At this time, Arlong spent most of his days by Tiger’s side. Unlike Jinbe, Tiger had absolute dominance over Arlong, both in terms of strength and psychologically. The passage of time also brought some changes to Arlong.
When Tiger was not around, he acted like an amusement park guard, slacking off in the amusement park built by Mandrell. He had gone from being the evil tyrant of East Blue to a security uncle at the entrance of the kindergarten.
Watching the young Fish-Men and Merfolk playing inside, his words began to change. He no longer preached the same hatred-filled as before, though he still carried his doubts.
【Don’t be too naive. Not all humans are like the people here. If you see humans elsewhere, remember to stay far away and avoid trouble.】
Arlong’s logic had some validity. The outside world’s general perception of Fish-Men and Merfolk had not changed. If their lives here caused them to lower their guard, it could actually be dangerous for them.
Arlong’s life had changed, and the same was true for the area around Cocoyasi Village. Without Arlong, they were free from oppression and enjoyed a period of peace. Thanks to its gold mine, Cocoyasi was also becoming increasingly prosperous.
The gold mine had a considerable reserve, but it was not easy for the villagers of Cocoyasi to mine it on their own.
Under the leadership of Genzo and Belle-mère, they began reaching out to people from nearby villages to work together on mining the gold.
More precisely, it was not just about mining but also about protection. They needed the young and strong from other villages to help guard the mine from being taken by others.
The World Government had little interest in such remote places, and since the pirate world was filled with countless islands, whoever mined a resource in these small areas essentially owned it without needing to report it anywhere.
Even the Beasts Pirates’ mining company had many secret, undisclosed mining sites, with only a few officially approved.
With a gold mine came wealth, but also greed. There were always those who coveted the mine, and after experiencing the benefits it brought, the people of Cocoyasi were unwilling to give it up, leading to conflicts.
Using the gold mine as a financial source, they purchased many weapons, organized the villagers for training, and established a mine defense force. Cocoyasi Village gradually transformed from an insignificant small village into a local powerhouse.
This was East Blue, where powerful pirates were almost nonexistent. A bounty of over ten million was already considered a “great pirate.” With high-quality equipment and the advantage of mountainous terrain, most people had no way to seize the gold mine.
The two Heracross living in the mikan grove were not the best Heracross, but they were strong enough that ordinary people were no match for them. Cocoyasi enjoyed a period of peaceful development—until the arrival of Nezumi.
As the armed force of the World Government, the Marines are enormous in size. Whether it is the Grand Line, the Four Seas, or any other sea, the Marines have a presence. Even in the New World where the situation was increasingly getting tense, they have managed to maintain their last stronghold.
Due to their massive size, the quality of Marine personnel varies greatly, and in the Four Seas, there are quite a few blemishes within their ranks.
153rd Branch’s Captain – Morgan and 16th Branch’s Captain – Nezumi are both cancers within East Blue’s Marines.
In these remote areas, far from the central authority, the branch captains acted like local tyrants.
In the original timeline, he frequently accepted bribes from Arlong, turning a blind eye to Arlong’s tyranny over twenty villages in East Blue. But in reality, he couldn’t do anything about it—he simply lacked the strength to oppose Arlong.
Branch captains in the Grand Line hold the same rank as officers from Marine Headquarters and are considered the Marines’ primary frontline combatants.
However, in the Four Seas, the highest rank usually attainable is Captain, which is three ranks lower than their Grand Line counterparts. Stripping away the inflated perception of Nezumi’s strength, he would struggle even to qualify as a lieutenant in Marine Headquarters.
Despite his weak strength, Nezumi’s ambitions were anything but small. Not long after taking office, he began scheming to seize Cocoyasi’s gold mine.
As the highest-ranking officer of 16th Branch, he had jurisdiction over all the villages near Cocoyasi.
Originally, Cocoyasi Village had already paid a portion of its gold as taxes, but Nezumi was unsatisfied with the amount—he wanted it all.
He did not resort to outright robbery, as he had to be cautious. If this matter were exposed, Marine Headquarters would undoubtedly use him as an example to uphold the Marines’ reputation. Instead, he manipulated the market.
Using his authority, he made it impossible for Cocoyasi Village to sell their gold, hoping to force the villagers to sell it to him at a low price.
However, he underestimated these people. The villages around Cocoyasi were already self-sufficient, and the gold wasn’t going anywhere. Thus, they entered a stalemate with Nezumi.
Some time ago, his bribed superior handed him a complaint letter, instructing him to clean up the mess himself. The letter, written secretly by Belle-mère and others, had bypassed Nezumi, but they hadn’t anticipated that his superiors were also bribed by him.
In this situation, Nezumi decided to take more drastic measures—he planned to contact a pirate crew to raid Cocoyasi Village.
Due to its geographical location, Cocoyasi Village had previously been spared from pirate attacks, but now Nezumi intended to invite pirates himself.
His first choice was Krieg, hoping that Krieg would destroy the village. Meanwhile, he would secretly contact Smoker and have him wipe out the pirates in one fell swoop.
This way, the gold would be his, the credit would be his, and he could also use the pirates to silence those people.
Unlike ordinary East Blue Marines, Smoker, as a Logia user, held significant power in East Blue and was a rare example of a righteous Marine.
However, by the time Nezumi was ready to act, Krieg had already entered the Grand Line, so he began searching for a new partner and found Buggy the Clown.
Tempted by the prospect of gold, Buggy agreed to the plan and caused significant destruction to Cocoyasi. Even the Heracross could not withstand his specially crafted cannonballs.
They were Bug-type Pokémon, not Steel-type or Rock-type Pokémon with extremely high defenses. Well-trained Marine soldiers could still injure them with swords and guns.
Pokémon were not invincible—or rather, these Heracross were not invincible.
Relying on the terrain of the mining area, the mine defense force continued to guard the gold mine.
Meanwhile, the Heracross began calling for reinforcements. At this point, including Hercules, a scattered group of dozens of Heracross had already gathered.
However, among them, only four were first-generation Heracross. Now, these Heracross were assembling to discuss their strategy, while Buggy’s wanted poster had already been pinned to a wooden board. In their eyes, he was the most troublesome enemy to deal with.
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