(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic. Thanks and appreciate all who support me.
(T/N: Enjoy!)
<><><><><><>
Mr"...?"
The crew was speechless. Tiger had never told them this, not even Jinbe, whom he trusted most.
"Not long after leaving Fish-Man Island... huah... I was captured In Mary Geoise... I was imprisoned for several years..."
Tiger had clearly lost the will to live, so he unhesitatingly tore out the most painful memory from the depths of his heart, presenting it, raw and bloody, to the Sun Pirates.
"What..."
"Boss!!"
Hearing that the Celestial Dragons had also enslaved Tiger, everyone was aghast. Their faces grew dark, and a thick killing intent emanated from them.
"What I saw there... was humanity's madness and deepest depravity..."
Paying no attention to the expressions of those around him, Tiger's eyes were vacant, his face growing more furious, as if he had returned to those unbearable years.
"Although I managed to escape by a stroke of luck... I couldn't just ignore the slaves before me!"
"Huah... huah..." Tiger continued to gasp for air.
"Listen carefully...I've always lived as I pleased, and as a result, I caused much trouble for Queen Otohime..."
"She is right. Everyone wants to live in peace..." Suddenly, Koala's innocent smile flashed in Tiger's mind.
He continued, "But the ones who can truly change the status of Fish-Man Island... are the next generation, who know nothing of this, like Koala!!"
"So, please, I beg you... don't say anything to the people back on Fish-Man Island!"
"There is no need to pass on the tragedies that happened to us, or our anger toward humans, to our next generation!"
Everyone was silent. The Sun Pirates had never imagined that the boss they revered was carrying such immense pain.
At this moment, Tiger's heart was dead. The ambush on Foolshout Island was the last straw that broke his spirit.
"I know very well that there are many kind-hearted humans in this world...Although I understand that perfectly... the demon in my heart is stopping me."
"My body... is rejecting that blood!"
"Since you understand... then why not live on and one day witness the history of Fish-Men and humans coexisting in peace?"
Just as Tiger's grief and anger reached their peak, a completely unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded in the medical bay.
"Who's there? Who is it?"
"Damn it, I'm sure I checked this ship inside and out before we boarded!!"
The sudden, unfamiliar voice instantly put all the Fish-Men on high alert.
Their bodies tensed, they drew their weapons, and Jinbe's eyes flashed red as his Observation Haki quickly covered the entire room!
They were all warriors who had fought on the seas for many years and could naturally react to danger at a moment's notice.
"Ah, no need to be so tense."
As soon as the voice fell, under Jinbe's nervous gaze, Atlas's invisible body slowly materialised, revealing itself from head to toe.
"I'm just... a plain, unremarkable old Marine!!" Atlas grinned at the tense Fish-Men, showing his white teeth.
"You're..." After seeing the man's face clearly, both Jinbe's and Tiger's pupils contracted. Shock and confusion filled their minds.
Clearly, they recognised Atlas.
Arlong, on the other hand, was already consumed by Tiger's anger, his own hatred for humans magnified. He didn't stop to think how this Marine had appeared before them so silently.
He immediately lunged forward, his hand striking like lightning toward Atlas! By the time Tiger and Jinbe realised what was happening, it was too late to stop Arlong!
"Despicable human! Your lowly race shouldn't even exist! Humans... are a race born to be enslaved by us Fish-Men!"
His hand, full of rage, closed in. A ferocious smile spread across Arlong's face, as if he could already see himself crushing this Marine's head!
Bang—!
A crisp crack echoed. Scarlet blood splattered in all directions, and a mixture of red and white brain matter hit the bulkhead, then slowly slid down.
The other Fish-Men couldn't believe what they were seeing. They stared, dumbfounded and speechless.
In an instant! No, they hadn't even seen how he attacked. They could still see the ferocious look frozen on Arlong's face at the moment of his death!
Thud—!
The hand that had not yet reached Atlas twitched reflexively in the air.
The headless body, stiffening in place, then collapsed heavily, shocking the Sun Pirates back to their senses!
"Hey! Brother Arlong? Damn you, you Marine bastard! I'll kill you!"
"This guy looks... kind of familiar..."
The Fish-Men were instantly on edge, glaring at Atlas, wishing they could tear him apart.
Although most of them disagreed with Arlong's ideals, they had a long history together. They were brothers who had faced death together.
Otherwise, after Tiger's death, when the Sun Pirates split, a portion of them wouldn't have followed Arlong to the East Blue.
"Quiet! No one move!" Jinbe, startled, roared, trying to calm his agitated crew.
"Brother Jinbe, what are you doing?!"
"Boss Jinbe, this guy killed Arlong..."
Jinbe ignored their questions. He took a deep breath, suppressing his grief, and stared grimly at the Marine who had suddenly appeared.
"A man like you... Why have you suddenly appeared here?"
He recognised him! Marine Headquarters Admiral Candidate, codename: [Byakko]!
A man of this calibre was not someone the current Sun Pirates could hope to defeat.
Suppose it were any other time... a mere Admiral candidate! The sea was the Fish-Men's home turf! But not now. Behind him was Boss Tiger, his life hanging by a thread!
"Who knows?" Atlas shrugged at Jinbe's question. "I was just sleeping on the ship, and you guys suddenly stole it."
He wasn't lying. He had been sleeping soundly on the ship when that guy Arlong hijacked it.
So, he used the Snake Talisman to become invisible, banking on Arlong not having Observation Haki, which led to the scene that just unfolded.
"..."
"..."
Jinbe was speechless. So, they had brought this person onto the ship themselves. Arlong's death was just too... senseless.
But it wasn't Arlong's fault. Arlong had claimed he checked the warship from top to bottom and found no trace of Marines.
He just never imagined someone could be invisible, and among the entire pirate crew, only Jinbe and Tiger had awakened Observation Haki.
In the heat of the moment, Jinbe hadn't used his Observation Haki to check the warship, allowing Atlas to remain hidden until now.
"Then what do you want? Marine Admiral Candidate—Byakko!" Jinbe calmed down and asked in a low voice.
"What? This guy is a Marine Admiral Candidate?"
"Then we're..."
"Boss Jinbe?!"
As soon as he said this, the medical bay exploded. All the Fish-Men present couldn't help but swallow hard.
Marine Headquarters Admiral Candidate. They understood what that title meant better than anyone.
Strawberry, the man who had nearly cornered them... was merely the adjutant to another Admiral candidate, Kizaru. And Strawberry's rank was just a simple Rear Admiral!
"Tiger, since you understand this, why don't you live on, holding onto hope for Fish-Man Island's future?"
Ignoring Jinbe's question and the tense, drawn weapons around him, Atlas walked calmly toward Tiger on the medical bed.
Gulp—!
This guy... What on earth does he want? A trace of doubt flashed through their minds. They suddenly couldn't tell if this Marine was friend or foe...
"To all the slaves you freed... You are the great benefactor they will be grateful to for the rest of their lives!"
"I can say this: even though you and I stand on different sides, I must admit that you are a true hero!!" As his footsteps sounded, Atlas got closer and closer to Tiger.
Is this Marine... sure he's not crazy? "Stop! Don't come any closer to Boss Tiger!"
Clang—!
Even though they didn't understand what Atlas was saying, seeing him approach, the Fish-Men all raised their weapons and aimed them at him.
"Stop. If he really wanted to harm me, he wouldn't have wasted his breath talking." Tiger saw this and quickly tried to sit up, shouting at his crew.
He had heard of this man's reputation and was terrified his comrades would anger Atlas.
He, a dying man, wasn't afraid, but it wasn't worth it to drag down the comrades who had followed him for so many years. Tiger understood this point very clearly.
"I never thought... that in my final moments, I would hear praise from a Marine..."
"So, why don't you live on? Perhaps one day, you will be able to see the children of Fish-Men and humans, living under the same sky, breathing the same air, and enjoying the same warmth of the sun!"
Atlas pressed him again.
"Heh~ What a beautiful future. It's a pity... My heart cannot accept human blood flowing in my veins!"
Tiger paused, a look of longing on his face, but a ferocious grimace quickly replaced it.
"I can no longer... bring myself to love... humans!!!" The surrounding Fish-Men were shocked. They ignored the threat of Atlas and scrambled to shout:
"Boss, don't say such foolish things! If you take this blood, you'll live! You can live!"
"No! I want to ask you, do you want to see that future or not?" Atlas shook his head, still pressing the question.
"You bastard, are you here to mock us? How dare you humiliate Boss Tiger like this! Even if you're a Marine Admiral, we won't let you get away with it!"
The surrounding Fish-Men seemed to be losing control. They roared, bringing their weapons crashing down on Atlas's head!
Vwoom—!
Suddenly, a terrifying aura burst from Atlas's body. An invisible shockwave spread out, perfectly avoiding Jinbe and Tiger. Black and red lightning danced wildly in the room.
It was as if time itself had frozen. The Fish-Men who had been swinging their weapons were instantly rigid, the scene frozen in place!
Thud—!
A series of heavy thuds rang out. As if a switch had been flipped, the Fish-Men who had just been attacking all collapsed, their eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth!
"Conqueror's Haki—?!"
Jinbe and Tiger stared at each other, the same shocked expression on both their faces.
As a race with a complete heritage, they naturally knew about the three types of Haki and understood what kind of spirit was required to possess Conqueror's Haki.
"Tiger, have you thought about it?"
"If it's really possible, I believe that kind of life is what every member of the Fish-Man race hopes to see."
Tiger gave a self-deprecating laugh. He stared blankly at the ceiling, as if waiting for death.
Although he didn't know Atlas's objective, Tiger understood that this Marine didn't seem to bear them much malice.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have just used Conqueror's Haki. He had heard of this man's methods. When dealing with pirates... he showed no mercy!
"In that case..." Atlas looked at Tiger, who was right in front of him, and grinned. "Then you should live on!!"
The moment he spoke, a soft green light descended upon Tiger's wounded body...Tiger was first stunned, then felt as if he were enveloped in a warm ocean.
An indescribable comfort spread through his body. New flesh grew and knitted together. His complexion, which had been pale from blood loss, regained its colour.
"Boss..."
Jinbe looked at Tiger on the bed, astonished.
He didn't even need to use Observation Haki. He could see with his naked eyes that Tiger's condition was vastly better than it was when he was on the brink of death.
But... Jinbe was now even more confused about this Marine's motives.
First, he appeared and killed Arlong. Although Arlong struck first, with his power, he could have easily subdued Arlong without harming him.
Then, he healed Boss Tiger.
He couldn't tell, for a moment, if this man was friend or foe.
"Alright, I've saved you. And now, Mr. Tiger, if you would please accompany me on a trip to the great undersea prison!"
Jinbe: "...?!!"
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 20 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:SJ NOVEL TIER