The night was quiet.
Fisher Tiger was equally silent as he steadily scaled the sheer, towering cliffs of the Red Line. But beneath his calm exterior, a fire was raging in his chest—a fire that was scorching, violent, yet profoundly compassionate. He was going to do something massive tonight. Something that ordinary men didn't even dare to imagine.
When Tiger was young, he lived deep within Fish-Man Island's Fish-Man District. Originally established as an orphanage, incompetent management had allowed the district to devolve into a lawless slum crawling with gangs and thugs. The Ryugu Kingdom had constantly tried to clean up the district, but they had never succeeded.
Tiger was incredibly strong and naturally charismatic. The kids who grew up alongside him, like Jinbe and Arlong, all called him "Boss," and he truly was the undisputed king of the Fish-Man District. To the local fish-men, his words carried more weight than those of King Neptune himself. But Tiger's true passion was exploration and travel. He ventured out to sea time and time again, returning to regale his brethren with tales of his adventures.
Three years ago, he had set out on yet another journey, never expecting it to plunge him into absolute hell. Shortly after his departure, he was captured and sold to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise as a slave for the Celestial Dragons. There, he experienced the absolute, maddening depths of human malice.
Recently, he had finally found an opportunity and escaped. Upon returning to Fish-Man Island, he confessed everything to King Neptune and Queen Otohime. Then, he made his decision: he was going back to Mary Geoise. He was going to liberate every single soul still suffering in that hellhole. Nobody deserved to be treated like livestock.
'Almost there,' he thought.
Tiger could hear faint movements above, meaning the peak of the Red Line was just ahead. He needed to be extra careful now. This mission was practically suicide, but he didn't regret it for a second.
Pulling himself over the ledge, he slipped into the shadows and quickly oriented himself. During his three years of slavery, he had meticulously memorized the layout of the Holy Land. He headed straight for a specific location perfectly suited for arson—a spot that would create enough chaos to draw away the nearby guards and patrols. And there were plenty of other spots just like it.
As Tiger set his plan in motion, Mary Geoise was rapidly plunged into chaos. Blazing infernos erupted across the Holy Land. The guards were thrown into an absolute frenzy—some scrambling to extinguish the flames, others rushing to protect the Celestial Dragons, while the rest desperately hunted for the arsonist.
Inside the Room of Authority in Pangaea Castle, the Five Elders hurriedly assembled. Intelligence reports were flooding in, confirming that someone had somehow infiltrated the Holy Land and was setting fires everywhere, though their ultimate goal remained unknown.
"Whoever it is, organize the guards and put out those fires first! Deploy the God's Knights to secure all crucial areas to prevent further damage." "Move all Celestial Dragons outside into the secure emergency shelters, just in case." "Have we identified the intruder yet? How dare someone invade the Holy Land of Mary Geoise! They must not be allowed to escape! The majesty of the World Nobles cannot be challenged!" "What about the Marines? Have they been notified? Order them to send reinforcements immediately." "Kong has already dispatched Sengoku, and the G-1 Branch is sending troops as well. But it will take them some time to arrive." "Is Borsalino not coming?" "The Marines have deployed most of their forces to deter pirates during the holiday season. Borsalino is currently patrolling the waters near the Alabasta Kingdom."
The five men spoke in rapid succession, barking out orders to stabilize the situation.
Outside Pangaea Castle, the Celestial Dragons were experiencing this kind of terror for the very first time. Some were panicking hysterically, others threw violent tantrums, and a few actually wanted to get closer to watch the fire. It was the first blaze in the Holy Land in eight hundred years, and it was spreading fiercely. However, they were quickly herded away to the shelters. Even the Celestial Dragons had to obey the orders of the Five Elders.
Tiger effortlessly knocked out the guards stationed at the slave compound, swiped their weapons and keys, and pushed the heavy iron doors open. He jingled the key ring, the sharp clinking sound instantly drawing the attention of countless chained slaves.
"I am Fisher Tiger! I used to be one of you!" he shouted. "I've set fires all across the Holy Land! The guards are busy putting them out! Do you want your freedom? If you want it, move! This is your only chance!"
With that, he rushed forward and began unlocking the nearest slave's shackles.
Freedom. Only chance.
The fish-man slaves were the first to react, surging to their feet. The dull, lifeless eyes of the other traumatized slaves slowly began to ignite with desperate hope. The only chance at freedom. We have to be free! They rushed the cell bars, desperately thrusting their hands out toward Tiger.
Tiger handed spare keys to those whose hands were freed, ordering them to unlock the others. In a matter of minutes, every slave in the compound was unchained. They stared at Tiger, hanging on his every word.
"You are one step away from freedom!" Tiger yelled. "All that's left is to escape Mary Geoise! The fires have scattered their forces. We need to seize control of the bubble elevators at the Red Port before they put out the flames! Stay close to me!"
Tiger charged out, leading the swarm of slaves. A green-haired young man in the crowd immediately sprinted after him, and the rest of the slaves quickly followed suit.
"Hurry! Sandersonia, Marigold, keep up! Don't get separated!" Boa Hancock shouted, dragging her two younger sisters as they ran near the front of the pack.
By the time the stragglers reached the edge of the cliff, Tiger and his vanguard had already hijacked the massive bubble elevator and were ushering people inside to begin the descent.
Admiral Sengoku had been incredibly busy lately. Fleet Admiral Kong rarely handled Marine affairs personally anymore, leaving Sengoku to make almost all the executive decisions. Kong called it an "early taste of the Fleet Admiral life." With the New Year approaching, the Marines had to display absolute authority, otherwise, the pirate scum would run rampant and cause untold destruction.
'Thank God Tsuru is here to help me,' Sengoku thought, rubbing his temples.
Staring at the approaching Red Port, he realized he hadn't even called his boy, Rosinante, yet. He'd have to do it later.
"Admiral Sengoku!" the lookout shouted from the crow's nest. "Several merchant ships are approaching from ahead! But the people on board... they look like the slaves from Mary Geoise!"
In truth, Sengoku had noticed the bizarre state of those ships long before the lookout reported them. He didn't say a word. He absolutely despised the practice of keeping other human beings as slaves, but he had no jurisdiction to interfere with the twisted hobbies of the Celestial Dragons.
'If only all Celestial Dragons were as kind-hearted as Rosinante,' Sengoku thought bitterly. 'Damn that evil Donquixote Doflamingo! I'll throw you in Impel Down one day!'
"The safety of the Holy Land is our top priority," Sengoku ordered firmly. "Do not waste time."
The Marine battleship sailed right past the stolen merchant ships. Seeing that the Marines weren't going to attack, the escaped slaves on board let out a massive, collective sigh of relief. That was Admiral Sengoku's flagship, after all.
The next morning, Bardock was enjoying a delicious breakfast when a News Coo fluttered down beside him, eagerly tapping its little coin pouch. Bardock smoothly flipped a fifty-Berry coin into the air. The bird caught it in its beak, handed him a newspaper, and immediately took off again. It had a lot of papers to deliver today.
"What the hell?" Bardock muttered, his eyes widening as he read the front-page headline. "The Mary Geoise Attack Incident? So this is when it actually happened?!"
He shook his head in absolute disbelief. "'Big News' Morgans is insane. I can't believe he actually had the guts to publish a story that completely ruins the reputation of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons."
He tapped the photo of the fierce fish-man plastered on the front page. "'Hero of the Slaves,' Fisher Tiger... Man, I'd really love to meet him."