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The Siren's Shark

New Arlong story! I originally wasn't gonna post this til I finished GYSA but I'm struggling with the next chapter for that one so i decided to go ahead and share my new Arlong project... yaaay. Link here, chapter also under the cut.

Summary - After losing Arlong Park to that damn rubber kid, Arlong is forced to confront his inner demons and the consequences of the choices he made throughout his life, which is not easy for a prideful and arrogant sharkman. However, a chance encounter offers Arlong and his fishmen a chance at happiness even if it's hard-fought.

The Siren’s Shark

The events of Arlong Park have come and passed, and this story starts after the Sabaody arc but before Marineford. However, one thing I noticed while watching more OP episodes is that you don't see Arlong or his men at Impel Dawn even though with their crimes and whatnot they'd in all likelihood have ended up there. We do know that Hatchan escaped, and reappears in the Sabaody episodes (which just delighted my heart) I was also thrilled when they introduced Jinbe in the Impel Dawn arc. Such a cool character.

But still, no one knows what happened to Arlong as of this date (aside from Eiichiro Oda) and since I think Arlong and fishmen are cool, I wanted to do a story with Arlong regarding this. So this story, aside from flashbacks or backstory, starts after Sabaody and happens concurrently with Impel Dawn/Marineford and so on but focusing on Arlong and his crew (and Siren!) Hatchan also appears in this story – he was in Sabaody but joins up with Arlong later on (which will be explained in the story)

Haki comes in three main forms as we see on the show but given that all sorts of weird things can be done with willpower (with or without Devil Fruit. i.e. what Portgas D Rouge did with her pregnancy) I decided to play around a bit with that idea here in regards to what the siren can do.

Content Warning – There will be discussions/instances of slavery, racism, violence, sexual assault, torture, etc (nothing you don’t already see or hinted at in One Piece) This isn’t Game of Thrones and I will keep most of that in the background/offscreen but there will be scenes which some readers might find disturbing, depending on various tolerance levels.

o0o0o0o

Somewhere in the South Blue…

Arlong narrowed his eyes as he stared out at the chilly waters of the South Blue. The last months had been especially trying for him, with one challenge after another after these damn Straw Hats came to the Conomi Islands. Much as he wanted to deny it, the Arlong Park era was over. He could try starting over somewhere else, but where? He and his men had managed to break free of the Marines and throw the government off their trail, but he didn’t doubt that by now, it was known that the Marines who had arrested him and his gang were missing, never having made it to their destination.

The Marine ship had been useful for a while but too conspicuous, so they stole a merchant ship and here they were, on a ship laden with various goods – some more useful to the fishmen, others less so. He shivered before he pulled up the collar of his jacket. He missed the balmy atmosphere of the Conomi Islands, and again cursed the Straw Hats and Nami.

The crew managed to keep itself well-provisioned with various catches from the sea, but certain things could only be obtained on land. Fishman Island was a ways off, and Arlong had gained a healthy sense of caution. His distinctive appearance was on wanted posters through the East Blue, and self-preservation tempered the recklessness he had sometimes. So they'd made a hasty retreat to the South Blue, going south enough to enter a climate that eight years in the tropical Conomi Islands left them little prepared for.

He huffed as he looked at the water, pulling up the collar of his jacket. Take had modified it to accommodate his dorsal fin, cutting a slit down from the neck before attaching a knit hat to it that Arlong could slide his fin into. Fishmen were hardy creatures, but even they could only tolerate so much cold before it became uncomfortable and the carp fishman had an appreciable talent with needle and thread. Fortunately, between what was cobbled together from Marine uniforms and the various items on the merchant’s ship, the fishmen were able to find some level of comfort, but it still felt weird having to layer clothing after spending years wearing little more than shirts and shorts.

And now they were running low on booze. Arlong had a hard time sleeping many nights, overcome by anger, frustration, depression, confusion, anxiety, bitterness, and regret in a seemingly endless random cycle. The alcohol helped to take the edge off that. Dimly, Arlong was aware that it was not a healthy method of coping, but at this time there seemed little else to do than hide. There was a reason he’d targeted the East Blue. Out of the Blues, it was considered by many the most placid of the seas, with pirates and criminals there being relatively minor compared to those in the other Blues and he didn’t want to be fighting one of the Warlords, Emperors, or various families or organizations.

Life is a constant struggle. If you see an opportunity to exploit others, grab it. Get whatever breaks you can, he recalled the gruff voice. The fishman race has suffered far too long. Mercy is for the weak. Someone hits you, hit back twice as hard if not more. Ajkul’s voice hissed at him from the depths of his memory.

Arlong created such a reputation for himself that if he tried to re-establish himself anywhere in the East Blue, the Marines if not the World Government would be on his ass. It was a humbling experience not only for him but the fishmen that were still with him. They'd reigned high and mighty in the Conomi Islands, having twenty towns under their control and a steady influx of tribute money and good times. Aside from a few examples that had to be set, the humans had generally been docile in paying their tributes and doing their work.

Then the Straw Hats had to come and fuck it up, and Nami had gone off with them. He grumbled to himself as he narrowed his eyes, seeing a speck in the distance that could be an island. Turning around, he called a few fishmen over to do some scouting. There were a few grumbles as his subordinates faced the prospect of heading into the chilly water, but he was still the captain of his crew.

o0o0o0o

Since that little long-nosed bastard had beaten him around the head multiple times with his hammer, Chew suffered from migraines. They’d lessened some by that point, but he still suffered bouts of debilitating pain that made it difficult for him to focus.

And now, he was sick too. And there was no doctor to look after him or the few other fishmen who'd been unfortunate enough to catch something from… wherever the fuck they'd caught it from. Hatchan did his best, but there was only so much even a man with six arms could do. Some of the fishmen knew first aid, but there was no substitute for a well-trained doctor. Or even the loving care of the mother he barely remembered.

o0o0o0o

Kuroobi sat in the infirmary, hearing the soft groan as one of the fishmen rolled over, trying to get comfortable despite his aches. When the fishmen had taken over this ship, there were some medical supplies in the infirmary, but it wasn’t as well-stocked as it should have been. And with what had been going on lately, they were already out of a few things. Not just medical supplies or pharmaceuticals, though. And it wasn’t as if they could just waltz into a marketplace anytime they pleased. Stealing was tempting, but the crew wanted to draw as little attention to itself as possible, especially from the damned Marines.

The ray fishman furrowed his eyebrows as he mused over his defeat at the hands of a human. A fucking human. It’d been many months, but it still rankled him. He’d prided himself so much on his skills, but as he now bitterly realized, nearly a decade of living in the Conomi Islands had softened him. The humans he’d come across were easy to terrorize, even the Marines. And so he and his fellow fishmen and captain had lived eight easy years, relying on brute force and intimidation to keep things under control.

He frowned at Chew thoughtfully as he looked over his longtime nakama. Hachi was making soup for everyone here, and Kuroobi looked forward to having a bowl of his own. Cold weather was not kind to fishmen who had large fins like he did, so when it was possible, he spent his time within the ship, and looking over Chew and the others was as good an excuse as any to avoid going outside. Take had put together a coat for him using one coat and much of another, which he was grateful for, but it felt unnatural having his fins covered in the thick material of a jacket.

His stomach rumbled hungrily. Hatchan mentioned something about being low or out of some ingredients, but he wasn’t a picky eater. As long as it was hot and edible, he’d take it.

o0o0o0o

Hatchan looked over the ingredients, making note of what they were running low on on top of what he’d already run out of. When he’d rejoined Arlong, the sharkman was in charge of this ship, though it bore the emblem of the man who previously owned the vessel. Sorrowfree Wanderer wasn’t a bad name for a ship, but right now, there was plenty of sorrow.

Reeling from the loss of his beloved takoyaki ship at the hands of xenophobic humans, he’d left the Thousand Sunny in the care of Duval, Silvers, and the other friends of the Straw Hats, no longer feeling quite as safe at Sabaody, especially after what happened with Camie. Besides, as he’d reasoned, the Straw Hats needed his help, and perhaps if he traveled out into the world, he could find at least one of them. That would do more good than sitting around and waiting for them to come back.

And instead of finding a Straw Hat, he’d found Arlong, making his way down the South Blue.

Arlong knew none of his business with the Straw Hats, though. That was the last thing Arlong needed to hear, that one of his long-time nakama had befriended the Straw Hats, of all people. All the sharkman knew was his undersea stroll and how he had helped a village of catfish and gotten a takoyaki ship. When Hatchan recounted how his ship was destroyed by humans, Arlong gave him a bitter but regretful sneer.

“When you asked for some time, it was not easy for me to let you go, but I did. I am sorry that happened to you, we know how stupid humans are but destroying your ship is an absolute disgrace. Fishmen aren’t even allowed to have their own damn takoyaki stall!”

Reeling from his loss and nursing the sting of justified anger and rage, Hatchan could only accept Arlong’s words, bowing his head and resuming his old position within Arlong’s crew, welcoming the protection and company they offered. He didn’t hate all humans like Arlong expected him to. Despite his loss, he knew there were plenty of good humans out there, and perhaps one day Arlong wouldn’t hate them so much.

Eventually, they'd have to go among humans again, if they didn't come across an island inhabited by fishmen. Arlong would grumble about how fishmen had a safe place on the surface until Nami betrayed them and the Straw Hats defeated them. It was tempting to remind Arlong that he’d betrayed Nami by finding a way around the promise he’d made her almost a decade ago. The one time he’d done that though… Arlong had gone into a blackout rage, alcohol and anger proving (for the umpteenth time) to be a poor combination for the sharkman’s already considerable mental and emotional strain.

Hatchan wasn’t sure if Arlong remembered that the next day, waking up with one hell of a hangover that had him snarling at anyone who came near him. And the octopus man never asked, nor did he bring up the topic again.

Hatchan simply hoped that in the next market, there would be no trouble and they'd be able to get in and out with the supplies they needed. Perhaps some hot and/or fried food would improve the captain’s mood.

o0o0o0o

One of Yolande Sato’s favorite things to do was look out at the sea. Sometimes at night, she would go swimming, going out further or deeper than anyone else on the island could. But right now it was too cold for that, so she hunched over the railing, taking in the vantage before her, the sea a deep but forbidding blue. She took a deep breath, feeling the cold air cut through her throat before she noticed a ship on the horizon. This remote island in the South Blue did not get a lot of traffic, but it was not so out of the way that a ship caused great excitement. Idly, she wondered if it was a Marine or merchant vessel. It revealed itself to be the latter when the sail came in view, a lighthearted caricature of a smiling face. She smirked to herself, wondering what sorts of stories these sailors would bring. Not to mention how much alcohol they would buy at the bar, and how much they might spend on supplies here while the locals looked over whatever trinkets they would offer for sale. She stood outside the pharmacy, enjoying the fresh air and letting her thoughts wander as there were no customers to serve.

She had to stop herself from doing a double-take when a trio of men from the ship came to the pharmacy. From a distance, they looked like ordinary men bundled against the nippy weather, but given her experience, she recognized what they were as one of them approached the bench she was sitting on. They looked worn and tired, but then many sailors coming to port after a long voyage did.

“Do you know where I can find the doctor?” the fishman with an especially bulky-looking middle asked her.

“Yeah, sure, he should be in his office now. Just, go up two buildings to the one with blue shingles. Ring the bell.” She afforded him the courtesy she would afford anyone else, regardless of race, but she knew not everyone viewed others the same way, and though the newcomers tried to conceal it, she could tell they were more than just tired.

They left, and she went back inside, taking inventory until they appeared again, startling her when she turned around. A glance at the clock showed that less than fifteen minutes passed. This time, the two other fishmen looked upset and angry, though they tried to not be too obvious about it, and her stomach formed a knot.

She found Doctor Flen to be snobbish, even regarding other humans. So, in regards to fishmen… She held back a sigh. Come on, really, you old fucking asshole. So much for age and wisdom, and the oath you’ve sworn as a doctor, eh?

“Can I help you?” she asked with the same warmth she offered before. She was glad the pharmacist was not here at the moment, because he was Doctor Flen’s nephew. “Would you like vitamins, or analgesics, or…?”

“We really need a doctor,” the stocky fishman said. He had wide lips that made her think of an octopus. Actually, that would explain the bulk under his jacket… he had to be hiding extra arms. Though his companions were upset, their leader seemed less angry and more desperate.

She swore under her breath. “Doctor Flen’s the only one on the island. But…” She looked at the fishmen, understanding their anger. It wasn’t fair, the way Flen was acting, but when a doctor could hold life or death in their hands, you tried to not piss them off. “I’ve been trained as a nurse. If you like, I could look at whoever needs help. And if it seems severe enough… well, let’s say Doctor Flen owes me a favor.”

“… Seriously?” the octopus fishman exclaimed softly. One of the other fishmen – one with ruddy skin that could pass for severe sunburn if one didn’t look too closely – regarded her with a curious glance.

“Unlike some others, I’m not prejudiced against fishmen.”

“Oh, thank you!” the octopus man gushed, barely registering that she’d identified him and his companions as they really were. He seemed like he wanted to pull her into a hug. “I’m Hachi.”

“Nice to meet you, Hachi. I’m Yolande. Let me get my bag and lock up.” She paused as she stared at the trio. “I have a question to ask, and this has nothing to do with race. If I come to your ship and render my services, you will guarantee my safe conduct?”

She was, after all, a lone woman who faced the prospect of going on a ship full of strange men. She was good-hearted, but not stupid.

“You have my word!” Hachi promised, and the others nodded in assent.

The air was brisk but the sun shone brightly as she walked down the pier with the octopus man at her side. Hachi had explained to her that there were several fishmen abroad that were sick and feverish and that they lacked a doctor at this time.

She had even more questions about the situation as she was led onto the ship – under the questioning, and then indignant glares of the fishmen on the deck when Shioyaki quickly recounted the tale of the doctor refusing them. When she entered the infirmary, she came face to face with a monolith of a pale-skinned fishman with dark hair and eyes, and impressive pectoral fins.

What the hell had she stumbled into, she wondered as she clutched her bag to her chest while Hachi talked to the ray fishman. She was allowed to examine the fishmen but could feel the heat of Kuroobi's gaze as he kept his attention on her the whole time. She was thankful for the octopus man's presence, as she took out her stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and thermometer because it looked like Kuroobi expected her to pull out a bomb or poison.

What the hell happened to these fishmen to make them so fearful and paranoid, she wondered as she took vitals and asked questions. One fishman seemed especially reluctant to have her touch him at all, and the one with big lips appeared delirious. She tutted over him gently, wiping his feverish brow.

“Fortunately, I don’t see anything that requires emergency intervention, but these men do require care and rest, as well as vitamins and medication. How well-stocked is your medicine chest?”

Not very, as it turned out. Well, it was a good thing she worked in a pharmacy, right? “I can help you stock up on all the things you need,” she offered Hachi. “I can put together some things for you once I get back for immediate care. It’ll take a bit more time to stock the ship, but we’ll worry about that later, ok? If you’re willing to come back with me, you can return to the ship with the vitamins and medicine, all right?” she asked.

“Sounds good to me!” Hachi said with relief evident in his tone. Kuroobi pulled him aside and had a whispered conversation with him as she put everything back in her bag, giving the fishmen one last glance. She was glad it wasn’t a broken bone or serious illness, but these poor fishmen were not quite out of the woods.

o0o0o0o

It was a bitter pill to swallow to allow a human aboard the ship, but Arlong couldn’t sit back and let Chew and the others get sicker and possibly die. They’d already been through so much and he didn’t want to lose another nakama.

Going to Fishman Island had been – and still was – a possibility. But it’d been over a decade since he’d been there, and now a human protected Fishman Island. Could humans ever be trusted with such a thing? Apparently, King Neptune believed so.

And like the merman king was entrusting a human with the safety of his kingdom, Arlong was being forced to trust a human with the health of his fishmen. He glared through the window, seeing a glimpse of Hatchan leave with the nurse, descending the gangplank of the ship with Shioyaki and Kaneshiro. She was bundled up in a jacket but he saw the top of her head, a thick mass of wavy dark reddish-black hair. He narrowed his eyes at the receding figure.

-yours-

He blinked and shook his head. Couldn’t even get a fucking doctor, they had to rely on a fucking nurse. That was what Shioyaki informed him of when Hatchan led the woman into the infirmary. In the days of Arlong Park after their doctor had died, he could have simply forced the doctor from Cocoyasi Village to render medical aid when needed. Doctor Nako knew what price would be paid for failure, so he’d been compliant, and Arlong could have trusted that he would administer medicine or treatment to the best of his ability.

Once they were gone, he emerged from his cabin, lifting his head to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. How he missed the Conomi Islands and its comfortable climate. He stood there for a few minutes before entering the infirmary. It pained him to see his brothers suffer so, especially Chew. Even when the illness passed, there would still be the migraines.

And for the whole crew, unless something happened or something concrete was decided upon soon, they would continue to drift. After nearly a decade comfortably ensconced at Arlong Park, with the promise of the park waiting for him and the others at the end of every trip and mission, it felt strange to not have a place to go to.

o0o0o0o

Hatchan sighed with relief as he felt the parcel tucked in his jacket with the instructions she’d written down for him. There were various bottles of several different types of pills along with a few hypodermic needles after she asked him if he or anyone on the crew knew how to use needles.

Kuroobi had been reluctant to let him go back to town, wondering if an ambush had been arranged somehow by Yolande, but Hatchan didn’t believe so. She’d seemed upset upon hearing that the doctor was refusing to help them, and she seemed so kind when looking over the patients in the infirmary.

There were good humans in the world. Plenty of bad ones, true, but as Hatchan knew from experience, there were plenty of good ones, too. When he’d asked Yolande how much the medicine cost, she said she’d wait to settle up, pointing out that there were sick people to take care of first. Yes, she was right, and he hurried back to the ship with the medicine.

o0o0o0o

Yolande got scolded by her boss when he came back from his lengthy lunch break. She pointed out to him that his uncle had denied some men in need service, so she’d rendered it.

“Huh, that doesn’t sound like him.”

“They were fishmen,” Yolande said. He blinked and then shrugged.

“Well then, that explains it. Fishmen can be violent, and my uncle has to protect himself.”

“So why did they walk away instead of committing violence, then?” she challenged. He had no real answer to that, and she scowled to herself as she went about her work, hoping that all the aid she’d rendered would do Hachi’s friends some real good. She was not a doctor, but she’d learned plenty enough from studies and experience to make solid judgment calls (which included telling someone they needed an actual doctor)

She sighed softly as she looked down at the ledger, having written down everything she'd given Hachi. There was more room to write in anything else the ship might need. She'd been nagged for giving Hachi the medicine without payment, and to get her boss off her back, she volunteered to cover the tab in case the fishmen disappeared. There was the chance of that, of course, but Hachi seemed so genuine in needing her aid and wanting to be fair with her that she didn't think he had any ill intentions.

Hachi was there in the morning, almost right when the pharmacy opened. He brightened upon seeing her.

“I take it the medicine helped,” she said.

“It did. Chew’s fever finally broke. Thank you so much!”

“I’m so glad to hear that. Is there anything I can help with?”

“Would you know who is the best person to go to if we have goods to sell?” he asked. Why are you asking a pharmacist’s assistant, she mentally asked before the answer was as obvious as what was in front of her. If the doctor was willing to spurn him, who else on the island would?

“If you want, I’ll help you myself. I’m curious to see what you have, too.” she smiled.

o0o0o0o

Arlong glanced over the crates as Hatchan and his companions pulled them up onto the ship. Some of the knick-knacks had been unloaded, and most of the saffron. Thank goodness for that, Arlong thought. He didn't much care for the flavor of saffron but Take insisted it was valuable and should not be unloaded so easily.

He glanced up at the sail as he recalled the ship he used to have. The Shark Superb. It had been a magnificent vessel, and much larger than this. Much of it had been used to build Arlong Park, and sometimes he regretted the loss of his ship. Especially in comparison to this merchant ship. It was serviceable enough for him and his crew, but it still felt cramped.

Perhaps they would upgrade soon if circumstances moved in their favor. His attention returned to the supplies. What if the help that had been so easily offered was just another trick? Was the cooking oil, flour, or beef tainted in some way? Had the medicines been compromised?

“Have the provisions been examined?” Arlong asked sharply. Shioyaki nodded.

“We looked over everything before agreeing to anything. She even haggled on our behalf a couple of times. We’re going to be good on most of our supplies for a good while now,” Shioyaki acknowledged. At seeing the captain’s frown, the salmon fishman quickly added, “She knows we’re fishmen. She was simply wise enough to acknowledge our superiority which is more than I can say for that stupid doctor.”

"Hmph," Arlong smirked. Hatchan frowned as he heard that, but continued hauling up the sacks and crates.

o0o0o0o

Yolande squinted for a moment as she turned around, the wind whipping a few strands of hair free from the loose braid she had her dark hair in. She’d been to the ship’s infirmary once again and all the fishmen seemed to be on the mend. She’d spent a bit of time taking a walk along the pier with Hachi, delighted for the opportunity to make a new friend. The two others, Shioyaki and Kaneshiro, who usually accompanied Hachi to town, also seemed to warm up to her a bit.

Not that she didn’t sympathize with their paranoia. Something happened to make Kuroobi leery of her, his eyes fixed on her whenever she was on the ship. Perhaps humans had attempted to take them into slavery. Or they were escaped slaves? She hadn’t asked too many questions, but Hachi simply said they’d sailed south and that humans had destroyed his takoyaki stall and tried to enslave him.

She knew there were whispers on the island about the fishmen. But they had caused no trouble. It seemed that all they wanted was to rest and resupply, no different than any other crew. Nothing more, nothing less. That didn’t stop the scowls and whispers, especially around her because it was no secret that she’d been helping the fishmen with their needs. The fishmen might not have made use of the tavern, but a fair amount of alcohol was traded for and taken onto the ship, so the brewer still made his profit.

Whatever. She shared a laugh with Kaneshiro, Shioyaki, and Hatchan, entertaining them with a few amusing limericks. It was one of the things she enjoyed about newcomers to the island – they often brought with them amusing anecdotes and limericks that she could share.

o0o0o0o

Arlong ventured out on the deck. They would be leaving in a couple of days, and good riddance to this cold, forsaken place. If Chew or any of the other fishmen had taken a turn for the worse, he would have given serious thought to rampaging through the island with his crew.

The tinkling of unfamiliar laughter echoed through the air, and Arlong blinked as he approached the side of the ship, seeing a handful of fishmen busy loading the last of their recently-obtained provisions. Hatchan was laughing with a woman that he recognized after a moment as the human who'd done much good for his crew. He'd only ever seen her from behind, Hatchan speaking while she listened.

He stared at the pale, laughing profile, her hands clapping together a couple of times as she stood there with Hatchan, at ease as several fishmen moved past her. He felt himself pulled forward as if this woman had grabbed him by his collar.

He slid down the gangplank, silently and predatorily, closing in on her like a shark does its prey.

“Oh, that’s a good one, Hachi. I’ll have to remember that,” she said with a chuckle, wiping a tear from her eye. The octopus man giggled and caught his breath before he took notice of his captain, eyes widening in surprise as Arlong approached them. His shadow moved across Yolande, and she turned to look up at him, sunlight catching in her dark gray-green eyes for a moment.

Arlong had heard plenty enough about her from Hatchan and even a few grudgingly kind comments from Shioyaki or Kaneshiro. He had to admit his curiosity was piqued, but he'd also remained suspicious and distant, not wanting to deal with a human directly unless he absolutely had to.

He stared down at these eyes, feeling that pull more intensely now. In his mind, there was a note playing, one he now knew he had heard before, the first time he saw her. Only that first time, it'd been so distant he hadn't been sure it’d been real. And then he was certain he heard it in his dreams after that day, but dreams were so hard to remember upon waking unless they were terrible. But now, looking into these eyes, hearing her laugh and her voice… it couldn't be. It was impossible, but there was no denying what was happening.

“Boss?” he heard his nakama ask. He blinked, tearing his attention away from Yolande’s face, realizing that a few other fishmen looked surprised to see him out here with a human around.

“I wanted to meet the person who was so helpful to my crew,” Arlong finally said, pulling his frenzied thoughts together. Hatchan stared at him for a moment before smiling.

“Of course! Yolande, this is the captain of our ship, Arlong.”

o0o0o0o

Yolande repeated the name she was given, staring up into eyes as clear as the sky, and as cold as the southernmost reaches of this sea. His shoulders were broad, the effect bolstered by the jacket he wore, and even though she wasn’t a short woman, he towered over her. Well, most of the fishmen she’d met were taller than her, but Arlong’s mere presence overwhelmed her, with almost as much physical force as a brick wall slamming into her, and she found herself unable to breathe for a moment. Thick black hair was held in place – just barely – by a dark, wide-brimmed hat. Aside from his eyes, the most arresting feature was his nose.

She stared up at him, and his mouth spread into a slow grin, revealing sharp teeth. She was barely aware of Hachi's hand on her arm. She heard her name come from the sharkman in a rumble that seemed to vibrate through her.

Yolande blinked and took a step back. Arlong’s grin only widened. Hachi moved between them, whispering something to Arlong as the two stared at one another. She managed to pull her gaze away, wondering what the fuck that was.

-mate-

She wasn’t chaste – before marriage or after becoming a widow – but she couldn’t remember wanting to fuck anything as much as she did Arlong. It wasn’t even simply a desire to have sex. She wanted something more, and though she couldn’t explain it, she knew that Arlong felt the same.

What the hell? Her hand fluttered to her throat as she felt heat creep up her neck. Several whispered words were exchanged between him and Hatchan, but his eyes remained on her, cool azure under the dark brim, glinting from the shadows. His grin widened further, and it seemed that her breath was frozen in her throat.

"The captain wishes to thank you for all the help you've rendered us. Please accept his invitation to come for dinner tonight," Hatchan said as he stepped in front of her, blocking Arlong from her view, which filled her with both disappointment and relief. She blinked and looked up at the octopus man she'd been on friendly terms with since the first moment they'd met.

“Dinner? Well, that sounds like it would be fun!” she said with a smile as she looked up at him, hearing a faint, deep note that she chalked up to the lightheadedness.

o0o0o0o

Ajkul – Arlong’s mentor Akula (and several variations of spelling, including ajkula) is the word for shark in Russian and several other Eastern European/Central Asian languages. Neat factoid – when I was looking for a name for Ajkul, I was looking up the word shark in various languages, and noticed that language families tended to have a similar word for shark, there were a couple of similarities (or differences) that I didn’t expect, which led me to brush up a little on geography and history, haha.

Hatred – whether it be racism, or sexism, or homophobia, etc, tends to be passed down. It doesn’t come out of nowhere, and I figured that as Arlong has passed down that hate to Hody Jones, someone had to pass it down to Arlong. The talk of carrying on bitterness and vengeance and all that sounds like something that Arlong had been inculcated in. These hateful beliefs would only have been reinforced by the things Arlong witnessed such as human pirates coming to Fishman Island/District to kidnap and enslave seafolk, which would only reinforce Arlong’s beliefs and give him justification and/or excuses for the things he did.

It’s honestly fascinating. Judging Arlong simply by the Arlong Park arc in the anime, he’s more of a one-dimensional asshole but the live action of OP as well as what is revealed about fishmen in the Sabaody and Fishman Island arcs give the gorgeous sharkman (as well as the fishman and seafolk races overall) some depth.

Yes, Yolande is Arlong’s y/n. This story is a standalone, but if Marvel and DC can have their multiversal stuff, why can’t I do one for Arlong too? I had a lot of fun with my first Arlong story and setting a scenario where he got to keep Arlong Park but this time I wanted to do something closer to canon. This also resulted in some serious consideration for Yolande and how I wanted to develop her (and Arlong) and I’m having a lot of fun so far, I already have several chapters written for this and am watching the anime on Netflix (as well as many of the movies) and hoo boy, the most recent episodes of OP certainly have come a loooooong way from the first season/saga of the anime.

This story was in development for a few months and the chapters I have so far were a hell of a lot of fun to write. Who knows if we will see Arlong again in the anime or manga, but I hope this story is a fun what-if of that. All feedback/suggestions/reviews are welcome.

#arlong #fanfiction #one piece #arlong the saw #arlong pirates

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