Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Asura Mends the Heavens (Part One)
Fishman Island, Dragon Palace.
One hour earlier.
Returning to Fishman Island with a heart full of complex emotions, Tiger had already made up his mind to join Chu Yi’s “Heaven-Slaying” Pirates. In the future, he would follow Chu Yi’s lead. As someone who maintained excellent relations with the upper echelons of Fishman Island, Tiger felt it necessary, in order to avoid bringing trouble to the island he loved so dearly, to have a heartfelt conversation with his old friend.
That friend was none other than the king of Fishman Island.
The Great Knight of the Sea, Neptune!
Thus, Tiger hurried to the Dragon Palace of Fishman Island, intending to discuss his feelings with Neptune and, as much as possible, minimize the negative consequences for Fishman Island whenever he acted rashly alongside Chu Yi.
However, Neptune was, after all, the king, and naturally he was a busy man. For this reason, even though Tiger arrived early outside the palace, he still had to wait a long while for an audience. Only now, led by the Right Minister, did Tiger finally enter the splendid halls of the Dragon Palace. Yet, to his surprise, aside from King Neptune, whom he had asked to see, there was another standing at Neptune’s side, smiling gently.
That person…
Was none other than the mother of Princess Shirahoshi, Queen Otohime, whose fragile body was easily wounded and who, in the original tale, strove to mend the rift between humans, fishmen, and merfolk.
“Hahaha, Tiger, it’s been a long time!” Neptune greeted him.
“It really has been a long time,” Tiger replied with a broad grin, though he was unsure why Queen Otohime was present. “Ever since I left Fishman Island to go adventuring, those troublemakers on the island must have given you quite a headache, Your Majesty.”
“Nonsense! As long as they’re from Fishman Island, it’s my duty to care for them. But, Tiger, it seems you’ve gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble lately, haven’t you?”
As he spoke, Neptune pulled out Tiger’s wanted poster from behind him, his face still smiling, showing no hint of judgment or discrimination, but rather teasing, “Tiger, when you first set out to sea, I could hear news of your adventures through special channels. But then, one day, it was as if you vanished into thin air. Just when I thought you might have suffered a setback and would return home…”
“You gave me quite the surprise!”
A surprise?
Perhaps…
Tiger’s smile only deepened. Just as he was about to explain the story behind his wanted poster to his friend Neptune, Queen Otohime, who had until then been silent, suddenly spoke, “Tiger, let’s set the navy’s pursuit aside for now. Can you tell me and His Majesty Neptune what you really saw during your travels?”
“What I saw…”
At her words, Tiger was silent, recalling all that had happened since he left the island.
He still remembered how, when he first set sail, his heart was bursting with excitement. He was determined to make a name for himself, to become the world’s first fishman adventurer of renown.
But dreams are beautiful, and reality, cruel.
Not long after leaving port, Tiger found himself in trouble—for the very reason of human prejudice.
No matter where he went, all he encountered was discrimination, unfair treatment at the hands of humans! Humans with money could board luxurious ships, but he, Fisher Tiger, despite possessing endless Beli, was forced to seek out illegal smugglers and pay exorbitant fees just to stow away to sea.
Countless restaurants and inns on various islands refused to admit him, simply because he was a fishman. Their reasoning was blunt: they feared that if Tiger dined or stayed there, it would hurt their business.
After all, how many would willingly eat or sleep under the same roof as a “filthy” fishman?
And faced with such discrimination, Tiger’s temperament meant he was bound to cause trouble. At first, whenever he was treated unfairly, he would use his fists to teach those contemptuous humans a lesson. But gradually, even Tiger grew numb, for the prejudice against fishmen was so vast that it seemed impossible to eradicate; no matter how hard he fought for his ideals, the scornful eyes of humans remained, as if they would never change.
Later…
During one such altercation, Tiger drew the attention of slave traders. Eventually, falling into their trap, he became a Celestial Dragon’s slave, tasting humiliation beyond compare.
To this day, the mark of their shame still burned upon his flesh.
And after that…
He met Chu Yi—the man who changed the course of his life!
As Tiger silently recalled his journey, Neptune and Queen Otohime watched the shifting emotions on his face, falling into silence themselves.
Clearly, no one understood the human attitude better than Neptune and Otohime. Even though the World Government now recognized Fishman Island and had enacted policies in its favor, they could imagine exactly what Tiger had encountered as a fishman traveling the seas.
Sure enough, just as Neptune and Otohime had thought, after a long silence, Tiger finally spoke, his voice low and heavy: “Your Majesty Neptune, Queen Otohime, my voyage was nothing short of a nightmare. I saw humanity’s selfishness and greed; I saw their disdain for fishmen and their covetousness toward merfolk.”
“In the eyes of most, we fishmen are inferior beings, unfit to share a meal or a roof with them—lowly, dirty creatures, that’s what we are to them!”
“As for merfolk, though they find them beautiful, they see them only as playthings, with not a shred of respect.”
“In short, to call my journey a nightmare is no exaggeration.”
“But…”
At these words, Neptune’s fists clenched in anger, and Queen Otohime, listening to Tiger’s sorrow, could not help but let tears well at the corners of her eyes.
Suddenly!
The lament in Tiger’s heart faded, replaced by a gentle warmth.
For at that moment, Tiger remembered the man who had changed his fate—the figure he could rely on.
As the tone of his words shifted, the gloom vanished from Tiger’s face, replaced by a quick, easy smile. “But I’ve learned that while there are many bad humans, there are good ones, too. Your Majesty Neptune, Queen Otohime, to tell you the truth, I’ve returned this time with a few humans as guests on Fishman Island—one of them is my dearest friend, the very brother I, Fisher Tiger, have chosen!”
“If not for him, I would have died long ago—not just in body, but in spirit as well.”
“He’s the one who reminded me that my dream is not yet over.”
“So, if possible, I’d like to introduce him to you both. What do you think?”
A human…
Someone Tiger himself acknowledged?
Almost before he finished speaking, Queen Otohime—whose greatest wish was for peace between humans, fishmen, and merfolk—wiped away her tears. In Tiger’s words, she saw hope, and so she nodded vigorously.
Neptune, too, had not expected such a dramatic turn in Tiger’s tale. He nodded silently, expressing his eagerness to meet this human friend of Tiger’s. Remembering how Tiger had once despised humanity, Neptune could not help but wonder what sort of person could have inspired such a change. Smiling, he asked, “Tiger, can you tell us what kind of person this best friend—this brother—you found among humans is?”
What kind of person?
That guy, when he gets up to mischief, could turn the world upside down!
Recalling the chaos on the Sabaody Archipelago, remembering what happened in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Tiger burst out laughing and said to Neptune, “Your Majesty, you have no idea what a troublemaker that kid is!”
“He’s just… just a walking disaster!”
“Hahahaha!”
Laughing heartily, Tiger admitted that Chu Yi was always getting into trouble, but each time, Chu Yi could always give him a perfect reason for what he did.
But as Tiger laughed and reminisced about always being at Chu Yi’s side through every misadventure—
Suddenly!
A thunderous sword aura shot skyward!
With his Observation Haki, Tiger instantly locked onto that fierce sword intent. His laughter froze, and he covered his face with his right hand, sighing in resignation.
“That brat—what trouble has he gotten into this time?”