Woke Up Too Fiercely

Sabaody Archipelago, 13th Island.

The Slave Arena.

The entire colosseum was the height of luxury, built by a powerful slave trader as a place exclusively for nobles to amuse themselves, and even Celestial Dragons would occasionally pay a visit.

On normal days, not even ordinary people—let alone wealthy merchants of common birth—could catch a glimpse of the arena's interior; all they could see was that ornate outer wall.

But now, with a violent roar, a monstrous figure tore through one side of the arena, exposing its true face to the world.

Stone bricks, roof tiles, dirt, and the stench of blood...

Only at this moment did people realize that this so-called "secret playground of the nobles," which they had always yearned to understand, was no different from the outside world.

It used the same building materials;

It bore the same traces of blood;

It stood beneath the same sky...

Was this what the nobles prided themselves on? Nothing so special after all.

No!

Now was not the time for such sighs!

The 13th Island wasn't a commercial district, but thanks to the presence of various shady shops, it still attracted bold tourists and ordinary merchants looking to earn a little extra.

Thus, the large-scale mobilization of several Marine squads had already stirred up considerable commotion.

Then, Aiven Lindsey activated his "Earth Demon Form," tore half the arena apart, and triggered an even greater uproar. The Marines responded with several volleys of rifle fire.

The chaos only intensified!

Civilians scrambled to flee the 13th Island.

Meanwhile, as Aiven Lindsey broke through the Marines' first line of defense, the noble lords, slaves, and gladiators inside the arena also burst out, scattering in different directions.

Before long, only one person remained in the vast colosseum—

A fish-man.

Fisher Tiger!

This boss of the Fish-Man District was a spiritual leader to many young fish-men on Fish-Man Island.

The good and evil within his character had influenced countless fish-men, including the future "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe, Hachi, and even "Sawtooth" Arlong.

Yes, "good" and "evil."

It wasn't just his longing for freedom, his unwavering sense of honor, or his stubborn refusal to bow to humans—it was also his recklessness, his extremism, his impulsiveness.

Fish-men were living beings too, and life itself was complicated.

That was precisely why, when Tiger realized he had regained his freedom because of a "human," the emotions churning inside him were deeply conflicted.

"Humans" had harmed him;

"Humans" had saved him;

He could no longer tell what exactly he hated.

But no matter what, this boss of the Fish-Man District still wanted to repay Aiven Lindsey, and so he acted!

Whoosh!

With a heavy stomp, Tiger charged forward, flipped one Marine aside, and reached Lindsey's side.

By now, Lindsey had fully activated his Earth Demon Form, becoming a demonic aberration with a pair of dark green demon horns sprouting from his head.

This inhuman appearance actually put Tiger somewhat at ease.

Years of slavery had ingrained in Tiger a deep aversion to the sight of humans, one he couldn't shake off anytime soon.

"Human!"

Tiger frowned, keeping a wary eye on the surrounding Marines, and asked in a low voice, "What's your next move? I'll help you!"

"Next move..."

Lindsey murmured.

He honestly hadn't thought that far ahead.

But either way, there was no reason to pass up Crocodile's convenient ride, and Lindsey wanted to visit Alabasta to see the desert kingdom for himself.

"Anyway, let's break through to the harbor first. My friend might still be waiting for me there."

"Good!"

Tiger nodded.

For him, Lindsey's plan suited him just fine.

The strength of the Fish-Man Race lies not only in their extraordinary physiques—the terrain where they truly excel is the "great sea."

No matter how violent the storm across the vast ocean, a Fish-Man can traverse it as if on flat ground, completely unhindered.

As long as he returned to the sea, Fisher Tiger was confident no one could catch him!

The two quickly locked onto one direction of the encirclement. Lindsey raised an earthen shield to clear the path, while Tiger covered him, preventing the Marines from closing in.

Soon, they broke through several layers of the encirclement one after another, charging toward the neighboring 14th Island.

"Tch..."

The Marine captain frowned deeply as he watched the two retreat.

There were too few Marines available to deploy on short notice, and they had to maintain order across Sabaody Archipelago. The remaining forces simply couldn't stop Lindsey and Tiger.

One of them alone was troublesome enough in combat—now they had joined forces!

But as a Marine capable of being stationed on Sabaody Archipelago, the captain's thinking was especially clear.

He immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi and directed the Marines scattered across Sabaody Archipelago.

"Stall the fugitives in segments, lead them away from the busy districts, and keep civilians from being taken hostage!"

"Hang on—reinforcements from headquarters are almost here!"

Click!

Bang!

Just as the Marine captain hung up the Den Den Mushi and prepared to pursue Lindsey and the others, a gunshot suddenly rang out.

The captain thought it was a slave who had escaped from the arena and immediately drew his saber, ready to fight.

But when he turned around, he couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.

Because standing before him was not some vicious fugitive, but a Celestial Dragon surrounded by a crowd of guards!

At that moment, the Celestial Dragon was holding a flintlock, swaggering toward everyone as if showing off.

"Move aside, move aside—Saint Lolowim is passing through here!"

The guards completely ignored the Marines' formation, shoving their way straight through, leading the Celestial Dragon toward the gap torn open in the arena.

The earlier Celestial Dragon, Saint Ecowina, had already been buried alive in the ground, lifeless.

And the suited man who had known he couldn't defeat Aiven Lindsey but still fought to fulfill his duty was barely alive, gasping painfully as he lay on the ground.

Seeing this, Saint Lolowim wailed, "Big brother! Who, who killed you?!"

The two belonged to the same family—Saint Ecowina was Saint Lolowim's elder brother.

After the wailing, Saint Lolowim's expression twisted into fury, his fat piling up in a grotesque, contorted mess.

He reloaded the flintlock, aimed at the surviving suited man, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang!

Two lead bullets struck—two gunshot wounds appeared on the suited man's back, and he went still.

"Bastards... bastards!"

Saint Lolowim trembled with rage, then roared at the nearby Marines, "Hey, you useless Marine scum—avenge my brother now!"

"..."

The Marine captain was silent.

Though he had no particular connection with the CP Organization, seeing Saint Lolowim gun down a dying man right in front of him still left a bad taste in his mouth.

This is what Celestial Dragons are like...

Helpless, the captain could only go along with his words: "Our men are surrounding him..."

"Spare me the nonsense!"

Saint Lolowim's fat jiggled with fury as he shrieked, "For a great criminal like this, you're still surrounding him? Fire the cannons and kill him now! Fire! Fire!"

"..."

At those words, the Marine captain's expression stiffened.

This was Sabaody Archipelago—one of the most prosperous islands in the first half of the Grand Line.

If they opened fire on this island, how many civilians would die or be injured...

Sabaody Archipelago, the port.

Crocodile had bought a ship and was leaning against the mast, quietly smoking a cigar.

He was still waiting for Aiven Lindsey.

Finding something connected to the "ancient" era was rare—even if it was just a living Primitive Man, it was still a valuable lead.

So it was worth the wait.

But in Crocodile's heart, a vague sense of unease was still brewing.

As if to confirm his feeling, sounds of commotion drifted over from Sabaody Archipelago.

It seemed a large number of slaves had escaped, and Navy soldiers were hunting them down.

That was actually... fine?

Crocodile didn't react much.

If it was just slaves escaping, his status as a Shichibukai could still hold up—no one would come to trouble him.

Wait a little longer, just wait a little longer...

Thud!

As he pondered, someone's feet landed behind Crocodile, stepping onto the deck with a dull impact.

Aiven Lindsey was back?

No.

He hadn't seen the man, but he heard his voice.

"Ahahaha, what's a bratty little Shichibukai doing here?"

A large hand landed on Crocodile's shoulder.

From behind him, a head with a bushy beard popped out, a wide grin plastered on its face.

"Hey, I'm asking."

The head's pupils shifted, locking onto Crocodile's eyes, and said slowly:

"That ruckus on Sabaody Archipelago—it wouldn't have anything to do with you, would it, you little brat?"

"..."

Crocodile's gaze flickered as he saw that face.

Gray hair, wrinkles—an old man.

"..."

Crocodile paused again.

Wake up too fast, and you see the [Navy Hero]...

If you absolutely have to see how a grunt is written into a bloody pulp, turn left to Fist of the North Star.

I don't write saints, but I also can't write pure power fantasies where the MC kills everyone on sight.

Lindsey won't care, and I'll only gloss over it.

That suited man is the character worth focusing on. Whether the Celestial Dragons live or die—what the hell do I care, and what the hell does Lindsey care?

That's just the style of the old book. Can't change it, and I'm stubborn about it. Otherwise, I'd have switched to writing Feilu-style ages ago.

To the Lords who still enjoy reading—I love you too.

That's all~