Grand Line
The Soul Society cut steadily across the vast sea, its next destination set on Fish-Man Island.
Fish-Man Island lay ten thousand meters beneath the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, a mandatory stop for anyone seeking passage into the New World. It was also the birthplace of most fish-men and merfolk.
But beyond its unusual location, the island had long been mired in controversy because of racial conflict.
To black-market dealers and traffickers, Fish-Man Island was paradise.
After all, among the slaves most prized by the Celestial Dragons, the ones from Fish-Man Island were among the most sought-after.
For years, the imbalance between fish-men and humans had left the island's people suffering without end. It was only after Whitebeard declared the island under his protection that things finally began to improve.
"We're still some distance away from Fish-Man Island." Ren Kuro glanced behind him with a faint smile. Ever since Tōshirō Hitsugaya had joined the crew, the atmosphere aboard the ship had become livelier.
Just then, a News Coo flew in from afar, and a fresh Marine Headquarters newspaper dropped into his hands.
"Looks like something big happened again."
He unfolded it out of curiosity, but the moment he saw the headline, his brow tightened.
Printed in bold across the front page was:
"The Sun Pirates recently clashed with the Marines. Heavy casualties among the fish-men aboard. A small number escaped. Captain Fisher Tiger has been captured alive and will be escorted to the Great Underwater Prison!"
"…What?!"
"Fisher Tiger and his crew fought the Marines?"
Even Ren Kuro was startled.
Two years ago, Tiger had climbed the Red Line with his bare hands, stormed the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, and freed thousands of enslaved people of different races. After that, he founded the Sun Pirates and sailed the seas freely.
"Looks like the World Government never let that grudge go." Ren Kuro's eyes narrowed. "They've been hunting Tiger ever since. But the Sun Pirates are usually hard to pin down. For the Marines to intercept them like this…"
"…could it have been an ambush?"
As he stared at the photo printed in the paper, a bold idea surfaced in his mind.
If this had only just happened, then after such a fierce battle, the Marines likely hadn't reached Impel Down yet.
"If we save Tiger…"
A faint smile tugged at Ren Kuro's lips.
"Fish-Man Island would have every reason to trust us—and be grateful."
Since Fish-Man Island was already their next destination, intercepting the Marine convoy and rescuing Tiger would not be difficult.
And once it was done—
they might even gain a substantial reward from Fish-Man Island as well.
"Yachiru, go call the others over."
He lowered the newspaper and spoke over his shoulder.
"Ren Kuro, what happened?" Yachiru asked curiously.
"Tell them we're intercepting a warship."
"…What?" A trace of worry appeared on Yachiru's round face. "Ren Kuro, that's dangerous."
Even though the Marines had not revoked the bounties on the Shinigami Pirates, after extending the offer to join the Seven Warlords, they had temporarily halted active pursuit.
To intercept a Marine convoy now would shatter that fragile balance.
That was not a small decision.
So something serious must have happened.
Carrying those thoughts, Yachiru quickly gathered the four captains.
"The hell is this? I was in the middle of a nap." Kenpachi grumbled irritably.
"Ren Kuro, which unlucky soul have you set your sights on this time?" Gin asked with his usual smiling eyes.
"Listen carefully."
Ren Kuro laid the newspaper out before them and said in a low voice, "The fish-man leader was captured not long ago. I plan to intercept the warships and rescue Tiger."
"Escorting an important prisoner to the Great Underwater Prison means there may be an Admiral guarding the convoy. This won't be easy."
"No." Ren Kuro shook his head. "With Kizaru and Akainu both missing an arm, the Marines' safest option would be to dispatch Aokiji. To ordinary pirates, the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit might be a nightmare…"
He turned toward Hitsugaya and smiled faintly.
"But in front of us, it means nothing."
"Hitsugaya—your Zanpakutō is the strongest ice-type blade. You should be able to suppress Aokiji without much trouble. When the time comes, I'll leave him to you."
"No problem." Hitsugaya responded with his usual aloof calm, arms hanging at his sides.
"Then we turn around immediately and head for the Fred Sea. That's one of the required routes to the Great Underwater Prison. With the Soul Society's speed, we'll reach it quickly enough."
"This time, we're saving Tiger."
Once the decision was made, the Soul Society changed course and tore across the ocean at full speed.
After a full day and night of sailing, they finally reached the Fred Sea.
"Thanks to Tom-san's gift, we ended up with one hell of a ship."
Standing at the center of the deck, Ren Kuro smiled in satisfaction.
After Tom's modifications, the Soul Society had gained a special propulsion system. It glided over the sea as if the waves did not exist, allowing them to reach their destination in remarkably little time.
Now, they had seized the initiative.
"Ren Kuro, are you really that sure they'll take this route?" Gin moved to his side, curious.
"With Aokiji's lazy personality, he'll definitely choose the shortest path." Ren Kuro answered without hesitation.
"Oh my… intercepting a Marine convoy head-on. If word of this gets out, a lot of people are going to be shocked." Gin smiled faintly. For a snake, lying in wait and swallowing prey whole was second nature.
As the two spoke, Yachiru hurried over again.
"Ren Kuro—"
"The Marine warships really are here!"
Ren Kuro's expression shifted. He turned at once and looked into the distance, anticipation flashing in his eyes.
At the far edge of his vision, five black dots were growing larger.
Five warships.
And at the head of them all, on the largest ship in the formation—
was one of the three Marine Admirals.
Aokiji.
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