Deep beneath the sea, inside the palace of Fish-Man Island.
Queen Otohime stood in the grand hall with her two sons.
King Neptune gazed tenderly at the sleeping infant Shirahoshi in his arms. He gently teased her before turning to his queen, a shadow of worry between his brows.
"He really succeeded," he said softly. "But the situation for Fish-Man Island... it's become even more difficult. I fear we can't participate in the Reverie now. What are we supposed to do?"
Otohime lowered her head. "That day, there was no way I could stop him. I heard it... from the depths of his heart. A cry, so full of pain, so full of despair…"
* * *
Meanwhile, on the island itself, the entire population of fish-men and mermaids had been swept into a frenzy.
Newspapers fluttered through the streets like falling snow. Everywhere, faces shone with pride.
The headlines declared a name: Fisher Tiger, the Hero.
A fish-man who had dared to challenge the Celestial Dragons. To them, he was the pride of their kind.
Among those most deeply moved were the ones who had once admired him or even followed him in the past. Jinbe, Arlong, and Hatchan stood out from the crowd.
Without hesitation, they left Fish-Man Island to follow Tiger into the seas.
* * *
In the backstreets of the island, a much younger Hody Jones crouched with a handful of companions who would one day become his crew. They huddled around the latest newspaper, eyes wide with awe.
"That's amazing," Hody muttered. "As expected of the former boss of Fish-Man District. Even the Celestial Dragons are angry now. Those are the Celestial Dragons we're talking about."
A striped fish-man beside him chimed in, "He gave those filthy humans exactly what they deserved. Didn't Arlong always say humans are trash? They're just a lowly race."
Another slightly chubby fish-man added with excitement, "Of course! The Sun Pirates are out on the seas right now, punishing humans everywhere! They're incredible."
Hody's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Go, Sun Pirates! Keep fighting! Someday, I'll join you. And when that day comes, I'll kill them all. Every last human."
* * *
Out on the Grand Line, in the first half, aboard the Sun Pirates' ship.
Hatchan was on lookout when he spotted a marine warship closing in at speed. He dropped his telescope in a panic and sprinted into the cabin.
"Captain! Captain! Bad news!" he shouted. "The Marines! The Marines are chasing us! Captain Tiger!!"
Inside, Arlong snapped irritably, "Shut up, Hatchi. You're too noisy."
"Calm down," Jinbe said evenly.
At the head of the table, Fisher Tiger furrowed his brows. "You're certain it's the Marines?"
Hatchan nodded frantically. "I saw the flag! No mistake!"
Jinbe turned toward Tiger. "What should we do, captain?"
Tiger's face hardened.
Bang!
His powerful fist slammed against the table. "What a stupid question."
The crew rose to their feet…
* * *
On the other side, aboard the marine vessel, Rear Admiral Kadar of the G-2 Branch barked orders. "Fire the cannons! Bring me Tiger's head!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several cannons roared in unison, but in the rolling seas not a single shot found its target.
Back on the pirate ship, Arlong sneered. "Not one hit. Pathetic."
With that, he leapt into the sea, followed by a group of fish-men, all surging toward the warship.
* * *
On the warship, after repeated cannon fire with no results, Kadar felt panic rise in his chest. His rank had come not from merit but connections, and this battle had been meant to prove himself. Now, however, things were spiraling out of control.
Boom!
"What the—!" he cried, eyes wide.
The sea exploded upward, sending a towering column of water into the sky. More jets burst forth, and when they fell away, the shapes of fish-men emerged within them.
From midair, Arlong let out a savage grin. "Kill!"
The fish-men's raw physical power, ten times greater than humans, easily overwhelmed the Marines. Even with guns and cannons, the soldiers collapsed into chaos.
Kadar fought to steady his nerves and shouted, "You damned fish-men! Hand over those slaves you're hiding! If you do, maybe your crimes—"
Boom!
He was cut off as the ship shuddered violently. From below deck, a soldier stumbled up through a hole in the floor, screaming, "Rear Admiral Kadar! They're attacking from beneath! The hull has been breached!"
Kadar's face went pale. "What?!"
On the endless ocean, a hole in the ship's bottom meant certain doom.
"Damn it!!"
* * *
Elsewhere aboard the vessel, a marine officer brandished his sword at Jinbe.
"Hand over the slaves at once! You've committed grave crimes! Mere fish-men, daring to defy humans! You—"
Boom!
Before he could finish, Jinbe's fist struck, smashing the man's head deep into the wall. The officer crumpled lifelessly to the floor.
Jinbe closed his eyes, then slowly reopened them, his gaze drifting toward Fish-Man Island. He murmured under his breath, "Those who trade slaves run free… and the ones who free them are called criminals. Even so, we're asked to love humans? Queen Otohime…"
* * *
Tiger was the last to board the marine warship.
But his presence alone radiated such force that no one dared approach. He walked forward in silence, expressionless, and the soldiers shrank back. Then, suddenly, his fist shot forward.
Boom!
Four men crashed together, smashing through the railing and plunging into the sea.
He turned, grabbed five more, hoisted them off the ground with one arm, and tossed them overboard.
Turning back, another punch sent several more slamming into the walls.
Just then, Kadar frantically ordered his men to reposition the cannons toward Tiger. "Fire! Fire on him now!"
As Tiger turned his head toward him, Kadar swallowed hard. "We already have intelligence. You've been sheltering those slaves..."
In a flash, Tiger appeared in front of them, pressing one massive hand onto the cannon. The metal screeched and twisted until the barrel collapsed into a mangled heap.
"You mean the former slaves?"
Bang!
His foot lashed out, sending Kadar flying. "You have proof they're among us?"
He walked forward, grabbed the rear admiral by the collar, and lifted him effortlessly. "Check everyone yourself. I heard every slave has a brand burned into their body. See if you can find one."
Then he dangled Kadar over the railing, watching him scream and beg for his life.
Something flickered in Tiger's mind. Instead of letting go, he tossed him back onto the deck. "I'll let you live. I'm not the same as you humans."
His voice was calm as he turned away and called to his crew, "Men, take their valuables and food. Then back to the ship."
A unified roar rose from the pirates. "Yes!!"
Moments later, as they prepared to leave, a shout rang out.
Boom!
Arlong kicked open a cabin door, dragging a marine soldier out. His jagged blade glinted as he raised it high, a twisted grin on his face.
"You're going to be executed. Your crime is being human, and that alone is unforgivable."
From the bow, Tiger whirled around. "Stop! Arlong!!"
But it was too late.
Slash!
The man's head rolled, blood spraying across Arlong's body. Only then did he glance at Tiger in confusion.
"Huh?"
* * *
At Marine Headquarters in Marineford.
Inside an office, Borsalino leaned back with a cigarette, glancing at a newspaper while listening to a report from Strawberry.
"Vice Admiral Borsalino, Rear Admiral Kadar's warship from G-2 was sunk."
Borsalino flipped to the next page lazily. "Oh~? And why would they pick a fight~? Didn't I say just to report their position~?"
"Apparently," Strawberry explained, "as soon as they entered visual range, they were instantly surrounded from the sea."
Lowering the paper, Borsalino folded his arms. "Oh~ how scary~ not surprising though, they are experts in sea combat~ what kind of fish-men are we dealing with~?"
"From what we know, they were already pirates near Fish-Man Island," Strawberry replied. "Arlong's group is among them. They lived under the sea before, so their true fighting power was hard to measure."
Borsalino tilted his head, recalling. "Arlong~ I think I've heard of him before~"
"And there's another one," Strawberry added. "Similar build and strength to Tiger, but we don't know his name."
Exhaling a thin stream of smoke, Borsalino complained, "Ahh~ such a pain~"
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