"So, Mr Marine, do you need to land on the island?" The green-robed old man closed the open umbrella, his smile growing even more bizarre.
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" Atlas had specifically gotten an Eternal Pose for this place. He had been longing to temper his body with lightning for a long time.
If it were an ordinary person, they truly wouldn't dare attempt such a suicidal method.
But possessing the Horse Talisman, a fundamental, law-defying healing ability, he could naturally improve his physique's strength without any reservations.
At his current level of power, conventional training methods to get stronger would only become less effective until they had no effect.
Eventually, he would be like the other powerhouses of the pirate world, relying on the accumulation of time to improve slowly.
There was another method: fighting against other strong opponents, which was the most effective way to improve Haki and physique.
But right now, the only ones who could give him a real fight were the few Emperors of the Sea in the New World.
However, Whitebeard and the others weren't fools. Why would they obediently come out and spar with him?
What's that?
Go to their territory and harass them?
Even back in the day, he had only issued challenges from the periphery. If he went deep into their main territory, he'd be lucky to escape with half his life.
Besides, back then, he was just a measly Rear Admiral; losing a little face didn't matter.
If a dignified Marine Admiral candidate, the very face of the Marines, ran to an Emperor's territory to hurl insults... Sengoku would be the first to send him to the afterlife with a shockwave!
"Then you—?"
The green-robed old man heard this, rubbed his hands together, and offered the umbrella to Atlas.
"But I don't need an umbrella!"
Atlas tossed out this sentence, bypassed the green-robed people, and, under the old man's baffled gaze, flew straight toward Raijin Island!
Rumble—!
The thunderstorm washed the land, and a thick bolt of lightning instantly engulfed Atlas's figure! After a long moment, the pillar of lightning dissipated.
A scene that stunned the green-robed old man appeared! Atlas, completely unharmed, continued deeper into the island, finally disappearing from his sight!
"That guy—!!"
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Kizaru, wearing a black fisherman's hat, leaned back behind his desk, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips, his expression lazy.
On the white wall behind him hung a square plaque, inscribed with "Unclear Justice"!
"Vice Admiral Borsalino, Rear Admiral Kadar's ship..."
"It's been breached!!"
Opposite Kizaru, a Marine was delivering a report.
He wore a "Justice" coat, his hair piled so high it almost touched the ceiling, with a small white Marine cap pressed on top—a truly enviable amount of hair.
"..."
Kizaru didn't speak, just shifted into a more comfortable position.
"Ooh~ Why fight so hard? I only told him to report their location~~"
He was quite troubled at the moment.
Sengoku had already laid it out for him: if he successfully captured Fisher Tiger this time, Sengoku could be formally promoted to Fleet Admiral, and he, in turn, could be promoted to a full Admiral at Marine Headquarters, dropping the "candidate" from his title.
After all, as long as Sengoku wasn't promoted to Fleet Admiral, the four of them would remain Admiral candidates.
However...
Kizaru clearly didn't want to move. It was so comfortable now, just drinking tea and slacking off all day, and the paycheck still came.
If he became an Admiral, he'd have to listen to those troublesome Celestial Dragons. How could that be as comfortable as this?
If not for this, he, who had received news of Fisher Tiger's or Sun Pirate long ago, wouldn't have delayed arresting them until now.
"It's said that as soon as they came into view, they were surrounded by the sea in an instant..." the Marine with the astonishing hair volume explained.
As a Marine, following a superior's orders was the most basic requirement.
He had a decent relationship with Rear Admiral Kadar, so naturally, he had to speak up for him at a time like this.
"Oooh~ How scary~~ Just what you'd expect from Fish-Men, who thrive in the sea~~~"
Kizaru pursed his lips, slowly exhaling a puff of white smoke. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Are there any new Fish-Men on the Sun Pirates' ship~~~"
"Besides Arlong's crew, who were pirates around Fish-Man Island, joining them... There is also the whale shark Fish-Man, Jinbe, whom we discovered and put a bounty on three years ago."
"There have been no new members recently!"
Although he was perplexed by Vice Admiral Kizaru's behaviour, he was smart enough not to question it.
They had found traces of the Sun Pirates three years ago.
Still, Vice Admiral Kizaru had only ever told them to monitor their movements, occasionally taking some half-hearted, painless measures.
...
Elsewhere.
Grand Line, a certain island.
The Sun Pirates, having just routed the Marines who came to harass them, were resting here. Opposite them were the island's natives.
There weren't many of them. Each wore bird feathers as a headdress and was dressed in grayish-white robes. They weren't cut off from the outside world.
This was one of the most magical things about this world. Despite such a fragmented geography, there was no language barrier, only differences in customs and culture.
"Could I ask you for a favour?"
Suddenly, the leader of the natives appeared beside the resting Tiger and his crew, bringing a dirty little girl with him.
For years, the Sun Pirates had been dedicated to fighting human trafficking, and countless people had benefited from their grace, including the natives of this island.
Otherwise, with the reputation Tiger currently had, thanks to the World Government's propaganda, they'd be lucky if the natives didn't run away from him, let alone have the courage to approach and talk.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Tiger was slightly surprised, then asked softly.
"This child..."
"She escaped from Mary Geoise when you freed the slaves three years ago."
"But this child's parents' homeland is too far from here. With our limited navigation skills, we really can't take her back."
The native chief pointed to the somewhat dazed-looking girl beside him and shook his head with a bitter smile.
A year ago, they had pulled this girl from the sea, and she had miraculously survived.
But the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon brand on the girl's back was a reminder...
She was an escaped slave from Mary Geoise!
However, being kind-hearted, they took the girl in, but that was all they could do. Now that they had run into Tiger's group, they could entrust the girl to them with peace of mind.
"Hee! Hee!"
"My name is Koala, I'm eleven years old!"
"Thank you so much for what you did three years ago!!!"
Despite her fear of the tall and strange Fish-Men, Koala forced a smile and bowed to express her gratitude.
...
Grand Line.
A giant, carp-headed ship sailed slowly on the sea. The pattern on its sail was a blazing sun, not the traditional skull-centric pirate flag.
Suddenly, an angry roar erupted from the ship.
"Why is a human on the same ship as us! Even if she's a kid, she's still a human! This is so irritating!"
A great white shark Fish-Man with a long, sharp, serrated nose and a ferocious appearance cursed on the deck, his tone extremely impatient.
"Hey! Arlong, don't be so agitated. We're just doing them a small favour," Tiger said, trying to stop him.
Although he had established a "no-kill" principle when he founded the Sun Pirates, hoping to bridge the gap between the Fish-Men on his ship and humans, after three years, the most radical one, Arlong, hadn't changed at all.
In fact, he had gotten worse, his views on humans becoming even more extreme!
"Hee!"
"Hee!"
Young Koala looked at the furious Arlong, trying desperately to hide her fear, her face pulling into a mechanical smile.
Bang—!!
"Stop that 'hee hee' smiling, you irritating little human child!!"
Seeing Koala's forced smile, Arlong's anger flared, and he ruthlessly backhanded her to the deck.
"Hey! Brother Arlong, what are you doing? She's just a child!"
The other Fish-Men couldn't stand to watch any longer. They hurried forward to pull back Arlong, who was about to strike again.
An octopus Fish-Man even used all six of his arms at once to pin Arlong's body!
Riiip—!!
Just then, the sound of cloth tearing was heard.
It was a Koala. She had torn a piece of cloth from her pant leg, and she was on her knees, her small hands clutching the rag, meticulously wiping the deck.
She mumbled nonstop.
"I'm sorry! I'll work! I'll clean nonstop, so please don't hit me again."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
"...!?"
All the Fish-Men on the Sun Pirates' ship fell silent. They knew very well that this little girl must have suffered such severe psychological trauma in Mary Geoise that even three years hadn't been enough to wash it away.
"What's wrong..."
Suddenly, Jinbe's eyes caught a glimpse of red. He quickly crouched down and asked the kneeling Koala softly.
"I'm sorry..."
"Hey! You're bleeding..."
"Hee! No matter what happens, I won't cry, so please don't kill me!!" Koala still wore that same mechanical smile.
"Hey! Don't be like that. Are you afraid of us?" Jinbe fell silent. He could feel the fear and numbness radiating from Koala.
"Yes...But... because I want to see my mom, I gathered the courage to get on the ship...If my hands stop moving, you might kill me, right!? I'll be useful, so please don't kill me..."
The dirty Koala didn't stop moving her hands. She looked up at Jinbe with her small, still-bleeding face and pleaded with a smile.
"The slave's way of survival is deeply ingrained in her. In Mary Geoise..."
"If a slave around her cried, they'd be killed. If they rested for even a moment while cleaning, they'd also be killed."
"She was in constant fear, terrified of being the next one to be killed, trusting no one..."
The ship's doctor, Aladdin, who had been watching silently, spoke in a deep voice. His eyes revealed his pain.
The sorrows of humans are not always shared, but perhaps only he, who had similar experiences, could truly empathise with the little girl's agony.
"It will take time. Psychological trauma isn't so easily healed."
"Shahahaha! You really understand her, don't you, Brother Aladdin...You really empathise with the slaves."
Arlong couldn't help but taunt him, mercilessly reopening Aladdin's old wounds. "The truth is, you're dying to kill her right now, aren't you!?"
"After all—! She's human, just like those bastards who kept you! Hey! Arlong, that's enough..."
Seeing Arlong becoming more and more agitated, Tiger finally spoke up to stop him.
"Honestly, what did your mother teach you?"
Arlong, already worked up, ignored Tiger's warning. He shoved his ferocious face in front of Koala's and asked hatefully.
"Your parents looked down on Fish-Men, too, didn't they? Shahahaha!! That's just how human society is! They believe that the human race is the only one that matters in this world!"
As he spoke, Arlong stood up, raising his hands high, and shouted to the sky like a crazed fanatic.
"Their children are indoctrinated from a young age, so naturally, they become arrogant... If no one comes to break this cycle, this situation will never change."
Tiger was also filled with emotion. It was a vicious cycle, a stubborn ideology passed down from one generation to the next. They had always classified the Fish-Man race as mere fish.
But...
They were a sentient race, with flesh and blood, with thoughts equal to those of humans!
"In these three years of sailing, you must have seen it too many times! Those arrogant and contemptuous gazes humans throw at us!"
"If Boss Tiger wasn't here, I can't guarantee I wouldn't have done something!!" Arlong's expression grew even more savage, his eyes filled with contempt and hatred for humans.
"Only some humans look down on us, not all of them!!" Jinbe clearly had a different opinion.
He had a more rational mind than Arlong, and his view of humans had changed from his initial prejudice to his current, more level-headed one.
He deeply understood... A few evil individuals cannot represent an entire race!
"Enough! This argument ends here!" Seeing the debate between the two intensify, Tiger interrupted in a deep voice.
He didn't want the Sun Pirates, which he had worked so hard to build, to fall apart over this. As the boss, he had to take responsibility for holding the team together.
"And, bring this kid to my room!" He pointed at Koala, who was still wiping the deck, and ordered the crew.
"Boss! To your room? What for?" Tiger didn't explain, just walked silently toward his room.
Although the other Fish-Men were very confused, out of respect for Tiger, they obediently brought Koala to his room.
Bang—!!
The door slammed shut.
Ahhh—!
Soon, a scream that could almost pierce eardrums came from the bedroom! Before anyone could react, the unconscious Koala was thrown out.
Her small back was smoking heavily, a large amount of blood seeping out, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air...