The story goes back a little more than a week.
It all started when we found a beaten-up fish-man inside the cave we were quickly making bigger to hide our new ships.
"Thank you... thank you so much! I can't believe you gave me medical care, clothes, and now a meal."
"Please, eat as much as you want. I don't know much about fish-men, but I know what it's like to be alone, scared, and hungry at sea."
The fish-man, who called himself Hack, bowed his head politely. He was careful at first, but now he was happily eating the food we gave him.
I wasn't sure what to serve him because my memory of the original story is a bit fuzzy, but I was glad he could eat fish. Since we're in hiding, fish from the sea is our main food.
I was worried when Daz and Toya told me they found a fish-man while working on the cave, but I'm glad he turned out to be a good person.
At first, I thought it might be an attack, like with Arlong's crew. But he seemed hurt, and he didn't try to use Daz, who was nearby, as a hostage. So I had our medical and tailor teams help him while Robin and I tried to talk to him. I figured a fish-man wouldn't be working with the government.
"The townspeople we helped gave us a lot of food today. But some of it will go bad soon, so please eat and drink as much as you like."
"...Are you really pirates?"
"I get asked that a lot, but yes. I'm a wanted man, see?"
Fish-men seem to be much stronger than humans. He looked like he was in bad shape, but he recovered completely in just two days.
We were having a small party in our forest hideout, which we've checked many times to make sure no light can be seen from the sea. We invited Hack to join us now that he could move around.
"A wanted poster... Over 100 million in one of the four seas. Forgive me for asking, but what did you do?"
"...I was told to become a slave, and this is what happened when I kept running away."
"I see... Do humans do that to their own kind?"
"Some do... but in my case, it was the World Nobles. They probably think anyone who doesn't live in the Holy Land is beneath them."
"The World Nobles... so it was them. Now I understand. I'm sorry for making you talk about something so unpleasant."
Of course, he knows about them. The Holy Land of Mariejois is right above Fish-Man Island, and the famous Sabaody Archipelago, with its terrible human shops, is nearby.
"Don't worry about it. In my opinion, the World Nobles are victims of this world in their own way."
Well, most of them deserve what they get. But when I think about Donquixote's story... I can see a sad side to it.
"By the way, why are you in the West Blue? I heard that most fish-men live on Fish-Man Island in the Grand Line."
"Ah, we—I am part of a pioneer group."
"Pioneers?"
"...To be honest, it might be more correct to call us adventurers."
Hack, who is a Japanese bullhead shark fish-man, began to tell his story.
"Since Gold Roger started the legend of the One Piece, the number of pirates has grown a lot. Many of them now come to Fish-Man Island."
"Is that... to capture you and sell you?" Amisu asked while eating her fish and vegetables.
"That's part of it, but it's also because Fish-Man Island is the only way to get to the second half of the Grand Line, unless you use the government's Red Port."
"You are correct. Most ships get lost in the strange currents or are eaten by Sea Kings before they reach the island, but when there are more ships, some will make it."
Amisu was a new recruit from the West Blue, so she probably didn't know about the Grand Line. She nodded as she listened.
"Fish-Man Island is the only island on the seafloor that gets sunlight from the surface. There's no better place for us fish-men and merfolk to live. But that also means it's the only place we can live safely. And that..."
In the original story, the number of merfolk and fish-men being kidnapped by pirates grew so much that they had nowhere to go. It must have been hopeless to feel unsafe on your own home island.
"...So, the pioneer group is..."
"We are searching for a new, unknown island, a place that is closer to our ideal home than Fish-Man Island."
"So that's why you also called yourself an explorer. I saw in the newspaper a while ago that Whitebeard made Fish-Man Island his territory. Is it still not stable?"
"Well... everyone knows that the pirate Whitebeard and King Neptune are on good terms. But we can't trust a pirate we've never even spoken to. A pirate is still a pirate, after all."
Ah, I see. That makes sense.
I can't imagine Whitebeard going out of his way to earn the trust of every fish-man. And even if he did, there would still be people like Hody.
Even if things got a little better after Whitebeard's declaration, it's natural that they would look for another place to live.
I almost forgot, but Fisher Tiger was an adventurer too, not a pirate.
Maybe he was exploring for similar reasons. When I think of it that way... hmmm.
I wonder what Fisher Tiger is doing now.
"Lord Kuro."
"Hm?"
"Honestly, you have saved not just my body, but my spirit too. The anger and doubt I had towards humans has faded a bit since I came here."
...Well, of course, he was cautious at first. It was rude, but I'm glad I started eating right away. He only began to eat after he saw me and Perona digging in.
For a fish-man, it's possible to be drugged and wake up with an explosive collar on your neck.
...Is the world of One Piece basically a post-apocalyptic world? When you think about it, it's like a world where the bad guys won hundreds of years ago.
"You treated my wounds, fixed my clothes, and gave me food. I know this is a lot to ask, but—"
"You have friends who were captured, right?"
Some of the tears in his clothes were from being scraped on rocks or coral while drifting in the sea, but others looked like they came from a fight. The person who fixed his clothes said there were stains from some kind of chemical. It's likely that someone tried to capture him with something like a tranquilizer dart to sell him.
Hack nodded, his face full of regret.
"They have probably been taken somewhere already, but we just arrived in the West Blue and don't know how to find them."
"You don't know the area... Toya!"
"Yes! Right away!"
I called for our helmsman and navigator, and he immediately knew what I wanted and brought a map of the West Blue.
"I'm sorry to make you remember something painful, but please tell me where and how you were attacked."
"Lord Kuro..."
"We've shared a meal around the fire. That makes us friends. Let me help you."
"...We'll be happy to lend a hand."
–
Wow, I thought just confusing the thugs on land would be enough, but the cannon fire hit its mark better than I expected.
Once we enter the Grand Line, it will probably be all about fighting powerful Devil Fruit users. But if we can build a force that can hold its own against them, then leadership skills and skill in sea battles will become very important.
That's why I've been trying out different night battle drills in addition to our regular combat training. It seems to be working well against the mafia, who don't usually fight at sea. But we need to keep coming up with new tactics so they don't figure us out.
"Water Shot!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hack blast away a thug who was aiming a gun at Amisu, who had gotten a little too far ahead.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hack! Thank you for saving me!"
"Lady Amisu, your body and mind are too tense. In a fight, it's very important to relax."
"Yes, sir!"
"The rest of you are too timid. I know you want to keep your distance so you don't break formation, but if you back away, the enemy will push forward. It is often safer to move forward than to retreat. You must learn when to do which."
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
It looks like he's teaching them. In the few days it took to find this place, he helped with their combat training, and their hand-to-hand combat skills have gotten much better.
Toya and the navigation team have started seriously learning Fish-Man Karate, so our crew's overall strength is really starting to increase.
"You! You're that kid who's playing pirate, aren't you!?"
"Give me that 100-million-berry head—"
"Atomic Spar!"
"Seis Fleur: Clutch!"
This time, the enemy has nowhere to run, so we're also using this as a chance for close combat training. I stood in the middle to draw them out. One of the guys who came for my head was sliced to pieces, and the other had all his joints twisted and was left in agony.
Robin did that from the ship... I can't believe she can fight from that far away now.
She's a scholar, so she learns quickly... She became as strong as she was in the original story just by having Hack teach her about the weak points of the human body.
Robin might be the one who has grown the most. She's even been learning Fish-Man Karate with Toya and the others... I don't remember her being so motivated to fight.
She also asked me to teach her how to use her legs in a fight, so sometimes I go running with her.
"...You can't take the captain's head with skills like that."
"Thanks, Daz. And thank you too, Robin."
"Don't mention it. I'm not busy this time."
Since Amisu and the others are fighting under Hack's command—or rather, his guidance—this time, Daz probably doesn't have much to do. But he's very serious, or maybe he's become a commander-type from all our past fights, because he's watching Amisu's team very closely.
As if to say everything was fine, Robin sprouted a hand and tapped my shoulder, then made it disappear.
"Still, I was surprised when Robin said she wanted to join the fight."
She's probably watching the situation from the ship, sprouting eyes in different places. I see enemies who are hiding far away, like snipers, being taken down one after another by arms that grow out of their own bodies and twist their joints... poor guys.
"I heard her talking to Perona after the fight with the regional headquarters. She said she wanted to be more useful to the crew."
Daz, Robin's ear is growing out of my neck right now, and an arm just sprouted and is slapping you... but, oh well.
"...She's already more than useful just by gathering and sharing information."
Robin and Perona are the core of our information gathering, scouting, and communication...
...And Perona is also our strongest wide-range weapon and bomber. Maybe that's what Robin was worried about.
"Captain, it looks like we're almost done clearing out the enemies outside."
"Good. Robin, give the orders. The main ship and the third ship, get ready to take on the people we've freed. The medical team should have their equipment... and plenty of blankets since it's a cold night. The second ship will continue to watch for reinforcements."
We've destroyed a lot of their bases, but...
"It's about time they tried something new."
"A hidden trump card?"
"Or maybe... calling someone for help."
"...Is that why you let that fish-man lead the team this time, to leave me free?"
"His name is Hack. If you only see him as his race, you'll end up being prejudiced. Well—"
"Don't let your guard down. If things get bad, we'll just complete our main goal and get out."
–
"Damn it! We had two big deals lined up, and they had to show up!"
For this family, which made most of its money from human trafficking, the 'Black Cat' pirates were a nightmare.
Their crew was made up of the very people who were supposed to be turned into money for them.
They knew the crew would be worth a good amount, and that there were even kids with powers who would be worth a lot. So they went to capture all of them, but they were defeated. And now, the pirates were destroying their bases and stealing their goods.
They thought they could win by fighting at sea, since Devil Fruit Users are weaker on the water. But they were defeated by the pirates' tactics and their growing fleet, and by the user who controls powerful ghosts. Their force of nearly twenty ships was completely destroyed.
With pressure from the other families, they were on the verge of ruin. They were trying to make a comeback with a lucky big score when this happened.
"Hey, you! Why are you just sitting there reading a book!" a family executive yelled at a man sitting in a chair.
"They've stopped the cannon fire and are coming ashore! You should at least earn your keep!"
The man closed his book, picked up his weapon, and stood up.
"We paid a lot of money to keep the Marines away so you could be here!"
"Hawk-Eyes!!"
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