Arlong and his East Blue Fish-Man Crew

August 29, 2026

The essentials in 30 seconds: Arlong is a sawshark fish-man and captain of the eponymous crew, who ruled Cocoyashi Village in the East Blue through terror for years. Much more than a simple violent pirate, he built a true criminal organization based on racketeering, corruption of the local Marines, and hatred of humans. His defeat at Luffy’s hands marks one of the earliest major turning points in the Straw Hats’ adventure and lays the foundation for Nami’s formative trauma.

Before Crocodile, before Ener, even before Buggy, there was Arlong. Even today, this name still resonates as that of the first major organized antagonist in One Piece, the one who turned a simple fishing village into an open-air prison. Unlike many East Blue pirates who act alone or in small, disorganized groups, Arlong commands a true fleet, a racketeering economy, and a hierarchy of formidable lieutenants. This article looks back at the history of this fish-man crew, the organization they established in Cocoyashi Village, and the reasons why their downfall remains a foundational moment in the saga.

We will not revisit Nami’s personal trauma in detail here, as it has already been extensively covered in other articles in the shop: the focus here is on the crew itself, its structure, its members, and how it operates as a criminal organization. A chance to (re)discover Arlong from a different angle, somewhere between lore and analysis.

Who Is Arlong? The Sawshark of the East Blue

Arlong is a sawshark-type fish-man (Sawshark), a species renowned for its sharp jaws and physical strength far superior to that of the average human. A former Grand Line pirate who voluntarily settled in the East Blue, he made the strategic choice to dominate a sea reputed to be “weak” rather than face the fierce competition of the second half of the world. This choice is not insignificant: it reflects Arlong’s deep contempt for humans, whom he considers a species intrinsically inferior to fish-men in physical terms.

This racist conviction is not unique to Arlong: it is a symptom of a broader wound—the discrimination suffered by fish-men and merfolk at the hands of many humans throughout the world. Arlong nevertheless chose collective vengeance over peaceful coexistence, unlike other figures such as Jinbe. This contrast is what makes his character interesting: he embodies an extreme and destructive response to a very real injustice in the world of One Piece.

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Arlong's Crew: A Structured Criminal Organization

What truly distinguishes Arlong's crew from many other groups encountered in the East Blue is its almost military organization. Each lieutenant has a specific role, a combat specialty, and an area of responsibility within the racket system established in Cocoyashi Village. Here are the main members of this fish-man crew and one particularly devious human ally.

Member	Species	Role / Distinguishing Feature
Arlong	Sawshark fish-man	Captain, with jaws capable of slicing through metal, founder of the racket system
Hachi (Hatchan)	Octopus fish-man	Second-in-command, six-armed weapons master, famous for his improvised swordsmanship and his peaceful reinvention later in the story
Chew	Pufferfish fish-man	Fighter capable of spitting water under extreme pressure, using the Suiben technique
Kuroobi	Manta ray fish-man	Expert in Fish-Man Karate, a feared second-in-command in martial combat
Nezumi	Human	Corrupt captain of the local Marines, direct accomplice in the racket system

This small team is more than enough to keep an entire village under its control, precisely because fish-men's natural physical strength far surpasses that of an ordinary human. A single crew member can intimidate a dozen villagers without apparent effort, which explains why direct armed resistance was doomed to fail before Luffy's arrival.

Hachi, the Big-Hearted Second-in-Command (Before His Redemption)

Hachi deserves special mention: although he is a full-fledged member of Arlong's crew during the East Blue arc, his later journey in the saga clearly sets him apart from his comrades. He would later become a valuable ally of the Straw Hats on Fish-Man Island, proving that belonging to this crew did not necessarily determine a fixed fate for all its members.

Cocoyashi Village: The Anatomy of a Perfect Racket

The system Arlong established in Cocoyashi Village is not simple, brutal looting: it is methodical and long-lasting extortion. Every resident must pay a fixed sum in berries to continue living on their own land, under threat of immediate execution. The entire village effectively works to fund this tribute, a system that more closely resembles organized racketeering than classic pirate plunder.

The genius — and cruelty — of the system lies in its long-term maintenance: Arlong does not immediately destroy the village; he keeps it alive precisely to continue profiting from it year after year. It is this cold, almost accounting-like calculation that makes his character so different from a simple passing bloodthirsty pirate.

The Corruption of the Local Marines

One of the most striking elements of this criminal organization is the active complicity of Nezumi, a Marine captain supposedly responsible for protecting the region. Far from opposing Arlong, he takes a share of the loot in exchange for his inaction. This alliance between pirates and corrupt representatives of authority illustrates a recurring criticism in One Piece: that of a World Government whose local representatives do not always defend the interests of the civilians they are supposed to protect.

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The Crew's Downfall: The Battle Against the Straw Hats

The arrival of Luffy and his fledgling crew in Cocoyashi Village will hasten the downfall of an entire system built over many years. What makes this arc so memorable is that each main member of Arlong's crew falls to a specific Straw Hat opponent, in a series of almost symmetrical confrontations:

Kuroobi faces Sanji, whose legs surpass the martial power of Fishman Karate.
Hachi faces Zoro in a duel of blades where the swordsman already demonstrates his emerging technical mastery.
Chew is defeated by Usopp, who makes up for his lack of brute strength with his cunning.
Arlong himself finally falls under Luffy's repeated blows, in a fight that symbolically marks the end of fear's domination over the village.

This narrative structure of parallel duels became a hallmark of many later arcs in the series, where each member of the main crew faces a worthy opponent before the captain's final confrontation with the great antagonist. Arlong Park, the crew's fortified base, is literally destroyed in the aftermath, physically erasing the symbol of their power over the region.

A crew gone but never forgotten

After their defeat, Arlong's crew largely disappears from the spotlight, with the notable exception of Hatchan, whose redemption journey continues on the Grand Line. The memory of this criminal organization nevertheless continues to weigh on the story: this liberated village becomes Nami's emotional anchor, the place she returns to regularly throughout her adventure.

From a narrative standpoint, Arlong holds a unique position: the first antagonist to have a truly organized structure rather than being a lone pirate, he foreshadows the much larger organizations Luffy will face later, all the way to the Emperors and the World Government itself. Understanding Arlong also means gaining a better understanding of the narrative mechanics the series will reproduce on a much larger scale throughout its story, with Luffy continuing to grow ever stronger since then, as detailed in the article about Luffy's 3 forms of Haki.

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Frequently asked questions about Arlong and his crew

Does Arlong have a Devil Fruit?

No. Arlong has never consumed a Devil Fruit. His strength comes exclusively from his nature as a sawshark fish-man: physical strength far greater than that of humans, a jaw capable of cutting through steel, and excellent aquatic combat skills that come naturally to his species.

Why does Arlong hate humans so much?

His contempt is rooted in the historical discrimination suffered by fish-men and merfolk at the hands of certain humans around the world. Unlike Jinbe, who chooses the path of coexistence, Arlong responds to this injustice with domination and revenge, driving him toward systematic cruelty against the inhabitants of Cocoyashi Village.

What happens to Hachi after the crew's defeat?

Hachi begins a genuine path to redemption after the fall of Arlong Park. We later find him on Fish-Man Island, where he has started a new life and even helps the Straw Hats, proving that his past membership in this crew did not necessarily define his entire personality.

Does Arlong's crew return later in the story?

The crew as such no longer appears after its defeat in Cocoyashi Village, with the exception of Hachi. Cocoyashi Village, on the other hand, remains a place regularly mentioned in the story, notably as an emotional anchor for Nami throughout her journey toward the Grand Line and the New World.

Why is the Arlong arc considered a turning point in the series?

This is the first arc in which Luffy faces a structured organization rather than an isolated opponent, and the first in which every member of his fledgling crew wins an individual duel before the final confrontation. This narrative structure would become a hallmark of the series throughout many subsequent arcs.

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Key takeaways

Arlong and his fish-man crew remain one of the very first demonstrations of what One Piece does best: creating an antagonist whose cruelty is never gratuitous, but always rooted in logic and a deep-seated wound. Their extortion racket in Cocoyashi Village, their hierarchy of specialized lieutenants, and their methodical downfall at the hands of the Straw Hats laid the narrative foundations that the series would reproduce on a much larger scale with the Emperors and the World Government. To relive this formative period or complete your collection around the East Blue arc, head to our One Piece figures, our official trading card game cards, or our selection of One Piece gift ideas for every longtime fan. You can also find our One Piece katanas and swords, our full range of One Piece merchandise, and our complete guide to Devil Fruits and Haki to better understand the forces at play in this universe.

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