"Fishmen! Catch them! They're worth a fortune!"
"Don't let the female mermaid escape! If she reaches the sea, we're finished!"
"—At least 70 million berries! Catch them even if it kills you!"
It wasn't just Hack who felt this way. For the fish-people and merfolk, the human race had become an object of fear and loathing.
There were also those among the fishmen who committed extreme acts against humans.
However, seeing the current state of affairs, where even ordinary adventurers, not just pirates, viewed them as slaves rather than simply a different species, the inhabitants of Fishman Island had come to harbor hatred toward humans, to varying degrees, deep within their hearts.
"I'm sorry we just freed you, but we don't have time. Can everyone follow us?"
"No problem, kid. We'll carry the merfolk who can't run! Our stamina's better than yours!"
"...Thanks, Amis."
"Yes, these three are fine too! We'll have three soldiers carry them and run!"
"Alright. The captain is fighting the strongest enemy outside. Everyone, no matter what happens, run straight to the ship."
(What a wonderful group of people.)
When they first met, there had been mutual suspicion due to their lack of understanding.
However, everything changed when the young pirate leader named Kuro, who showed genuine respect to everyone, approached them and spoke to them kindly.
Some overcame their prejudices and reached out to them, while others, like the two girls with special abilities, spoke to them without any hesitation.
Even Daz, the only young pirate who had been wary of them, was now sincerely helping to save the fishmen, a different species entirely.
If circumstances were different, I would rush to Kuro, the captain, to join the fight.
"Damn it... Get up! Do you have any idea how much damage this will cause? If they sell the fishmen, the power gap will widen even more—"
A pirate who was protecting his fishman comrades leaped forward and knocked down the mafia man blocking their path with the hilt of his sword.
"Don't make me laugh. We may take things, but we won't stoop so low as to help enslave people."
One of the pirates, probably quite handsome even among humans, showed his genuine disgust as he defeated the enemy and secured their retreat.
"...Daz-sama."
The boy running beside him, this man, recognized as the assistant to that leader among so many pirates, called out to him.
"What is it?"
"This 'Black Cat' crew is... a good pirate crew."
Saying that, Daz snorted lightly and replied,
"Of course."
Then,
"Step back, I'll open it!"
Amis climbed toward the door and forced it open—
A deafening metallic clang, reminiscent of heavy rain, echoed from outside.
Facing what was undoubtedly the sound of battle, Amis stood alone, stunned by the scene before her.
***
Back when Amis was a slave, she had witnessed Captain Kuro's battle.
Ignoring them completely, Capone Bege had fired cannonballs at them, though, to be fair, he probably didn't see any value in them anymore, while Kuro moved around as if teleporting, kicking cannonballs upward and using his Devil Fruit powers to transform and charge at Bege.
At that moment, Amis and Toya had been stunned by how fast a person could move.
She was so strong that she could widen a cave used to hide the ship with just her kicks.
"Ugh... ugh..."
No, that wasn't it.
The sight before their eyes made such thoughts vanish.
"Just that alone...!"
It was as if a massive firework were rising from the ground.
The eagle-like eyes that had sent shivers down the marines' spines were smiling, yet sweating as they swung their sword desperately.
The area around them was bright, despite the night.
A deafening metallic clang echoed as an immense shower of sparks continued to fly.
"...!"
Following Amis, the Black Cats that had risen one after another, even Daz and the powerful Hack, stood frozen in shock, unsure of what to do. The merfolk and mermaids they had just rescued, along with the three girls, were all captivated by the scene.
Meanwhile, the hawk's eyes continued to parry the invisible strikes with near-perfect precision, but even so, small wounds began to appear on his cheeks and hands.
"There have been countless swordsmen who boasted of divine speed. But they were all mere tricksters, relying on superficial techniques or acrobatics... or cheats who relied on their silver tongues."
In complete silence, except for the clanging of swords, invisible strikes were launched from every angle.
Facing this, the eagle's eyes grew even more serious, and in the briefest of moments, shorter than the blink of an eye, he re-gripped his sword.
"You are different. You are not a swordsman, but despite your apparent aversion to combat, you have indeed continued to hone your skills and build upon them."
And the speed of his sword strikes increased even more, the metallic clanging echoing throughout the area.
"I acknowledge it. You are indeed a warrior who has reached the realm of divine speed."
"—And that's why this battle was a valuable lesson for me as well. I thank you."
In the next instant, the sword in the hawk-eyed man's grip vanished with a faint "whoosh," and simultaneously, the sound of steel shattering echoed.
The remaining cat's paw, its five blades shattered, and the black-suited pirate, who had remained invisible until then, appeared before the eagle-eyed warrior, still glaring at him with sharp eyes.
"I am truly grateful for having been able to fight you."
The eagle-eyed warrior's slash was several times faster than before.
It was a speed that could rival even an instant.
In a split second, Kuro kicked toward the blade.
Though the blade had clearly been blocked, it did not stop—
It sliced through the suit, sending a spray of fresh blood into the air, and the black cat collapsed to the ground.
In that instant, two shadows leaped toward the eagle-eyed figure.
"Captain!"
The first mate of this ship, who had earned the nickname "Steel Blade" for his strength and leadership during the recent battle with the navy.
"How dare you!"
And the female swordswoman who, though still unnamed and without a bounty on her head, was on her way to becoming the commander of the ship's combat unit.
Daz and Amis were attacking the strongest swordsman, who had slain many powerful foes, with their drawn swords, their arms transformed into blades.
"Stop, you two!"
The eagle-eyed man tried to say something, but neither of them heard him.
Daz spun his arm, which had transformed into a spiral-shaped blade, and swung it down toward the man's head.
"Your resolve is commendable..."
Daz's fatal technique, which had destroyed most of the opponent's weapons and deflected the rest, was easily blocked by the eagle-eyed warrior's sword.
Not by the blade, but by the hilt of the sword held in reverse.
"Daz! Duck!"
Startled, Daz paused slightly and instinctively crouched down as instructed.
In an instant, Amis, who had leaped forward, swiped the blade sideways, but it too was stopped by the hilt.
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
He parried all the subsequent strikes—two, three in a row, then sliced through the ghost that flew toward him, lightly cutting off the arm that had grown to choke his neck, and halted all attacks at once.
"Calm down. This man is still alive. The wounds are much shallower than expected."
"We should call the ship's doctor quickly."
"The man named Kuro is too valuable to let end here."
***
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