Ethan walked beside Fisher Tiger in silence, still lost in thought about his future.
To Tiger, the boy looked strangely adrift.
Aimless.
After a while, the Fish-Man finally reached over and patted him on the shoulder.
“How about this?” Tiger offered.
“Stick with me for now.
You can figure things out later.” Ethan blinked.
“Where?
Fish-Man Island?” Tiger let out a bitter laugh.
“You think I can still go back there after tonight?” The distant flames of Mary Geoise reflected faintly in his eyes.
“By tomorrow, every Marine in the world will probably be hunting me.” “If I return to Fish-Man Island now, I’ll only drag disaster back with me.” Ethan sighed softly.
“…Fair enough.” Tiger looked at him seriously.
“Then come to sea with me.” The Sun Pirates.
A faint flicker passed through Ethan’s eyes.
Honestly, he didn’t have many choices right now.
After a brief silence, he nodded.
“Alright.” So the two headed toward the harbor to “borrow” themselves a ship.
Most vessels still kept skeleton crews on overnight watch, though the majority of pirates were asleep below deck.
Since there were only two of them—and Ethan had absolutely no sailing experience—Tiger decided a smaller three-masted ship would be easiest to manage.
Neither of them felt particularly guilty about robbing pirates.
If anything, it felt more like redistribution.
The poor just happened to be them.
After choosing a suitable target, they moved quickly.
The pirates onboard were weak enough that the fight barely counted as resistance.
A few moments later, the deck was theirs.
Tiger was preparing to cast off when a familiar voice suddenly called out from the docks.
“Big Brother Tiger!” “We’ve been waiting for you!” Tiger and Ethan turned at the same time.
A group of Fish-Men stood gathered along the harbor.
At the front stood an enormous whale shark Fish-Man with broad shoulders and an imposing frame.
Unmistakable.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Jinbe.
Future Warlord.
Future Straw Hat.
Future “just a Yonko” argument destroyer.
Tiger’s expression immediately became complicated.
He had infiltrated Mary Geoise alone precisely to avoid dragging others into danger.
And yet— they still came.
Jinbe glanced toward the burning Red Line and instantly understood that Tiger had succeeded.
“We couldn’t stop you from saving the slaves,” Jinbe said calmly.
“But you can’t stop us from standing beside you either.” “Jinbe…” Tiger rubbed his forehead helplessly.
But there was warmth in his eyes too.
Because he knew exactly what kind of man Jinbe was.
Loyal to the end.
“Big Brother Tiger,” Jinbe continued firmly, “maybe we can’t change the world overnight…” “But we can face it together.” His voice was deep and steady, like the sea itself.
The other Fish-Men immediately began shouting in agreement.
“If the Marines want you, they’ll have to go through us first!” “Yeah!
I’ve had enough of humans anyway!” “Let them come!” Tiger looked both moved and exhausted.
In the end, he gave in.
“…Fine.” And so, beneath the burning skies of Mary Geoise— the Sun Pirates were born.
Then Tiger suddenly remembered Ethan standing beside him.
He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Sorry, little brother.” He lowered his voice slightly.
“Looks like we picked up more passengers than expected.” Tiger understood something very clearly.
Most Fish-Men would never welcome a human onboard willingly.
Sure enough, the moment the others noticed Ethan, the atmosphere changed immediately.
The smiles vanished.
Expressions hardened.
Jinbe remained relatively calm.
He clearly disliked humans too, but at least he wasn’t openly hostile.
Then a tall Fish-Man stepped forward.
Arlong.
Young.
Aggressive.
Already radiating open hostility.
His cold gaze locked onto Ethan immediately.
“Big Brother Tiger,” Arlong asked flatly, “who’s this human?” Tiger shifted slightly, placing himself between them.
“He escaped Mary Geoise with me,” Tiger answered.
“And he saved my life.” “Saved you?” Arlong’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest.
“You seriously plan to bring a human brat aboard our ship?” His eyes narrowed dangerously.
“How do we know he won’t betray us later?” The surrounding Fish-Men immediately voiced agreement.
Distrust.
Resentment.
Hatred.
Most of them had suffered at human hands before.
And Ethan could feel every ounce of that hostility directed toward him.
But after surviving slavery and torture in Mary Geoise, this kind of pressure no longer meant much.
Ethan met their stares calmly.
If he could kill Celestial Dragon guards— he could kill Fish-Men too.
“Enough!” Tiger’s roar stunned everyone into silence.
It was rare for him to lose his temper with his own people.
“You expect me to become like those humans?” he shouted angrily.
“To repay kindness with betrayal?” The Fish-Men immediately quieted.
Even Arlong stopped speaking.
Though the murderous glare he aimed at Ethan never disappeared.
Ethan almost laughed.
They think I’m someone they can intimidate.
If he wanted stability aboard this crew, he needed to establish his position early.
Sensing the tension, Jinbe smoothly stepped forward.
“Big Brother Tiger…” He glanced apologetically toward Ethan.
“Most of them suffered because of humans.
Their guard is naturally high.” Tiger sighed heavily.
Honestly, he understood completely.
Even his own goodwill toward humanity had nearly vanished.
If Ethan hadn’t genuinely helped him escape earlier, Tiger probably would’ve ignored him too.
Not long afterward, Ethan boarded the large pirate ship alongside the newly formed Sun Pirates.
Jinbe had prepared the vessel in advance.
As the ship departed the harbor, Tiger personally raised the flag of the Sun Pirates for the first time.
The skull beneath the blazing Sun Symbol snapped proudly in the night wind.
And beneath the burning heavens of Mary Geoise— the ship sailed into open waters.
Standing on deck, Tiger finally smiled and asked: “What’s your name, little brother?” “Ethan Vale.” The teenager’s calm voice drifted softly across the sea.
Tiger repeated the unfamiliar name awkwardly.
“Strange name.” But he remembered it.
After spending some time on deck, Ethan eventually decided to get some rest.
Then unexpectedly— Arlong volunteered to show him to his room.
Tiger visibly relaxed at the gesture, assuming Arlong’s attitude had improved.
Ethan only smiled faintly.
He didn’t expose the obvious hostility.
Because he wanted this conversation too.
Arlong led him silently through the lower decks.
Past the sleeping quarters.
Further down.
Until they reached the storage hold near the bottom of the ship.
Then Arlong stopped walking.
He slowly turned around, arms crossed.
His expression was ice cold.
“You didn’t seriously think I brought you here to rest, did you, human?” Arlong expected fear.
Panic.
Submission.
Instead, he found amusement in Ethan’s eyes.
At this point in history, Arlong was still young.
Not yet the tyrant of Cocoyasi Village.
Not yet East Blue’s future nightmare.
But even if he were— he still wouldn’t be Ethan’s opponent.
The complete failure to intimidate him instantly infuriated Arlong.
“Listen carefully, brat.” His voice turned vicious.
“While I’m still asking nicely, get off this ship.” Ethan sighed.
“So loud.” He raised one hand.
Wood Release activated instantly.
Branches and vines exploded from his arm, wrapping around Arlong before the Fish-Man could even react.
The wooden restraints tightened violently.
Arlong’s eyes widened.
“What the hell—?!” He struggled furiously, but the wood only constricted harder.
Crack.
The pressure intensified relentlessly.
Air vanished from his lungs.
Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
His organs felt like they were being crushed apart.
And across from him— Ethan smiled.
A calm, almost delighted smile.
For the first time in years, genuine fear crawled down Arlong’s spine.