With the local defenders intentionally letting them go, the slaves in Mariejois successfully escaped with minimal casualties. Achieving a complete evacuation was too idealistic; even though Celestial Dragons’ demanded to capture the escaped slaves alive, there were still casualties in the midst of the battle.
Slaves were not just decorative items for the amusement of the Celestial Dragons; some were also gladiators in the colosseum, and most of the casualties occurred among this group.
“Cough, cough, that guy really didn’t hold back.”
In the ruins, the Rear Admiral stationed here struggled to stand up. Tiger, before retreating, had suddenly punched him. The man who could command the respect of the Fish-Man District and make Jinbe willingly call him “boss” was really not weak.
At this time, Tiger was the strongest among the Fish-Men on the seas. Their innate strength was ten times that of humans, and that punch made the Rear Admiral realize that even if he really fought back, he wouldn’t be his match.
At this moment, he felt the blood and energy churning within him, a result of Fish-Man Karate.
Fish-Man Karate wasn’t just a means of attacking with water; it could also affect the water content within an opponent’s body, causing greater damage.
Fish-Men proficient in Fish-Man Karate can even inflict damage on Logia Users solely through punches, even if they do not know Haki.
“Rear Admiral, those guys have escaped.”
“They’ve escaped? Then, what are you standing there for? Go after them!”
He didn’t bear a grudge for the punch; without it, he might have trouble explaining himself.
“Rear Admiral, the other ships have been breached by Fish-Men.”
Fish-Men’s most common tactic at sea prioritized targeting ships over people. Losing their foothold, even non-Devil Fruit users would struggle at sea.
“Then, there’s nothing we can do. Wait for headquarters’ support. Where are the medics? Hurry, bring them to me!”
As he spoke, he began to beat his chest, and even coughed up some blood. However, his confidants couldn’t shake the feeling that he was intentionally causing it.
The explosion in the ammunition storehouse left them in a sorry state, but no one thought there was a problem. After dawn, they did not blame the defenders. However, Kong still replaced the defenders here, with the original personnel temporarily assigned to logistical work at the headquarters.
Fisher Tiger’s wanted poster was also spread across the seas with the flapping of the News Coo’s wings. Some people with special status even appeared in Ryugu Kingdom, messengers from the World Government.
From Mariejois to Sabaody Archipelago, they arrived swiftly, carrying urgent orders from the World Government. At this moment, they finally remembered that Ryugu Kingdom was also an allied member of the World Government.
Their purpose in coming here was simple: demand the Ryugu Kingdom to hand over Fisher Tiger.
Neptune didn’t refuse but stated that he would hand over Tiger as long as he was captured, but whether they sent someone to capture him was another matter.
Before Tiger took action, he had discussed many things with Neptune and Otohime. They were the only ones who knew what Tiger had been through, and he had made it clear before the operation that, whether successful or not, he wouldn’t return to Fishman Island anytime soon.
The status as an allied member of the World Government was crucial for Fishman Island. Without this identity, their situation would only worsen.
Meanwhile, the Fish-Men who learned about Tiger’s situation also became excited.
The Fish-Man District used to be a large orphanage, but somehow it became what it is now.
Inside lived a large number of vagrants from Fishman Island, and Tiger has a considerable prestige among them. Now, they all intended to join Tiger. For example, Arlong had already started rallying his underlings.
Even the few Fish-Men who had originally followed Mandrell had the same idea, and they were currently bidding farewell to Mandrell.
“Boss Mandrell, we…”
“Go, go. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. If things get tough, just drop my name; it might be somewhat useful on the seas.”
Actually, it wasn’t somewhat useful but rather quite useful. The title of “Kaido II” coupled with his similar ability has led some to mistake him for Kaido’s son. There were even rumors in some places that he was Kaido’s successor.
“I knew you guys would go. Here’s a parting gift for you.”
Saying this, Mandrell tossed a box over. It was a sample of weapons that Kojiro had brought over earlier. Because the Ryugu Kingdom had rejected the purchase of these weapons, the shipment had been stockpiled here. Now, it just happened to come in handy.
Although they were just samples, these were high-quality weapons. Mandrell had taken only a small portion, and the rest of it, Kojiro had now found an opportunity to sell.
Although there were numerous Fish-Men, apart from Tiger, most of them followed the orders of Arlong and Jinbe. As for the Macro Trio, who were involved in the illegal trade of their own kin, Kojiro simply looks down on such people.
Due to Tiger’s situation, Hachi, who used to sell takoyaki, also planned to close his shop and set sail. Kojiro gave him some weapons and advised him to talk to Arlong.
This time, it wasn’t friendly assistance. Mandrell acted out of camaraderie with those few underlings, while Kojiro was simply conducting business.
Arlong was pleased with the weapons Hachi brought, but he didn’t buy a single one. In his opinion, these weapons were too expensive; elsewhere, he could acquire ten times the quantity of arms for the same cost.
Though Arlong treated his fellow Fish-Men relatively well, he was not only greedy but also stingy. He saw spending this amount of money as entirely unnecessary, as Fish-Men didn’t have to rely on such weapons due to their physique.
Even though Arlong didn’t make an order, Jinbe became interested in the weapons. However, he faced an equally awkward problem – he was willing to purchase the arms, but his situation was the opposite of Arlong’s.
One had the money but was unwilling to spend, while the other wanted to buy but didn’t have the funds.
The salary of the Ryugu Kingdom’s army commander was not meager, but he had many expenses. The money he had saved wasn’t enough to buy these weapons.
“Can’t it be a bit cheaper?”
“Mr. Jinbe, I’ve already given you a 20% discount. These weapons have much higher precision than ordinary ones, and they’re waterproof and moisture-resistant. Even if you perform underwater raids, it won’t affect their performance. The specially made bullets can even be fired underwater. This price is already quite cheap.”
Although he currently shared a similar sentiment with Arlong, not being particularly fond of humans, he wasn’t as extreme as Arlong. He didn’t harbor hatred towards everyone, especially people like Kojiro, with whom the Fish-Men get along quite well.
“But…can I write an IOU?”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Jinbe, we don’t offer loans. But if you’re willing to help with a small favor, it’s not out of the question. Do you remember those people who were recently imprisoned for kidnapping Rusalka?”
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