Just as Fisher Tiger gave the order to prepare to leave, the surface of the sea suddenly burst open and a figure shot out.
Fisher Tiger and Pain jumped in fright and sprang to their feet, watching the newcomer warily.
"My lord, you escaped!"
But once they saw who it was, Fisher Tiger and Pain hurried forward in excitement, barely knowing what to say.
Lin Yuan had spotted them long ago. With no time to catch up, he spoke at once.
"Fisher Tiger, Pain? Gather everyone and leave here quickly. It's still not safe here."
Fisher Tiger nodded and immediately turned toward the crowd. Pain looked excitedly at Lin Yuan, never expecting his lord to know his name.
Lin Yuan nodded to Pain. Looking at the towering, blue-green Fish-Man, he found himself quite appreciative of his name.
"Pain, right? Don't worry about me. Go gather everyone!"
"Yes, my lord. I didn't expect you to remember my name."
"Uh, I heard it up there. It's a good name. You'll definitely become very strong someday."
Praised by Lin Yuan, the three-meter-tall Pain blushed a little and scratched his blue-green face, too excited to speak.
"Um, my lord, I'll go help Brother Tiger."
Lin Yuan couldn't help smiling as he watched Pain hurry away.
A day later, Lin Yuan sat on a raft pieced together from huge logs tied to one another, with more than a dozen people sitting beside him.
To help them get away faster, Pain had made dozens of rafts like this. Though they couldn't compare to warships or pirate ships, Fisher Tiger and the others could communicate with small Sea Kings.
Though they were Sea Kings, they were still dozens of meters long. With them pulling the rafts, they moved at a decent speed.
Along the way, half the Fish-Men spread out to keep constant watch for pursuit by the World Government and Marines, while many others stood guard.
"My lord, judging by how far we've traveled, we should have escaped the World Government's pursuit. The Marines chased us for a while, but for some reason they went in another direction."
"Oh, so we've finally escaped? We're safe now?"
"Mm, we're safe. We're free."
As Fisher Tiger said this, tears streamed down his face, as well as Pain's beside him and those of the people around them. For so many years, their lives had been nothing short of hell.
"In that case, pass the word along. Let everyone celebrate."
Pain nodded and immediately signaled to those around him. When everyone learned they had finally shaken off the World Government's pursuit, they shouted excitedly at the sky, tears streaming down their faces.
Lin Yuan paid no mind to their surging emotions, instead looking at Fisher Tiger and the others before him.
"Fisher Tiger, I probably won't be going with you from here. There are a few things I hope you'll agree to."
"My lord, you're leaving?"
Fisher Tiger was reluctant to see him go. After leaving the Red Line, Lin Yuan had talked a great deal with Fisher Tiger, while Stella, Hancock, and the others listened in.
When they learned that a Marine Admiral had later intercepted Lin Yuan, everyone gasped and admired him even more.
In particular, Lin Yuan possessed Conqueror's Haki. Stella and the others might not have known what it was, but Fisher Tiger and Hancock recognized it.
The world of pirates was one where the strong preyed on the weak, and everyone admired the powerful. As for Lin Yuan's age, Fisher Tiger and the others simply ignored it.
"Mm, Fisher Tiger, all gatherings must come to an end, but we'll meet again someday. Oh, right, these people have all suffered. Sorry for the trouble, but please help them settle down afterward."
Fisher Tiger nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"Also, I know a little about the situation on Fish-Man Island. Some of your people are very hostile toward humans, but I hope you can keep them in check."
"But Queen Otohime isn't entirely right either. To live freely, you need great strength. I'm sure you know that a single person with the strength of an Admiral can destroy a country alone, so you need to be strong yourself."
Fisher Tiger pondered for a while before finally nodding again. He also knew that Fish-Men were not the strongest race. In this world, they weren't even considered strong.
To protect Fish-Man Island from being bullied and their people from being captured, they needed an absolutely powerful person there to deter others.
A flicker of desire to grow stronger passed through Fisher Tiger's eyes.
After talking with Fisher Tiger and Pain a while longer, Lin Yuan prepared to leave with Stella and the others. Erza and Emile went with him as well.
They had originally planned to return home, but they learned from some of the others that their hometown had been destroyed. The two cried for half a day before falling asleep from exhaustion.
"Big Brother, will we see each other again?"
Thanks to Lin Yuan's timely appearance, the three Hancock sisters had been frightened, but not badly, and they hadn't been branded.
Having seen Lin Yuan execute a Celestial Dragon with their own eyes, they were no longer afraid of the Celestial Dragons either.
Lin Yuan smiled and ruffled Hancock's hair.
"We will. When you become strong, we'll meet again."
"You two need to train hard too. And eat fewer sweets, or you might grow really fat someday!"
Sandersonia and Marigold nodded solemnly at the first part, but both blushed when they heard the rest.
The two looked down at their small frames in bewilderment. They weren't fat at all, but they still took Lin Yuan's words to heart.
"All right, that's everything. We'll see each other again!"
Lin Yuan used his ability to create a Flame Cloud large enough to hold four people, and Stella, Erza, and Emile jumped right onto it.
"Oh, right, Fisher Tiger, there's a guy named Hody Jones on Fish-Man Island, isn't there? Keep an eye on him."
Before leaving, Lin Yuan thought it over and decided to warn Fisher Tiger. As for whether it would change Queen Otohime's fate on Fish-Man Island, that wasn't something he cared about.
Under everyone's admiring gazes, Lin Yuan controlled the Flame Cloud and flew straight into the distance.
"My lord is a Devil Fruit User too, but how could he swim-"
"Pain, shut up!"
Pain, who was beside him, also watched the departing Lin Yuan in admiration, but then he thought of something and his face filled with shock. Before he could finish speaking, however, Fisher Tiger cut him off.
"Uh, yes, Boss Tiger. What did my lord mean by the last thing he said?"
Fisher Tiger was also a little puzzled. He naturally knew Hody Jones, but he was just a minor underling who liked showing off and hated humans.
"Pain, when we get back, have someone keep a close eye on Hody Jones."
"Mm, understood!"
Hancock and her sisters paid no attention to Fisher Tiger and Pain's conversation. Instead, they watched Lin Yuan leave and silently made a vow.
Become strong? I definitely will!
The others on the rafts were also reluctant to see him go, watching Lin Yuan's retreating figure with admiration. At that moment, everyone fell silent and wept quietly. Some even knelt in Lin Yuan's direction.
"My lord, have a safe journey!"