Rushaka is generally friendly towards humans, but since everyone on that ship was his subordinate, there were many secrets to discuss during their meeting, so he didn't bring Rushaka along.
Although Fishman Island isn't particularly safe, Mermaid Bay gathers many mermaids not only because of its beautiful environment but also because it's one of the relatively safe places on Fishman Island.
He was just going to pick up Kojiro and the others, it wouldn't take long, and he usually left Fishman Island too. Rushaka wasn't a three-year-old child, she could live on her own without any issues, so he was careless.
When Mandfeish suddenly left, those fishman thugs realized it was time to act.
...
"Is this what you brought?"
"Yes, considering the unique environment here, I thought this merchandise might be popular."
"Alright, I'll find a place for you to stay first, then I have some personal matters to take care of. After I'm done..."
Mandfeish and Kojiro exchanged a few words on this issue, but then outside the entrance of Fishman Island, Hatchan's voice came through.
"New, Brother Mandfeish, Brother Mandfeish! Someone is after you!! New! I heard it on Fishman Street!"
Looking at Kojiro beside Mandfeish, Hatchan didn't say anything. He knew Mandfeish had good relations with some humans, so he didn't even wait for Mandfeish to ask before sharing what he heard on Fishman Street.
"When did this happen?"
"New, just a little while ago. I went to find Brother Ah Long first, but he said you could handle it alone, so he didn't come over. They should be faster than me..."
"Damn it!"
An ominous feeling surfaced in Mandfeish's heart. If what Hatchan said was true, those people had already taken action ahead of him, and their target was indeed him...
At that moment, there seemed to be some commotion coming from the direction Mandfeish had come.
"Hey, don't run, what's happening over there?"
"Some... human pirates are causing trouble. I don't know exactly, it's just chaos..."
Stopping a mermaid at random, Mandfeish found out what had happened.
Besides the pirates and fishman thugs, they also had people from the World Government waiting to receive the goods, so they quickly devised a plan after Mandfeish left.
Those human pirates caused disturbances on Fishman Island to draw attention. They mixed into the crowd to stir up chaos, causing nearby mermaids and fishmen to become disordered, and then seized the opportunity to capture Rushaka.
Afterward, they planned to leak some information to Mandfeish, luring him to the surface where their waiting people were prepared to collect the goods.
They had the human pirates act because they still needed to live on Fishman Island. Stirring up small trouble was acceptable, but openly doing something like this would make it impossible for them to continue living on Fishman Island.
Young and fearless, being rookies of the year, they hadn't been stopped by the First Half of the Grand Line, so their egos swelled. Even facing Whitebeard's flag, they felt no fear and agreed to the requests of those few fishmen.
After all, plundering Fishman Island was part of their intention.
"New, Brother Mandfeish! Where are you going?!"
"I'm going to find Rushaka. Those few are my friends; please take care of them for me!"
"New? Wait, where are you going now?"
Seeing Kojiro and others directly chasing after Mandfeish, Hatchan was momentarily confused about what to do, so he could only follow behind.
...
"This guy... even a regular cadre can run this fast?"
Kojiro was struggling to keep up with Mandfeish. He thought after three years of training with Hyogoro, he was no longer weak, but he couldn't keep up with Mandfeish, making him feel even more certain that his decision back then was correct.
He didn't know that at this moment Mandfeish was fully utilizing Splash, each time bursting forward over great distances.
"Rushaka! Rushaka! Where are you?!"
Returning to where they had parted, as expected, there was no sign of Rushaka.
"Mandfeish! Calm down, you won't find her like this!"
Kojiro finally caught up. Mandfeish wasn't just in his trained form all the time, but also, due to disguising himself as a fishman, he was constantly in a form enhanced by his ability. Only after Kojiro transformed into Bisharp and added ability, could he barely catch up.
"I can't calm down..."
"Don't panic. I've notified the New World. They should still be on Fishman Island; even if they leave, there are only two routes. If they dare go to the New World, they'll surely be stopped by our people.
Also, if Hatchan was telling the truth, their target is you. So even if they capture Rushaka, it's to find you. As long as you're still around, she won't be in trouble."
From the perspective of an outside observer, Kojiro could see the situation more clearly. He wanted to inquire about the situation from the surrounding people, but those mermaids or fishmen, seeing he was human, didn't stop, only ran faster.
But at this moment, a fishman went against the trend and voluntarily revealed he had seen Rushaka.
"Where is she?!"
"Brother Mandfeish! It's him, New, he's one of them too!"
Before that person could speak, Hatchan's voice suddenly came through, disrupting their entire plan.
Upon hearing this, Mandfeish's eyes turned instantly red, and in his raging anger, he didn't give the other party a chance to escape, pinning him to the ground.
"Speak! Where is she?!"
His strength had long surpassed this fishman; even he couldn't break free from Mandfeish's grip, and his face gradually turned blue.
"Mandfeish! Let go, he's going to die!"
Kojiro pulled at Mandfeish's arm from the side, but it had no effect. In desperation, he had to give him a kick, which made Mandfeish release his grip.
"Speak!"
It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but he couldn't speak earlier because Mandfeish had him by the throat.
"Cough... I don't know... they should be on the waters near Shampodi..."
"New, Brother Mandfeish, it's too dangerous there, perhaps..."
Mandfeish didn't speak. After having a destination, he rushed directly towards the Bubble Film above. His Splash, trained day in and day out, was no longer just a skill that could only leap on the water surface; it had now evolved into a unique form of Moonwalk.
"New, Brother Mandfeish... why is he glowing? Is he going to turn into light?"
They couldn't stop Mandfeish, but as Mandfeish rushed towards the Bubble Film above, his form underwent a huge transformation.
Enveloped in white light, a tail extended from behind him, his neck elongated slightly, his limbs became sturdier and had bone-spike-like structures. When the white light dissipated, his entire body had transformed into a shade of blue.