20,000 People Gather on Coral Hill
"Marco, watch closely. This young man is definitely not as simple as he seems. Perhaps today we will witness the rise of a great pirate!" Whitebeard looked at Tianqi with great interest. He had come here intending to declare this his territory and offer it protection, but he didn't expect to see Tianqi and his group as soon as he arrived. He witnessed the whole incident, which made him curious about Tianqi, which is why he didn't show himself so quickly.
Tianqi slowly flew into the air, looking down over the entire Fishman Island from above. He gathered his power in his throat and said in a deep voice, "Listen up, all pirates and marines of Fishman Island! From this moment on, Fishman Island is the territory of my Conqueror Pirates! Anyone who dares to cause trouble on the island without my permission will be killed by me, Uchiha Tianqi! Anyone who disagrees can come to Coral Hill. No matter who they are or how many there are, I, Uchiha Tianqi, in the name of the Conqueror Pirates captain, will take them all on!"
Tianqi's voice boomed like thunder throughout Fishman Island. This sudden action stunned everyone present, including Shanks and his crew. Tianqi's words were tantamount to declaring war on all the pirates in the entire sea.
To so blatantly declare Fishman Island as his territory is something even the once-powerful Rocks Pirates and Roger Pirate Crew wouldn't dare to do. It's practically tantamount to going against millions of pirates, not even including the Navy. It's utterly reckless.
In an instant, the entire Fishman Island was in an uproar. Whether they were mermaids or fishmen, they all looked at Uchiha Tianqi in the sky with disbelief. Although they were happy that someone could stand up to protect them, they were also afraid that Tianqi would be destroyed by the pirates. Mermaids and fishmen wanted to step forward to support Tianqi, but they did not dare to. They were caught in a dilemma.
The merfolk and fishmen were very grateful for Tianqi's actions, but the pirates and marines on the island were quite different. They were all extremely angry. How dare an unknown Conqueror Pirates claim that Fishman Island was their territory and even threaten to kill them for their misbehavior? This was simply outrageous! Immediately, everyone grabbed their weapons and rushed towards Coral Hill.
Even those who had fled after being defeated by Tianqi quickly turned back after hearing these words. There were at least tens of thousands of Fishman Island pirates, and quite a few marines as well. For Uchiha Tianqi to dare to say such a thing was practically suicide. So many people could drown him with just a spit from each of them. What was there to be afraid of?
After announcing this, Tianqi slowly landed on the ground, but his hands remained tightly clasped together. Going to find these scumbags one by one would be too much of a waste of his time; he planned to take care of them in one move.
"Gentlemen, we are very grateful that you are willing to protect our Fishman Island, but there are currently about 20,000 people on the island who are capturing mermaids and fishmen. Your words have already angered them. You should leave now before they come, we don't want to harm you!"
The eight mermaids, protected by Shanks and his companions, couldn't bear to see their benefactors slaughtered, and they couldn't help but try to dissuade them.
"Hehe, ladies, don't worry. Our captain never does anything he's not confident about. Look at him, he's not showing any emotional fluctuation at all, which proves he has complete confidence. Besides, we can't retreat without the captain's orders, not even if it means dying in battle!" Shanks chuckled, completely unconcerned.
"We will stand with Lord Tianqi through thick and thin, even unto death!" As loyal fans of Tianqi, how could Hancock and her companions possibly back down at this time?
"From the day I set sail, I've already entrusted my life to the sea. If you want my life, come and take it anytime!" Beckman said coolly, holding his gun. As a qualified crew member, he couldn't abandon his captain and leave.
Just then, thousands of pirates arrived and immediately began searching for the so-called captain of the Conqueror Pirates.
"What kind of captain of Conqueror Pirates dares to spout such nonsense here? Get out here and let grandpa kill you!"
"And my Lacami Pirates, daring to challenge my life? I'll make sure you're dead!"
"I'm from the Carami No. 2 Pirates! Who's the captain of the Conqueror Pirates? Show yourself, and I'll let you, Karami Second, kill you!"
With the arrival of one Pirate Crew after another, the entire Coral Hill was packed with people. Looking up, there were at least 10,000 people, and the number was still increasing. Among them were groups of marines, but the leaders were just some insignificant figures like rear admirals and colonels.
"Dad, I think that guy is in danger this time. Should we step in now?" Marco looked at the dense crowd in front of him and felt a chill run down his spine.
Those who can enter Fishman Island are all powerful pirate crews, some with bounties exceeding 100 million. Among them are Marines with the rank of Rear Admiral and a group of Captains. If they weren't on the same level as the Whitebeard Pirates, they probably wouldn't have been able to stop 20,000 people.
"Heh, this is just a bunch of rabble. Don't focus too much on appearances. Sometimes, sheer numbers are useless. Besides, this young man isn't as simple as he seems. Let's just wait and see!" The Whitebeard smiled without the slightest worry.
To a powerful figure like him, 20,000 people were nothing but trash. One Conqueror's Haki would knock out at least half of them. Although Whitebeard wasn't sure if Tianqi possessed Conqueror's Haki, the young man's clasped hands and calm demeanor proved that he was confident in dealing with these people. Moreover, even if he couldn't defeat them, he could still provide support. He didn't want such a promising talent to perish in such a place.
The entire Coral Hill was now completely surrounded, with people densely packed all around. Only the central area was empty, where only six people were present: Tianqi, Shanks, Beckman, and the three Hancock sisters. The six of them were surrounded by more than 20,000 people.
The three Hancock sisters looked around at the thousands of dark, pointed guns aimed at them, and the terrifying aura of the surrounding crowd made their hearts pound.
Tianqi noticed the three sisters' fear and stepped in front of them, whispering, "Don't be afraid, they're just a bunch of rabble. I'll take care of them soon!"
With Tianqi's reassurance, the three sisters felt much more at ease, because Tianqi had never lied to them since the Sabaody Archipelago, and he could fulfill all his promises.
"I... I'm not afraid, I'm strong too, I can fight!" Hancock mustered her courage and stood beside Tianqi. Although there was still a trace of fear on her face, she was very strong. I can't always stay behind Tianqi. I have to prove that I can fight too. I have to make Tianqi recognize me!
"We...we can fight too!" Seeing their sister Hancock like this, Sandersonia and Marigold mustered their courage and came to Hancock's side.
Tianqi felt a surge of pride looking at the Hancock sisters. They had faced a battle with tens of thousands of people right from their debut, and they still managed to muster the courage to forge ahead in the face of tens of thousands of people. Regardless of their strength, they had already surpassed many others in terms of courage.
"Hehehe, it's enough that you have the will. I can handle a mere 20,000 people. Just remember, don't leave my side, or you'll all get involved. Shanks and Beckman, the same goes for you. Don't leave my vicinity!" Tianqi earnestly instructed the crew members.
"Understood, Captain!" Shanks and the others indicated that they understood.
However, upon hearing Tianqi's words, Shanks and the others widened their eyes, eager to see what kind of ultimate move their captain would use to deal with so many people. They were filled with anticipation at the prospect of witnessing such an ability.
"A few brats have wasted my time coming all this way, how infuriating!"
"Hmph! Probably just a few brats eager for quick fame, but daring to provoke us this way, they'll pay the price!"
"Hehe, those petite girls are all quite pretty. Don't even try to take them from me, I'm going to have all three of them!"
Before the battle even started, the 20,000 people were already discussing how to deal with Tianqi and his group. After all, no one took Pirate Crew they had only heard of seriously, especially since it consisted of three young men and three girls. They weren't worried about being able to handle such a combination.