After the Warriors Pirates were officially established, Chenos instructed Shark to steer the ship toward Fish-Man Island.
Once they set sail, it quickly became clear that the Freedom truly lived up to Shark's claims. Its speed far surpassed that of the vessel they had taken earlier.
When they traveled to Water Seven before, the journey had taken a full three days. This time, aboard the Freedom, they spotted the Sabaody Archipelago in just a day and a half. By the time they reached the waters above Fish-Man Island, only two days had passed in total.
Upon arriving above Fish-Man Island, Chenos contacted Shakky through a Den Den Mushi to ask about Fisher's whereabouts.
Since Shakky was a close friend of Hachi, she naturally knew where Fisher was and promptly told Chenos.
It turned out that Fisher was on a small island not far from the waters above Fish-Man Island. The island didn't appear on any maps, had no Log Pose record, and was frequently submerged by tides. Aside from fish-men, almost no one even knew of its existence.
Precisely because of this island's secrecy, Fisher had managed to evade the Navy and the World Government, using the time to gather companions and build a pirate ship.
After receiving the location, Chenos passed the coordinates to Shark, who adjusted course immediately.
Less than an hour later, the small island Shakky described came into view.
Using the telescope on the third deck, Chenos looked over and saw Fisher working alongside other fish-men, building a pirate ship. Around Fisher, he also spotted many familiar faces—Arlong, and even Jinbe, who would one day become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
As the Freedom drew closer, the fish-men on the island noticed the approaching vessel.
Arlong inhaled sharply and said to Fisher,
"Big Brother, it's the scent of humans. Damn humans—I'll go kill them!"
With that, Arlong rushed straight toward the shoreline. Jinbe, too, turned to Fisher and said,
"Brother Tiger, I'll back Arlong up."
Seeing a ship that closely resembled a Navy warship, Fisher felt uneasy. He set down his tools and dove straight into the sea after them.
Arlong moved like a torpedo, charging at incredible speed toward the Freedom. When he reached the ship's hull, not only did he fail to slow down—he accelerated.
Using his saw-like, spear-shaped nose, Arlong slammed straight into the underside of the ship.
If it had been an ordinary wooden pirate ship, Arlong's nose would have split it clean in half. Even most steel Navy warships would've been punctured, letting seawater flood in.
But this time—
He hit… nose-first.
Quite literally.
The nose that had never failed him before didn't punch through the hull at all. Instead, it bent on impact, and Arlong cried out in pain, tears welling in his eyes.
By then, Jinbe had already reached Arlong's side. Seeing the failed attack, he was clearly surprised. Normally, their strategy was simple—Arlong would split the enemy ship, and once the enemies fell into the sea, they were helpless.
But now that Arlong's attack had failed, Jinbe grabbed his shoulder.
"Arlong, let me handle this."
Gathering all his strength, Jinbe shouted,
"Fish-Man Karate: Shark Brick Fist!"
But just as he was about to strike, a large hand grabbed his fist.
"Jinbe, wait," Fisher said. "I smell something familiar on that ship. Let me go up and check first before we attack."
Recognizing Fisher's voice, Jinbe nodded respectfully and dispersed the power in his punch.
Arlong, still rubbing his bent nose, protested angrily,
"Big Brother, I smell humans! How could humans carry a scent you recognize?!"
Fisher patted Arlong on the shoulder.
"Let's take a look first. It might be a friend of mine."
The three surfaced and climbed aboard the Freedom, where they saw Chenos, Tesoro, and Shark standing on the deck.
The moment Fisher saw Chenos and Tesoro, the guarded look on his face vanished, replaced by a wide grin.
"Hahaha! Chenos, my brother! You came to drink with me?"
Fisher had waited a long time before, but when Chenos never came, he'd assumed—like so many humans—that Chenos had been scared off after learning Fisher was being hunted by the World Government.
That disappointment had lingered for quite a while, reinforcing his belief that humans couldn't be trusted.
Yet here Chenos was—actually standing before him.
"Haha, Brother Fisher," Chenos replied warmly, returning the hug. "I've wanted to drink with you for a long time. We just didn't have a ship before, so I had to go get one first."
Watching Fisher hug a human with a broad smile, both Arlong and Jinbe were stunned.
Fisher hated humans—no, most fish-men did.
Humans treated them as monsters, refusing to accept them, hunting them down, keeping them as pets or slaves. That cruelty was precisely why fish-men despised humans.
Arlong and Jinbe were no exception. Especially Arlong—who believed fish-men were born ten times stronger than humans and thus the superior race. To him, the correct response to humans had always been simple: kill them.
And yet now, Fisher was laughing and embracing a human like an old friend.
Their worldview cracked.
Had Big Brother Fisher been drugged by humans?
After leading the three onto the island, Fisher shouted to his crew,
"Bring out the best liquor from Fish-Man Island! Today, I'm drinking properly with my brother!"
Many of the fish-men present were former slaves who had escaped from Mary Geoise. Seeing Chenos, they greeted him enthusiastically.
During the year or so after Fisher left Mary Geoise, Chenos had taken great care of the remaining fish-men there. When other slaves tried to bully them—especially after realizing Fisher was gone—Chenos had stepped in, beating those troublemakers down and ensuring the fish-men could still eat properly.
Because of that, the fish-men held Chenos in high regard.
Seeing so many fish-men greet Chenos warmly, Arlong and Jinbe were even more confused. They couldn't understand what kind of relationship Chenos had with Fisher—or with these fish-men.
Even so, they remained on high alert, watching Chenos and his companions closely. In their minds, if Chenos showed the slightest sign of hostility, they would strike without hesitation.
Meanwhile, far away at the Sabaody Archipelago, a Navy Vice Admiral received new intelligence.
There had been abnormal timber transactions recently—large quantities purchased, then dumped into the waters above Fish-Man Island.
The Navy suspected this was connected to the fugitive Fisher Tiger.
Vice Admiral Great Axe Kent smiled when he read the report.
"Buying lumber… only to drop it above Fish-Man Island?"
"Gahahaha—this has to be Fisher Tiger!"
"Men! Mobilize all forces immediately. We're going to capture the 'great hero'—Fisher Tiger!"
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