The next day, at dawn, Fish-Man Street lay shrouded in the dim, bluish glow of the deep sea. Between the mottled coral buildings, tiny bubbles drifted lazily upward.
Among the dilapidated houses, several young fish-man children were chasing and play-fighting, their laughter ringing out with unusual clarity in the quiet waters.
However, the moment the figures of the three—Gern and his companions—appeared at the far end of the street, the atmosphere of the entire Fish-Man Street froze solid.
"Humans!"A small fish-man hiding behind a coral reef widened his eyes, his finned fingers gripping the edge of the coral tightly.
"Why would they come here?" another child shrank back nervously, his fish tail slapping the water in unease.
"Shh! Keep your voice down—Boss Tiger is with them!" a third child whispered urgently, tugging at his companion's fin.
Lipo's rabbit ears twitched lightly as she caught the hushed murmurs rippling through their surroundings. She leaned closer to Gern and whispered, "Gern… they seem really afraid of us."
Gern's gaze swept calmly across both sides of the street. Behind half-shuttered doors and windows, pairs of wary eyes were secretly watching them.
"They're not afraid," he said quietly. "They're on guard."
Walking at the front of the group, Gern surveyed the street with composed eyes.
Fish-Man Street was even more run-down than he had imagined. Yet compared to the chaos it would descend into in the future, this place currently felt more like a shelter—a refuge that gathered and protected orphaned fish-men.
Although Tiger spent most of the year traveling abroad, his authority within Fish-Man Street remained absolute.
So when Tiger appeared, the residents visibly relaxed a little—but their puzzled gazes still lingered on Gern's Marine uniform.
Suddenly, the water ahead rippled.
"Boss Tiger! Boss Tiiiger!"
Two deep voices called out from the side.
Gern glanced over to see a blue-skinned whale shark fish-man striding toward them, followed by a tall, lean fish-man with a jagged, saw-like nose.
"Jinbe. Arlong."Recognizing his juniors, Tiger stopped and gave a small nod.
Jinbe offered a respectful salute, his eyes cautiously sweeping over Gern and the others."Boss, who are these three?"
"What's the Marine doing in Fish-Man Street?"Arlong folded his arms across his chest, his serrated nose twitching slightly as he made no effort to hide the hostility in his eyes."This isn't a place they should be coming to."
Having often heard about the outside world through Tiger, both of them already knew Gern's identity.
At Arlong's words, Tiger frowned."Arlong, watch your attitude. Right now, they are guests of Fish-Man Island."
"Guests?" Arlong snorted coldly. "He's just a human—"
But restrained by Tiger's authority, he shut his mouth, though the violent glare he fixed on Gern never wavered.
Gern studied the two fish-men with interest.
At this time, Jinbe was still young. Though cautious, his eyes held more steadiness than suspicion.
Arlong, on the other hand, was a complete thorn—his entire body radiating volatile aggression.
"You're Arlong, right?" Gern suddenly spoke."More… energetic than I imagined."
Arlong froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes."You know me?"
"I've heard of you." Gern smiled faintly."'Sawtooth Arlong' of Fish-Man Street. Hot-tempered, but loyal to your own.You even secretly formed a pirate crew to ambush pirates who tried to land on Fish-Man Island. I'm not wrong, am I?"
"Arlong, you—!"Tiger clearly hadn't known about this. He turned his gaze to Jinbe, who pressed his lips together helplessly and tacitly admitted it.
"Arlong, you're going to explain this to me later."
Arlong's expression immediately became complicated.
Being judged to his face irritated him—but there was also a trace of approval in Gern's words, leaving him unsure how to react.
"And the two of you should behave yourselves," Gern added lightly."Don't forget how, a few months ago, you were defeated by that samurai from the Roger Pirates."
Jinbe keenly sensed the shift in atmosphere and asked in a low voice,"Boss… what do you mean?"
Tiger fell silent for a moment. His gaze settled on Gern's back as he spoke softly,"That man… his strength is second only to Roger, who visited here before.The one you both thought invincible—Kozuki Oden—was completely defeated by him in a direct, one-on-one fight."
"What?!"Jinbe and Arlong's eyes widened simultaneously as they stared at Gern in disbelief.
Roger's name thundered through Fish-Man Island like legend. The Pirate King who had once visited—his overwhelming power left an indelible impression on every fish-man warrior.
And Kozuki Oden, who had joined Roger after leaving the Whitebeard Pirates, needed no further explanation.
When the Roger Pirates first landed on Fish-Man Island, Oden—out of sheer idiocy—had single-handedly beaten down everyone in Fish-Man Street.It was only after Roger personally intervened and took Oden to apologize to King Neptune that the incident ended.
And now Tiger was saying this young Marine was second only to Roger—and had even defeated that monstrous, invincible, single-minded samurai?!
Watching his two stunned juniors, Tiger continued,"And this time… he's here looking for your sister, Arlong."
The air froze instantly.
"Looking for Shyarly?"Arlong's face darkened visibly, his gills flaring sharply."Shyarly? That mermaid?" His voice dripped with open disgust."She has nothing to do with me!"
"Arlong!" Tiger's tone hardened."She is your blood, no matter what."
"Only half-blood!" Arlong snapped, waving his arm violently, sharp claws slicing pale streaks through the water."She's a mermaid. I'm a fish-man. We're not the same!"
Gern watched Arlong's outburst thoughtfully.
It seemed that even now, the seeds of Arlong's hatred toward humans had already begun to sprout—and his rejection of his mermaid sister ran even deeper.
"Lead the way, Tiger," Gern said calmly, ignoring Arlong's fury."I'm very interested in this 'prophet.'"
Tiger nodded and continued forward.
"Arlong," Jinbe said worriedly, glancing at him,"Shyarly was abandoned by that father of yours just like you were. But unlike you back then… at least now she still has you as her brother."
"Mind your own business."Arlong stood where he was, fists clenched so tightly they cracked, before finally following after them.
The alleys of Fish-Man Street grew narrower, the buildings more decrepit.
At last, Tiger stopped in front of an unremarkable little house.
Unlike the others, its door was decorated with wind chimes made of various shells. They swayed gently with the currents, producing clear, tinkling sounds.
Tiger stepped forward and knocked lightly.
After a moment, the door slowly opened.
A small figure wrapped in a purple cloak appeared in the doorway.
"Mr. Tiger?"
A clear, youthful voice rang out as a little great white shark mermaid girl with short purple-black hair peeked out. Her eyes were large and bright, yet carried a calmness far beyond her years.
Gern narrowed his eyes slightly.
Shyarly—the future prophet who would accurately foresee Whitebeard's death and the destruction of Fish-Man Island—was still just a child.
"Shyarly, long time no see," Tiger said gently."This person here is—"
Before he could finish, Shyarly—holding her crystal ball—turned her gaze to Gern.
There was no panic. No hostility.She simply looked at him quietly, as though she had long known this moment would come.
"So… you really came," she said softly."Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral…"
"Gern Reginald Sigmar."
Hearing her speak his full name, Gern's lips curved slightly upward."Nice to meet you, Shyarly. Your divination really does have some substance."
Shyarly fell silent for a moment, then nodded gently."Sometimes… I see certain images."
"Then could I ask you to divine something for me?"Gern crouched down to her level, his tone warm and unthreatening.
Shyarly hesitated as she looked at him, then finally nodded."All right."
Behind her, Arlong ground his teeth, glaring at Gern as he followed her inside."I told her to stop pretending to be some mystic! And now she's gone and attracted the Marines!"
Tiger placed a firm hand on his shoulder."Calm down, Arlong."
"But Boss!" Arlong struggled angrily."Why let the Marines get close to her? Who knows what schemes they're plotting!"
"And you still say you don't care about her."Tiger chuckled, patting Arlong on the head."You act like you hate her, but you think I don't know what you've been doing behind the scenes?"
"Hmph!"Arlong turned away, snorting."In all of Fish-Man Street, who would dare touch my sister?!"
…
Meanwhile, Shyarly had already placed the clear crystal ball atop a red cushion.
She sat before it, took a deep breath, and gently rested her small hands on its surface.
"Then…"Her voice was as light as bubbles rising from the seabed."What is it… that you wish to know?"
Gern sat across from her, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"I want to know…""What can you see?"
..
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