Not long after appearing on the seas, Orin hadn't expected that the first familiar face he would encounter... would actually be him.
Tiger.
The very same man who had once pledged allegiance to him—or rather, the Sun Pirates.
"Roar~"
At first, when he saw Tiger and the others, Orin's mood was that of an old friend meeting again after a long time. But strangely, as soon as Tiger saw him, he lowered his head in guilt, his eyes filled with inner struggle, leaving Orin somewhat baffled.
Sitting casually at the edge of the ship, Tiger looked like a child who had done something wrong as he explained what he had done.
"...When I first learned that those three chained human girls were actually your slaves, I wasn't planning to save them. But..."
The tall fish-man slowly sank to one knee. His face showed reluctance and inner conflict as he confessed to Orin the reason behind his actions.
...
Sea Circle Calendar 1507.
On the towering Red Line, a red-skinned fish-man scaled this natural barrier with his bare hands.
"You're free!!!"
"Everyone, run!!!"
In Tiger's hands, the flames of liberation burned bright.
No one in Mary Geois—the Celestial Dragons or the World Government officials—could have ever imagined that anyone would dare harbor such audacity.
The flames spread quickly. With slaves being freed one after another, the entire Holy Land plunged into chaos. Celestial Dragons cursed and fled in terror everywhere, while guards failed to stabilize the situation.
Tiger ran through the sea of fire, and inside one villa, he came across three girls.
"Please... let us out!!!"
"We beg you!!!"
The fierce and resolute Tiger, who had slaughtered his way through countless obstacles, suddenly fell silent, hesitating.
Because the CP agent he had just defeated was glaring at him, warning:
"Those are Black Emperor Orin-sama's favorite slaves! Worthless fish-man, do you want to incur Orin-sama's wrath?!!!"
Hearing that name, Tiger instinctively wavered. A thought crept into his heart as he tried to convince himself—
He had already freed most of the slaves. That was enough... wasn't it?
"There is no freedom for us either!!!"
Bang—
Clang—
The iron chains shattered under the powerful bite force of a fish-man. Tears filled the eyes of the three sisters as they repeatedly voiced their thanks, sprinting desperately for their lives.
Perhaps this was their final chance to escape this hell on earth!
The Hancock sisters fled in tears, while Tiger just stood frozen in place, his face shrouded in shadows, his expression unreadable.
As expected...
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Only those who had been slaves could truly empathize with the desire for freedom. When those girls spoke of wanting freedom, Tiger could not bring himself to deny them.
Seeing the sisters truly escape, the CP agent—responsible for training and brainwashing them to revere Orin-sama and to never resist—stared wide-eyed at Tiger, rage and panic burning in his gaze.
"You're finished!!! Just wait for Orin-sama's wrath—"
Bang—
Before he could finish, Tiger struck his skull with a single heavy punch, knocking him out cold.
At last, Tiger raised his head, revealing a face full of determination, his eyes bloodshot.
"Shut up!!! If Orin-sama is enraged, let him take my life instead!!!"
Yes.
Tiger had already prepared himself—to use his life to appease Orin's fury. Dying for the liberation of slaves, he did not fear.
Moreover, he had never once addressed Orin as Orin-sama. In truth, deep down, he didn't place Orin in the same category as those Celestial Dragons—trash among trash.
After all, from the appearance of the three sisters, they didn't seem to bear any grievous scars.
It was likely that Orin-sama was relatively merciful. The fear on the girls' faces probably stemmed from the CP dogs, not him.
Thinking this, Tiger set even more fires, liberating tens of thousands of slaves who fled in all directions.
And after his escape, the incident instantly became the hottest topic across the seas.
The world hailed Tiger as a hero of the seas, admiring his courage.
On one hand, he dared cause such a stir in the Holy Land, an act no different from directly challenging the World Government itself.
On the other hand, he dared release the slaves of the Black Emperor himself. Even the rebellious factions over the years had only ever dared to make small, covert moves. Tiger's blatant provocation was the first of its kind on the seas.
At the time, it shocked countless people.
And after he formed the Sun Pirates, the fact that he hadn't been cut down by Mihawk only strengthened the signal.
Could it be... that the Black Emperor was truly gone?
If so, the seas were about to boil over!!!
...
After listening to Tiger recount everything, Orin raised his brows slightly.
His slaves?
Three sisters?
Had Tiger not mentioned it, he really would have forgotten. After all, he had only returned to the Holy Land a handful of times, never staying long.
In truth, he felt little emotion about it. Moreover, he already knew Tiger would one day raid Mary Geois and liberate the slaves. All of this had been within his expectations.
Still, seeing Tiger's self-reproach now, as someone who had ruled from above for years, Orin knew exactly what to say.
"Ahem..."
"You've truly disappointed me, Tiger."
His voice was calm, devoid of any hint of the anger he might have hidden inside.
Hearing those words, Tiger lowered his head even further.
"I'm sorry... for damaging your reputation..."
Orin slowly rose to his feet and walked a few steps forward. Tiger dared not raise his eyes, still kneeling on one knee.
Looking past Tiger's figure, Orin lifted his gaze toward the endless sea... toward the trembling, fearful fish-men...
And toward one little girl in a dress, with a rather large head.
His tone carried little actual anger.
"I always thought you were a smart man, Tiger. If I truly cared about those slaves, and yet you did this... Did you ever consider that Fish-Man Island might be destroyed because of your actions?"
His words were light, but when they landed on Tiger's heart, they weighed him down so heavily that he couldn't breathe. His eyes went wide.
"Orin-sama!..."
He opened his mouth to plead, but Orin silenced him with a wave of his hand.
"Rest easy. I won't do anything to Fish-Man Island. I only want you to understand one thing—"
"Even if you have the heart to save others, first ask yourself whether you have the strength to bear the price."
As they spoke, the ship slowly docked. It was none other than Koala's hometown.
And likewise, this was originally meant to be...
The final stop of Tiger's journey.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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