Even with all his years of experience, Garp was still surprised by the scene before him—dozens of pirate ships, docked openly and brazenly in a single port.
The last time he had seen so many pirate ships gathered in one place was back in the God Valley, when they were facing the Rocks Pirates.
And this was only one port.
Who knew how many more pirate ships were scattered around the rest of the island?
Michael carefully counted them again—fifty-one pirate ships in total—then shook his head.
How had things on Fish-Man Island deteriorated to this point?
Could this really be the result of simply withdrawing from the World Government?
Michael had a vague feeling that the island's descent into chaos wasn't solely the World Government's fault—or even entirely the fault of humanity.
The islanders themselves, both royal and common folk, had clearly endured too much and ended up choosing inaction.
Still, in a way, it was understandable.
Despite being called an "island," Fish-Man Island was more like a solitary undersea city.
It was enclosed by an enormous double-layered bubble membrane, with an air layer between the two membranes for protection.
Although it lay 10,000 meters under the sea, the oxygen and sunlight delivered by the roots of the Sunlight Tree Eve allowed Fish-Man Island to function like any surface island. In fact, the brilliantly lit seafloor surroundings made it one of the most breathtaking and beautiful places in the world.
So, the upper half of Fish-Man Island wasn't too different from life on land. Below that, in the lower half, the Fish-Men and merfolk also had their own normal districts for living.
But right now, Michael couldn't be bothered to make any detailed assessments of the island's condition.
Whatever he estimated, it would only end up being worse than he expected.
"Sigh, traveling with an old man really is a pain. I have to take care of everything myself."
Michael sighed, missing T Bone and Shu—the dynamic duo of corpse disposal.
If those two had been here, these fifty-one pirate ships would've been perfect training fodder.
"Hey! Brat! If you've got something to say, just spit it out! When did I ever pick a fight with you?"
Michael ignored Garp.
Instead, he spread his wings and took to the air, flying toward the cluster of pirate ships ahead.
At the same time, he drew the Myōjō from his waist.
Since there were so many pirate ships, taking out a few himself shouldn't be an issue, right?
He swung the Myōjō.
A surge of white Holy Light ignited into a massive aerial slash, guided by the Myōjō's swing.
None of the fifty-one pirate ships could resist the strike for even a moment.
In the blink of an eye, they were all cleaved in two.
Then, under the searing flames of Holy Light, they were reduced to ashes.
The entire harbor instantly became far more open and clear.
Naturally, that one strike didn't go unnoticed by the pirates onshore or the residents of Fish-Man Island.
Some of them were pirates belonging to the destroyed ships.
But even if they had nine lives, none of them would dare challenge a man who could casually do something like that.
They could only accept their bad luck.
And so, under the stunned and fearful stares of pirates and townsfolk alike, Garp's ship slowly sailed into the harbor.
"A dog-head prow! That's the Navy hero Garp's warship!"
"That's great! The Navy must have finally decided to step in to help us!"
"Don't be so sure. Even if he's a Navy hero, he's still a human hero. For all we know… he might be no different from those vile humans."
Garp's reputation was legendary—not just among pirates but among the common people too.
Now that he had arrived on Fish-Man Island, his presence was enough to make the pirates start reining themselves in.
Most of them had only come to Fish-Man Island to cross into the New World.
Getting caught by the Navy hero right at the doorstep? That would be terrible luck.
Soon, the pirates who witnessed the Navy's arrival rushed off to spread the word.
In no time at all, the news that Garp had arrived and destroyed every pirate ship in the port had swept across Fish-Man Island.
Not that Michael cared.
The first thing he noticed upon stepping foot on the island was...
The island really was as prosperous and beautiful as the rumors claimed.
Judging by the level of prosperity alone, it could compete with the Sabaody Archipelago.
In fact, after the great purge on Sabaody, Fish-Man Island might even be more prosperous.
And reaching this level of prosperity was definitely more difficult for Fish-Man Island than it was for Sabaody.
The location said it all.
One was a major traffic hub on the ocean's surface, and the other was deep under the sea.
If the two islands had been on equal footing, Fish-Man Island would've easily surpassed Sabaody.
But with all that came a heavy sense of oppression.
Although the Fish-Men and merfolk went about their daily lives, not a single smile could be seen. The entire place felt lifeless and suffocating.
Only the merchants on the roadside selling their smiles and the curious outsiders seemed untouched by the gloom. The locals had become numb.
"Tsk, Michael. The vibe here is really strange."
"No shit. Anyone with eyes can tell something's off."
Michael's lips twitched.
He wasn't blind!
Some of the civilians, upon seeing the Navy uniforms, looked at them with the same hatred they showed pirates.
There was only one explanation.
Those so-called "Justice of the Region" Navy officers had already been here.
Michael wasn't confused.
He would change the way Fish-Man Island viewed the Navy.
But that also meant that on this trip—not only would he be dealing with pirates...
He might have to deal with the Navy's own rotten elements as well.
And clearly, Garp had realized this too. The old man, whose back had always been straight and proud, slumped slightly after letting out a sigh.
Though it only lasted a moment.
"Come on. Let's head to the Ryugu Kingdom first."
With that, Garp made his way toward the palace at the island's center—the most eye-catching structure.
...
At that moment, on a street near the harbor, several shadowy figures darted past an alley entrance.
Michael glanced briefly, then ignored them.
So Fish-Man Island wasn't completely passive after all.
Whether those people actually had brains, though... that was another matter.
...
"Tiger-san! We just got word! A new group of Navy officers has landed on Fish-Man Island! And leading them is the legendary Navy hero—Garp!"
"And the Navy guy next to him isn't in our database at all, but with a single sword strike… he destroyed all forty or fifty pirate ships in the harbor!"
In a corner of Fish-Man District, the young Arlong was urgently reporting to another Fish-Man.
The man was tall and covered in crimson scales—none other than Fisher Tiger, the famed Fish-Man explorer.
And the future leader of the Sun Pirates.
He was supposed to have been captured by the Celestial Dragons and enslaved, but thanks to Michael dismantling the slave trade network, he was still free and alive on Fish-Man Island.
"...Garp? Where are they headed?"
"Toward the royal palace!"
"I'll head out. Arlong, watch over Fish-Man District. If any pirates or Marines come to provoke us again like last time… deal with them immediately."
"Yes, Tiger-san!"
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