Yoriichi's invitation genuinely stunned Tiger. He hadn't expected that the reason for this meeting was something like this. Borsalino and Kyros glanced at Yoriichi, then turned their gazes to Tiger.
Borsalino, ever sharp, immediately saw through Yoriichi's intentions.
As previously mentioned, there were stark differences between fish-men and humans, not just in biology, but in other ways as well. A typical fish-man's arm strength was ten times that of an ordinary human, and that was only one of their many advantages.
What truly made the fish-men fearsome was their combat ability underwater. In this vast sea, no matter how powerful a fighter might be, once they fell into the water, their combat ability would be severely reduced, especially those Devil Fruit users who turned into land-bound ducks.
If they could form a special operations force composed entirely of fish-men, it would bring nothing but benefit to the Marines. Virtually no downside.
And yet...
A strange thought crept into Borsalino's mind. He had immediately grasped the value of fish-men upon meeting Tiger. Surely, others within the Marines had come to this same conclusion before. The Marines had existed for generations, could it really be that no officer had ever considered integrating fish-men?
So why had there never been any fish-men among the Marines?
This question was worth pondering. Could it be that the formation of a fish-man unit under Yoriichi's Dawn Division might not be as beneficial to the Marines as it seemed?
His gaze grew deeper. Seated silently, he watched Yoriichi carefully.
In this base, Yoriichi was the highest authority. His next actions would determine the direction the Dawn Division would take.
"Become a Marine?"
"What kind of sick joke is that?!"
"You want me, a fish-man, to protect humans?!"
After a brief moment of shock, Tiger reacted with sudden fury, raising his voice in disbelief. His sudden outburst startled both Kyros and Borsalino. They stared at him, confused as to what, exactly, Yoriichi had said to set him off.
In Tiger's mouth, even the act of "protecting humans", a politically correct sentiment, sounded like a grave crime.
"I'm a fish-man!"
"I'm a damn fish-man!"
"One that you humans treat as exotic slaves!"
"Since I left Fish-Man Island, do you even know what I've been through?!"
"A bunch of vile scum, and now you want me to protect them? Marines? Ha! Marines?!"
"Don't make me laugh, Yoriichi!"
Tiger's emotional outburst caused Kyros to place a hand on his shoulder in a calming gesture. "Tiger, take it easy. The Vice Admiral only hoped you'd consider becoming a Marine. He didn't mean to disregard your experiences."
"I think he- "
Before Kyros could finish, Yoriichi gently cut him off.
"Kyros, that's pointless."
"Tiger, I have a question for you."
"I wonder if you'd be willing to answer it."
With that, Yoriichi sat up straight, smiling as he asked.
"What is it?" Tiger asked, despite himself, responding to Yoriichi's calmness almost instinctively.
"Fish-men are discriminated against, hunted, and treated as exotic slaves."
"There's no denying that, whether or not it was me or our Marines who did it, the ones responsible were humans. That, we can't deny."
"But."
"Don't you want to change that?"
"Did you leave Fish-Man Island simply because you were tired of living there? Or was it because you wanted to change this world?"
As he spoke, Yoriichi lifted a teacup from the table. Steam curled upward, partly obscuring his expression.
Tiger, staring at the man seated across from him, was momentarily speechless.
A direct hit.
Yoriichi's words had pierced him to the core. Yes, why had he left Fish-Man Island for this dangerous human world? Was it truly just boredom?
No. Or rather, not entirely.
He had wanted to see what the world under the sun was really like, not the fake "sunlight" of Fish-Man Island, but the real thing.
Even though everything he'd experienced since leaving the island had been a nightmare, deep down, he still longed for the world above. Did he hate humans completely?
Not entirely either.
At the very least, he still felt gratitude toward the Marines who had rescued him. Though his tone was harsh earlier, his anger wasn't entirely directed at Yoriichi and his people.
He had simply failed to control his fury and resentment in that moment.
Change. The dream of ending the discrimination, the hunting, the slavery of fish-men, just imagining it made Tiger's blood boil.
If it were possible, he truly hoped that future generations of fish-men could stand proudly under the sun, not cowering in the deep sea, surviving beneath a false light.
"Do you really... think it's possible?"
"Even if I join the Marines... can I really accomplish what you're talking about?"
Visions of a brighter future swirled in Tiger's mind, but the weight of lived trauma dragged him back down.
He wasn't naïve. He didn't believe in fairy tales.
"By yourself? Of course not."
"Human beliefs run deep. It will take one generation, two generations, maybe even ten, before they begin to shift."
"But to change their beliefs, we must first change their environment."
"Environment shapes perspective."
"One day, they'll realize there are fish-men in the Marines, fighting side by side with them against pirates."
"They'll discover that many of the things they eat and use come from Fish-Man Island."
"They'll see slavers punished with the harshest sentences."
"They'll witness kind, compassionate fish-men around them, living in their communities."
"And on that day, the world you dream of... will be reality."
Yoriichi stopped, then lifted his eyes to meet Tiger's.
"Tiger, if we want that future, the first step is building a bridge between our peoples."
"And you... will be that bridge."
"After you, I hope many more kind, just fish-men will join our Marines."
"Together, we'll protect this world. And together, we'll share in its peace."
"As for why I said you joining the Marines would create that bridge, it's simple."
"As I said, human beliefs won't change overnight. The discrimination and hunting won't vanish quickly."
"But we Marines, my Dawn Division, have the power to protect the fish-men who serve with us. To shield them from those harms."
"Once fish-men become Marines, their families, their home, Fish-Man Island itself, will be our responsibility to protect."
A cold glint flickered in Yoriichi's eyes, though his voice remained calm.
And in Tiger's heart, those words stirred a tidal wave.
He was not as rough as his appearance suggested. He understood immediately what Yoriichi meant.
Fish-Man Island had long been a member of the World Government, yet due to certain well-known reasons, it had remained isolated from the human world. Other than pirates sneaking in through coated ships, there was no real interaction.
In that history, the Marines had never once counted Fish-Man Island as part of their territory. Protection? Zero.
Some of it was due to the upper brass's inaction. But more importantly, it was the logistical and political difficulty. Protecting an island at the bottom of the sea required tremendous resources, and more than that, it risked direct conflict with the World Government.
After all, fish-men and mermaids were prized slaves of the so-called "gods."
If Fish-Man Island were protected, and a World Noble's slave ship came to take captives, what were the Marines to do?
The answer was obvious.
But Yoriichi was not like the Marines of the headquarters. Now that his power had grown, there were things he could finally do.
Celestial Dragons?
If one dared provoke him... he wouldn't hesitate to make sure they died in a "marine accident."
He wasn't ready to take on Mariejois itself, not yet, but he could certainly make any noble who left its walls disappear without a trace.
"If I join the Marines... will you really protect Fish-Man Island?"
Tiger stepped forward, voice trembling with emotion.
"Not 'the Marines.'"
"The Dawn Division of the Marines."
"There's a difference, Tiger."
"But once you've joined, you'll come to understand it."
Yoriichi smiled gently.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Tiger dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, startling everyone in the room.
"Bang!"
Before anyone could react, Tiger slammed his forehead into the tiled floor so hard that the tile cracked.
When he lifted his head again, fragments of porcelain fell from his brow. The hardened warrior's face was streaked with tears.
"Vice Admiral Yoriichi!"
"I'll join the Marines! I want to join!"
"I beg you, please give us a chance to live above the surface! Please protect those of us who've left Fish-Man Island!"
Kyros had raised his arm instinctively, thinking Tiger was about to attack Yoriichi, only to freeze mid-motion.
Even with guns pointed at him earlier, Tiger had remained composed. And yet here he was now, falling apart. Whatever he spoke of clearly mattered far more than his pride.
Kyros glanced at Yoriichi and couldn't help but think: his commander had incredible judgment.
Anyone willing to throw away his pride and kneel before the people he once hated, just to help others, was worthy of the Marines' justice cloak.
Or rather, Tiger was more qualified than many so-called Marines to wear the uniform.
"Tiger."
"From today onward, carry the name of my Dawn Division across the seas."
"So long as you never stray from justice, no matter who threatens you, myself and all of Dawn Division will stand by your side."
"I intend to form a Deep Sea Strike Force. Two hundred members. Tiger, you will be its Captain, with the rank of Lieutenant."
"I want you to return to Fish-Man Island and personally recruit the right warriors."
"Skill is secondary. What matters is their heart, whether they're willing to fight for peace between humans and fish-men. Whether they're willing to uphold the stability of this world."
Yoriichi stood slowly, placed both hands on Tiger's shoulders, and spoke with gravity.
Then, glancing at Borsalino, the latter understood and retrieved an enlistment form and rank commission from the desk.
That night...
A top-secret report was transmitted via den-den mushi to Admiral Sengoku's office.
He was working late, reading through paperwork, when the transponder snail chirped and spat out a document. He picked it up, scanned the contents, and his eyes narrowed.
"That brat...!"
"He's planning to return without HQ authorization?!"
The report, sent from Dressrosa, was simple:
[Vice Admiral Yoriichi has departed Dressrosa with the Dawn for Fish-Man Island.]
[A red seabream-type fish-man from Fish-Man Island has been promoted to Dawn Division Lieutenant. Yoriichi plans to recruit 200 more to form a Special Operations Unit.]
Two sentences, but they felt like thunder to Sengoku.
With his intelligence, he immediately saw the implications. With Yoriichi's character, there was no telling what might happen next. Bringing fish-men into the Marines was sure to escalate tensions with the Celestial Dragons.
But Sengoku, despite being Fleet Admiral, had no authority over the Dawn Division.
After thinking a moment, he brought the report to Commander Kong.
Kong merely gave it a glance and said, "Not bad. Fish-men are outstanding fighters. I don't oppose it."
Sengoku stared at Kong for a long time before silently leaving the office.
The next day, he told his old comrades.
Garp, upon hearing the news, simply laughed.
"That kid's not a child anymore, is he? He's a Vice Admiral, and running a major base. Let him do what he wants."
"So long as he doesn't go attacking Mariejois, let him be."
Zephyr chuckled as well. "Haven't seen him in a while. Let's have him come stay at HQ for a few days."
Sengoku was exasperated. These two were impossible to reason with.
May, Year 1502 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
After purging the first half of the New World, Yoriichi's Dawn finally reached the Marine special channel and began heading for the Sabaody Archipelago.
And just a few days before their arrival, Marine HQ dispatched waves of forces to Sabaody. Pirates were cleared out. Casinos were shut down. Slave ships were seized. Even the long-standing "legal" slave trade was forcibly closed.
Nobles from around the world, there to vacation, protested in outrage, only to be completely ignored.
May 10th.
The sleek Dawn docked at port. Soon after, Marines formed ranks along the coast to welcome the ship.
At the bow, Yoriichi scratched his head as he looked at the solemn ranks assembled below.
"I'm not some terrifying pirate... What's with all the ceremony?"
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