Arlong

Arlong is a fictional character in the manga and anime One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda. He is a fish-man and the former leader of the Arlong Pirates. He is introduced as the primary antagonist of the Arlong Park arc in the East Blue, where he and his crew invade Cocoyasi Village and impose a brutal tax on its inhabitants, enforcing fear and oppression to extract wealth.

Arlong's backstory identifies him as a former member of the Sun Pirates, part of a broader faction of fish-men who challenge human dominance in the world of One Piece. Arlong espouses a racist view that humans are inferior to fish-men and seeks to impose his rule over territories that he claims for his people.

Physically imposing and highly capable in combat, Arlong is depicted as a formidable fighter. He commands his crew with discipline and wields the resources of his men to intimidate rivals and villagers alike.

Arlong's oppression of Cocoyasi Village deeply affects Nami, a local resident who later joins Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. Nami is forced to work to pay a large debt to Arlong (a debt of 100 million berries) to save her village, a plot point that drives her initial alliance with Luffy. Luffy ultimately defeats Arlong, liberating the village and undermining Arlong's regime.

Arlong's arc is regarded as a pivotal moment in One Piece for its exploration of racism, coercive control, and the human cost of oppression, and it establishes the Arlong Park setting as a recurring reminder of the consequences of tyranny.