The warship slowly entered the port of Marineford.
In the distance, the towering and majestic Fortress of Justice loomed like a monarch watching over everything.
"Have those pirates detained for now. I'll go speak to the Fleet Admiral first," Dragon instructed a major standing behind him.
"Yes, sir!"
Just as the major turned to head toward the cabin, Dragon's gaze settled on another warship docked not far away.
There, a sizable group of marines had gathered. From the perspective of someone standing on the plaza, nothing might have been visible—but from the elevated deck of his ship, Dragon had a clear view of what was happening.
"Fishmen? Merfolk?"
Indeed. One after another, male fishmen were disembarking from the ship in an orderly line—there must have been at least a hundred of them. Among them were several beautiful women whose exotic clothing clearly reflected the unique flair of Fishman Island. Aside from their attire, they were virtually indistinguishable from human women.
"Wow, so this is Navy Headquarters? It's huge!" exclaimed Kunna, her flowing blue hair catching the sunlight as she stepped onto the plaza. Clutching her companion's arm, she beamed with excitement.
"Yeah, everything here is so big—the buildings, the plaza, even the ships! Look! Look over there! That person is insanely tall!"
The woman being pulled around—Yvonee—was equally thrilled. Her bright eyes scanned across the Fortress of Justice and the plaza before finally locking onto a passing Marine vice admiral from the Giant Tribe. Her jaw dropped in awe.
To them, the Giant Tribe was something straight out of legend!
"Ahhh, they're so beautiful!"
"Are those real mermaids? Like, actual mermaids from fairy tales? I can't believe I'm seeing them with my own eyes—and from this close!"
All around, the marine soldiers were starstruck, their eyes sparkling like camera lenses, automatically ignoring the wide variety of fishmen and locking in on the small group of five mermaid girls.
For a brief moment, humans, merfolk, and fishmen all stood there observing one another—turning the whole scene into quite the spectacle.
"But why did Vice Admiral Aokiji bring so many fishmen?" a navy captain in the crowd asked, puzzled, as he stared at Kuzan.
"Maybe it's just a tour?"
"Could be… though it kinda feels like we're the ones being toured."
Just then, Dragon approached. Wherever he walked, marines of all ranks instinctively stepped aside to clear a path. Everyone at Navy Headquarters knew by now—this man, son of Vice Admiral Garp, was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, and destined to become a major figure.
"Kuzan, what's the story with these fishmen?"
As he asked, Dragon glanced at Jinbei and Aladine standing nearby—their powerful presence was unmistakable.
"Alalala~ looks like you just got back from a mission too, huh?" Kuzan replied with a lazy smile.
"They're the first wave of Fishmen and Merfolk to join the Navy. This is Lieutenant Colonel Jinbei, who'll be leading the Fishman unit going forward. And this is Major Aladine, his deputy~"
He then introduced Dragon to the pair with a light chuckle, "This is Rear Admiral Dragon, son of Vice Admiral Garp, and a fellow Logia user~"
"Greetings, Rear Admiral Dragon. I look forward to working with you," Jinbei said, stepping forward on behalf of the group.
"Hello," Dragon replied, nodding slightly, still a bit surprised. He then turned a curious look toward Kuzan, who scratched the back of his head and casually explained the basic outline of the cooperation between the World Government and Fishman Island.
This wasn't classified information—soon, the Fleet Admiral would be officially informing the entire navy of the matter.
"Designating the Sabaody Archipelago as a safe zone for Fishmen, allowing the Sea King Army to be stationed and patrol there... Establishing a Marine branch on Fishman Island… and inviting two hundred Fishmen and Merfolk to join the Navy."
Dragon mentally reviewed the key points, and the more he thought about them, the more surprised he became.
Combined with his current mission of capturing the Slave King, it was clear that the World Government was now taking a hardline stance against slavery.
And yet, he still couldn't help but feel puzzled. What had happened to the World Government? What had brought on such a sudden and drastic change? It was starting to feel like a completely different entity—one he barely recognized anymore!
"So the Sea King Army is already stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Yeah. They departed with us, so they should've arrived by now. From now on, Area 62 will be their exclusive base of operations. It just happens to be right next to our Marine base over there."
As Kuzan and Dragon continued chatting, the crowd of marines around them parted again—this time even more dramatically. A middle-aged female vice admiral with a deep blue ponytail came walking through, leading a group of female officers.
"Alalala~ Long time no see, Vice Admiral Tsuru~" Kuzan called out as he quickly stepped forward. Dragon followed closely behind, offering a respectful greeting.
"Ma'am!"
"Has it really been that long?" Tsuru replied with a gentle smile. "Though once you head back this time, it'll probably be a while before we meet again."
She turned to Dragon and added warmly, "This mission must've been tough—well done. Now hurry along. Fleet Admiral Kong is waiting for you."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Dragon nodded and didn't linger. He strode quickly toward the massive, imposing Fortress of Justice.
"We really do need to head back soon. Things on Fishman Island aren't looking good. Almost every day, pirates break in—especially those from the New World. They're the worst," Kuzan remarked with a troubled expression.
He hadn't slept well for days. Smarter pirates often chose to strike at night, making things even more difficult to manage.
"Heh, you haven't seen anything yet," Tsuru said with a knowing smile. "If any of the top pirates ever pass through Fishman Island, that's when you'll be facing real trouble."
She added with a note of seriousness, "You have to be extra cautious over there—especially when it comes to honing your own strength. Don't slack off. The sooner you reach admiral-level combat power, the better."
"Alalala~ Don't worry, I know all that~" Kuzan replied, clearly enjoying the moment.
He had grown up alone, scavenging to survive and stealing when he had to. Fortunately, he'd been lucky enough to meet Tsuru when she was stationed at a South Blue branch as a young officer. She had brought him to a Navy base, raised him, educated him, and finally given him a stable life—igniting a deep passion for the Navy within him.
To Kuzan, Tsuru was practically no different from a foster mother.
Then Tsuru got down to business. "Alright, I'll take charge of the mermaids from here. They'll be joining the all-female unit. As for the Fishmen, take them to Dormitory Block C in Zone Three. Their specific assignments will be announced by the Fleet Admiral shortly."
"Understood."
Kuzan had no objections. With a casual smile, he asked, "Is Teacher Zephyr around? I brought some specialty wine from Fishman Island—thought I'd share a drink with him."
"What a coincidence. He just got back last night with this year's recruits. Go find him—but first, take care of the dorm arrangements. That's the priority!"
"Got it, got it! Don't worry, I won't delay anything," Kuzan replied cheerfully.
Standing nearby, Jinbei, Aladine, and the nearly two hundred Fishmen were quietly observing their surroundings, each one harboring hopes for the future.
At long last…
The Fishman race was beginning to integrate into the human world.
...
[Boom————]
A deafening explosion thundered across the ground, sending grass and soil flying in all directions. A yellow flash shot out from the cloud of dust, and in the next moment, a white figure pierced the air with a sharp whoosh, intercepting the flash and blasting it back.
A black silhouette on the other side dissolved into an afterimage, vanishing from its original spot and appearing in front of the yellow flash in an instant.
[Boom!]
The beam of light slammed into a netted racket with tremendous force. The intense spin and sheer power generated a harsh grinding noise as the frame visibly bent under the pressure.
Invisible shockwaves burst forth from the impact between ball and net, stirring a fierce wind that swept across the field, sending grass flying and her golden hair whipping wildly.
"It's gotten even stronger!"
Stussy gritted her teeth as she felt the mounting pressure in her hands. Switching from a single-handed grip to a two-handed one, she returned the ball.
The orange-yellow beam reappeared, slicing through the air with a sharp whooshing roar as it soared past the net and climbed skyward.
"Nice shot!"
From the opposite side of the court, Gion shouted with excitement, her body drenched in sweat. Channeling strength into her legs, she leapt high into the air. Her arms flexed with exertion as she met the ball head-on, smashing it downward with brutal force.
[Boom————]
Stussy moved at an astonishing speed. She left a trail of afterimages behind as she darted forward with inhuman agility, reaching the ball just before it hit the ground.
At the same time, a black sheen coated her racket. She easily countered Gion's powerful spike, and Gion's face darkened midair when she saw it.
"So you're finally using Haki!"
With a stomp, she vanished into a puff of white mist.
A split second later, she reappeared on the ground. Her Kenbunshoku Haki locked tightly onto the beam's trajectory as she reinforced her racket with Busoshoku Haki to strike it back.
The two elite women had finally begun playing seriously. Blurs of their motion streaked across their respective courts, while the glowing tennis ball shot back and forth like a yellow flash, drawing fine trails through the air.
Imu reclined on a lounge chair, capturing every detail of the match.
"As expected, Gion is still the stronger one. The power, speed, and reflexes of a master swordswoman... she's putting them all on full display, even in a tennis match."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... now this is what I call the good life."
Imu drank a soft drink, while admiring the spectacle of the 'murder tennis' before him.