Views on Fish-Men

Chapter 117: Views on Fish-Men

"Yes, it's true. Arlong's group is the one I exiled to East Blue."

Jinbe admitted it straightforwardly. There was no need to deny it, as it was his own doing, and there was no reason to deny it because this time it did not go against his principles.

He was a man of honor, after all!

"Then... do you know what he did?"

"I don't know for sure, but it must have been terrible. Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking me," Jinbe said. He was well aware of Arlong's deep hatred for humans. Being banished to the East Sea, known as the weakest of the seas, must have led him to commit many outrageous acts.

But he was certain it was something awful, or else Rodney wouldn't be asking.

"Ah, I won't say much about his oppression of humans because humans have done far worse to the Fish-Men. In this regard, I have no right to say it's all Arlong's fault," Rodney said.

Right or wrong was not always clear-cut. While this world wasn't just black and white, for him, right was right. He had his own moral compass, which might not always be perfectly calibrated, but it aligned with the general consensus.

The Fish-Men had suffered immense discrimination and pain at the hands of humans. The Fish-Man adventurer Fisher Tiger had once been a slave to the Celestial Dragons and had later escaped from Mary Geoise, liberating many slaves, including Boa Hancock and her sisters.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, the Celestial Dragons, despite some exceptions, were mostly despicable. They were humans who had been corrupted by power and wealth, causing immense suffering in the world, not only to the Fish-Men but also to their own kind.

Fish-Men commanded high prices on the black market. While not as valuable as Mermaids, they fetched millions of Berries due to their strength, making them highly sought-after slaves.

Their appearance had led to discrimination by humans, and their strength and appearance had been the basis for further discrimination. As non-humans, they lacked legal protection and could be killed at will, even though Fish-Man Island had become a member of the World Government, allowing them to participate in world meetings. Human persecution of Fish-Men continued, with the smuggling of Mermaids and Fish-Men persisting.

They had endured too much suffering.

On this matter, Rodney had no right to blame them. He might not agree with Arlong and Hody Jones' ideals, but he wouldn't oppose their dream of liberating the Fish-Men, even if it meant they wanted to rule over humans.

So blaming Arlong alone for all of Cocoyasi Village's misfortunes was something he couldn't do.

"What are you trying to say then?"

"What bothered me most about Arlong was that he killed the beloved mother of a little girl who was only five or six years old. After discovering that the girl had a talent for cartography, he forced her to map the entire East Blue and made an impossible promise to her: 'Once you gather one hundred million Bellies, I will release everyone in the village.' It was a lie that robbed a child of her dearest mother in her most precious years. She became a child laborer to earn the Bellies, and she was so young that earning one hundred million Berries was impossible through ordinary work. So, she became a small thief. If she weren't clever, she would probably have died. For ten years, she drew countless sea charts, each Belly she earned tainted with her blood."

Rodney's words were somber, and Shachi seemed to see a young girl enduring unbearable pain, working tirelessly in dangerous places, striving to create the best and most accurate sea charts, all while being ridiculed by Arlong's crew in a small room.

He fell silent, unsure of what to say.

"You can consider my words as complaints. I arrived too late, and that girl had already grown into an adult. All I could do was kill Arlong to vent my anger because I couldn't forgive him for doing such things to a child," Rodney said. 

"Children are the future of this world. Only by starting with the next generation and ensuring they don't fear Fish-Men can we hope that when they grow up, humans will have a different view of Fish-Men. The thoughts of adults are deeply ingrained and difficult to change."

Rodney couldn't forget Nami's childhood experiences. Arlong's crew had also suffered during their childhood and harbored resentment toward humans, but that wasn't a reason to persecute a child.

"Do you share the same view?" Jinbe asked, his eyes widening. This was Fisher Tiger's dying wish. It was because he understood Fisher Tiger's wishes that he had chosen to become a Shichibukai, using other means to protect Fish-Man Island.

Rodney dragged Hody Jones's body and said, "Many children are ignorant, easily misled by those around them. I know some things about what happened back then. Fisher Tiger, the Fish-Man adventurer, was ambushed because he was returning a child home, right? What was the child's name again? Oh yes, it was Koala. She's now a member of the Revolutionary Army, fighting to overthrow the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. She has proven that Fisher Tiger's ideals were not wrong, and you didn't save the wrong person."

"You've done a great job. This isn't just praise; it's recognition, Mr. Jinbe. Fisher Tiger was truly a great man, greater than many humans!" 

Fisher Tiger's heroism was undeniable. He had climbed Red Line with his bare hands, burned Mary Geoise, and liberated thousands of slaves of all races. That was a heroic feat!

However, the tragic ending was regrettable.

Jinbe silently followed Rodney, then asked quietly, "Mr. Rodney, why did you bring Hody Jones to meet King Neptune? Is it to seek his judgment?"

He didn't want to dwell on this issue any longer and had not taken Rodney's words to heart because they were too idealistic and hard to believe.

"No, I received information that Queen Otohime's death is related to this guy."

In an attempt to resolve the conflicts between Fish-Men and humans, two individuals emerged on Fish-Man Island. One was Fisher Tiger, the Fish-Man adventurer, who advocated for severing ties with humans, and the other was Queen Otohime of the Ryugu Kingdom, who advocated for peaceful coexistence with humans.

After Fisher Tiger departed, leaving Koala behind, and realizing that children were the future of the world, he succumbed to fatal injuries. Now, only Queen Otohime remained.

Hody Jones, in his bid to make the Fish-Men of Fish-Man Island utterly despair of humans, had assassinated Queen Otohime and framed human pirates for the crime. It was a heinous act!