Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13.
Passing through the narrow lawless zone, two cloaked figures arrived at a bar perched on a small hill.
"Shakky's Rip-Off Bar? Can we really find help here?"
Fisher Tiger, hidden beneath his hood, whispered.
Originally, he had planned to scale the Red Line alone… perhaps to fall to his death from a cliff or die under the gunfire of Holy Land Mary Geoise, becoming just another soul lost on the path of rebellion.
But in the mere few dozen minutes since meeting this girl, he had inexplicably been drawn to her, even unconsciously following her.
All because she had said there was a better way.
'Why was this happening? I must have gone mad!'
"Don't underestimate the people here!"
The girl's voice grew softer, her face lighting up with excitement.
She stepped forward eagerly, placing her hands on the thick brown wooden door and pushing it open. The bell hanging above the entrance jingled cheerfully.
"Uncle Ray-leigh?"
Inside the bar, the brown wooden walls and red barstools were covered in knife marks. A pirate was impaled on the semicircular bar in the center, unconscious, while four or five others lay on the floor, blood covering their faces.
A woman who had aged gracefully held a cigarette in her mouth as she pulled the pirate off the bar and tossed him to the ground.
"Ara, isn't this Sakura? Looking for old Ray? He's at the casino~"
Holding the cigarette between her fingers, the woman leaned over the bar, smiling warmly at Sakura.
"Au.... Shakky-nee!"
Sakura nearly slipped into her old habit of addressing her but caught herself just in time.
Inside the bar, Shakky's Armament Haki subtly receded. She took out a glass of orange juice, added ice, and slid it over to Sakura.
Sweet-tongued kids get juice!
"The one behind you can take off the cloak too. Since you're Sakura's friend, you're safe here."
Hearing Shakky's words, Fisher Tiger removed his hood.
Seeing that Shakky showed no unusual reaction to his identity as a Fish-man, he relaxed his guard slightly.
"So, what brings you to old Ray?"
Shakky reached out and affectionately booped the nose of the girl sipping her orange juice.
"Well, originally, I came to ask Uncle Rayleigh for help. But since he's not here, forget it."
After finishing the orange juice, Sakura tipped the glass and poured the ice cubes into her mouth, crunching them noisily.
Hearing the girl's words, Shakky's eyes flickered between Fisher Tiger and Sakura.
"This Fish-man Adventurer... he's a slave who escaped from Mary Geoise, right? Bringing him to old Ray... are you planning to do something to the World Government?"
From just a few words and the intelligence she possessed, Shakky had already deduced part of Sakura's purpose.
"It's nothing, we-"
Fisher Tiger's words were cut off as Sakura straightforwardly admitted.
"Yep! We plan to sneak into Holy Land Mary Geoise and free the slaves!"
For a moment, the atmosphere in the bar froze.
Fisher Tiger's mouth hung open, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
Beside him, Shakky's eyes were shadowed, the cigarette in her hand burning steadily. The ash dropped to the floor, but she didn't react.
After a long pause, she stubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray and said seriously, "Are you serious? Do you have any idea how much the World Government will despise you for doing something like this?"
"But Shakky-nee, do I look like the kind of person who plays by the rules?"
Sakura used two fingers to push up her cheeks, putting on a cute face for Shakky.
"Wait, you're saying this child is already a wanted criminal by the World Government?"
Fisher Tiger slammed the table and stood up, picking up on the extraordinary implications in their conversation.
Shakky silently pulled out a stack of bounty posters from under the bar and handed him the one with Sakura's face.
"220 million Berry?!"
His eyes widened in shock. Fisher Tiger glanced at the bounty poster, then at Sakura, comparing them repeatedly.
Even after verifying, he still couldn't believe that someone so young was a notorious pirate!
"Hehe~"
Sakura tilted her head, propping it up with her hand, and proudly wiggled her eyebrows at Fisher Tiger.
The red Fish-man fell silent, breathing heavily for a moment before expressionlessly pressing the bounty poster onto the table.
"No, you can't come with me."
Fisher Tiger downed the drink Shakky had given him in one gulp, his hand clenching tightly and crumpling the bounty poster.
"Why not?!"
Sakura's hand slipped, her cheeks puffing out as she glared at him angrily.
"Wouldn't that make me, Fisher Tiger, someone who demands repayment for a favor?!"
His fist slammed onto the table, veins bulging on his arm.
A child who could treat Fish-men with normalcy was a bridge to the future. He absolutely couldn't let her follow him, a vengeful soul seeking destruction, onto such a dangerous path.
"Don't flatter yourself."
Sakura punched his hand, making him yelp in pain and release the bounty poster.
Catching the fluttering paper, the girl admired the photo of herself.
"This is an adventure I approve of. If I die on this journey, it just proves I wasn't anything special to begin with!"
A terrifying aura comparable to the blazing sun erupted from the girl. The world seemed to celebrate and cheer for this indomitable will.
Instantly, amidst rumbling thunder, dark lightning surged and boiled, as if crowning the girl.
"Ara, you're getting me all fired up too."
Shakky rested a hand on her hip, lighting another cigarette and taking a deep drag.
"So, what do you need me to do for you, Sakura? This time, I won't charge you~"
"Great! Then help me contact enemies of the government. Shakky-nee, you must have their contact info, right?"
"You little schemer, you've been waiting for this, haven't you?"
"Hehe~"
Fisher Tiger, sitting to the side, grew more and more confused.
'What were they talking about? It seemed like they had settled something important in just a few words?'
'Am I being excluded? Wasn't I the one who was supposed to free his fellow slaves?'
'What were they doing now? What did they mean by arranging escape ships and interfere with the government tracking?'
'Should I participate? But it felt so comfortable to just hand over my brain and not think about anything.'
"Cough!"
Fisher Tiger coughed, trying to get their attention.
"Alright, Uncle Fisher, it's just some minor logistical arrangements."
After finalizing things with Shakky, Sakura turned and patted Fisher Tiger's arm with a smile.
"As for breaking into Holy Land Mary Geoise, you'll have to go there yourself in the end!"
Taking a deep breath, the red Fish-man's eyes reignited with flame.
His four years of miserable enslavement had made him deeply understand what humans were capable of.
The wails of compatriots and the cold corpses lying in the abyss where the purest malice of mankind flowed… the 'Holy Land' Mary Geoise.
Now, he was returning to that nightmare land stained with blood and suffering.
Fisher Tiger looked up, his voice hoarse, "I wouldn't have it any other way!"