"Is this Fish-Man District?"
The buildings here were nothing like the luxurious architecture elsewhere on Fish-Man Island. The houses in Fish-Man District could only be described as shabby and worn down.
Most of them were low and crumbling, and the most common sight was groups of fishman children running about.
Behind the entire district loomed a massive ship. Noah.
"Tiger-san!"
The moment they saw Tiger return, the children rushed toward him excitedly, as if they had just spotted a hero.
Laughing, Tiger ruffled their hair and explained,
"Yes. Fish-Man District was originally the orphan quarter of Fish-Man Island."
"The orphan quarter?"
"Right. Because of the constant presence of human pirates and traffickers, many children on Fish-Man Island lost their parents. With no one willing to adopt them, they were all sent here. So this is the place on the island that harbors the deepest hatred toward humans."
Even without Tiger's explanation, it was obvious from the way the children clung to him while staring warily at Yemu and the others. Their eyes were tense, guarded.
If Yemu had not been Tiger's companion, they would probably have chased him out of Fish-Man District already.
"I see. Then it looks like I made the right choice. These kids are born to be warriors."
That was precisely why Yemu had asked Tiger to bring him here. He wanted to find fishmen suited to becoming warriors.
The Sky Pirates followed a small but elite approach. They did not need large numbers. But for future wars and the defense of their territory, strong fighters were indispensable.
And in this world, the fishman race stood shoulder to shoulder with the Giants in natural strength. There was no way Yemu would ignore that.
He had not hidden his intentions, so Tiger knew everything.
In fact, Tiger agreed with him.
However…
"Captain, it seems you don't think very highly of the fishmen from other parts of Fish-Man Island."
Yemu did not bother to deny it. He asked bluntly,
"In the past ten days, how many soldiers have you recruited?"
Tiger's expression turned awkward. He did not say the number, but the troubled look on his face was answer enough.
Yemu did not press him. He simply continued,
"Your people have been raised by your Queen to the point that they don't even understand what resistance means anymore."
The words were harsh.
But when Tiger thought about the nearly deserted recruitment station these past few days, he could only let out a helpless sigh.
"Alright, you kids go play."
After patting the children on the head and sending them off, Tiger walked alongside Yemu and asked,
"Captain, do you not believe in Queen Otohime's ideals?"
"No."
Yemu shook his head.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting peaceful coexistence with humans. I support that. But your Queen is too naive."
He stopped and looked straight into Tiger's eyes, his tone steady and serious.
"Tell me, Tiger. Do you really believe peace is something you can obtain by begging?"
Tiger's brows knitted tightly together.
Yemu's words were unpleasant, but when he thought about it carefully, whether it was their ancestors' actions or Queen Otohime's current efforts, from a certain perspective, it did resemble pleading with the human world.
Seeing Tiger's silence, Yemu did not push him further. He spoke plainly.
"Maybe what I'm saying sounds cruel, but peace that comes without bloodshed is always fragile."
Tiger was not ignorant of that truth, but…
"But Brother Tom and Granny Kokoro have been able to live peacefully in Water 7. If they can do it, then other fishmen…"
"That's because there are only two of them," Yemu cut in. "Try imagining every fishman from Fish-Man Island moving to the surface and competing with humans for land and resources. How do you think humans would react?"
"Not to mention, fishmen are naturally far stronger than humans. Of course they would feel threatened."
Tiger's expression dimmed.
"Then is there really no hope? For hundreds of years, our dream has been to live under the sunlight…"
"Of course there's hope," Yemu replied calmly. "Honestly, Tiger, if your only dream is to live under the sun on land, that's not difficult at all."
"Huh?!"
Tiger stared at him.
"Just like our next goal," Yemu continued. "With the abilities of your people, settling somewhere in the Grand Line or the Four Seas might be hard. But finding a suitable island in the Calm Belt, like the warriors of Amazon Lily did, shouldn't be that difficult, right?"
"Ah…"
This time Tiger was truly stunned. Yemu's words offered an answer he had never even considered.
With their ability to survive in the sea and communicate with fish, locating an island in the Calm Belt and building a home there, just like Amazon Lily, would not be so hard for fishmen.
In some ways, the Calm Belt might even be safer than Fish-Man Island.
As Yemu had once put it, aside from the Twin Goddesses, only the Marines currently possessed ships capable of sailing the Calm Belt.
"That… actually makes sense. But then why didn't our ancestors ever do that? In all these hundreds of years, has no one thought of it?"
Tiger looked genuinely confused.
Yemu raised his head and gestured toward the entirety of Fish-Man Island.
"Tiger, what do you think Fish-Man Island looks like?"
Tiger blinked, not understanding.
Yemu did not keep him guessing.
"Doesn't it feel like a giant cage? A cage that keeps all of you trapped here?"
Tiger's eyes widened.
"A cage?"
"Yes. I once heard a saying that fits your situation perfectly. Fish-Man Island has never been a place. Wherever fishmen or merfolk exist, that is Fish-Man Island."
For a moment, Tiger felt as if something that had bound him for years had suddenly loosened. His chest felt lighter than ever before, and his thoughts clearer than they had ever been.
"Fish-Man Island has never been a place… Wherever fishmen or merfolk exist, that is Fish-Man Island…"
He repeated the words softly, his eyes growing brighter by the second.
"Still, this is only my guess," Yemu went on. "But I feel like something is keeping all of you here, preventing you from leaving."
"So is it really the World Government or humanity that stands in the way of you living under the sun? Or is it something else?"
Tiger felt there was something more behind his captain's words.
"Captain… what are you implying?"
Yemu did not answer directly. His tone carried a hint of speculation.
"Don't you think it's all a little too coincidental?"
"Coincidental?"
"Yes. The Red Line is enormous. So why is Fish-Man Island positioned precisely at this opening?"
"Why is the Holy Land Mary Geoise directly above your heads?"
"And why does the Sunlight Tree Eve just happen to grow here?"
"Do you really believe all of that is just coincidence?"