Queen Otohime asked, "Then what do you plan to do, Mr. Tiger? You must know that with the strength of our Fish-Man race, we simply cannot oppose the World Government."
"Fish-Man Island has survived to this day because it lies ten thousand meters beneath the sea, but if we anger the World Government, with our strength, it would still be very difficult to resist them."
Fisher Tiger did not show a dissatisfied expression, he had long known the truth of the world. Fish-Man Island was his hometown, he was born on Fish-Man Island.
No matter what he did, the World Government would connect him and Fish-Man Island together.
If Tiger acted alone, Fish-Man Island could shift all blame onto Tiger to protect itself.
But if Fish-Man Island assisted Tiger, the World Government would assume that Fish-Man Island was full of rebels opposing the government's rule.
The example of Ohara was still fresh in memory.
Tiger did not want his actions to lead to the destruction of Fish-Man Island; he could not bear such a responsibility.
"Queen Otohime, during my years of traveling abroad, humans' attitude towards our Fish-Man race has been relatively friendly. But all races, including humans, are slaves in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons."
"I returned this time to tell you these things, and also because I am concerned about the Fish-Man District. Before I leave, I need to settle some matters with them."
Neptune felt helpless.
He had known Tiger for a long time and did not entirely agree with Tiger's ideas.
However, he knew Tiger's temperament—Tiger would never listen to him—so he had no intention of trying to change Tiger's mind.
"Tiger, if you leave this time, you will never return. Is it worth it?"
Tiger said nothing, instead revealing the large, explosion-scarred wounds on his neck and saying.
"Neptune, perhaps you don't know this feeling. I can only tell you, it is terrible, like crawling out of hell."
Fisher Tiger had already died in that holy land of the Celestial Dragons.
What survived now was a Tiger whose heart was filled with the flames of vengeance.
Tiger stood up, bowed to King Neptune and Queen Otohime, and said, "King Neptune, Queen Otohime, I am leaving."
Although Neptune wanted to stop Tiger, something seemed to catch in his throat.
Tears fell one by one from Queen Otohime's eyes; she too did not want Tiger to go to his death like this.
Fisher Tiger left.
He left with resolve.
...
After leaving the palace, he arrived at the Fish-Man District, where he was met with pairs of fervent eyes.
Most of the Fish-Men who grew up in the Fish-Man District had joined out of admiration for Tiger, and there were many newcomers who had never seen Tiger before.
"Big Brother Tiger!" "Big Brother Tiger!"
Two voices cried out simultaneously as Jinbe and Arlong set aside their differences to welcome their elder brother, Fisher Tiger.
Tiger didn't say much.
Instead, he glanced at the young, hopeful Fish-Men around him with a smile, then beckoned Jinbe and Arlong to follow him back to his home.
"Brother Tiger, what's that wound on your neck? Who did this? I'll definitely kill that bastard!" Arlong was furious.
Before Tiger had left, Arlong clearly remembered his elder brother having only a few scattered scars.
But after this long journey, Tiger now had such a severe explosive wound on his neck, which infuriated Arlong greatly.
Even the usually good-tempered Jinbe was displeased.
"Brother Tiger, tell us who did this!"
Since entering his home, Tiger had withdrawn his smile, his entire expression turning grim.
After hearing their words, Tiger forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. I encountered an exceptionally powerful opponent. To escape, I had to detonate a bomb."
Although Tiger's excuse was clumsy, out of trust in him, Jinbe and Arlong didn't press further.
"Brother Tiger, now that you're back, won't you stay? Our Pirate crew have grown stronger under our leadership, now with nearly three hundred crew members," Jinbe said proudly.
After Tiger left, the Sun Pirates had fallen into his hands.
To show Tiger a transformed Sun Pirates upon his return, he and Arlong had divided tasks, working hard to recruit elites from the Fish-Man District into the crew.
Tiger sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Jinbe, Arlong. I still have many things left undone, so staying on Fish-Man Island is impossible. I'll remain here for three days. After that, I'll set sail again."
Arlong wasn't concerned about whether Tiger would sail again.
For him, if Tiger were persuaded by Jinbe to stay, he wouldn't admire Tiger as much.
However, Arlong wanted to ask if Tiger had considered taking him along on the voyage.
"Brother Tiger, if you're setting sail, could you consider taking me too? I've become quite strong now."
Tiger examined the muscles on Arlong's body, noting clear changes since his departure.
But for his own plans, this made no difference.
Because that place is the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
No matter how powerful you are, if you stay in Mary Geoise too long, you'll inevitably be suppressed by the elite agents of the World Government's CP Organization.
During his past days as a slave, Tiger had contemplated escape countless times, but unfortunately, aside from the slave collars, the members of the CP Organization were equally troublesome.
Tiger had witnessed many fleeing slaves blown up by their slave collars.
Those slaves who attempted to threaten Celestial Dragons to gain freedom—their fingers hadn't even touched their targets before their arms were severed by CP Organization agents.
"Alright, the Fish-Man District still needs your leadership, and the Sun Pirates can't do without Jinbe for now. So neither of you can come with me. But once you grow stronger, I'll take you both traveling across the world."
Tiger ultimately told a lie, unsure of how to explain further.
Because if he revealed his plan to the two of them, Arlong and Jinbe would absolutely not agree to Tiger doing this, or they would insist on accompanying him when he went alone.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, let's leave it at that. After being away for so long, it's time to check how your Fish-Man Karate training is coming along. Jinbe, you go first."
"Okay, Brother Tiger."
...
Somewhere on the Red Line, beneath Marineford.
A place rarely visited by anyone, it finally welcomed its own guest today.
It was evening, and the crimson sun dyed the entire sky red, turning the distant clouds into an orange-red hue with golden edges.
Gurgle, gurgle.
A series of bubbles rose from the deep sea.
Fisher Tiger emerged from the shimmering sea illuminated by sunlight, a large bag strapped to his back containing items he had secretly purchased on Fish-Man Island.
Gazing at the Red Line that seemed to pierce the sky, his eyes momentarily glazed over before quickly regaining their determination.
His powerful hands gripped the protruding rocks at the base of the Red Line, and he began climbing upward, bit by bit.
Time always passed swiftly, and as joyous laughter echoed in Mary Geoise, the sky gradually darkened.
No one would notice that on the steep cliffs of the Red Line, a Fish-Man carrying a bag was struggling to climb upward.
Everyone believed the Red Line was insurmountable—a notion that had persisted for about eight hundred years.
But today, from the moment Fisher Tiger began his climb, this rumor was shattered.
The world had been at peace for too long, and the Holy Land had been at peace for too long.
By now, the Holy Land was nothing like the tightly patrolled fortress it had been at its founding.
They wholeheartedly believed no one could climb up from the Red Line, so naturally, no one was watching here.
Fisher Tiger's strong fingers gripped the edge of the rock.
First, he threw the bag on his back upward, then used his remaining strength to pull himself up.
"Huff, huff."
Having climbed the Red Line, Tiger felt exhausted and could only rest for a moment.
His hands and feet were severely worn, with some areas so badly damaged that the bones of his fingers were exposed.
His chest had been rubbed raw and bloody since he was only a third of the way up. But none of this could defeat Tiger's resolve for revenge.
After half an hour of rest, Tiger opened the bag he had painstakingly carried up.
Inside were swords crafted on Fish-Man Island and a special new type of fire oil he had commissioned from the island's artisans.
After strapping the swords to his body, Tiger packed the remaining fire oil back into the bag.
Looking at the dazzlingly opulent world not far away, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Celestial Dragons, I'm coming!"
Having once been a slave in Mary Geoise, Tiger was still familiar with the place.
Moreover, he knew that all members of the CP Organization in Mary Geoise prioritized protecting the lives of the Celestial Dragons above all else.
This meant that whenever any incident occurred at the Celestial Dragons' residences, the CP Organization had to resolve it before it escalated.
"Lure the tiger away from the mountain"—a phrase both simple and profound.
The slave detention facility in Mary Geoise served as a holding area for the slaves of every Celestial Dragon.
Most slaves here wore slave collars; the older ones had long accepted their fate, so after the Celestial Dragons made their selections, they would strive to prove their worth.
New slaves, however, had yet to grasp the terrifying power of the Celestial Dragons, and their minds were consumed with thoughts of escape.
Yet some Celestial Dragons preferred not to keep their slaves here, choosing instead to chain them at home.
By nightfall, the guards at the slave detention center had grown lax.
Cigarette butts littered the ground, and bottles of rum lay scattered about—a clear sign they feared no one would dare steal slaves.
"After this round, I'm heading home. The rest is on you," said a guard who appeared to be the leader.
"Boss, you go ahead. We'll handle things here."
"Yeah, boss, no one ever comes here. Even the slaves have given up on escaping."
A few troublemakers among the guards provoked him with their words, and to their surprise, the leader took the bait.
"What are you talking about? You think I'm afraid to drink with you? Bring another case—one for each of us!"
Intimidated by his bravado, they fetched the rum and began drinking.
Just as they were growing drowsy and ready to sleep, someone rushed in from outside, shouting.
"Boss, it's bad! There's a fire outside, and it's huge!"
Instantly, the drunken leader and the others shook off their stupor.
"What's going on?"
"How could there be a fire here?"
Amid the questions, the guard who had rushed in didn't explain further. Instead, he pulled back the curtain to let them see outside.
"My God, there really is a fire!"
"That direction—it can't be. Impossible."
The leader, who had lived here most of his life, recognized the fiercely burning buildings and black smoke in the distance.
He quickly calculated the location and realized it was where the Celestial Dragons resided.
No—impossible. This is Mary Geoise.
"Boss, we have to put out the fire!"
"Yeah, boss, if we see it and don't help, the consequences will be worse than dying in the flames."
Influenced by the Celestial Dragons, anyone nearby—whether guards, ordinary citizens, or others—was compelled to rush to the scene of a fire.
The increasingly bright flames dyed the sky blood-red.
The rescuers nervously checked the headcount, knowing that if even one Celestial Dragon died in Mary Geoise, the Five Elders would execute everyone present.
Soon, the drunken leader gathered his subordinates and joined the firefighting efforts.
Once all the guards had left the detention center, Tiger infiltrated the vast slave prison.
Awakened by the explosion, the slaves were stunned to see a powerful figure appear not far away.
Fisher Tiger!
A man who should have been long dead was now standing outside their cages in the slave detention center, leaving them unsure if what they were seeing was real.
"Aren't you Tiger? Didn't you die?"
"Tiger, are you a Fish-Man or a ghost now?"
Several prisoners who were familiar with Tiger wore expressions of terror, each recalling whether they had ever wronged him in the past.
Tiger did not answer, his time was precious.
Clang.
The gleaming blade struck the iron chains of the prison cell.
With a loud clang, the iron chains were severed in two and fell to the ground.
Tiger looked at the still-dazed prisoners inside and said, "There's no time to explain. I have the keys to the cells. Hurry and get them out."
The slaves had no weapons at all.
They could only follow Tiger's lead, grabbing bunches of keys and quickly unlocking the cells of other slaves.