The call came just as Krieg was returning from Cocoyasi Village—having secured Bellemere's answer—and was heading toward the Goa Kingdom with the young Pearl now aboard.
The Beatrice, flying its red Marine pennant, cut through the waves of the East Blue. Krieg was in his private cabin, penning his logbook, when a Den Den Mushi—one that almost never rang—began to wail.
This was Krieg's personal, encrypted line, connected to an expensive White Den Den Mushi to prevent eavesdropping.
Only six people in the world had this frequency: Robin, his childhood friend; Tesoro, his business partner; the three Marine Admirals (Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino); and Dr. Indigo on Faus Island.
It hadn't rung since a connection test years ago. Fearing the worst—perhaps Robin was in danger or Faus Island had been compromised—Krieg snatched up the receiver.
『...It's Gold.』
"Tesoro? What happened?" Krieg exhaled, his heart rate slowing slightly, though his mind was still racing through dark scenarios.
『I've picked up something... well, something incredibly troublesome.』
"Troublesome? Did something happen to the Gran Tesoro?" Krieg asked, referring to the luxury liner currently on its Grand Line tour.
『No, the tour is going smoothly. It actually involves our guest, Maria Napole. Is this line secure?』
"Anti-wiretapping is active. What about Maria? Don't tell me something happened to her!"
『No, she's fine, but...』
"Don't scare me like that! She's a guest from the Ryugu Kingdom. If anything happens to her, it's a diplomatic nightmare..."
Krieg began to relax, but Tesoro's next sentence turned him to stone.
『I'll be blunt. We've secured Fisher Tiger.』
"...What!?"
Krieg's mind reeled. Fisher Tiger—the hero of the slaves, the man who attacked Mary Geoise, the leader of the Sun Pirates, and a man wanted by the entire World Government—was currently being sheltered by his business partner.
Krieg struggled to process this. In the original timeline, Tiger was supposed to be mortally wounded after being betrayed by the citizens of the island where he returned a young slave girl. He was supposed to die after refusing a life-saving transfusion of human blood.
"Wait... I have a lot of questions, but start from the beginning. How did this happen?"
『Right. The Gran Tesoro was anchored near Foolshout Island for a resupply.』
"Foolshout Island..." Krieg muttered. The name teased his memory, but he couldn't quite place it, so he moved on. "So the ship was anchored near the coast."
『Exactly. And as you know, the Gran Tesoro has a private pool built into the hull that connects directly to the sea, so merfolk like Maria Napole can relax in the water without leaving the ship.』
"Yeah, since merfolk can't walk like Fishmen, we needed that for her comfort."
『Well, a massive group of Fishmen suddenly swarmed that pool.』
"Was Maria Napole hurt!?" Krieg nearly shouted, his voice cracking with stress.
『No, she was right there, but she's fine. The Fishmen were carrying a giant of a man who was covered in blood.』
"And that man was Fisher Tiger?"
『Precisely.』
"Then... he likely doesn't have much time left. We should treat him with respect and try to return him to the Ryugu Kingdom quietly."
『Actually, he's stabilized. He's going to live.』
"Huh?"
Krieg's brain stalled. In the "story" he knew, Tiger's death was a fixed point—a result of his refusal to accept "tainted" human blood.
『I said, he's out of the woods.』
"Wait... are you saying his wounds weren't that bad?"
『No, they were fatal. He needed an immediate transfusion to survive.』
"Then how... wait, no way!!"
『I think you've guessed it, Krieg. Maria Napole was right there. When she saw the situation, she demanded they use her blood for the transfusion.』
Krieg slumped into his chair, rubbing his temples. He was the one who suggested the tour. He was the one who designed the ship's pool. \
He was the one who insisted on inviting the "Diva of the Deep" to be the star attraction.
His own interference had accidentally saved the life of the one man whose death was supposed to ignite a generation of hatred.
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