When ordinary humans faced Fish-men, they had no chance of resisting.
Even for those who tried to escape by boat, it was useless against Fish-men.
Because Fish-men were even more formidable in the water than on land.
Aside from those who were killed for resisting, everyone else was herded into the center of the village.
They were surrounded by ferocious-looking Fish-men who watched them with malicious intent.
Arlong walked over, carrying his sawtooth blade. The surrounding Fish-men made way for him.
It seemed that because of what happened with Hachi, Arlong was in a very bad mood.
"I am Arlong of the Arlong Pirate Crew! Listen up, you inferior race! From now on, your village is under my protection! Every Month, adults will pay 100,000 Belly, and children 50,000 Belly. If you can't pay, then you have no reason to live."
Arlong said in an ice-cold voice.
As soon as he said this, the faces of many people changed drastically.
One hundred thousand for an adult, fifty thousand for a child.
A family might have to pay two or three hundred thousand Belly, or even more.
But for these people who made a living by growing fruit and fishing, it was already a good thing if they didn't go hungry. Even if they saved up, it was impossible to save that much money.
At this thought, many faces filled with terror.
These were the people who didn't have enough for the tribute.
They had already witnessed the terror of these Fish-men.
Arlong saw their expressions and deliberately raised a hand to point.
He pointed at a young woman.
She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, and she was holding a young girl in her arms.
"We'll start with you."
As his voice fell, a Fish-man immediately stepped forward, grabbed the young woman and the little girl in her arms, and threw them before Arlong.
"One hundred thousand for the adult, fifty thousand for the child. That's one hundred and fifty thousand Belly in total."
Arlong bared his teeth and said, looking down.
The young woman and the little girl in her arms were so frightened they couldn't speak.
They clung to each other tightly, not even daring to lift their heads.
"Bastards, didn't you hear what I said?"
Seeing the two of them just trembling in each other's arms, a vicious glint flashed in Arlong's eyes.
"Sir, we don't have any money."
The young woman trembled, looking up in terror as she spoke.
"If you don't have the ransom, then you can die!"
Upon hearing this, Arlong raised the Serrated Greatsword in his hand high.
His gaze swept across the faces of the other villagers before a cruel smile appeared. The sword in his hand came crashing down.
With this strike, the others should become much more obedient.
Contributing millions of Belly to him each month was truly a fine profit.
The Greatsword fell, slashing toward the young woman and the child.
BOOM!
A flame suddenly descended in an instant like a meteor.
The sky-filling firelight spread outward before quickly dissipating.
The serrated edge of the Serrated Greatsword was caught by a hand wrapped in Armament Haki.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone.
This was true for both the terrified villagers and the surrounding Fish-man Pirates.
Arlong's expression froze, his eyes fixed on the person gripping his blade.
Cyrus looked at Arlong, who was a head taller than him.
His Observation Haki had already given him a clear picture of the situation in the village.
"Who the hell are you?"
Arlong's expression was grave, his eyes falling on the hand Cyrus used to grip the blade.
Haki!
Having come from the Grand Line, he naturally knew about Haki.
Cyrus didn't answer.
He looked at Arlong with a calm expression, then turned his head to look at the surrounding pirates.
The young woman and little girl, who were sitting on the ground huddled together beside Cyrus, stared at him in astonishment.
Flames appeared on Cyrus's hand and spread along the Serrated Greatsword.
Arlong desperately tried to pull his sword back, but it was useless.
Seeing the flames about to reach his hand, Arlong let go and retreated.
"Kill him!"
As he retreated, Arlong roared, giving the order to his group of Fish-men.
[Fish-man Pirate]
This was the label above their heads.
The one above Arlong's head was white, while the others were gray.
This meant that these people posed no threat to Cyrus whatsoever.
Hearing Arlong's command, the surrounding Fish-men grabbed their weapons and charged at Cyrus.
Cyrus placed his hand on the hilt of Flame, and the rustling sound of the blade scraping against the scabbard was heard.
Swish!
A horizontal slash.
Flame's exceptionally long blade sliced through the bodies of the two Fish-men charging at him.
Along with their weapons and bodies, they were severed in two after Cyrus walked past them.
Cyrus's steps were not fast. Each time he swung Flame, its blade would cut through the surrounding pirates.
Nothing could stop it.
Flame's sharp edge sliced through the Fish-men's bodies without meeting the slightest resistance.
Cyrus, already a Master Swordsman, had reached the realm of cutting steel.
How could mere flesh and blood possibly stop him?
Flashes of the blade glinted, and blue and red blood flowed all over the ground.
"Bastard, stop!"
A Fish-man Pirate suddenly roared, aiming his musket at the young woman Cyrus had saved.
Boom!
Cyrus, who had been moving at a leisurely pace, was next to the gun-wielding Fish-man Pirate in the next instant.
He kicked the Fish-man, and the immense force sent him flying over the entire village, crashing directly into the ocean on the other side of the island.
Where he landed, fragments of a ship and the bodies of villagers previously killed by the Fish-men floated on the sea's surface.
The Fish-men who had just been charging at Cyrus were now filled with terror.
When Cyrus had struck just now, killing their comrades, these guys hadn't even had time to process it.
But now, looking at the bodies of their companions sliced in two, they understood what fear was.
If the speed had been fast enough or if it had been a large-scale battle with many people, perhaps they wouldn't have had time to contemplate the word "fear."
But now, Cyrus was killing silently, without a word.
It was as if an invisible hand was gripping their necks tightly, then slowly applying pressure.
The feeling of suffocation was terrifying.
Cyrus turned back around, flicking his sword to shake off the Fish-man blood staining it.
Behind him, Arlong stared intently at Cyrus.
"ARLONG-SAN!"
The surrounding Fish-men looked at Arlong, their expressions terrified.
"All of you, attack together. He's only one person," Arlong's grim voice rang out.
"Yes!"
Hearing Arlong's words, the Fish-men all looked at Cyrus, then gripped their weapons and lunged at him.
It seemed that after Arlong's command, these Fish-men suddenly no longer feared death.
Cyrus, however, didn't care about the Fish-men's reaction. Whether they charged or tried to flee, death was inevitable.
Facing the charging Fish-man Pirates, Cyrus sheathed his sword, then placed his hand on the hilt.
"Stroke Cut!"
Cyrus's calm voice sounded, and in the next instant, his figure vanished.
A muted flash of a sword glinted before everyone's eyes.
Whether it was the villagers who had yet to recover from their terror or the Fish-man Pirates lunging at Cyrus, they all saw this somewhat dim flash of light.
The only difference was that the villagers were not the targets.
Cyrus's figure reappeared in front of Arlong.
Behind him, the bodies of the Fish-men split apart!