Regarding the Sun Pirates ' proposal,
Roy readily agreed; as the old man said, it meant making as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible.
This is beneficial to one's own development, provided that one possesses the necessary strength.
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the conference room.
Bullet grinned and slapped Fisher Tiger on the shoulder, nearly knocking the Fish-Man Hero over.
"Hahaha! Fisher Tiger, from today onwards, we're family!"
Fisher Tiger regained his balance and smiled as well, but his eyes were moist.
Behind him, the Sun Pirates ' executives—the young Aladdin, Hachi, Kuroobi, and others—also stepped forward to shake hands and hug the members of the Roy Pirates.
These Fish-Man, who had just been freed from slavery, had finally found a home to rely on.
"From today onward, the warriors of the Sun Pirates will train and fight alongside you."
Fisher Tiger looked at Roy and said solemnly,
"Our strength is your strength."
Roy nodded.
"The training facilities, resources, and intelligence on Hachinosu are fully open to you."
Let's grow stronger together and face the coming storm together.
Following the signing of the alliance, both sides immediately began intensive joint training exercises.
On Trial Island, a brand-new training area has been designated specifically for mixed training of Fish-Man warriors and human soldiers.
The morning sunlight streamed onto the training field. Xiong stood on the high platform, his voice gentle yet powerful.
Whether Fish-Man or human, whether a power user or not--
On this training ground, you have only one identity: comrades-in-arms!
"Only by trusting and understanding each other can we entrust our backs to one another on the battlefield!"
The first group to participate in the joint training consisted of fifty elite Fish-Man warriors from the Sun Pirates and one hundred elite human soldiers from the Roy Pirates.
Following the bear's instructions, they paired up in pairs—one person with one Fish-Man —and began basic physical training and tactical coordination.
At first, there was some unfamiliarity and distance between the two sides.
The Fish-Man are accustomed to fighting in the water and are not well adapted to the rhythm of life on land;
The human soldiers were surprised by the Fish-Man Race's superhuman strength and needed to adjust their teamwork.
But as training progressed, the barriers gradually dissolved.
" Hachi, your octopus tentacles can attack in multiple directions simultaneously, making you suitable for flanking cover!"
"Understood! I'll leave the direct confrontation to you!"
" Kuroobi, your Fish-Man Karate is incredibly powerful, but the charging time is a bit long. I'll create some space for you to unleash your attacks!"
"Okay! Watch this!"
On the training field, shouts, discussions, and occasional laughter mingled, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
The bear stood on the high platform, watching this scene, a gratified smile appearing in its eyes.
He thought of the humans who had once been isolated in the Sorbet Kingdom, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
Perhaps, the world really can be different.
As night fell, the training session came to a temporary end.
The soldiers, their bodies aching, helped each other as they walked toward the mess hall.
Despite being exhausted, a light shone in everyone's eyes.
That was the desire to become stronger, and the sense of belonging to truly integrate into this group.
A sumptuous dinner had already been prepared in the cafeteria.
Steaming hot broth, fragrant bread, fresh fruit...
"Everyone has worked hard. Eat more to replenish your energy."
Xiong greeted everyone gently, and his broad figure made everyone feel at ease.
Hachi wolfed down a huge grilled fish, mumbling indistinctly,
"Mmm... delicious! Much better than the food in Fish-Man District!"
Aladdin ate elegantly, but the satisfaction in his eyes was unmistakable.
Kuroobi drank the broth heartily, feeling warm all over, as if all the fatigue of the day had disappeared.
Kyros, carrying his plate, sat down next to Hachi.
"We have training tomorrow, so get some rest tonight."
Hachi nodded and grinned.
"Got it! Although today's training was tiring, I feel I learned a lot!"
"Back in Fish-Man District, we had to figure things out on our own; no one had ever taught us systematically like this before."
Kyros smiled.
"The captain once said, one person's strength is not true strength."
Only when the entire group becomes strong can we gain a foothold on this vast ocean.
In the distance, Roy stood on the second-floor corridor of the cafeteria, looking down at the lively and harmonious scene below.
Fisher Tiger appeared beside him at some point, also looking down.
" Captain Roy, thank you."
Fisher Tiger's voice was deep and sincere.
"These children have never experienced such warmth. You have given them a home."
Roy shook his head.
"It wasn't my achievement. They chose to fight, they chose to believe."
Roy turned to look at Fisher Tiger.
"The technology of Bloodline Transplantation is also open to you."
If needed, the doctor can conduct an evaluation of the core members of the Sun Pirates.
A look of surprise flashed in Fisher Tiger's eyes. "This... is it okay?"
"Among allies, there is no distinction between us."
Roy said calmly,
The stronger you are, the more stable Hachinosu will be.
Fisher Tiger took a deep breath and bowed solemnly.
"We are deeply grateful and will never forget this kindness. The Sun Pirates will always remember it."
Roy helped him up.
"You're welcome. Training will continue starting tomorrow."
"We still have a lot to do."
As night deepened, tranquility returned to the training ground.
But beneath this tranquility, an unprecedented power is quietly gathering.
Fish-Man and humans, those with abilities and those without, veterans and recruits—everyone is striving for the same goal:
Become stronger.
To protect this hard-won home.
In preparation for the approaching storm.
Meanwhile, in the distant sea, the pitch-black ghost ship had quietly approached the outer perimeter of Hachinosu.
After a month of preparation.
Hachinosu, Intelligence Headquarters.
This is an unremarkable gray building located on the edge of the main island.
But inside, it is filled with state-of-the-art communication equipment and intelligence analysis systems.
Crocodile, a cigar dangling from his lips, sat at the control panel, dozens of flickering screens in front of him.
Each panel displays real-time dynamics of the waters surrounding Hachinosu.
Amidst the swirling smoke, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
For the past month, the intelligence network has been fully operational.
The movements of major powers in the New World, the deployment of Navy G-1's forces, the rumors circulating in the Underworld...
All information is constantly converging here.
But in the past week, Crocodile noticed something was amiss.
"Captain, take a look at this."
He summoned Roy to intelligence headquarters and pulled up a dynamic map of the sea area.
On the map, the waters surrounding Hachinosu are marked with varying shades of color.
The outermost layer consists of dozens of flashing red dots.
"These are the unusual vessels we've detected over the past week."
Crocodile pointed to the points of light,
"Not a merchant ship, not a pirate ship, no flag, no markings. Each appearance is brief, their location unpredictable, as if they're... scouting."
Roy stared at the screen, his brow slightly furrowed.
Can it be tracked?
"Disaster."
Crocodile shook his head.
"They are very professional; they stay for no more than ten minutes at a time and then leave immediately."
Moreover, our reconnaissance ships have lost track of them several times.
"It's like they're deliberately testing our reaction speed and tracking capabilities."
Roy pondered for a moment, "Any other discoveries?"
Crocodile switches the scene, bringing up several blurry images.
That was taken from the watchtower of the outer fortress.
On the sea at night, a fleeting dark shadow occasionally appears, moving so fast that its outline is almost invisible.
"It's not a boat, it's a person."
Crocodile zoomed in on the image, pointing to one of the dark figures.
" Geppo. And a highly skilled Geppo at that, capable of hovering and moving in the air above the sea for extended periods."
"CP0," Roy said in a deep voice.
"Most likely."
Crocodile exhaled a smoke ring.
"And it wasn't just one wave. Based on the fluctuations in their auras, there were at least five to seven different individuals, all with strength at the Vice Admiral level or above."
"They are probing our outer defenses, looking for weaknesses, in preparation for a large-scale infiltration later."
A cold glint flashed in Roy's eyes.