“Yes, Koala, it’s just thunder.”
The family members in the room were all smiles. Initially, the sound of gunfire wasn’t obvious, but as the battle intensified and the weather changed, Koala sensed something amiss outside the village.
However, everyone in the village unanimously assured her that it was just thunder, nothing more.
“Come, Koala, here are your new clothes. Try it on.”
Pulling Koala away from the window, her mother gave her a brand new set of clothes. Upon seeing the Sun Pirates’ mark on her back, although there was a wave of turmoil inside her heart, she quickly suppressed it.
She didn’t want her daughter to be taken away again, even if it meant betraying that Fish-Man. After all, he was just a Fish-Man.
…
Not long ago, by the seaside, Arlong and the remaining Fish-Men were facing off against approaching warships who had surrounded them.
“Destroy their rudders! Whoever is injured, hide underwater. Brother Jinbe will definitely bring back Boss!”
“Fool! Leave one ship intact; we need it to retreat!”
Arlong commanded a group of Sun Pirates’ members to fight the Marines. Their ships were already destroyed under the cannon fire, and all the Fish-Men had dived deep into the sea.
If they approached from underwater, the warship’s cannons wouldn’t be able to reach them, and bullets were ineffective due to water resistance.
Fish-Men, leveraging their explosive strength underwater, easily destroyed the enemy ships’ rudders. With each different race of Fish-Man possessing unique abilities, they utilized their innate talents to freely move in the vast ocean, conducting guerrilla warfare.
“Brother Arlong! Brother Jinbe is back!”
“Good, bring them aboard!”
Despite Tiger having many wounds, due to the Fish-Men’s trait, they had a special resistance to wounds in water, so it wasn’t a big issue. However, seeing Arlong seize a warship, Jack showed no interest in boarding.
“We can’t board; we are going underwater.”
“Huh? But Boss Tiger’s body needs rest, and if we don’t treat him quickly…”
As the ship’s medic, Aladine had a different perspective. Even though injured Fish-Men weren’t afraid of water, he couldn’t treat them amidst turbulent sea currents.
The Marine warship had a more advanced sickbay, and he wanted to utilize its equipment.
“Our ship isn’t too far from here. Boss Mandrell can’t delay that Marine for long. If we steal the warship, we’ll become targets. Let’s go underwater and wait for Boss Mandrell to return.”
“Listen to him. Let’s go; that Marine is indeed troublesome to deal with.”
There was no time to waste. Jinbe quickly agreed with Jack’s suggestion, abandoning the warship Arlong had seized. Even Arlong didn’t object this time because Mandrell was covering the retreat for Tiger.
Tiger held a significant place in his heart, so he didn’t want to be disrespectful at this moment.
Under Jack’s lead, they swiftly returned to Mandrell’s ship.
…
“Where’s the boss?”
“He’s covering our retreat and will be back soon. This is our mission target. His injuries are a bit severe; hurry and treat him.”
Jack briefly explained the situation to Pierman, then took Tiger to the sickbay. Upon boarding the ship, the Sun Pirates’ members split into two distinct groups.
One group consisted of Fish-Men who had joined the Beasts Pirates under Mandrell as his subordinates, along with Hachi and Jinbe, the Fish-Men who accepted human kindness.
The other group of Fish-Men harbored suspicions towards these individuals and weren’t comfortable leaving Tiger with them. Accompanied by them, several people and Aladine entered the sickbay.
The ship’s doctor quickly concluded that the injuries weren’t fatal but there was too much blood loss. Aladine also confirmed it, so next, as long as bullets are removed, wounds stitched, and blood transfusion given, it would complete the treatment.
“What blood type is your boss?”
“He’s S type RH-. Boss Tiger is the only one with this blood type on our ship. Do you have it in your blood bank?”
Typical pirate ships typically don’t have blood banks. Although the Beasts Pirates’ ship is more advanced than average, normal ships only store the blood types of the warriors on board.
Space on ships is limited, and the complexity of blood types in the one piece world means storing all types isn’t feasible.
“S type RH-? No, this blood type is too rare. Lord Arceus was right on the mark. Hey, where’s the medicine Lord Arceus gave?”
During treatment, the ship’s doctor held the highest authority onboard; this was an ironclad rule. At that moment, he could command anyone on the ship.
People on board looked at each other, then turned to Pierman.
“Don’t look at me; Boss Mandrell always carries it with him.”
“It’s with me. Brother Mandrell gave it to me earlier.”
From outside, Jack handed over the medicine. This ship was Mandrell’s flagship, and not designed with Jack’s size in mind. As he was increasingly growing taller, he couldn’t fit in the sickbay anymore, so he had to wait outside.
“Alright, injecting this will slowly help him recover.”
Saying so, he prepared to administer the medicine to Tiger, but Tiger seemed somewhat conflicted.
“This medicine…is made by humans, right?”
“No, it’s specially made by God. As long as you have a breath left, it can pull you back from death.”
Initially, Tiger’s words made the ship’s doctor halt. Due to Mandrell’s help, he was saved and he was grateful for this kindness, but due to the Marines attack, he lost the trust in humans.
He originally wanted to refuse human-made medicine and blood even if it meant dying. However, the ship doctor’s words completely short-circuited his thoughts. Before he could react, the injection was already administered.
“Wait! Aren’t you going to do the sensitivity test?
“Huh? No need. Lord Arceus’ medicine can be used by anyone, and unless you’re a blasphemer, you won’t die.”
This left Aladine, also a ship doctor, dumbfounded. Logically speaking, human technological advancements far surpassed those of Fishman Island, as evidenced by the medical equipment in the room. However, he never expected such superstitious remarks from a doctor using such advanced equipment.
However, the medicine’s effect was immediate. Within minutes of the injection, Tiger fell asleep, but his breathing became steady, bleeding wounds stopped bleeding, and even began to heal. No wonder he had to remove the bullets from his wounds before starting the treatment.
…
“He’s alright. Boss Tiger is saved.”
This news quickly spread among the Fish-Men on the ship, cheers echoing one after another. Although Arlong was happy upon receiving the news, he gazed at the sea with a hint of seriousness.
“What’s wrong, Arlong?”
“Brother Jinbe, how come that imposter Mandrell hasn’t returned yet?”
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