As soon as the rabbit-eared girl finished speaking,
the entire deck fell silent.
Tiger quietly rubbed the cup in his hand, saying nothing — but his silence was as good as agreement.
"Marine Headquarters?"
Inazuma scratched his head in confusion. "No way... We're not pirates. Why would the Marine come after us?"
"Yeah, that's right,"
the rabbit-eared girl nodded repeatedly. "And the Marine's not like those secret agents. There are more good and righteous people among them, right? When I left Zou and got caught in a sea storm, it was a few Marine uncles who risked their lives to save me..."
"You're too naïve, little girl!"
Before she could finish, a thin, white-haired old man slammed his cane on the deck, cutting her off with anger in his voice.
"Righteous? Bah! Those so-called Marines? Don't make me laugh!"
"Twenty years ago, our entire village — hundreds of people — were taken by slave ships and sold to the Celestial Dragons, all because we couldn't pay the royal tribute!"
"On the way, we came across several Marine warships and begged for help with all we had. And what happened?"
"The moment those marines heard we were slaves being sent to Mary Geoise, they treated us like we carried the plague — fled as fast as they could! We screamed until our throats bled, and not one of them turned back!"
As the old man spoke of those bitter years, his frail body trembled. Tears streamed down his wrinkled face.
"My daughter... my wife... and everyone from our village — over three hundred people — none of them made it. I'm the only one left alive. If even one of those Marine ships back then had stepped in, how could it have turned out like this... how could it have?"
"That's right!"
"Damn their 'Kustice'!"
"The Marine? They're nothing but the Celestial Dragons' dogs!"
...
The old man's words struck a chord with many around him.
Thousands of slaves stood there.
Many of them had stories like his — some once placed their hopes in the Marine, only to fall into despair. Others had been oppressed by them in their own homes. And some had even been personally sold to the Celestial Dragons by greedy marines themselves...
Of course,
there were also a few, like Inazuma and the rabbit-eared girl, whose impressions of the Marine weren't all bad — they instinctively wanted to defend them.
But when they looked at the burn marks on their bodies — the Celestial Dragons' hoof-shaped brand of shame — and remembered the inhuman years they'd spent in the Holy Land, their eyes dimmed. They fell silent.
How could they defend them?
What right did they have to speak up?
Even as survivors who'd escaped, though they had suffered unimaginable torment, they were the lucky few.
For every one of them who lived, there were tens, hundreds more who had died in Mary Geoise.
Teenagers, barely fifteen or sixteen, thrown into arenas to fight wild beasts for the amusement of their masters — torn apart, bodies left unrecognizable.
Young women, once full of dreams about love, paraded like horses in the daylight and subjected to every cruelty at night.
And children — innocent, barely a few years old — boiled and roasted alive, just to satisfy the twisted appetites of the so-called nobles.
And the Marine?
They knew — they all knew. From beginning to end, they turned a blind eye.
Beneath the so-called Holy Land Mary Geoise, that true hell on earth, stood Marineford — where the banner of "Justice" still fluttered proudly in the wind.
What a cruel irony.
"..."
In a dark corner, Hancock sat curled up, head lowered, biting her lip. Her face was pale as paper.
In her trembling hand was a tattered old photograph — a black-haired boy smiling at the camera, so charming that countless girls would fall for him at first sight.
She had secretly torn it from a newspaper five or six years ago, while being trafficked by slavers, when the woman guarding her wasn't looking.
That boy — her idol since she was a child — was the one she had admired with all her innocent heart.
And over the long five years of torment since then,
he had been the only light keeping her alive.
From the dimly lit slave ship to the iron cages of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, the young girl had dreamed countless times that one day the man in the photograph would appear — draped in a white cloak of justice, descending from the heavens like a savior, to rescue her and her sisters from this living hell.
Especially a year ago, during the Reverie (World Council), she vaguely heard that he had acted on behalf of the Fleet Admiral and, as the Marine representative presiding over the meeting, would be staying in Mary Geoise for a full half month.
During that time, her hope had reached its peak.
Almost every night, she held the photo tightly in her hands and prayed.
But as the days went by, one after another, her hopes kept shattering.
And now — after enduring two thousand long days and nights, after finally escaping from her torment — the man she had dreamed of all this time had never appeared.
"Big sister…"
Her two younger sisters, seeing her expression, didn't know how to comfort her. They could only gently pat her back.
Even so, the burn mark of the Celestial Dragon's hoof on her back still throbbed faintly with pain.
"Heh…"
Hancock laughed self-deprecatingly, her gaze finally seeming to reach some kind of resolution. She suddenly exerted force with both hands, tearing the photo into countless pieces.
Then she quietly watched as the passing sea breeze lifted the fragments, scattering them fluttering and drifting towards the sea, towards the sky, towards the sky under the setting sun, towards the man hovering silently there, looking exactly the same as the one in the photo...
Hm?
Hancock froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Was it… a hallucination?
At first, she thought so — but she soon realized the truth.
Because the man hovering high in the air now had an extremely complex expression on his face, as if he was looking at her, and yet also at the other slaves around. Finally, he let out a soft sigh and slowly descended.
And on the deck around her, the slaves' startled cries also erupted:
"Look, everyone, there's someone in the sky!"
"It looks like… a Marine officer?"
"This isn't good — he's coming this way! Everyone, get ready to fight!"
…
Tap!
Amid the cries of alarm, Nao landed lightly on the ship's prow.
Behind him, the twin wings of thunder that had carried him through the air faded away without a sound.
The deck erupted into chaos.
The elderly and children, shielded by their companions, stumbled in panic as they retreated toward the rear cabins.
The younger, stronger slaves, however, quickly armed themselves and surrounded the bow of the ship, tense and ready for battle.
Amid the crowd—
Fisher Tiger's expression had also changed drastically the instant he saw the man descend. He sprang to his feet, drawing the long blade from beneath the table.
But when he reached the front and finally saw the man's face clearly, he froze in place, momentarily stunned.
"It really is the Marine!"
"And it looks like he's a Vice Admiral… Damn it! They actually sent someone that high-ranking after us?!"
"Those dogs of the Celestial Dragons! They even chased us all the way here! To hell with it—let's take them down!"
Many of the slaves were already burning with anger and despair, ready to rush forward and fight to the death.
But before they could take more than two steps, Fisher Tiger suddenly turned, his voice booming across the deck:
"Everyone, stop! Don't move—stand down!"
Though they had only been together for a single day, Tiger already held immense respect and authority among them. His shout alone made the charging slaves halt instinctively and turn toward him.
"Marine Admiral Candidate — White Dragon Nao…"
Tiger took a deep breath, eyes locked firmly on the man before him. His voice was low and heavy:
"Did the World Government send you here… to capture us and drag us back?"
Nao didn't answer right away.
Ever since he had landed, his gaze had been sweeping across the faces of the freed slaves behind Tiger — these people who had suffered so much, barely surviving the torment of Mary Geoise.
In their eyes, he saw fear.
Hatred.
Despair.
And in a small few — perhaps those who had only been enslaved within the past two years — he saw faint sparks of recognition, disbelief, and even joy.
Joy?
Nao's emotions swirled as he finally exhaled softly and spoke:
"I didn't expect you to know my name… Fisher Tiger."
"Since you know who I am," he continued, eyes meeting Tiger's, "do you really think I'd do something like that?"
"…I'm not sure, Mr. White Dragon."
Tiger's whole body was tense under Nao's gaze. He unconsciously gripped his blade tighter, his voice hoarse as he went on:
"I owe you my life. Under normal circumstances, I'd have no doubt — anyone who'd destroy a royal slave ship just to save a few strangers… such a man wouldn't betray his conscience."
"But this time… the stakes are too high. If the Marine sent you, then it must mean the World Government has given an absolute order…"
Saved his life?
Nao blinked, puzzled.
This is the first time we've met… isn't it? When did I save you?
He glanced at Tiger, trying to recall the event, but drew a blank.
Still, over the years, he had saved so many people that he had long since lost count. If Tiger had been one of them — saved by coincidence — it wouldn't be surprising.
So Nao simply shook his head slightly, brushing the thought aside.
However—
At that moment, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
That small motion — the moment of silent thought, the faint shake of his head — was enough to make many hearts sink in dread.
"So it's true then…"
Tiger's expression darkened, but the next moment, it seemed he had made up his mind. His voice was low and resolute as he spoke:
"It seems I wasn't wrong. You're under heavy pressure, Mr. White Dragon — bound to follow the World Government's orders."
"Mr. White Dragon!"
He took a firm step forward.
"I am the main culprit who set the fire in Mary Geoise. The World Government must hate me to the bone by now. You can take my head and bring it back as proof of your mission! But one man should answer for his own actions. The others on this ship— they've suffered enough just to escape. I beg you, let them go."
"What are you saying, Brother Tiger?!"
Shouts erupted from behind him — furious, desperate voices of the slaves:
"Don't insult us like that! How could we let you die alone just to save our own skins?!"
"Yeah! Even if you turn yourself in, do you really think this Marine would just let us walk free?"
"Better to fight together! I owe you my life anyway, might as well die by your side!"
"Exactly! He's just one man — let's take him down together!"
…
In an instant, the crowd's emotions boiled over.
The deck was on the brink of chaos once more.
A few among the slaves — those who recognized Nao, like the black-haired girl Hancock and her two sisters — tried to calm everyone down, to reason with them.
But they were far too few, their voices drowned out by the roar of rage and fear.
Finally—
Tiger raised his arm and pressed it down, motioning for silence.
"You bunch of idiots…"
The noise gradually died away. Tiger looked around at the angry, unyielding faces surrounding him. A mix of emotion welled up in his heart, but he could only smile bitterly and mutter,
"What foolish things you're saying…"
Fight to the death against this White Dragon?
He had already asked Jinbe and Arlong back on Fish-Man Island about Nao's feats over the years — the legends, the battles, the impossible victories.
He knew all too well: even if thousands of slaves joined forces, even if that number multiplied tenfold, a hundredfold — even if hundreds of thousands stood against him — the outcome would not change.
Before a world-class powerhouse like this man, sheer numbers meant nothing.
Resistance was hopeless.
Their only chance lay in whether this man would be merciful enough to let them go — or at least agree to take him alone as the scapegoat.
Then, suddenly—
A calm voice came from behind.
"One hour."
"…Huh?"
Tiger turned around, startled, looking toward Nao.
"You have one hour."
Nao raised a finger, his tone composed and steady.
"Change your course immediately. Head southwest at full speed. Within the next hour, I'll order all nearby Marine ships to leave this area. Once night falls, you'll be completely safe. Understood?"