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Judge cast one last glance at the boy holding back his tears and delivered his verdict before turning away:
"This is your last chance.
If you cannot prove your worth-"
He left the rest unsaid, but everyone understood what it meant: he ought to disappear without a sound in the coming war.
Sails emblazoned with the sun billowed in the sea breeze.
On deck, Jinbe took a step forward, his expression solemn.
"Brother Fisher Tiger,"
he said, looking at the Fish-Man captain before him,
"we should join this war... to change the world."
"No new regime, however bad, could be darker than the one we have now."
There was a certain resolve in his voice.
"The World ** openly enslaves Fish-Men and Merfolk. Whoever takes power, how could they be worse? Besides, if the Family takes control-"
"He's right, Brother Fisher Tiger!"
Arlong stepped out of the crowd as well, his voice hoarse but urgent.
"Given our friendship with them, Fish-Men might truly be able to walk openly on land."
"-I think humans bought you lot off long ago!"
An opposing voice immediately erupted, carrying long-suppressed anger.
"Humans are all the same! They treat us like fish, torturing and selling us however they please-"
"Enough."
The red-skinned man wearing a headscarf raised a hand.
His curls were thick, a full beard covered his jaw, and his broad mouth was pressed tightly shut.
The sun-shaped brand on his chest rose and fell slightly with his breathing.
Fisher Tiger's gaze swept over the arguing crowd before settling on Jinbe's and Arlong's faces.
"Our goal,"
he said, his voice low but clear, carrying over the waves and wind,
"is to free slaves-regardless of race or origin."
He gazed at the distant horizon, as though he could see the white city towering