Gurgle...
The slave trader's eyes widened as he clutched his throat with both hands, but bright red blood continued to gush through his fingers.
Staggering backward, the light quickly faded from his pupils, and with a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing violently before finally falling still.
He never could have imagined that he would be killed... by a few drops of water.
"Boss!?"
"Damn it!! Enemy attack!!"
"Open fire!!"
"Kill him!!"
"..."
The slave trader's death threw the ship's guards into chaos. They fired frantically into the sea.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets splattered the water, but their poor aim couldn't catch even a glimpse of the figure darting through the sea.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Jets of water screamed from the surface, piercing hearts and throats one after another.
In moments, more than a dozen corpses lay scattered across the deck, the blood flowing like rivers.
"What the hell is that...?"
"It's a Fishman..."
"How can he be this strong...?"
"..."
The few remaining guards, their faces deathly pale, staggered back, trembling as they stared at the carnage around them.
Drip... drip...
Suddenly, the sound of dripping water echoed from behind them. A towering shadow loomed up, casting them into darkness.
A bone-chilling cold surged through their backs as they turned around, shivering.
A wide, blood-red hand rapidly expanded in their terrified pupils...
...
One minute later.
Crack!
Fisher Tiger twisted a lock off a cage with one hand and, panting slightly, looked at the slaves inside.
"You're free now."
One by one, shivering figures stumbled out of the cage. The deck was now covered with battered, wounded slaves.
They glanced timidly at the bodies scattered across the deck before finally fixing their gazes on the blood-drenched Fishman.
"I am Fisher Tiger."
Seeing their numb and hollow expressions, Fisher Tiger let out a slow breath, pointed to the blood-red brand on his chest, and smiled.
"I was once a slave too, just like all of you."
When they saw the brand on his chest, a faint light returned to their dull faces.
"Tiger-san, is there... anything we should do for you?"
A small, thin young man asked cautiously.
Fisher Tiger shook his head.
"That's a question you should ask yourselves. You are free now. You don't need to obey anyone's orders anymore."
But his words were met only with confusion and anxiety.
What a pitiful sight...
Fisher Tiger sighed deeply in his heart.
He had seen this expression far too many times.
When someone is imprisoned and enslaved for too long, they gradually lose their own will. They lose the courage to make choices for themselves.
Even if the chains are broken from their bodies, the ones shackling their hearts still remain.
He paused for a moment, calmed himself, and gave a gentle smile.
"If you wish, you can come with me and roam the seas freely."
"If you don't, you're free to return to your homeland and live the life you want."
"This ship will sail for three more days. You have three days to make your decision..."
"No, I've already decided!"
The scrawny young man gritted his teeth, stared intently at the tall Fishman before him, and summoned his courage as if making a final decision.
"I want to follow you, Tiger-san!"
As his words fell, others gritted their teeth and clenched their fists one after another, shouting,
"Me too!"
"I'll follow you as well!"
"That's right, Tiger-san, without you, we're nothing but walking corpses!"
"Please let us follow you and sail freely across this sea!"
"..."
One after another, their once extinguished courage flared to life again. They stared deeply at Fisher Tiger.
Their bodies still trembled, and their clothes remained torn and filthy, but a light of hope gradually returned to their eyes.
...
Day turned to night, and time passed swiftly.
A month flew by.
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the military academy's poison gas isolation zone.
The same sealed, tightly locked room.
Purple poison gas thickly filled the space, so dense that one could hardly see a thing.
Under the corrosive effect of the gas, even the sturdy rock walls were now marked with acid burns.
Suddenly, from the thickest part of the gas, a weak moan rang out.
"Instructor Daren... I... I can't hold on anymore..."
Cross-legged, Daren sat enveloped in the deadly mist. He frowned and said sternly,
"No, you have to hold on, Magellan!"
His voice was firm, brooking no argument.
"Only if you endure it can you achieve real mastery and control!"
"Besides, you don't want to stay locked in a sealed room like this forever, isolated from everyone, right?"
The weak voice replied again, clearly gritting his teeth to persevere, shouting,
"I don't want to!!"
But as soon as the words fell, the poison gas in that area suddenly stagnated.
Daren sighed helplessly, opened his mouth, and took a deep breath.
It was like the roar of a dragon or the gulp of a giant whale. All the purple poison gas in the room formed a vortex visible to the naked eye and rushed into his mouth and nose.
His face shifted colors from pale to a sickly blue-purple. After several seconds of enduring intense pain and discomfort, Daren finally managed to suppress it and slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp gleam flashed deep within his pupils, then quickly faded.
"You're giving up already, Magellan..."
He looked down at Magellan lying sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, and spoke with a hint of disappointment.
Magellan's eyes spun, his pupils unfocused, his body twitching like limp mud. He muttered dazedly,
"Feels... like I'm broken..."
Daren pinched his temples.
What a lousy line.
"Take a good rest. I'll come back for you when I have time."
He said casually, then stood up and pushed the door open without hesitation.
He looked just like a heartless guy who had wiped his mouth clean after a meal.
However, the moment he opened the door, a burly figure clad in protective gear stood there with arms crossed, staring at him with an expression that was odd, suspicious, and even faintly contemptuous.
"Daren, you... don't have some strange fetish, do you?"
Zephyr stared at him suspiciously, holding back for a long time before finally asking with a weird tone.
Daren: ...
That ridiculous, dramatic kid Magellan always says crazy things. What am I supposed to do about it!
He rolled his eyes impatiently and said,
"I'm training him, Zephyr-sensei!"
"You've seen it yourself. In just two months, Magellan's poison has at least doubled in lethality and corrosiveness compared to when he first arrived at camp."
Zephyr looked him over skeptically.
"I'm willing to believe you... but you've been spending an awful lot of time with Magellan. It's enough to make anyone suspicious..."
Daren: ...
"What brings you here?"
He said with a forced smile.
Seeing that look in Daren's eyes, Zephyr shivered involuntarily, coughed awkwardly twice, and said in a deep voice,
"Ahem, Fleet Admiral Kong has called a meeting of the top officers. It's about discussing candidates for the Shichibukai."