"Of course..."
Tiger nodded. Though he was a fish-man, he had always been fascinated by the human world and had read many of its books and records.
"Then you must've heard the story of Jaya Island."
"Yeah. Noland is considered a predecessor to us explorers and travelers. I really liked his stories. I even went looking for Jaya Island once... but I couldn't find a thing. Captain Yemu, don't tell me you're about to say..."
Yemu didn't keep him guessing and replied directly.
"Yes, just as you thought—Jaya Island really does exist. The tale of Noland the Liar is true. Four hundred years ago, Jaya Island was blasted into the sky by a massive Knock-Up Stream and landed on Skypiea, becoming the Upper Yard. That's where Enel and I have lived for the past ten years..."
Tiger's jaw dropped. The shock of seeing a legendary tale from a book confirmed as real left him speechless.
"Haha... Once we finish our business, I'll take you to Skypiea... let you see the legendary City of Gold for yourself... Hahaha."
Yemu laughed as he spoke, and Tiger's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"That'd be amazing..."
Next, Enel gave a brief introduction. His situation was more or less like Yemu's, and he was less talkative, so he finished in just a few sentences.
Still, Tiger could tell that Enel had accepted him, so he spoke up as well.
"My name is Fisher Tiger, I'm 30 years old, a sea bream fish-man from the Fish-Man District. I'm an explorer and traveler. Six years ago, I began my journey around the world. It took me five years to achieve that dream, but just when I was about to return home... I met you two..."
It was clear Tiger didn't want to dwell on that part of his past, but thinking of what he wanted to do, he pushed through the pain and continued.
"I've been to countless places and seen a lot of darkness. But even the vilest places couldn't compare to what I saw there. I saw so many of my fellow fish-men... the way they were treated... That's why I..."
"I understand... Don't worry. I will do what I promised. At the very least, I will rescue your fellow fish-men and the slaves imprisoned by the Celestial Dragons..."
Tiger looked at Yemu, moved by the conviction in his voice. But one question still lingered in his heart.
"I'm sorry... Captain Yemu... I know I already asked this before... but I need to ask again... Why... why would you help me? You even dared to kill a Celestial Dragon... They're the descendants of the Creator..."
"I get what you're saying... I know it sounds strange—why I'd have the guts to do that, or why I'd even want to kill the Celestial Dragons..."
Yemu's expression turned serious. What he was about to say would decide whether he could earn Tiger's true trust. It was also the first time he had ever shared these thoughts with anyone—not even Enel had heard this.
"What I told you about justice and evil—that's only part of it. The bigger reason is... I want to challenge this world."
"Challenge this world...?"
Tiger didn't quite understand, but the meaning behind those words left him shaken.
"You probably won't grasp the full reason, but from the moment I came to this world, I've felt it—that I have a mission. That my very existence in this world has a purpose. Maybe it sounds insane, but I believe I was born to overturn this world..."
Tiger's eyes went wide. The ambition and conviction in Yemu's words made him feel like he was listening to a madman.
"And later, fate gave me the power to overturn this world. First, I met Enel... then both of us ended up eating the Mera Mera no Mi and the Goro Goro no Mi—two incredibly rare Logia-type Devil Fruits... After that, we encountered Gol D. Roger and the Roger Pirates. I awakened my Conqueror's Haki and learned how to train both forms of Haki. And now, I've met you..."
Yemu said as he turned to look at Tiger.
Tiger couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed—it was hard to believe Yemu's journey had been so extraordinary.
"Roger? You actually met the Pirate King Roger..."
"Yeah, five years ago, he came to Skypiea. We spent three days together and learned the training methods for Haki... So with a start like this, gifted by the heavens, if I didn't aim high—if I didn't take it as my goal to challenge the world—I'd feel like I was wasting my life... Hahaha..."
In that moment, Tiger truly believed him. His captain—Yemu—wasn't just spouting madness. This was his real goal.
"Whether it's the Grand Line... Laugh Tale... the Marines... the Celestial Dragons... or the World Government... they're all targets that we, the Sky Pirates, are going to take on. Tiger, are you ready? Because the road ahead is going to be insane—and dangerous."
Tiger didn't hesitate. At this point, he was thinking far beyond just rescuing his fellow fish-men—he wanted to change the fate of all Fish-Man Island.
"I'm ready, Captain..."
"Hahaha... Good. That's what I wanted to hear. Now, let's talk about our next steps..."
Yemu got down to business, and both Enel and Tiger listened closely.
"The first thing we need to do in the fifteen days left of our voyage is to master Rokushiki. In this world, strength is everything. We might be crazy, but we're not idiots. Enel already got the Rokushiki training methods from those four CP9 agents. With the three of our bodies, it shouldn't be hard to learn. Rokushiki may not boost our raw power much, but the techniques themselves are pretty useful..."
Then Yemu turned to Tiger with a thought.
"Tiger, can you use Haki?"
Tiger shook his head.
"Then you'll need to learn it too. Both Observation and Armament Haki. With your build, Armament Haki shouldn't be a problem. Observation Haki shouldn't take too long either."
"Alright."
Tiger nodded. His strength was nothing to scoff at—at least on par with a Rear Admiral. The fact that he had traveled the world alone said everything. And as a fish-man, his physical body was naturally stronger than a human's.
"In these fifteen days, learn as much as you can—Rokushiki, Haki, whatever. Fifteen days from now, we reach Loguetown. After we send Roger off, our journey begins. First stop: the Sabaody Archipelago. We might stay there a while. I plan to meet an old friend and learn a more advanced way to use Armament Haki. Once I've got it down, we'll head straight into the New World..."
At this point, Yemu added, to reassure Tiger,
"Right now, we're still too weak. Even if we rescue your people, we wouldn't be able to protect them. That's why we need to carve out our own territory in the New World, a place for the Sky Pirates. We'll build a paradise where they can live freely. Only then will we have truly saved them."