rigorous training.

Just like the name suggests, it greatly improves the user's physical constitution.

It unlocks a person's full physical potential. Perfect for anyone about to start their journey of physical mastery. 'Luffy, Zoro…' 'Eat up~'"

"....."