The gunfire from shore finally reached the White Star Snapper. The fish-men were furious and alarmed, but before they could act, the shadows of a Marine fleet appeared on the distant sea, its cannon fire raining down on their ship like hail.
"See?! This is what humans are like! It really was a trap!"
Arlong bared his saw-like teeth, hatred blazing in his eyes.
Jinbe made a snap decision:
"Abandon ship! Into the sea! Some of you come with me and seize the warships! I'll go support Boss Fisher Tiger!"
The sea was the fish-men's domain, and the order was swiftly carried out.
On shore, faced with a saturated barrage from every angle, Fisher Tiger's strength ebbed away as swiftly as the receding tide.
His breathing grew ragged, and his movements inevitably slowed. At last, after deflecting most of the attacks, scattered lead bullets pierced his defenses and bit viciously into his body, sending sprays of blood into the air.
Strawberry stopped attacking and stood vigilantly on guard at the perimeter. After a volley of fire, Fisher Tiger was covered in blood and swaying on his feet, yet he still stood stubbornly upright.
"M-Monster!"
"He just won't die!"
The Marines were shaken by his tenacious vitality, and brief unrest and fear spread among them.
In that instant of hesitation, a sharp glint flashed in Fisher Tiger's eyes. He drew a hard breath and pounced into the crowd like a wounded tiger!
The fish-man's monstrous strength, far surpassing that of humans, erupted. With slaps and grabs, he knocked the flintlocks from the Marines' hands one after another, sending them spinning far away.
Even at a time like this, he still could not bring himself to kill humans.
"Fire! Fire now!"
The officer who had come to his senses screamed himself hoarse.