The next few weeks flew by as Marcus waited on Garp or Arlong to show up. While he kinda hoped Garp would show up first so they had a safety net of some kind in case Arlong and his crew were too strong… He knew in the end that Garp wouldn't lift a finger to help unless they were about to die. With that in mind Marcus just focused on training and prepared everyone for what was coming.
As the third week passed by without issue, Marcus thought maybe he really did change things and Arlong wasn't coming here… And that his grandpa was probably lost. Then reality decided to smack Marcus across the face for planting a flag. The early morning was fine and everything seemed normal until a little after lunch. As Marcus and the others were getting ready for their afternoon sparring session just outside the village, Arlong and his crew arrived.
In the anime and manga, it looked rather peaceful when they arrived and started collecting money from people. Sure Arlong killed Bellemere in the flashback, but everyone else seemed fine and no one else was really injured. Reality was a different beast entirely, Arlong and his crew attacked the village as soon as they arrived.
Well that wasn't completely accurate as they sunk the boats at the harbor first. Sure most of them were just fishing boats owned by the locals, but Marcus's ship was there and that was also sunk. The worst part about it was no one heard anything because the fishmen damaged the boats from underwater. They only realized something was happening when the fishmen came out of the water and approached the village.
As the fishmen started attacking the village and gathering everyone up, that's when Marcus and the others noticed something was happening. Marcus reacted the quickest as he dropped his training sword mid block against Kuina and rushed to grab his real sword. As he placed it on his belt he said, "Grab real weapons if you got them, I think we will have a real fight this time."
After Marcus disappeared the others quickly grabbed their weapons before they followed after him. Marcus arrived near the village to find multiple fishmen hitting cowering villagers and forcing them towards the center of town. Marcus didn't immediately attack them, he wanted to find Arlong and his main crew first before he did anything. Marcus disappeared with soru as one of the fishmen glanced at the spot where he just stood. When he didn't see anyone, he frowned slightly but went back to work.
Marcus quickly flashed through the village jumping from rooftop to rooftop before he found who he was looking for. Arlong, Kuroobi, Chew and Hatchi. They stood in the middle of town where all the villagers were being brought. Arlong himself was seated in a chair with Kiribachi, his sword resting next to him. He watched over everything with a bored expression as all the villagers were forced to kneel on the ground in front of him.
As for Genzo and the other people who normally helped him keep the peace. They were also there, beaten up but still alive. He also found Bellemere in the group of villagers as she protectively held both of her daughters. While Marcus glanced down at everything going on, he heard the sound of fighting going on in the distance along with everyone else. Arlong glanced in the direction but did nothing else as he knew his crew wouldn't lose against some humans from East Blue. Marcus on the other hand quickly disappeared and made his way towards the sound and found his brothers and the rest of his friends.
Ace, Sabo and Luffy easily defeated the four fishmen the group met with and before they could take off, Marcus whistled. All of them turned towards Marcus who pointed towards the center of town and said, "The toughest ones are at the center of town, but there are a bunch of them spread out in the village collecting people like these guys were. Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Kuina and Zoro will come with me. Zeff, you led everyone else to clear out the rest of the fishmen around the city before you come help us."
No one questioned the order and the group quickly split in two as each group went to handle their tasks. Along the way, Marcus and his group found another group of fishmen which they quickly engaged. Marcus was the first to react and used soru to flash in front of one fishman as he punched him in the stomach. The man folded forward and Marcus used the opportunity to grab the man's head as he slammed it into his knee. The fishman didn't have a chance to make a sound before he was unconscious on the ground bleeding from a broken nose.
Marcus glanced towards his brothers who quickly finished off their own opponents before he signaled them to move. They didn't run into another group of fishmen along the way, but when they reached the town square they were greeted with Arlong in the middle of a speech.
"You humans, you think you're so great when you're actually inferior to the fishmen race. All of you are pathetically weak compared to us, which is why from now on, I will be your new ruler… And if you want to keep your pathetic lives, you'll need to pay for it." Arlong said with a tooth filled grin.
Marcus disappeared from his spot and appeared on the roof of the building, directly behind Arlong. Before Arlong could continue his speech, Marcus asked in a booming voice that rang out over everyone, "By doing something like, aren't you spitting all over Fisher Tiger's memory? Or do you not give a damn about your former captain and his dying wish to stop the cycle of hatred between humans and fishmen? Or do you hate Jinbe so much that you would rather do the exact opposite of what he is trying to do?"
Arlong whipped around with hate filled eyes as everyone else in the center of town looked up at Marcus. Marcus stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at Arlong waiting for his answer. It wasn't Arlong who spoke first but Hachi as he asked, "Hey Arlong, isn't that kid right? Didn't Boss Tiger say he wanted humans and fishmen to get along?"
Arlong's eyes tinted slightly red as he glanced over his shoulder at Hachi and asked, "The same humans who betrayed him and led to his death?"
"Sure, those humans betrayed him… But he only died because he was a coward and an idiot. He could have lived if he wanted, but he was the one who chose to die. Because dying is easier than living." Marcus said in a mocking tone.
Some of the fishmen yelled out, "That's a lie! Fisher Tiger died because humans refused to give him a blood transfusion!"
Arlong, who knew the truth turned back to glare at Marcus as he said with a hate filled voice, "Shut your mouth, a lowly human like you doesn't deserve to even speak Tiger's name! Let alone talk about what he wanted!"
"Why? Because you know what you're trying to do here is the exact opposite of what he wished for?"
Arlong stomped over to his sword and picked it up as he said, "You stupid human, I'm gonna enjoy crushing you beneath my feet."
Marcus calmly reached for his sword and rested a hand on it as he said, "Big talk for a loser who ran away from the Grandline."
"I'm gonna kill you!" Arlong yelled as he jumped towards Marcus and raised his sword over his head. Everyone in the area watched in stunned silence as Marcus stared down what they thought was his approaching doom without fear.
As Arlong's sword slammed down over Marcus's head, Marcus smirked slightly. A second later a large explosion happened as the roof and most of the house collapsed into a cloud of dust that covered the immediate area. Arlong walked out of the dust cloud a moment later as he said in a voice filled with contempt, "Just another pathetic human who couldn't even withstand a single attack."
"Are you sure about that?" A mocking voice rang out over the hushed crowd of people who were staring at the destroyed house in shock.
Arlong and everyone else's head snapped in the direction of the voice to find Marcus as he stood on another rooftop. Marcus wore a cocky smirk as he watched Arlong's face contort in anger before he said, "You're pretty strong, but not very smart… I almost think that's a normal trait for all fishmen considering Fisher Tiger was an idiot too."
Arlong's jaw clenched so hard he broke his own teeth before he charged towards Marcus. Marcus didn't sit still this time and jumped off the roof as he drew his sword. As soon as Marcus touched the ground he pushed off with all of his might and cracked the ground as he shot towards Arlong like a rocket. The sound of blades clashed together like a bomb going off as a shock wave of dust exploded from where they met. Arlong's eyes were filled with anger and a hint of shock as he met Marcus's initial blow. A moment later he realized he was stronger and pushed down with a sneer as he forced Marcus back.
Marcus didn't fight against Arlong's strength and instead used his skill to deflect the blow into the ground. Arlong couldn't stop his attack and could only watch as Marcus deftly moved out of the way before he jumped up and stomped Arlong's sword deeper into the ground. Marcus stood on top of Arlong's sword and asked in a mocking tone, "Is that all you got? I thought you said fishmen were the superior species? Isn't this kinda pathetic?"
Arlong ripped his sword free from the ground with a snarl, which sent Marcus flying into the air. Arlong's eyes were bloodshot as he yelled in rage, "I'll not be talked down to by a lowly human! I'm gonna kill you and everyone in this village for your insolence!"
Ace and the others who were watching the show till now instantly decided to attack and protect the villagers. As Arlong rushed towards where Marcus was falling he yelled out, "Kill all of these pathetic humans! I don't want to see a single one of them alive!"
Marcus used geppo to adjust his fall and landed lightly on the ground before he said to the charging Arlong, "I always thought the rumors about fishmen being subhuman were fake. But if you could easily order the murder of women and children without a second thought…"
As Arlong and Marcus clashed again, some of the fishmen hesitated on what to do including Hachi. The others like Chew and Kuroobi didn't and instantly went to kill the humans gathered together. Chew was blocked as Sabo shoulder checked him and sent the unprepared fishman flying into a house. Kuroobi on the other hand intercepted Ace's attack and was able to block it. Luffy, Kuina and Zoro attacked the other fishmen as Marcus deflected another attack from Arlong before he jumped back.
Marcus glanced over the area for a moment before he yelled at Hachi who looked conflicted, "Hachi! Prove Fisher Tiger didn't die for no reason! Protect these people and help break the cycle of hatred he wanted to stop!"
Marcus didn't get to see if what he said helped as Arlong attacked him and forced him behind a building. Arlong in a rage didn't even try to defend as he lashed out like a rabid dog, his sole focus was on killing Marcus. A rapid exchange of blows followed as Marcus attempted to figure out Arlong's power and skill level. The whole time Marcus fought Arlong, he led him out of the village and barely engaged with the enraged fishman.
By the time Marcus and Arlong exited the village, Marcus had a decent grasp on where he stood against Arlong and didn't like what he found. While Marcus surpassed Arlong in skill with a blade, Arlong had more overall experience fighting and even in his current state it showed. Marcus also didn't match Arlong in pure strength and doubted if he could match the fishman in stamina. The last issue Marcus needed to contend with was reach.
Marcus used a normal length katana with a longer than average hilt, which made his sword's length forty six inches from blade tip to the kashira. Arlong's Kiribachi on the other hand was over double that in length and made it hard for Marcus to get close.
With all that information in mind, Marcus decided to use the two things he excelled at against Arlong. His swordsmanship and his speed which he used to help dodge most of Arlong's attacks so far. Marcus first focused on leading Arlong away from the village for a while longer before he finally switched gears. The change was instant and on Arlong's next attack, Marcus used his skill and speed to parry the attack up and away from himself. A moment later he darted towards Arlong and slashed at the fishman's exposed chest.
Arlong, startled by Marcus's sudden aggressiveness snapped out of his rage state and stepped backwards at the last moment. That one step caused what could have been a fight ending move to be just a deep cut from his shoulder to stomach. Arlong's red eyes focused on Marcus for the first time since the fight started as he touched his bleeding wound. His face contorted in anger as he said, "You're going to pay for that."
Marcus, who stood about ten feet away from Arlong raised his sword up in a relaxed manner and asked in a mocking tone, "By a weakling like you?"
"The only thing a coward like you can do is bully the weak… And I'm not weak." Marcus said as his sword slashed downward in a slow arc.
For a moment Arlong was about to mock the human in front of him, but then he felt danger and his body reacted on instinct. Arlong moved, but the air blade launched by Marcus still caught his arm. He was lucky he didn't lose it, but it still left a nasty gash. Arlong snarled in pain before he charged at Marcus and pressed a new attack on the boy. This time he didn't let his anger take over but focused on not giving the boy another chance to injure him.
As they clashed blades repeatedly, Marcus led Arlong along the path and they eventually reached Bellemere's farm. Among the mikan trees, Marcus and Arlong exchanged several blows a second. With Arlong no longer enraged and more focused, Marcus found that the fight was even harder now. After his first two attacks that wounded Arlong, the fishman now defended himself and was able to stop Marcus from landing more blows.
As they were fighting each other, both of them felt a powerful force that erupted from the village for a few seconds before it died down. Arlong paused in his assault and frowned as he glanced towards the village with concern in his eyes. Marcus on the other hand had a good idea what just happened because he'd felt it before and it made him smile as he disappeared from his spot. The ground cracked from the pressure of the move and Arlong was barely able to block most of the attack as a new cut appeared on his other arm.
Marcus didn't stop with just that and pressed forward with full power attacks after that. It would tire him out faster if he kept it up for long, but if he could injure Arlong enough to cause the man to bleed out… Well it wouldn't matter if Marcus didn't last long in this fight as long as Arlong dropped first. That and the fact Marcus was pretty sure the cavalry finally arrived.