Commodore Sea Bird

"Damn it! How many of our brothers have you killed?"

"You're not just slaves—you're vicious criminals! Pirates!"

"W-wait... ah!"

Sig had lost count of how many enraged Marines he had cut down as they charged at him. Their fury only stoked his own.

Sig could feel his physical abilities rising even further whenever he heard his own furious heartbeat.

Back when he was still at the "Sailor" stage, protective fish scales had only faintly appeared beneath his skin. Now they had solidified on its surface, growing clearer and tougher with every surge of "rage."

Gradually, Sig realized that judging by the "Coats" they wore, these Marines really were from the Headquarters fleet—but they didn't seem to be an elite unit.

It made sense. Sailing the Grand Line wasn't easy. Marineford wasn't far from Mary Geoise, and both lay in the far reaches of the first half of the Grand Line, but unlike Enies Lobby and Impel Down, the two places weren't connected by the currents of the great triangle. There was no way they could have come from Marineford to Mary Geoise this quickly.

They must have happened to be nearby, or been part of a fleet operating in the area, rather than having been dispatched from Headquarters after receiving orders.

Otherwise... if Mary Geoise was in chaos, shouldn't the Admiral stationed at Headquarters—or even the Marshal—have come in person?

For now, their strongest fighter was only an officer aboard the lead ship who seemed to be a Headquarters Vice Admiral, and Fisher Tiger was keeping him at bay.

The pirates, who had been relying on sheer courage, were gradually losing ground. There were simply too many Marine warships around them, and their escape route out to sea was blocked. The merchant ships they had commandeered were mostly wrecked: some had already sunk, and the rest were on their way down.

Sig was growing increasingly frantic. He couldn't see any way out.

Unless...

Could he slip away unnoticed by swimming?

If he could just reach the harbor, he ought to be able to find a small skiff and row away quietly. Whether he could survive out on the open sea would be up to fate.

Just then, Sig felt a gust of wind closing in. He instinctively twisted and raised his sword...

Clang—

The crisp clash of blades rang out from where Sig stood. A Marine officer in a Justice Coat had just struck at him.

Sig had managed to raise his sword in time to block the blow, but his heart sank.

His opponent's sword had come crashing down, yet Sig had only had to lower his own slightly to parry it. That showed he had the advantage in strength, but... not by much.

More importantly, Sig knew just how poorly his combat skills matched his physique.

"Phew... There's a big fish here, too. Heh." The newcomer whistled.

Sig glanced at the man's shoulder insignia and couldn't help thinking, This is bad. He realized he'd been singled out.

Outside of ceremonies, only officers of the rank of Headquarters Captain or higher could wear a Justice Coat. But only those with distinguished service had insignia on their coats.

Even the most ordinary red-and-blue insignia generally required the rank of Headquarters Commodore. Gold insignia belonged to Admirals and a very small number of Vice Admirals. Gold-and-white insignia signified the Marshal, while the special red-and-black insignia was reserved for Marines who had performed legendary deeds—Garp, for example.

The man before Sig wore red-and-blue insignia on his shoulders. But judging by his strength, he didn't seem to be a flag officer. He was most likely a Commodore.

Sig didn't have to wonder for long. The man introduced himself. "You despicable slave! I am Commodore Sea Bird, and I will bring your criminal journey to an end!"

As he spoke, Commodore Sea Bird sprang backward, his posture like that of a bird in flight. He looked quite young, probably not yet thirty. His face was composed, though he couldn't quite hide a hint of excitement. The dark circles under his eyes were striking, like the black feathers around a seagull's eyes.

The sword in Commodore Sea Bird's hand wasn't a standard-issue saber, either. It was a straight sword.

Sig knew he'd been targeted, so he had no choice but to fight with everything he had. He gripped his sword awkwardly in both hands and swung at his opponent.

A saber's hilt wasn't really suited to a two-handed grip, but... for someone like Sig, who knew nothing about Swordsmanship, using both hands gave him more strength and made his attacks more threatening.

Sig opened with Body Shattering Slash—hacking wildly up and down, left and right, aiming straight for the other man's face. Commodore Sea Bird was serious at first, but after blocking blow after blow, he grew more and more at ease.

"You... You're just a Celestial Dragon's plaything, aren't you? Did they give you some kind of experimental drug to improve your physique?" Commodore Sea Bird said with a cold, disappointed laugh.

Sea Bird kept retreating as Sig pressed forward with a flurry of attacks, but somehow it felt as if Sig were only backing himself into a dead end.

After pressing his opponent for more than a dozen steps, Sig suddenly saw the man's mouth curl into a faint smile. Then his figure vanished. Unable to rein in his momentum, Sig stumbled half a step forward.

Before Sig could react, a sharp pain tore through his lower back!

Commodore Sea Bird had dodged Sig's attack and slashed him viciously from behind.

"As expected of a Fish-Man. If you were an ordinary person who didn't know Haki, I'd have cut through your spine." Sea Bird ran a regretful finger along his blade.

Apparently, because of the fish scales on Sig's body, Sea Bird had taken him for a Fish-Man—or perhaps some kind of test subject.

Though if Sig were a Fish-Man, his defining traits were still somewhat lacking.

Sig pressed his left hand against the long gash in his lower back and struggled to turn around, stubbornly facing his opponent.

Just then, a bullet whistled through the air with an exceptionally sharp crack. It passed less than a meter from Sig's ear and filled him with an overwhelming sense of danger. He couldn't help turning his head to follow its trajectory.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw D'Artagnan, who had been trading sword strikes with his opponent, take a bullet to the back.

That kind of accuracy could only mean a sniper with Observation Haki was calling out targets!

But the distance was too great for the bullet to pass all the way through D'Artagnan. Even so, the powerful impact slammed into his heart, making his grip go slack.

The next instant, as his opponent the Commodore swung his blade, blood welled up across D'Artagnan's chest and abdomen.

"Is that your Captain? Though you don't seem very close... Since you get along so well, why don't you join him on the road to the afterlife?" Commodore Sea Bird leapt high into the air, spreading his arms. His shadow looked like a seabird in the sunlight.

Just as Commodore Sea Bird was about to unleash his signature sword technique and finish off the strange Fish-Man whose only real strength was his tough physique, a deafening crash suddenly rang out!

Three Marine warships nearby seemed to take a tremendous blow from beneath the sea all at once. They lurched sideways, their hulls splintering. At the same time, several currents surged up from the surface like giant pythons and slammed into the ships' masts. The masts snapped wherever the currents struck.

To dodge a mast as it came crashing down, Commodore Sea Bird changed course in midair and dropped to the side.

From above, he spotted the faint outline of a blue, plump figure appearing and disappearing on the surface of the sea...

"Damn Fish-Man!" Commodore Sea Bird cursed. With the fallen sail blocking his path to Sig, he couldn't follow up with another strike. Instead, he began directing the Marines to suppress the Fish-Man beneath the sea.