"Wow, a tiny Sakura-nee is so cute!"
Deep under the sea, Kuina hugged the small Sakura on the sterncastle, rubbing her face against hers constantly.
The lifted pink-haired girl's short legs dangled in the air, swinging continuously.
"Hey, you brat, let me go!"
Sakura's small hands pressed against Kuina's head, resisting as she turned her face away.
Her Haki constantly drained to counteract Hyena's ability. Finally, after half her Haki was consumed, she broke through some kind of barrier.
The girl's body, along with her clothes, expanded, returning to her original size. She even ended up pinning Kuina, who had been holding her, and both of them tumbled down the steps.
"Eh? It's gone already? What a shame~"
Kuina, whose head had landed on Sakura's chest, reached up and touched Sakura's arm, sighing.
"You, go train! Extra training today!"
Suppressing the daring kendo girl with a chop, Sakura noticed Aladdin rushing towards them.
"Sakura-san, Boss Tiger sent me to find you."
Aladdin scratched his head with a troubled expression. "Everyone's emotions are running high, and they're arguing fiercely right now. Boss Tiger also wants to hear your opinion."
Hearing his words, Sakura frowned and walked towards the cabin.
On the spacious deck atop the Leviathan, Fish-men with varied expressions formed a circle around Fisher Tiger.
As soon as Sakura descended the stairs, a small figure pounced on her.
The young Koala, tears streaming, showed a heartbroken expression: "Sakura-san, please persuade everyone. It's all (sniff)... it's all my fault (sniff)..."
Sakura reached out and ruffled her hair, smiling. "Don't blame yourself. This isn't our fault!"
Letting go of Koala, Sakura walked towards the gathered fish-men.
"Big Boss, that kid was the bait prepared by the Marines."
Arlong, the leader of the extremist faction within the Sun Pirates, was making a huge fuss. "See? This is what humans are like!"
Sitting opposite him, Jinbei and Fisher Tiger had their fists clasped, supporting their chins. Shadows obscured their faces, making it impossible to guess their thoughts.
Seeing that the two didn't respond to his words, Arlong began to escalate.
"Big Boss, Jinbei, why not cut our losses now? Kill the humans and take the ship!"
As soon as his words fell, the Leviathan's huge mast suddenly opened its eyes.
The crow's nest at the top transformed into a sharp beak, and feathers sprouted from the sails on both sides, supporting black wings.
The strange bird, its lower body still connected to the ship as the mast, swung around. It shot out from the shadows, directly piercing through Arlong's shoulder and pinning him to the deck.
"Urgh!"
Arlong coughed up blood, struggling violently.
Unfortunately, the toughness of the wood used for Leviathan was such that his strength couldn't damage it.
Gaps in the ship's deck began to flow with boiling darkness. Monsters lurking in the shadows bared their ferocity towards those with ill intentions.
"Saying~ such things~ on my body~, do you want to die?"
Leviathan's clear voice carried a killing intent that sent chills down the spine.
"Sorry, I apologize on behalf of this idiot. Please spare him."
Fisher Tiger stood up, punched Arlong unconscious, then turned and slowly bowed to Sakura behind him.
"So, why go to such lengths for him, Uncle Tiger!"
Sakura used Soru, her figure flashing as she appeared in front of Tiger and pulled him up.
She then turned and patted the enraged Leviathan. Sharing a connection with Sakura, Leviathan gradually calmed her anger and retracted her beak.
"Because it's my incompetence that twisted Arlong into this state."
Fisher Tiger's aura weakened once more, as if a gentle breeze could knock him over.
He smiled self-deprecatingly, opened the flask he carried, and took several large gulps. "Haven't you all been curious about my final journey?"
The surrounding Fish-men gathered, sitting down one by one, listening intently to Tiger's words.
Fisher Tiger raised his hand and pressed it against his chest, his fingers curling to grip the mark on his skin. "I was captured. I spent years at Mary Geoise. I was once a slave!!!"
"How is that possible!"
"Big Boss Tiger, you must be joking!"
"You... you mean the hero who liberated the slaves, right?"
The fish-men were stunned. An unprecedented sense of absurdity spread among them.
Some were horrified, some denied it, and some, unable to accept it, even banged their heads against the deck.
The Liberator of Slaves, the recognized hero of Fish-Man Island, was a slave to humans? For Fish-men seeking Fish-man fundamentalism, this was no different from the sky falling.
"This is an indisputable fact. That's why I hate humans, despise the humans who discriminate against us, and from the bottom of my heart, I don't want to yield to humans!"
Tears and snot covered Fisher Tiger's face. His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted hoarsely.
"It was I who indulged the devil in my heart and turned a blind eye to Arlong's behavior all along. That's what caused the Sun Pirates to be filled with hatred for humans!"
"So, Sakura, your anger should be borne by me on Arlong's behalf!"
"Enough, Uncle Tiger. Now isn't the time to discuss this."
Sakura pushed through the crowd and pulled Koala, who had been hiding outside, in among the Fish-men.
"The key issue now is, what do you plan to do with Koala?"
The girl's timid gaze swept over the Fish-men, calming their agitated emotions.
No matter how dirty the adult world was, to vent their resentment and anger on a child… how was such behavior any different from the humans they resented?
Not to mention, they had made the decision to send Koala home based on their own will in the first place.
"We..."
Fisher Tiger raised his head, making eye contact with the members of the Sun Pirates. "We are going to send Koala-chan home, right?"
Looking at Fisher Tiger, then at Koala with tears welling in her eyes, the heroes of the Sun Pirates took a deep breath.
"Sigh, there's no helping it. It's for Koala-chan, after all."
"Those damn Marines and CP Agents, I've been wanting to clash with them!"
"A pirate can't let his adventure end halfway!"
The Fish-men laughed easily, gathering in small groups to tease each other.
As if they were really going on a picnic, they made the decision to charge into the World Government's trap.
- All for the promise they had made initially to an unrelated human girl.
Fisher Tiger finished his drink and walked up to Sakura. "The road ahead is too dangerous, Sakura. You can just drop us off near Foolshout Island."
Unexpectedly, Sakura shook her head, "I'm going with you. That bastard from CP0 got me with his ability earlier. I need to settle the score!"
Fisher Tiger didn't try to dissuade Sakura further. He walked in front of the pirate crew members and raised his left fist.
"Then, let's send Koala home together!"
"Whoa!"