Translator: PapaSmurf0700
The Fish-Men are perhaps the most persecuted race in all the seas. For centuries, they were hunted like animals, and later, reviled and traded as slaves. Their history is one of suffering.
Yet even from such depths of despair, this race produced two figures who could only be called heroes—true pioneers who fought for a better world.
Inside Ryugu Palace, King Neptune and Jinbe recounted their stories to the Straw Hats. The tale of Queen Otohime, and the tale of Fisher Tiger.
Queen Otohime was born with a rare, powerful form of Observation Haki, allowing her to hear the true voices in people's hearts. Fourteen years ago, in an era where Fish-Men and Merfolk had no standing in the world, she began her crusade. She gave powerful speeches, hoping to gather enough signatures from her people to petition the World Government at the Reverie, to finally allow her race to live on the surface under the sun.
At the time, even Jinbe could not understand her methods.
Eight years ago, her conviction was put to the ultimate test. A Celestial Dragon, Saint Donquixote Mjosgard, was shipwrecked on Fish-Man Island. As the enraged Fish-Men prepared to execute him, Queen Otohime shielded him with her own fragile body, taking the bullet meant for him. She then accompanied the World Noble on his week-long voyage back to the holy land. Her act of boundless compassion moved even a Celestial Dragon. She returned not only with his signature, but with a promise of friendship from nobles across the world. The people of Fish-Man Island were finally moved by her dream.
Everything was moving in the right direction. The goal was within reach.
But Hody Jones, a man who had nursed a deep-seated hatred for humans since childhood, saw her success as a betrayal. Just as the last of the signatures were being collected, he orchestrated her assassination. Ignoring Jinbe's attempts to stop him, Hody blamed a human for the queen's death, once again fanning the flames of hatred between the two races.
That truth remained buried until this day.
Fisher Tiger, on the other hand, was a man forged in the fires of Fish-Man District's lawless streets. He was a force of nature, a born leader whom both Jinbe and Arlong once followed as their sworn brother. He left the island as an adventurer, but his journey was cut short. He was captured and taken to the holy land of Mary Geoise, where he was enslaved by the Celestial Dragons. There, he witnessed the absolute worst of humanity's cruelty.
After three years, he escaped. He returned to Ryugu Palace and told King Neptune and Queen Otohime of his plan: to free the slaves. It is a testament to Otohime's gift that, despite her own dreams of peaceful coexistence, she could not bring herself to stop him. She could hear the immense, soul-shattering cry for freedom roaring from the depths of his heart.
Eleven years ago, Fisher Tiger climbed the Red Line with his bare hands. He set fire to Mary Geoise and, in the ensuing chaos, freed thousands of slaves of every race. He, who had suffered so much at the hands of humans, chose to liberate everyone equally. He became a hero, a legend, and a world-class criminal who dared to defy the gods.
After a bounty was placed on his head, Jinbe, Arlong, and countless other Fish-Men left their home to follow him. Thus, the Sun Pirates were born. To erase the shameful mark of slavery branded onto the rescued Fish-Men, every member of the crew bore the symbol of the sun on their bodies. Their one and only rule, established by Tiger himself, was simple: "Do not harm humans without reason." Tiger believed their purpose was not vengeance, but "liberation" and "freedom." They would not take a single life.
Eight years ago, while escorting a young human slave girl, Koala, back to her home, Tiger was ambushed by the Marines and mortally wounded. In his final moments, he confessed the truth of his past to his crew. "I can no longer bring myself to love humans," he cried, refusing the human blood that could have saved his life. And so, he died.
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"Two different people," Jinbe said, his voice low and heavy, "who worked for the good of Fish-Man Island in their own ways. And before they died, they both said the same thing." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the somber crew. "Do not let your hatred pass to the next generation. The children, who are still blank slates, do not deserve to live in a world of vengeance."
The words fell into a profound silence. The banquet hall, once filled with joyous celebration, was now a place of solemn reflection.
Nami, who had lived for years under Arlong's tyrannical rule, felt a deep, genuine sorrow for the fate of these two heroes. It was because she understood that burning hatred, yet had chosen not to be consumed by it, that she could feel the weight of their struggle so keenly. Robin, a survivor of Ohara, knew all too well what it felt like to be declared an enemy of the entire world.
Zoro drank silently, his face an unreadable mask, but one hand drifted instinctively to the hilt of his sword. He remembered his vow to a blind swordsman. In a world of chaos, a swordsman's duty is to cut through the filth.
Sanji lit a cigarette, his thoughts drifting to Zeff. The old man had built a restaurant on the sea so that no one would ever go hungry. Now, a new dream began to form in Sanji's own heart: to create a world where no one would ever suffer from discrimination again.
Usopp, Merry, and Chopper were openly weeping, their hearts breaking for the two fallen heroes. Franky and Brook were uncharacteristically still, their usual antics forgotten.
Even Bai Ye, who knew these stories from his past life, was struck silent. Having lived in this world, having felt its cruelty and its beauty firsthand, he saw them in a new light. Before, he might have dismissed Otohime and Tiger as naive idealists, saints disconnected from the harsh realities of their world.
But now, he could only feel admiration.
Perhaps their ideals were unrealistic for their time. Perhaps they were utopian fantasies. But in every dark age, isn't it always the idealists, the dreamers, who pay the ultimate price to change the world? In his past life, Bai Ye's own country had a long history of humiliation and struggle. Not even he, with all his future knowledge, could have guaranteed its victory. But a generation of brave souls had risen, willing to fight and die for a future they might never see. They did it not for themselves, but for the generations to come.
If the sun will not rise, then we must live in the darkness. If speaking out is dangerous, then we must remain silent. If you feel powerless to shine, then hide in the corner. But do not grow accustomed to the darkness and defend it. Do not take pride in your own cowardice. And never, ever ridicule those who are braver and more righteous than you.
To Bai Ye, Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger were those brave souls.
"I... maybe I can do more," he muttered, a new resolve hardening within him.
As the thought crystallized, Zoro, Jinbe, and Sanji all turned their heads in his direction. Their powerful Observation Haki sensed it instantly—a profound, inexplicable shift in the man beside them. If the Bai Ye from a moment ago was like polished jade, a gentle and refined scholar, the man who stood there now was a blade sharpened to a razor's edge, honed and ready.
His state of mind had broken through to a new level.