Strawberry raised his longsword, stomping through the air with Geppo.
The blade in his hand was coated in Haki, its edge flashing with a trace of sword aura as it slashed downward:
"Jinbe!!!"
Jinbe's eyes widened in fury:
"Shark Skin Palm!"
His legs burst with tremendous force, propelling him upward toward Strawberry.
He spun a full 360° in the air, borrowing rotational momentum, and kicked at the stabbing longsword:
"Five Thousand Tile True Punch! Spinning Kick!!!"
Boom——!!!!!
...
Evening.
Inside a battleship sailing through a raging storm.
A group of fish-men surrounded Tiger, who was lying on the operating table, trying to persuade him to accept a blood transfusion to survive.
This battleship had been seized by Arlong and his men, and Jinbe had already returned to the ship as well.
But he wasn't in good shape either—several deep cuts marred his body, and blood trickled from his head.
Tiger, lying on the operating table, once again refused a transfusion of human blood and roared angrily:
"Don't you dare give me a transfusion!!!"
"I will not survive by relying on that blood!"
His face twisted fiercely, his voice choking and trembling uncontrollably:
"That is filthy blood!"
"That is the blood of those who have always despised us fish-men!"
"I will not accept a human's favor."
"Nor will I accept a human's pity!"
"I will never submit to humans!!!"
"Huff... huff... huff..."
His breathing grew rough and heavy.
Even Arlong was shaken seeing Tiger like this.
All this time, Tiger had always been the one who treated humans...
"Tiger... what on earth happened to you?"
Hearing Arlong's question, Tiger shut his eyes with a tremble.
His hand unconsciously pressed against the tattoo on his chest as he spoke in anguish:
"That was... long ago."
"Not long after my last voyage, I was captured."
"I was locked up in Mary Geoise for years."
"I once... was a slave."
The surrounding crew stared at Tiger in shock:
"What!"
"Boss Tiger..."
"Impossible!!!"
"Boss..."
Tears streamed down Tiger's face as he sobbed:
"What I saw there was humanity's madness."
"Although I narrowly escaped, I couldn't just watch the other slaves die without helping them."
"Listen to me well..."
"I've always lived freely, following my own will."
"But in the end, I only made things harder for Queen Otohime."
"She was right..."
"Everyone longs for peace."
"But the ones who can truly change everything are the next generation, like little Koala, who knows nothing of hatred."
"So... I beg you."
"Don't tell the fish-men on the island anything."
"Neither the tragedies we've endured, nor the hatred we hold against humans."
"Say nothing of it."
"Only the living can change the future. The dead leave behind nothing but hatred."
"How laughable..."
"I know it clearly in my mind, yet my heart has already been corrupted by demons..."
"My body itself rejects this blood."
"I will never love humans again..."
"So please, conceal it all. Don't let hatred be passed down."
His trembling voice grew quieter and quieter:
"And also..."
"Tell Queen Otohime I'm sorry..."
"I was wrong..."
His thoughts drifted into emptiness.
In his final moments, the fragments flashing through Tiger's mind were those days back in Fish-Man District.
He saw before him the brothers who had called him "aniki," one after another:
"It was so much fun..."
He tried to reach out and touch them, but his hand, only halfway lifted, dropped down.
His breathing ceased completely.
"Tiger!!!!"
...
In the year 1510 of the Sea Circle Calendar, the fish-man hero "Fisher Tiger," who had once climbed the Red Line with his bare hands and freed countless slaves, refused a transfusion of human blood and died.
Looking back on the life of this fish-man hero—
From his youth, ruling Fish-Man District with loyalty and strength—leaving Fish-Man Island for adventure—captured and enslaved—escaping and liberating slaves—returning to Fish-Man Island and leading away the anti-human radicals—fighting against the World Government, and finally dying in rebellion.
The second half of his life was filled with contradictions.
He led away the radicals, yet lacked resolve, yielding whenever he could. Even when pursued by the Government, he held back from taking lives.
But he was not weak. He chose the path of a pirate, standing opposite Queen Otohime. Though he too sought to erase racial discrimination, his methods were far more radical than hers.
He hated humans, yet refused to pass that hatred onto the next generation.
He knew well that only resistance could bring equality, but resistance inevitably left scars on those who followed.
Yet he had no choice. The demon in his heart drove him, making it impossible to stand by and do nothing.
From the perspective of the world's social environment and the unresolved issues of history,
his rebellion was doomed to fail.
But... it was also an inevitable step in the progression of civilization.
Grudges, race, discrimination—such barriers would not fade with time.
It always required someone to take that first step, leaving behind a mark in history that would gradually expand.
There have never been saviors, nor eternal heroes...
Only pioneers who shed blood and sacrificed themselves on the path of revolution.
The mark Tiger left behind would be carried forward, developed, and spread by generation after generation.
Decades, centuries—one day, Fish-Man Island will see liberation... and welcome the sunlight that belongs to them.
But... it is far too slow...
"What this generation can solve, do not leave to the next." — Sakazuki
...
Off the coast of Foolshout Island.
On three battleships anchored there.
Borsalino stood on the deck of one, smoking leisurely, when he suddenly noticed something:
"Hmm?"
After Fisher Tiger's death, unable to accept reality, Arlong prepared to swim back to Foolshout Island and slaughter every human there.
But just as he reached the shore and saw the three battleships, Arlong grinned ferociously:
"Then I'll start with you!!!"
Boom!
A column of water shot up beside one of the battleships, crashing down onto the deck. Fists with many times the strength of a normal human pounded the Marines relentlessly.
Arlong's twisted, manic face roared:
"Filthy humans!"
"I'll smash you all to pieces!!!"
"Shahahahaha!!!"
Madness flickered in his eyes as he slaughtered Marine after Marine without restraint.
Boom!
He struck down another group of soldiers, then suddenly raised his head at the sight of the Navy flag fluttering above. He wanted to tear it to shreds.
Leaping upward, he shot toward the top of the mast:
"Shahahahaha!!!"
On the middle battleship, Borsalino puffed on his cigarette and spoke in his drawling, mocking tone:
"So noisy~"
He lifted his index finger, light gathering at the tip.
Swoosh—
A golden beam pierced straight through Arlong's chest as he flew skyward.
Boom!
It exploded violently, blasting him down onto the shore, unable to rise.
Borsalino vanished into motes of light from the battleship and suddenly reappeared in front of Arlong.
He pressed a foot onto his chest, pinning the struggling fish-man so he couldn't move.
"So you're Arlong, huh~"
"Hmm?"
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