Fish-Man

How dare he say that?

Saint Ecowina stared hard at Aiven Lindsey's smiling face.

He actually said that!!!

He, Saint Ecowina, had inherited the sacred bloodline of the Celestial Dragons from the moment he was born.

From beginning to end, Saint Ecowina's "sense of superiority" had been unlike anyone else's.

Compared with other Celestial Dragons, Saint Ecowina was genuinely far too kind to the commoners around him.

It wasn't just that he refrained from casually slaughtering slaves. When he was in a particularly good mood, he would even buy an entire slave market and set every slave free!

So, was Saint Ecowina a good person?

Apparently not.

Everything Saint Ecowina did came from his unparalleled "sense of superiority"!

He had what others did not.

That was why Saint Ecowina enjoyed it—because he had always stood above everyone else!

But today...

But today!

Saint Ecowina stared hard at the man in the arena.

Aiven Lindsey.

That was the name on the roster, wasn't it?

I'm a Celestial Dragon, and I've even remembered your name. Shouldn't you be grateful to the point of tears, dropping to your knees and sobbing?!

But instead of showing gratitude, Aiven Lindsey had laughed and questioned him!

In an instant, Lindsey had crushed Saint Ecowina's so-called "sense of superiority" to pieces.

Especially with what Lindsey had said at the end:

"I can do all those things you're offering right now!"

Saint Ecowina flew into a rage. His face darkened, and he growled, "Kill him! Kill him... Wait!"

"Hm?"

At his words, the two CP Guards who had been about to attack stopped and watched to see what would happen.

"I'll make him regret it. I'll show him he was wrong!"

Lindsey's words echoed in Saint Ecowina's ears.

"Didn't he say he could destroy this arena on his own, without my permission? I'll prove him wrong!"

"Someone, bring my precious Fish-Man over here!"

"..."

"Yes, sir."

One of the men in suits nodded and turned to carry out the order.

Before long, the host, who had already fled for his life, was dragged back and forcibly dumped at the announcer's stand.

Helpless, the host could only grit his teeth and shout:

"Ah... Well, due to unforeseen circumstances, the schedule for today's tournament has changed slightly. Please remain calm!"

Remain calm?!

At that, the noblemen who had only just started fleeing nearly cursed aloud.

Did you even hear yourself?

The dead tiger was still in the stands, its blood flowing down the steps like a little waterfall.

The stench of blood, combined with that ferocious "monster" in the arena...

And you expect us to go back and watch the match? You might as well just tell us to die!

But the next moment, the host added, "This match is sponsored by Saint Ecowina!"

Everyone fell silent.

After a moment's thought, they returned to their seats.

Better to watch the match than offend a Celestial Dragon. At least, that was preferable to dying.

Besides, with a Celestial Dragon presiding over the event, surely nothing would go wrong... right?

Before long.

The spectators had returned to their seats.

Aiven Lindsey and Saint Ecowina still stood where they were, staring at each other.

Saint Ecowina grew even angrier.

Because there wasn't the slightest trace of admiration or giddy relief in Aiven Lindsey's eyes!

People were always trying to curry favor with Saint Ecowina.

Whenever they did, all it took was a little show of mercy from him for them to worship him, their eyes full of giddy relief at having escaped disaster.

Saint Ecowina enjoyed the feeling of controlling other people's emotions.

Even "resentment," "fear," and "anger" were all because of him. This absolute sense of superiority was incomparable.

But Aiven Lindsey's gaze was one Saint Ecowina had seen very, very rarely.

So... ordinary?

Saint Ecowina couldn't understand the feeling.

Even the other Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, let alone the rarely seen Divine Knights, never looked at Saint Ecowina that way!

Aiven Lindsey looked at Saint Ecowina as though he were nothing but an ordinary man!

That gaze infuriated Saint Ecowina.

"I want to see how you die today!"

Saint Ecowina roared. "Where's the Fish-Man? My Fish-Man! Hurry up and bring him here!"

As he spoke, the gate on the other side of the arena opened once more.

A towering figure emerged, dragging more than a dozen chains and advancing with heavy, deliberate steps.

He had bright red skin, an enormous, powerfully built frame, long curly hair, and a mouth full of sharp, jagged teeth.

Most importantly, he was a Fish-Man.

Lindsey narrowed his eyes, then curved them into crescents as he smiled happily.

The man who had arrived was none other than the future Fish-Man Hero, Fisher Tiger!

Fisher Tiger.

He was an adventurer from the Fish-Man Race, but had been captured by slave traders and made a slave.

In the not-too-distant future, Fisher Tiger would break free of his chains and regain his freedom. Then he would carry out the shocking Mary Geoise Raid Incident and liberate countless slaves!

The future Empress, Boa Hancock, and people like the future Gild Tesoro would also regain their freedom because of this major event.

Fisher Tiger truly lived up to the name Fish-Man Hero!

Back to the present.

Tiger was currently trapped in the desperate circumstances of a slave, waiting for a chance to escape.

"Humans..."

Tiger murmured.

After years of enslavement, Tiger had seen the dark side of humanity all across Mary Geoise. His heart was filled with rage.

Saint Ecowina didn't care. In fact, he was delighted.

He had stirred up the anger in Tiger's heart. Wasn't that another way to show his superiority?

So Saint Ecowina shouted from the stands, "Hey, Fish-Man! Do you want to be free again? I'll give you the chance!"

"Huh?"

Tiger's eyes widened, blood vessels spreading across his pupils.

Saint Ecowina pressed his advantage. "See the human in front of you? Take him out, and I'll grant you your freedom!"

"Tch, bastard..."

Tiger didn't want to follow Saint Ecowina's orders.

But the Celestial Dragon meant what he said. That was the sort of twisted game he enjoyed, and there was a real chance he would honor his promise.

Besides, the person Tiger had to fight was only a "human."

So, after only a moment's hesitation, Tiger flexed both arms, tore through his chains, and strode forward.

Thud!

Tiger stamped down hard and hurled a punch at Lindsey's face.

"Human, fall!"

Thump!

Lindsey's face slammed into Tiger's fist, but his expression barely changed. Only his pupils shifted into the shape of the Kun Trigram.

Earth Demon Form!

"Ahaha!"

Lindsey laughed excitedly, letting Tiger's fist scrape across his face as he savored the Fish-Man's strength—twenty times that of an ordinary person. Everything about it felt fascinating!

"This is my first time seeing a Fish-Man..."

He took a moment to feel the force behind the punch.

"I'm fine. Hit me harder!"

Lindsey's voice grew hoarse and twisted as he growled:

"Use everything you've got. Again!"

He wanted to test another idea of his...