"Ah... Arlong-aniki, are you okay?!"
"Have you eaten enough?"
A concerned voice, trembling slightly, rang out.
Hody Jones, accompanied by the fish-men, cautiously peeked out from behind the rubble of a nearby house.
They stared at Arlong's back.
From their constantly shaking legs, it was clear—
If Arlong showed even the slightest sign of going berserk again, they wouldn't hesitate.
They'd bolt on the spot.
Even if Arlong, in his madness, only ate fish and not fellow fishmen—
One stray hit from him, and their small bodies wouldn't survive it.
"Urgh!!"
Arlong dry heaved again and slowly turned his head, squeezing out a hoarse, almost draconic voice from his throat.
"Jones... Zeo, it's you guys..."
Hearing their names, the three hadn't yet noticed the abnormality and felt a surge of joy.
"Arlong-aniki, you're awake!!"
"Neptune and that oppressive Ryugu Palace that's been abusing us for centuries—they're gone! All destroyed by you!!"
"Arlong-aniki! We've been waiting for you to wake up for so lo—ah!!"
Halfway through their fish-licking praise, they froze.
"Arlong-aniki... what... what happened to your face?!"
The sight in front of them wiped away all excitement from leveling Ryugu Palace.
Tears sprang from their eyes and streamed down their cheeks like fountains.
For them, for Fishman District, for freedom—
What kind of price had Arlong-aniki paid?
"This... is simply the cost one must pay to gain power."
After a long stretch of heavy breathing, Arlong had regained enough strength to move.
With loose, wrinkled skin and sagging hands, he pressed against the ground and forced himself up.
"This price... it's far too steep!"
Hody Jones stepped forward, full of worry.
Arlong-aniki was only 23. Among humans, that's still teenage years.
But now, he looked older than Neptune in his fifties—by twice.
How much time... did Arlong-aniki even have left?
He waved off Jones' attempt to help.
Arlong looked upward, clenched his fists, and his expression grew unreadable.
"Jones... tell me what's going on with Fishman Island."
On the outside, he still looked tall and muscular.
But inside, he was frail, sluggish, and worn with age.
He looked strong, but he was no different from a rotting plank of ark wood—ready to collapse.
Yes, he was dying.
But he wasn't weak enough to need someone's help just yet.
"Yes, Arlong-aniki!"
Hody Jones began recounting everything that happened after Arlong lost control.
"After you used that invincible form, Neptune was completely destroyed by you."
"The Ryugu Palace guards tried to stand in your way, but they were all swept aside."
"Now, we've taken control of most of Fishman Island... except for the Donquixote side..."
...
Cough... cough... cough...
At that name, Arlong's body trembled. His lungs spasmed, and he staggered.
The rise of Fishman District had been because of Doflamingo. Its creeping death—was also because of him.
"Arlong-aniki!!" x3
The three rushed to him, supporting his swaying figure.
"I'm fine."
Arlong waved his hand and pushed down the chaotic thoughts in his mind. His eyes turned upward, toward the shining jewel above—the surface world.
His eyes gleamed with longing.
"Let's go. Take me to Neptune's palace."
Before dying... at least let him play the role of king once.
...
Above the seas near Sabaody Archipelago.
Doflamingo gazed at the ocean surface, as if peering through the water—twenty thousand meters down to Fishman Island.
His ears listened to the report from Kuro on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, summarizing the current situation on Fishman Island.
Neptune and his entire family were dead. The royal bloodline of Ryugu Palace had been wiped out.
After going completely mad, Arlong devoured fellow fishmen and sea beasts alike, causing massive casualties among the people.
Now, the rulers of Fishman Island were the violent enforcement syndicate of Fishman District, with Arlong at its head.
They were all waiting at the battlefield for their boss, Arlong, to awaken.
With no leadership in place, chaos on Fishman Island was spreading faster than anyone could have imagined.
And with the previous publicity about Skypiea, more and more citizens wanted to flee Fishman Island.
The first group had already set sail for Mock Town.
"Well done. Arlong is a very valuable specimen. Have the records been sent to Skypiea?"
"Pica-san took them there himself."
On Fishman Island, Kuro looked over the massive ruins left behind by Arlong's rampage. A thought crossed his mind and he added:
"Boss, should we take this opportunity to completely purge Fishman Island?"
If this level of power started appearing in more fishmen, cleanup would become a nightmare.
"No need. Let Arlong enjoy his little tyrant dream a bit longer. Consider it a reward for buying so many weapons."
Doflamingo shook his head, rejecting Kuro's suggestion.
Kuro was still too shortsighted, too much like a basic agent.
What difference would it make to take Fishman Island now?
Better to leave Arlong there—as a symbol of evil in the eyes of the people.
That way, they would know where their true home was.
Once the majority of fishmen and merfolk had settled on Skypiea...
Otohime would finally understand the weight of the burden she carried—and wouldn't so easily choose to end her life.
As for Arlong realizing the truth and turning on Donquixote?
Doflamingo hadn't considered it likely.
If Arlong actually dared to do that—
Then maybe he'd start respecting that shark.
"I understand!"
Kuro nodded in acknowledgment, even if he didn't fully agree with Doflamingo's thinking.
But the boss... was never wrong.
"Hmm. Get ready. A special shipment will be arriving at Fishman Island. Make sure it's well protected."
As he said this, a sly smile crept across Doflamingo's lips.
His eyes swept across one of the "corpse" passengers on board—the so-called dark emperor of storage and smuggling, the hidden master, Giberson.
In this aging smuggler's hands—
He had found some real treasures he'd been searching for all this time.
Feeling Doflamingo's gaze crawl over him, Giberson pushed down his fear.
He flexed his facial muscles into an innocent, sycophantic smile.
"Understood! I'll make sure no one gets close!"
Kuro acknowledged this, then changed the subject.
"Boss, the octopus fishman named Hachi has been rescued from Fishman District."
"Per your orders, he's already been sent to Sabaody Archipelago—along with a Den Den Mushi that can reach you directly."
Click.
The call ended.
Doflamingo fell into thought.
Ace, Zoffy, and Yamato were all growing rapidly.
Lao G had once taught him Armament Haki.
But Lao G wasn't a real mentor—Doflamingo's growth came from talent and effort alone.
And that wasn't enough anymore for all these rising stars.
Issho, that blind mentor, trained based on fate and feeling.
Bullet, though willing to teach anyone, used such brutal methods that most couldn't take it.
Only those with intense desire—like Enel and Tesoro—could endure it.
What they needed now... was a solid teacher to build their foundation.
And Rayleigh—
Rayleigh was that perfect mentor.
Not just that—his power was also worth recruiting.
A smirk appeared on Doflamingo's face as he thought to himself:
"Rayleigh... I wonder what expression you'll make when you hear that Roger has an heir?"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg