In the middle of the ocean, two ships faced each other.
One ship was a Marine warship about fifty meters long, and among the thirty or so armed Marines on its deck, a single man strode forward.
The man, with lavender hair braided into a rounded plait behind him, wore a coat draped over his shoulders with the kanji for Justice emblazoned on the back. He opened his mouth.
"Men, our opponents are the pirate crew led by the Saw Shark Fish-Man Arlong, whose bounty is twenty million berries."
"Like Arlong, his Fish-Man underlings average over two meters tall, and their species is naturally ten times stronger than humans. They're a small elite force of powerhouses."
"Even so, we're Marines—can we really turn a blind eye to such pirate scum?"
"You are the best fighters in this district Marine branch!"
"We'd never stand by and do nothing!"
The Marines shouted and looked across at the other ship.
The vessel, roughly the same size as the Marine ship, had a statue of a shark's head attached to its prow and a flag bearing a red fish-skull emblem.
In the center of this ship's hold sat a giant over two meters tall in a chair.
"It's been ages since I sent them an offer—why isn't there an answer yet?"
"Was two million berries not enough?"
"No response, boss Arlong. Judging by those shouts over there, they plan to fight."
These words came from Arlong, the Fish-Man with pale violet skin, and one of his subordinates replied.
Around him stood Fish-Men whose features seemed like human faces melded with fish, and Arlong towered a head above them.
Among them, Arlong—being a Saw Shark Fish-Man—bared razor-sharp teeth, and his snout bristled with saw-like ridges.
A shark's fin protruded from his back, jutting out between his long hair that fell over his shoulders.
"Tch… Humans are inferior creatures; their heads don't even work properly."
Arlong said this as he rose from his chair and strode toward the door, his subordinates following.
Outside the door—Arlong, his officers, and every Fish-Man aboard—there were thirty Fish-Men in all.
"It's been a while since we've had a fight! Don't get cocky and get hurt!"
"Got it, boss!"
"Let's kill every last human!"
Amid the roaring Fish-Men, three stepped forward: one had pale blue skin and unusually protruding lips; another was gray-skinned with a triangular row of spikes from wrist to elbow; the third had pink skin, hair divided into five pointed spikes, and six arms each wielding a sword. A round, sun-like red tattoo surrounded by a misty halo marked his forehead.
"Chuu, Kuroobi, Hatchi, the men on deck can engage our leader and you officers directly. Understood?"
"Of course, boss. No need to rush in while those guys swarm us, Chuu."
"Fighting Fish-Men at sea—just shows how stupid these humans are."
"Right! Together, we're unbeatable!"
To Arlong's words, Chuu, Kuroobi, and Hatchi replied in turn.
At that moment, every Fish-Man on the ship dove into the sea, and one of the Marines watching through a telescope cried out:
"Lieutenant Commander Prinprin! All the Fish-Men are diving into the water!"
"They tried to bribe us, and I refused."
"Be prepared for both possibilities: they might abandon their ship and flee, or they might come after us!"
"Everyone, remain on full alert...!"
As Prinprin spoke, Kuroobi leaped onto the Marine ship.
He struck two Marines across the neck with the spikes on his elbows, snapping their necks as they crumpled to the deck.
"Fish-Men!"
"They're already on our ship...!"
"Prepare a volley! Fire all at once!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Even as the Marines fumbled, Prinprin calmly faced Kuroobi with a sword in hand and shouted:
"What good are fast bullets when your fingers are sluggish, Chuu~?"
At that moment, Chuu, having boarded the ship, fired multiple small jets of water from his mouth.
"Aaaargh!"
"There's water coming from his mouth...!"
"My water cannon can even shatter rock, you know?"
"It's not over yet! Everyone else—give it everything you've got...!"
Clang!
"Ooh… not bad, huh?"
"Damn Fish-Man...!"
Before Prinprin could react, Hatchi appeared and attacked with six swords, and Prinprin blocked every strike with his own sword.
Meanwhile, Kuroobi and Chuu faced the remaining Marines.
The Marines, dwarfed by foes at least a head taller, couldn't land a blow and collapsed, and Prinprin had to focus entirely on keeping Hatchi at bay.
"You scum... how dare you attack the Marines...!"
"Shut up, inferior creature!"
Thud!
As Prinprin spoke, Arlong appeared behind Hatchi and kicked him, sending him flying.
Prinprin flew headlong toward the tairin—a round wooden ring handle mounted on the deck's floor in front of the cabin.
His body shattered the ring into pieces as he slammed against the wall of the cabin.
"So it was you, Arlong...!"
"That's right, human. I am Arlong."
Leaning against the wall, Prinprin looked up at Arlong, who towered a head above the other three officers.
Around Arlong lay the fallen Marines, some broken, some bleeding.
Prinprin's face contorted at the carnage, and he shifted his gaze to something beyond Arlong's shoulder.
"Why is their ship over there? There's no wind, and the tairin is smashed to pieces...!"
"Thanks to my men. They're dragging this ship over there as we speak."
"Wh… what?"
"I have a cruel hobby. That's why I didn't kill you immediately."
"I enjoy making inferior creatures like you who can't breathe underwater drown!"
Before the warship's prow was a cluster of rocks rising from the sea—an outcrop jutting sharply above the waves.
While Arlong and his officers stood on the Marine ship, over twenty Fish-Men clung to the hull beneath the water, heading toward the reef.
"Regret being born human until the moment you die!"
"Arlong…!"
"Hahahahaha!!!!"
Arlong grinned, baring every one of his razor-sharp teeth, his eyes fierce as he laughed.
Then he and his officers leapt off the warship and plunged into the sea.
Kwoong!
The warship's bow crashed into the reef with a thunderous roar.
The prow splintered, and the ship lurched sharply forward.
Meanwhile, Arlong, back aboard his own ship, watched the Marine vessel sink with a smile as his crew climbed aboard.
"That's why humans are inferior creatures."
"And the fact that we can breathe both above and below water proves we're the true masters of all creatures, don't you think?"
"Of course!"
"The boss is right!"
Arlong continued speaking as the Fish-Men on deck cheered his words.
"Let's head back! Our comrades and friends are waiting for us!"
"Turn the prow! To Arlong Park!"
"Waaaahhhh!!!"
…
"Why isn't he answering? He usually gets so happy when someone contacts him..."
'They said I'm not high-ranking enough to contact Grandpa directly.'
"Try again, Usopp."
"Okay, Luffy."
Bwelelelele~ bwelelelele...!
Inside the Going Merry's cabin.
Luffy sat in a wheelchair at the table, his head, eyes, nose, and mouth the only parts not wrapped in bandages, still faintly glowing with golden energy.
On the table sat a rectangular dish about a meter long, filled with seasoned meat mixed into rice.
More than half the dish was already empty, and Sanji scooped the food with a spoon, feeding it into Luffy's mouth.
"Feeding someone is something you'd only want a beautiful woman like Nami to do, Luffy. You're sick, so I'm making an exception."
"Thanks, Sanji. Yum yum... Any word from Usopp?"
"It's been over ten minutes. No answer."
"Okay. Then try again later."
"Got it."
Bwelelelele~ bwelele... tap!
Luffy noticed a strange snail the size of a human head on Usopp's table across from him.
On the side of its shell was a contraption with numbers 0 to 9, and attached to its top was a wide, flat mechanism that could be detached.
A single cable extended from the edge of the top device to the center of the shell's numbered side.
'The Transponder Snail has the ability to communicate with other snails of its kind using brain waves—electromagnetic waves emitted from the brain.'
'By attaching a button and receiver device to a Transponder Snail, you can contact someone else with a snail set to the same number.'
'It's like a telephone in the world I come from—that's what Transponder Snails are in the One Piece world.'
'Jeff gave it to me even though I didn't ask, maybe because he wanted me to be able to part ways with Sanji differently from the original story.'
"I wish there were more Transponder Snails with functions beyond calling."
"Most snails are just for calls, Luffy. Those with other functions are rarities—variants."
"Some variants can do short-range or long-range comms, eavesdropping, eavesdrop prevention, even sending video and audio at the same time."
"Those are so useful that the powerful and wealthy hoard the rare variants, so we hardly ever get them."
"Still, even getting an ordinary one that only makes calls is tough, Usopp. We should count ourselves lucky."
'In a world where you can't travel far without a ship, the value of a device that lets you keep in touch from anywhere is immense.'
'The World Government knows this value, so in the sunlight they buy up most Transponder Snails or strictly regulate their sale.'
'Of course, if you have money or government connections, it's easy. Otherwise, you have to risk the underground market.'
'For that reason, though it's never stated explicitly, the original Straw Hat crew rarely carried Transponder Snails.'
'I used to carry one myself, but back then I never got a chance to keep track of it.'
Luffy, who had unconsciously fallen into a gloomy expression, looked as Sanji brought a spoonful of food to his face.
"Why so serious? Think you've got something more important than a cook feeding you?"
"Not exactly, yum yum..."
"By the way, that Transponder Snail was given by old man Jeff, Sanji. I feel more grateful than ever."
"It's nothing, Usopp. He's got a stash of them hidden away."
"While we're on the subject, why not check how he's doing? We could thank him."
"It's been less than a day since I left the restaurant. I'm not some kid who runs off to relatives—no way I'm calling already."
"Hmm... maybe that's a bit off?"
"Of course it is, Usopp! How old do you think I am?"
Sanji said this, then turned to Luffy and asked:
"By the way, how're you feeling, Luffy?"
"If I said I was fine... that'd be a lie."
'No one in the original manga or the drama ever saw Mihawk land a decisive slash on me.'
"But chef, why did you wrap so many bandages on someone with internal injuries?"
"I didn't do the wrapping, so I don't know. Want me to remove the ones on your face?"
"Just leave them. Moving even a bit hurts like hell."
"Eat plenty first. You need strength to heal, and food gives you strength."
"Sanji, thanks to you I'm alive. You made soft, nutritious food so I wouldn't strain my insides."
"I'm the cook on this ship, Luffy. Of course."
"From now on, I'll give you a full-course feast—starting with appetizers, then soup and salad, followed by the main dish and drinks."
"The main course will be you becoming the Pirate King, and the drink will be the party after you make it. How's that sound?"
"Sounds good, but depending on the situation we might need dessert. Though it's not mandatory."
As Luffy spoke with determination, Sanji scratched his chin and said:
"Dessert, huh... sounds like a lower priority than the main course, the Pirate King."
"Still, it's nice to have dessert on a full course. Do you want anything in particular?"
"More than taste... the ingredients are already decided."
"What are they?"
After a moment's silence to Sanji's question, Luffy spoke:
"Revenge."
The only thing visible behind the bandages over his face was his eyes, filled with rage.