Sabaody Archipelago, 13th Island.
Slave Arena.
The Colosseum was extravagantly luxurious. Built by a powerful slave trader, it was a place where the nobility came for entertainment—and even Celestial Dragons visited from time to time.
On an ordinary day, not only could commoners never glimpse the inside of the Arena, but even wealthy merchants from humble backgrounds couldn't get a look. All they could see was its magnificent outer wall.
But now, amid a thunderous crash, a strange figure tore through one side of the Arena, exposing its true interior.
Stone bricks, tiles, dirt, and the stench of blood...
By then, people finally realized that the so-called "secret place of the nobility" they had always longed to know about was no different from the world outside.
It used the same building materials;
It bore the same traces of blood;
It stood beneath the same sky...
Was this what the nobility took such pride in? It wasn't all that special after all.
No!
This wasn't the time to be marveling at that!
13th Island wasn't a commercial district, but with all its illicit shops, it still attracted plenty of adventurous tourists and ordinary merchants hoping to make a little extra money.
So the large-scale movements of several groups of Marines had already caused quite a stir.
Then Aiven Lindsey activated his "Earth Demon Form" and tore away half the Arena, causing an even bigger commotion. The Marines responded by firing several volleys of musket shots.
The chaos grew even worse!
Civilians scrambled to flee 13th Island.
At the same time, as Aiven Lindsey broke through the Marines' first line of defense, the noblemen, slaves, and gladiators inside the Arena all rushed out, fleeing in different directions.
Before long, the vast Arena was left with just one person—
A Fish-Man.
Fisher Tiger!
This leader of Fish-Man District was a spiritual role model for many young Fish-Men on Fish-Man Island.
The good and bad in his nature influenced many Fish-Men of the future, including the future "Knight of the Sea," Jinbe, Hachi, and even "Sawtooth" Arlong.
That's right: "good" and "bad."
It wasn't just his longing for freedom, his loyalty to his word, and his refusal to bow to humans. He also had a reckless, extreme, impulsive side.
Fish-Men were living beings, and life itself was complicated.
That was why, when Tiger realized that he had regained his freedom because of a "human," his feelings were so complicated.
"Humans" had harmed him;
"Humans" had also saved him;
He could no longer tell what it was he hated.
But no matter what, the leader of Fish-Man District still wanted to repay Aiven Lindsey, so he took action!
With a heavy stomp, Tiger charged forward, knocked a Marine off his feet, and reached Aiven Lindsey's side.
Lindsey had fully activated his Earth Demon Form, becoming a monstrous demon with a pair of dark green horns on his head.
Somehow, his inhuman appearance put Tiger somewhat at ease.
Years of enslavement had made Tiger recoil from the sight of humans. He couldn't shake that feeling in the span of a moment.
"Human!"
Tiger furrowed his brow, keeping a wary eye on the surrounding Marines as he asked in a low voice, "What's your plan now? I'll help you!"
"The plan..."
Lindsey murmured.
To be honest, he hadn't thought that far ahead.
But Crocodile's offer of a free ride was too good to pass up. Lindsey also wanted to see the desert kingdom of Alabasta for himself.
"Anyway, let's break through to the port first. My friend might still be waiting for me there."
"Good!"
Tiger nodded.
Lindsey's plan suited him just fine.
The Fish-Man Race wasn't powerful only because of its extraordinary physique. The place where they could truly make the most of their abilities was the sea.
No matter how fierce the storm, the Fish-Man Race could move through the vast ocean as if it were calm, with nothing to hinder them.
Once he was back in the sea, Tiger was confident no one could catch him!
The two quickly picked a direction through the encirclement. Lindsey raised an earthen shield to lead the way, while Tiger guarded his flank to keep the Marines from closing in.
Before long, the two had broken through several lines of encirclement and charged toward neighboring 14th Island.
"Tch..."
The Marine captain watched them go, his brow furrowing.
There were too few Marines available on short notice, and they also had to maintain order across Sabaody Archipelago. The remaining forces simply couldn't stop Lindsey and Tiger.
Either one of them alone was already a handful. Now they were working together!
But the captain was a Marine stationed on Sabaody Archipelago, after all, and he was quick to think.
He immediately took out a Den Den Mushi and issued orders to the Marines stationed across Sabaody Archipelago.
"Delay the criminals in stages and lead them away from busy areas. Don't let them take civilians hostage!"
"Hold on! Reinforcements from Headquarters will be here soon!"
Click!
Bang!
Just as the Marine captain hung up the Den Den Mushi and prepared to pursue Lindsey and Tiger, a gunshot rang out.
He assumed it was a slave who had escaped from the Arena, so he immediately drew the saber at his waist and prepared to fight.
But when he turned around, he couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.
Standing before him wasn't some vicious fugitive, but a Celestial Dragon surrounded by a crowd of guards!
The Celestial Dragon held a musket and strode toward them with an air of swagger.
"Make way, make way! Saint Lolowim is coming through!"
The guards paid no heed to the Marines' formation. They shoved their way through, escorting the Celestial Dragon straight toward the breach in the Arena.
The other Celestial Dragon, Saint Ecowina, had already been buried alive under the earth and was dead.
The suited man who had known he was no match for Aiven Lindsey but had still risked his life to do his duty was barely alive, lying on the ground and struggling to breathe.
When Saint Lolowim saw him, he immediately wailed, "Big Brother! Who—who killed you?!"
They belonged to the same family. Saint Ecowina was Saint Lolowim's older brother.
After wailing, Saint Lolowim's face twisted with fury, his rolls of fat bunching up into a ridiculous, contorted expression.
He reloaded his musket, aimed at the surviving suited man, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Two lead bullets struck the man in the back. He now had two bullet holes and didn't move again.
"Bastards... Bastards!"
Saint Lolowim shook with rage and shouted at the nearby Marines, "Hey, you useless Marines! Hurry up and avenge my big brother!"
"..."
The Marine captain was speechless.
Though he had little contact with the CP Organization, he still felt uneasy watching Saint Lolowim shoot a dying man right in front of him.
So this was a Celestial Dragon...
There was nothing for it. The captain could only play along. "Our men are pursuing him..."
"Enough talk!"
Saint Lolowim's fat quivered with rage as he shrieked, "You're going to pursue a major criminal like that? Open fire and kill him! Fire the cannons! 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 end up dead or injured...?
Sabaody Archipelago, port.
Crocodile had bought a ship. Now he leaned against its mast, quietly smoking a cigar.
He was still waiting for Aiven Lindsey.
He had finally found something connected to "ancient" times. Even if it was a living, breathing Primitive Man, it was still a precious lead.
So it was worth waiting a little.
But deep down, Crocodile still had a bad feeling brewing.
As if to prove him right, sounds of commotion rose from across Sabaody Archipelago.
It seemed a large number of slaves had escaped, and the Marines were pursuing them.
That was... fine, wasn't it?
Crocodile didn't react much.
If it was only a slave escape, his status as a Shichibukai could still protect him. No one would come after him over that.
Just wait a little longer. A little longer...
Thump!
As Crocodile pondered, someone landed on the deck behind him, their feet hitting the boards with a heavy thud.
Was Aiven Lindsey back?
No.
He heard the voice before he saw the man.
"Ahahahaha! Why's a brat Shichibukai like you here?"
A large hand rested on Crocodile's shoulder.
A head with a bushy beard poked out from behind him, laughing heartily.
"Hey, listen."
The man's eyes shifted, fixing on Crocodile's. He spoke slowly:
"The trouble on Sabaody Archipelago—it wouldn't happen to have anything to do with you, would it, brat?"
"..."
Crocodile's eyes shifted as he looked at the man's face.
White hair and wrinkles. An old man.
"..."
Crocodile paused again.
I must've woken up in another world. I'm looking at the Navy Hero...
If you absolutely need to see how a no-name Marine gets beaten into a pulp, go read Fist of the North Star.
I'm not going to write a saint, but I can't write the kind of pure power fantasy where the protagonist kills everyone he meets, either.
Lindsey won't care, and I'll just skim over it.
The suited man is the one who matters here. Who cares whether a Celestial Dragon lives or dies? Lindsey certainly doesn't.
That's how my old stories have always been. I can't change it. I'm stubborn about it—otherwise, I'd have switched to writing FlyLu-style stories ages ago.
To the readers who enjoy it, I love you too.
That's all~
Before you continue