"Ah! It's so warm!"
Fish-Man Street, once dim and cold, now basked in sunlight.
"Mama, it's beautiful!"
The Fish-Men, who had long lived in the shadowed alleys, stared in awe at the spinning crimson sun above.
"My eyes… they hurt!"
"Ah! My eyes! I'm going to turn into dried fish eyes!"
"It's so hot!"
Even as the brilliant light seared their eyes, they refused to look away. This was their sun—a warmth they could feel and touch—so different from the cold seabed they had known.
"That Omnipotent God King wasn't bluffing. He actually brought us warmth, dispelling the darkness and cold!"
Under the sunlight, the Fish-Men's distorted and twisted features softened. Rare, genuine smiles appeared on faces long hardened by hardship.
"Hehehe, I stepped on your shadow!"
"Hehe! I dodge! I step!"
"Damn it! You stepped on me! I'll step back!"
Children ran laughing, chasing shadows, enjoying their first real sunlight.
"These kids are happy just from a small favor from humans!"
"Hmph! If Hody Jones knew this, he'd be furious!"
A Fish-Man chewed a floating slice of fish, curiosity in his eyes. "Why hasn't Jones shown up with all this change?"
"Maybe he isn't in Fish-Man Street. Perhaps he's hunting human pirate crews elsewhere," another replied.
Nearby, a group of hardened Fish-Men thugs watched, arms crossed and weapons in hand, uneasy. Their instinctive distrust of humans made them wary, even with kindness on display.
Yet, Shirogai and King Neptune had anticipated this. Hatred alone could never make a nation strong. But the desire for strength, tempered by hatred, could.
"Humans…"
A middle-aged flounder Fish-Man plunged his long sword into the ground, sighing with melancholy.
"Not all humans are evil. It's a shame my children never encountered the good ones, instead falling into the hands of cruel human slave traders."
"Uncle Wyatt! Are you giving up on avenging humans?"
A puffer Fish-Man, spines bristling, glared at him furiously. "Will the blood feuds of our kin be forgotten just because of this?"
He remembered hiding among water plants as his Mama was caught in a massive net, laughing cruelly at the humans. The memory made him tremble.
"I will never forget! Tor, I will never give up on avenging humans!"
Wyatt, the flounder Fish-Man, stared at Tor—whom he had come to see as a son—and spoke firmly.
"Then we join the King's Army! Since the King no longer seeks reconciliation with those who betrayed and harmed us, it is our duty to strengthen this nation!"
Standing, veins bulging, Wyatt roared, "We will take revenge on the humans who once enslaved our kin, one by one!"
"Yes! We will repay them as they repaid us!"
Tor's spines bristled, and he shouted fiercely.
Slap!
Wyatt's palm struck Tor, pricked by his spines. Tor fell, dazed, staring in confusion at the elder.
"Listen carefully!" Wyatt commanded, ignoring the blood on his hand.
"Our Fish-Men must never become like humans! They plunder shamelessly and viciously. We are different. We only want justice—not to become what we hate!"
Pulling Tor upright, Wyatt revealed the sun emblem on his chest—the mark of the Sun Pirates.
"Sun Pirates…"
"Fisher Tiger's crew…"
Even Tor, chastised moments ago, now looked at Wyatt with reverence.
"I had the honor of serving under Big Brother Tiger. The New Fish-Man Pirates, like Arlong, have fallen into hatred toward all humans, but that is wrong!"
Wyatt's eyes glimmered as memories of Tiger's voice and righteous resolve echoed.
"The Sun Pirates stand for liberation and freedom—for Fish-Men, humans, and merfolk alike! Those in power disregard life; we resist! We mock their cruelty without killing anyone, proving we are stronger than fish in moral conviction!"
The thugs of Fish-Man Street listened, captivated. Not even the brilliant sun above distracted them.
Fisher Tiger's message had always lived in their hearts:
"Only by freeing the next generation from hatred and prejudice can true coexistence with humans be achieved."
Severely wounded and dying, Tiger had cried, "I… I can no longer love humans…"
Wyatt, moved to tears, stroked the Sun Pirates' mark on his chest. His gaze swept over the children.
"Young warriors of the Fish-Man. Feel the world with your own hearts. Whether to hate or to love humans is your choice. Remember the blood feuds of history, and decide if coexistence is possible!"
His mind flashed to the smiling Omnipotent God King Shirogai, recalling Jinbe's evaluation. Wiping away tears, he declared:
"The King's thinking has changed. He faces our history. I will join the King's Army and protect this country openly. Those willing to follow me, do so!"
With that, Wyatt walked forward, leaving without hesitation, indifferent to who followed.
After a brief pause, the thugs of Fish-Man Street exchanged glances. Slowly, they followed Wyatt, marching toward Fish-Man Island under the blazing sun.
"I'm sorry, Big Brother Tiger," Wyatt murmured, stroking the sun emblem. "Rather than letting the children forget the past, they must know the truth and make their own choices. Our deep blood feud with humans will never be forgotten—but it will never be distorted."