Before Hachi could reply, a woman's voice sounded not far away.
"Hachi, don't tell him. There are countless things in this world that he doesn't know."
"Alvida!" Hachi shouted with joy. "So you're here!"
Amid the chaos, the members of Davy Jones' pirate crew had scattered in all directions.
Alvida crawled up from the shore, dripping wet. She ran her hand over her tangled black hair, and with the salt washed away, it returned to its silky smoothness.
Vice Admiral Strawberry's narrow eyes snapped wide open in shock as he stared at her.
"I remember you're a Devil Fruit user. Without anyone's help, how could you possibly escape from the sea?"
Of course, Alvida would never reveal the truth of the Contract Seal and the Ghostly Green Light. She only smiled faintly at the navy vice admiral.
Go on and guess. The harder you try, the farther you'll run down the wrong path.
From her smile, Strawberry saw no beauty at all—only a bone-chilling coldness.
When a Devil Fruit user no longer fears the sea… isn't that what it means to be a true demon?
She must be subdued along with the octopus fish-man, or else headquarters would lose a vital piece of intelligence on the Davy Jones Pirates!
Strawberry bellowed:
"In the name of Naval Justice, I cannot allow you two criminals to leave alive!"
Confidence filled his heart.
From what he could see of Hachi, this pirate crew hadn't mastered Haki. That gave him an overwhelming advantage.
And the tall hat he wore was not for vanity—it concealed a secret similar to the great pirate Don Chinjao's pointed head.
His Haki could be concentrated upon his elongated skull, making it as sharp as a blade.
Though famed as a dual-swordsman, Strawberry was in truth a three-swordsman.
And enemies who didn't know this intelligence often fell victim to it.
Just as he was about to strike, another voice interrupted.
"Justice?" a woman's voice rang out. "Your navy's justice—does it belong to us common folk as well? Are they one and the same?"
More enemies?!
Strawberry looked sidelong—and saw another group climbing ashore.
When his eyes fell on one figure among them, his eyelids twitched violently.
"Sea Knight" Jinbe!
The second-in-command of the Sun Pirates!
His triangular body was burly, his entire skin light blue. Without a word, he fixed a heavy gaze upon Strawberry.
Beside Jinbe stood another fish-man with pale yellow skin.
Sheltered between the two was a short-haired girl with orange hair hidden beneath a cap.
She glared furiously at Strawberry.
"Do you remember me?" Koala said. "I cried for help in Mary Geoise until my voice broke, until I went completely numb. You knew we were there, yet you ignored us. That is your justice?"
She would never forget those dark, endless days—
Kept like livestock in a pen, collared like a pet.
Even the barest human emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure were all subject to another's control.
Branded with the Hoof of the Celestial Dragon, her dignity as a person was stripped away forever.
She had screamed to the heavens and the earth for salvation—but neither had answered. Only the appearance of Fisher Tiger had ended her nightmare.
"So you're one of the slaves who escaped that day," Strawberry muttered.
He didn't recognize the girl before him as the same child Fisher Tiger had once escorted back to her village.
He merely assumed she was one among the many slaves Fisher Tiger had freed when he scaled the Red Line with his bare hands and raided Mary Geoise.
"Since you've regained your freedom, you should've lived quietly. How dare you consort with pirates?" Strawberry stroked the long beard on his chin, his tone full of condescension from on high.
Koala fumed at his refusal to answer the real question, acting as though he hadn't heard her at all. She was about to retort when Hack laid a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Koala, it's useless. He understands perfectly well. He only pretends not to. Our dignity and justice were won by ourselves. The navy's justice covers only those the Celestial Dragons deem worthy."
At that, Hachi suddenly exclaimed:
"Ah! You're that floor-scrubbing little girl! I remember you—you're the one who killed Fisher Tiger!"
Koala looked at him, recognizing him at once.
But hearing his words, shame and guilt flickered across her face.
Though she hadn't known at the time, it had indeed been her family and her village who reported them.
If Hachi wanted to hold her responsible and brand her a murderer, she had no way to refute him.
Koala had always carried the guilt of betraying Fisher Tiger and the Sun Pirates.
Jinbe, watching this, sighed. Hachi's slow wits for recognizing people hadn't improved at all. He barked angrily:
"Hachi, what nonsense are you spouting? Haven't you learned to think before speaking in the Davy Jones Pirates?"
Through newspapers and bounty posters, Jinbe had long since learned of his old comrade's whereabouts.
Truth be told, he'd been relieved to hear Hachi was no longer following Arlong. He hadn't wanted the octopus to become as extreme as his old captain.
Seeing him again today, Jinbe had hoped Hachi had matured. Yet here he was, still blurting out foolish words.
Shaking his head in frustration, Jinbe explained:
"Before humans betrayed us, she was with us. Captain Tiger personally sent her back to her village. How could that have been her doing? And besides—have you forgotten Captain Tiger's dying wish?"
"Master Jinbe, I…"
Hachi scratched his head, uncertain. Was he referring to Tiger's wish that they not shed human blood? Or to Queen Otohime's path of striving for peace?
Before the bickering could escalate further, Alvida stepped in to smooth things over.
"Everyone, calm down. Our real focus should be this navy officer, shouldn't it?"
At once, the spotlight returned to Vice Admiral Strawberry.
"I remember who you are now," he said at last, having pieced it together from their conversation. Yet his tone remained cold.
"Then you should be even more grateful. We saved you from those fish-man pirates."
Koala's eyes burned with fury.
"To uphold that kind of justice, to soothe your own guilty conscience—you twist memories into things that never happened?"
But Strawberry didn't wish to think further. Nor did he wish to argue. Raising his two blades, he shouted:
"Our justice will prevail!"
Knowing full well he was doomed, he nevertheless charged forward—straight into the enemy's encirclement.
The fight was short. His twin blades were shattered by Jinbe's Fish-Man Karate. His right arm was wrenched off by Hack, his left cut off by Hachi, and his knees smashed by Alvida's iron club.
With a crash, Strawberry fell to his knees before Koala. His tall hat rolled away, revealing the straight ridge of his skull.
Koala clenched her fist in a Fish-Man Karate stance.
"This punch is for Fisher Tiger, betrayed by humans. It is for the slaves betrayed by you."
With a thunderous strike, her fist came down. A sickening crack echoed—the elongated skull shattered.
Meanwhile, Ace knelt toward "Whitebeard" Newgate, bowing his head once before rising.
"Oyagi, I—"
"Go. We've said all there is to say."
Newgate's mountain-like figure didn't turn. He only waved his hand, signaling Ace to leave quickly.
Moments earlier, atop the massive ice sheet, Newgate had stood alone, free to fight without restraint.
Yet Ace had refused to simply depart. He insisted on kneeling before him in gratitude.
Only after that did he finally lead his group away.
Soon after, he turned to the "clown" beside him.
"Say that again—who exactly are you?"
"Are your ears stuffed?" Buggy snapped, both flustered and furious. "I told you already—I was an apprentice on the Roger Pirates! I knew Captain Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, Whitebeard, Red-Haired Shanks! And now I'm a crewman of the Davy Jones Pirates—I came here to save you!"
Ace couldn't tell if Buggy was bragging or telling the truth.
The names he rattled off were all legends of the Grand Line, past and present alike. It sounded far too absurd.
If he really had been on Roger's ship, then why did he look… so ridiculous?
Buggy jabbed a gloved finger at Ace and shouted:
"Listen here! Don't you dare mention my nose! Take back whatever you're thinking! By seniority, you ought to be calling me Uncle Buggy!"
Ace could only nod.
Whether Buggy's words were true or not, he had come to the peril of Marineford—that alone made him an ally.
"Ace, let's go," Sabo urged. Carrying the unconscious Luffy, he stood with "Queen" Ivankov at his side. "Marco and the others have already seized a navy warship. We can escape."
Buggy chimed in quickly:
"Yes, yes! Let's hurry. We'll get you aboard, and then I'll return to the Ghostly Terror and prepare to withdraw!"
The Moby Dick, Whitebeard's flagship, had long since sunk in battle. First Division Commander Marco had wasted no time in capturing a navy warship for their retreat.
"I know. That was Father's order," Ace muttered gloomily to Sabo. "I'll obey it—just like Marco and the others."
The four of them, with Luffy in their arms, were just about to leave when two terrifying auras suddenly pressed down upon them.
They all turned sharply—hearts pounding.
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