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On board the royal ship of Alabasta.
“Why didn’t you keep her?”
“Once Hancock grows up, she’ll definitely be stunning. Even now, at just fifteen or sixteen, you can see the outline of her beauty.” Eveya gazed towards the coastline of the Sabaody Archipelago, her voice carrying an indescribable tone.
“Letting her go will give her a better future,” Kojin replied with a faint smile on his face.
He could naturally hear the slightly sour note in his adjutant’s words. Having worked together for many years, the two of them understood each other completely.
“Sometimes I wonder, what kind of woman could spend her life with a man like you?” Eveya sighed, her words tinged with something unspoken.
“I haven’t thought about that.” Kojin shook his head.
“What about Hancock?” Eveya asked.
“I can hear the jealousy in your tone loud and clear.” Kojin laughed.
“Vice Admiral?” Eveya’s face flushed red.
“Go and do what you’re supposed to do! There’s still a mountain of work waiting for you in the West Blue!… And…” At this point, Kojin sighed again and frowned slightly. “We also need to start paying attention to Alabasta. Tell Douglas Bullet to select a group of instructors, disguise them, and train the army here.”
After a pause, Kojin hesitated slightly before adding,
“Actually, forget that; have Bullet come here in person for a while. The military strength of Alabasta must be improved as soon as possible. We might need it in the future.”
At the mention of work, Eveya immediately became serious.
“Yes!”
Watching her leave, Kojin’s gaze sharpened slightly. His trip to Mary Geoise had made him more urgent and given him a clearer understanding of the World Government’s power.
“How long will it take to train my subordinates…”
“Until they’re strong enough to fight them?”
He muttered, shaking his head and sighing.
“I’m afraid it’ll be difficult! Compared to raising them myself, it’s more reliable to unite, recruit, and subdue talented individuals. If only I could control the Marines…”
A deep glint flashed in Kojin’s eyes as he fell into thought.
This was entirely possible. However, in the current era with Kong as Fleet Admiral, it was unlikely. However, after Sengoku takes over, based on their unbreakable bond, his chances of becoming the next Fleet Admiral would be very high.
Once he controlled the Marines, he would instantly command a large number of highly trained combat forces.
Monkey D. Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru, and other veterans, for example. As well as the rising pillars of that era, such as Borsalino and Kuzan.
“And with Vegapunk’s technology and artificial humans…” Kojin’s eyes gleamed.
“But this is a long-term plan!”
“First, I need to gain the Marines’ trust, keep a low profile, and develop quietly without making reckless moves.”
His murmuring voice slowly faded.
One month later, the ship arrived at Alabasta.
Kojin said goodbye to Nefertari Cobra, who looked sad and reluctant to leave.
“I’ll send my subordinates to train the kingdom’s guard. This will strengthen Alabasta’s top combat power. As for weapons, we’ll resolve that through other means.”
Cobra sighed softly.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Once the truth about the royal family is revealed, we will inevitably become their enemies. Before that happens, we must do everything we can to strengthen our forces!”
Kojin smiled and nodded.
Soon after, the two parted ways.
The battleship quickly left Alabasta, passed through the Calm Belt, and sailed towards the West Blue. The duties of a base commander in the West Blue were extremely demanding, and Kojin had already been delayed for many days.
…
Fish-Man Island
“Big Brother Tiger is back!”
“Really? Did he actually escape from the Celestial Dragons?!
“That’s unbelievable! Big Brother Tiger is a hero!”
“…”
Figures rushed out onto the streets one after another, surrounding the Fish-Man at the center. Their faces were filled with excitement. Fisher Tiger had always been the Fish-Man District’s big brother, having fought his way up since childhood to earn the admiration and respect of many.
“Big Brother Tiger, how did you escape from there?” A man in the crowd asked curiously.
Hearing this, Fisher Tiger frowned, but upon seeing who it was, his expression softened.
“Jinbe, we’ll talk about that later.”
“Big Brother Tiger, you must have suffered a lot there!”
“It’s all humanity’s fault! Please lead us to the sea; we’ll show those hateful humans the power of the Fish-Men!”
Another figure shouted.
“Arlong, restrain your hostility. Not all humans are bad!” Fisher Tiger glared as he reprimanded him.
“You must have plans now that you’re back, right?”
“If you go out again, please take us with you!”
Someone on the left shouted.
“Hody Jones, you’re right. I do have some plans now that I’m back. But right now, the most urgent thing is to go to the Ryugu Kingdom and meet His Majesty Neptune and Queen Otohime.” Fisher Tiger said in a deep voice.
“Why do you want to meet them?” Jinbe asked, confused.
“Perhaps, in some respects, we’ve reached a consensus.” Fisher Tiger’s eyes flickered as he continued.
The people of the Fish-Man District all looked confused; they couldn’t understand what their Big Brother meant.
A short while later, Fisher Tiger arrived at the Ryugu Palace.
His arrival shocked the guards at the Dragon Palace entrance, as almost everyone knew he had been captured by the Celestial Dragons.
Soon, at Neptune’s invitation, Fisher Tiger entered the Ryugu Kingdom palace.
“It’s truly astonishing. To enter a place like that and still manage to escape!”
“To the Fish-Man race, Fisher Tiger, you are nothing short of a heroic leader!” Neptune exclaimed.
Fish-Man Island had long been in conflict with humans, and for years its people had been enslaved. Being taken to Mary Geoise was tantamount to a death sentence, accompanied by unimaginable torment.
Escaping from there was something worthy of awe, even worship, for any Fish-Man.
As Neptune said, Fisher Tiger was a hero of the Fish-Man race, a true Fish-Man warrior.
“I lived through hell on earth. Even now, after escaping, just thinking about it makes my whole body tremble!” Fisher Tiger didn’t care about being called a hero. Flames seemed to blaze in his eyes as he clenched his fists tightly.
“And there are tens of thousands like me, trapped in despair and enduring endless suffering!”
He gritted his teeth.
“I cannot understand it. Humans, mermaids, Fish-Men… we are all equal! And yet these people are capable of such cruelty!”
“I can no longer endure it. I must do something!”
Hearing this, both Neptune and Otohime were slightly startled.
Otohime especially, she could feel the sorrow and anguish in this Fish-Man hero’s heart. The moment she felt it, tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
“What do you intend to do?”
Neptune took a breath and asked in a deep voice.
At first, confusion flickered in Fisher Tiger’s eyes, but it quickly turned into firm resolve.
He recalled that moment in Mariejois when that man had saved him with the sun shining down behind him.
“The sun! I will bring the sun to all slaves!” His powerful declaration shook Neptune.
“This world is not made up of evil people only. There are also great individuals who believe in equality between humans, fish people, and mermaids!”
“I will spread the seeds of the sun! I will free all slaves, and free the minds that are bound in chains!”
Fisher Tiger said in a deep voice.
Then, he turned and left.
Neptune and Queen Otohime watched his figure fade slowly away, with a hint of respect in their eyes.
…
Amazon Lily:
“Boa Hancock! You’ve finally returned! Where have you been all these years?!”
Old Nyon (Granny Nyon) called out happily.
“Nowhere!” The three sisters exchanged glances and answered in unison.
They had decided to hide their dark past as slaves to the Celestial Dragons; it was a lifelong shame they would never speak of.
“We’re going to train hard and gain great power as soon as possible! Power strong enough to stand beside that man!” Hancock said firmly with a resolute look in his eyes.
“Good! With that kind of ambition, you’ll be the next ruler of the Amazon Lily!” Granny Nyon laughed.
“The ruler of the Amazon Lily… That should qualify me to pursue that man, right?” A thought stirred in Hancock’s heart, and her eyes lit up even more.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, bringing us to the year 1509 of the Marine Era.
That year, Kojin was busy dealing with matters in the West Blue while being constantly urged by Vegapunk to collect rare materials and minerals for him.
According to Vegapunk, Kozuki Oden… who had been sent over years ago was close to completing his transformation.
This puzzled Kojin until Vegapunk explained, “This guy’s body has already reached its limit. Whether his consciousness can be preserved is uncertain. I can only try my best to modify him. If we’re lucky, we might awaken his consciousness, which would be ideal. But don’t get your hopes up too much.”
These words made it clear that Kozuki Oden had lost consciousness by the time he was sent away, essentially becoming a vegetative patient.
“Also, I’ve successfully modified the body of the Shiki. He’s now a qualified artificial human! I call him PX–Golden Lion, a symbol of peace!”
“The first-generation Seraphim has been upgraded five times. Taking into account your lineage and that of the Lunarians, it can now use basic lightning and fire attacks. But mass production still isn’t possible. The PX–Golden Lion and the Pacifista should be ready for deployment in a little while longer. Compared to the Seraphim, they are less powerful, but far more cost-efficient to produce.”
Vegapunk said during the call.
Kojin felt both pleasantly surprised and somewhat disappointed. Kozuki Oden had not yet been successfully completed and remained in a vegetative state.
He continued to wait patiently.
Then, one day, he received a shocking piece of news from the Holy Land of Mary Geoise… a revelation that would shake the heavens.
(End of Chapter)
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