Regardless of age or gender, and irrespective of race, they were all among the slaves Tiger freed back then.
The Giant Race returned to their homeland, the Fishman Race followed Tiger to form the Sun Pirates, and ordinary people chose a secluded life.
During this time, some chose to return to their hometowns; whether they were recaptured or died on the way, the people here did not know.
Among all the slaves on the island, Koala was the most special because she was only eleven years old this year.
Being eleven years old in itself doesn't have much significance, but they had escaped Mary Geoise three years ago, meaning this little girl was captured as a slave before she was eight.
"Benefactor Tiger, this child was also rescued by you from Mary Geoise three years ago. Though we wish to send her back home, with our capabilities and these small boats, we simply cannot traverse this dangerous sea."
Several seemingly elderly people entrusted Tiger. Their faces were very aged, but their bodies did not match their supposed ages.
In fact, they were not old; it was the ravages of slave life that led to their aged appearances.
Tiger did not refuse this request, choosing to take them back to his hometown. At the time, they thought she was just an ordinary girl until Ah Long impatiently struck her aside.
Even with the slight complexities in his perception of humans due to Mandfeish, it didn't change his aversion to them.
It was only when Little Eight held him back that his resistance wasn't so fierce.
Then he was stunned, as the little girl who had been slapped didn't cry out or scream, even with blood flowing from her nose; she merely tore off a piece of her clothing and continuously wiped the deck.
"I'm sorry, please don't kill me. I'm still somewhat useful, please don't kill me."
Crying equals death; this was her knowledge gained during slave life. Whether slacking off or otherwise, such actions resulted in being ruthlessly abandoned.
To the Heavenly Celestial Dragons, slaves without value had no reason to exist; finding them bothersome, they'd choose to kill them outright.
Ah Long once again experienced the "evil" side of humans, but unlike others who sympathized with Koala, he believed humans could be just as ruthless to their own, so how could they accept the perpetually discriminated Fishman?
This was Ah Long's true thought process at the time. He never agreed with Otohime's ideals. In his view, only fear would make people stop, yet he obeyed Tiger's orders. As long as Tiger was around, Ah Long would not lose control.
He didn't continue doing anything; he merely left alone. Afterwards, Tiger used a branding iron to conceal the scars on Koala's back, forcibly pulling her out from that shadow in the most direct and intense way.
As time passed, Koala quickly integrated into the Sun Pirates. Apart from Ah Long, most aboard had accepted Koala's presence over time. Even Jinbe, who originally sided with Ah Long, gradually changed his view under Tiger's influence.
However, he still didn't understand what Tiger had told him back then.
[Princess Otohime is too idealistic. In her eyes, there's probably no difference between Ah Long and me, but it doesn't matter to me. The most terrifying thing would be the devil residing in my heart.]
The first part was easy to understand, but he didn't know what Tiger's inner devil referred to.
The voyage of the Sun Pirates continued, and they found the Eternal Pose leading to Koala's hometown - Fuerxhe Island, and followed it to her homeland.
Because of this Eternal Pose, Mandfeish successfully traced their whereabouts.
The Sun Pirates were also wanted by the government, and they obtained the Eternal Pose through illegal means. There weren't many Fishman pirates across The Sea, and the Hundred Beasts had a complex network in the Underworld.
Many wanted to curry favor but couldn't find the opportunity. Doflamingo didn't get angry due to Tesoro's identity; instead, he capitalized on this chance to cooperate, making it easy for Mandfeish to find this information.
"Fuerxhe Island?"
"Yes, I also have an Eternal Pose to that location. Do you need it?"
If not specifically heading to a certain island, people wouldn't usually seek out an Eternal Pose. This is the drawback of the Grand Line; without an Eternal Pose, you must follow a designated route to reach an island.
If you rashly change course, you may be led to strange places due to magnetic field changes logged by the recording pointer. Eternal Poses and Life Cards are among the few things in the Grand Line that can guide you.
...
"When did this happen?"
Listening to his subordinate's report, Mandfeish suddenly felt uneasy.
"They said it was two days ago; a group of fishmen bought an Eternal Pose. They should have already set off by now."
"Hurry and resupply, then proceed at full speed to make up these two days' journey."
"Yes!"
Afterwards, Mandfeish's ship opened all external paddles, pursuing in the direction logged by the Eternal Pose.
"Mandfeish, is it necessary to hurry so much?"
Jack stood behind Mandfeish, playing with Alcremie atop his head, asking Mandfeish.
"Better safe than sorry. Though the Navy's intelligence agency occasionally blunders, they have the most eyes across The Sea. Trust no more than half of what underground merchants say.
If we can find out, then the Navy surely can too. Perhaps that guy has already sold Tiger's information to them.
If he dared any more, our information might already be sold. Lord Arceus requires Tiger alive, and we can't disrupt his plans."
As an old hand, Mandfeish always maintained suspicion of outsiders, particularly those Black Market merchants who dared to do anything for money.
In fact, he guessed correctly; it was indeed him who sold the Fishman's information to the Navy, and though they didn't have specific whereabouts, they had already deployed fleets around Fuerxhe Island.
This was why, in the original timeline, they could arrive so quickly. Tiger hadn't even fully left Clara's home for 30 minutes before the Navy had encircled the area. Fuerxhe Island isn't a Navy Base; without prior preparation, they couldn't accomplish this.
Fleet deployment takes time, and no matter how elite the Navy is trained, this fact cannot change.
"So, Jack, are you afraid? This is the life of a pirate."
"No, just the Navy? If they dare to blockade us, let them try."
"Courage is a good thing, but Jack, be a bit more cautious out there; you don't want Alcremie to get hurt, right?"