Big brother, I want to become the strongest pirate in the world!

Besides the damage to the ship, what surprised Kazan the most was the pile of frozen dried fish and bloodstains everywhere.

"...There shouldn't be another one that could cause this kind of damage."

Kazan walked to the mast of the ship and looked at the spear made entirely of ice stuck in it. He reached out and gently touched it, then squeezed it hard; it was surprisingly hard.

Heating it to a temperature of two or three hundred degrees Celsius made the ice melt quite slowly; it wasn't until it reached a thousand degrees Celsius that the spear melted quickly.

"So... why would the Navy help the World Government hunt down slaves? If they were going to hunt them down, they should at least make a show of it, right? And if they were just making a show of it, they shouldn't have sent you here... Aokiji."

Kazan, his face grim, led Bon Clay and Monet slowly toward the other side of the ship, stepping over countless dried fish and treading on a trail of blood, finally arriving at the stern.

Click.

"Human, get out."

Kazan smiled as he looked at the blue, chubby guy standing in front of him, wearing wooden clogs and covered in blood, yet still with his arms crossed.

Jinbe, the "Knight of the Sea," is a fishman that's hard to dislike.

Kazan tilted his head and scratched it, looking at the red fishman tightly protecting Jinbe behind him and a group of huddled slaves.

The red fishman was completely frozen solid and lay there unable to move, while the slaves were unharmed.

Jinbe in front of them didn't look too good either. Most of his leg was frozen, making it difficult for him to move. And with the amount of bleeding, he would probably faint if the bleeding wasn't stopped.

So, what kind of orders did Tiger give you that made you stand guard in front of a group of human slaves... Jinbe?

Kazan did not see the unconscious black-haired girl hidden beneath the crimson frozen fishman.

Chapter 068 Hero and Robin

Kazan smiled, ignored Jinbe, and walked straight toward him.

Fishman Karate.

Jinbe threw a punch, and the fist, as big as a clay pot, looked quite intimidating.

Bang.

Kazan raised his dark silver right hand, which he had kept under a steely exterior for years, and with less than 20% of his strength, he took Jinbe's punch.

"Soft and fluffy."

Kazan murmured softly, "Fishmen can't unleash their full power on land, especially since Jinbe is seriously injured right now. Kazan could easily defeat this blue fat guy with one hand."

Bang!

With a forceful push, and given that Jinbe's legs were frozen, he lost control and fell to the ground.

"Don't go over there!"

"You'd better stay here quietly. If you keep moving around, your leg will be ruined."

Jinbe tried to rush over and grab Kazan's leg to stop him from going any further, but Bon Clay stepped on his back and made him unable to move.

"Pfft~ My brother hasn't made a move since he got on the ship, so he definitely won't make a move now, don't worry."

Monet crouched down and poked Jinbe's arm. She wanted to see what fish-man skin felt like. Even a carefree girl like Monet thought fish-men were a little ugly, but her brother didn't seem to mind at all.

Little did Monet know that there were far more ugly creatures than fishmen in Arad. In Kazan's eyes, fishmen were already considered a relatively good-looking race.

Jinbe found some truth in Monet's words, but he didn't completely believe them and continued to cautiously watch Kazan's movements, even though it didn't really make any sense.

Kazan walked up to the red, frozen sashimi and squatted down. He felt a slight undulation in the upper back of the body... Was his chest injured?

Kazan frowned and placed his hand on the ice on Fisher Tiger's upper body, beginning to slowly heat it.

This person... the fishman... is a true hero, a hero of slaves. Although he has the flaw of being stubborn and inflexible, he also possesses a combination of almost impossible virtues.

The island's inhabitants dared not set foot on land due to its predicament, yet Fisher Tiger chose to become an adventurer on land.

Knowing full well the despair that Mary Geoise could instill, and that the Pirate Empress was terrified to that extent, he risked everything to go there alone again to save his people, prepared to die at any moment.

She does her best to improve humans' perception of fish-men and works tirelessly for Fish-Man Island. Although she still hates humans deep down, she still says things like "Don't kill humans."

You have to understand, this is definitely not a gentle fishman... Fishmen who grow up in Fishman Island all hate humans, and Tiger is no exception. His choice to stand against Queen Otohime as a pirate is the best proof of his attitude.

However... this fishman.

Before he died, he said, "The next generation, like Kera, will be the ones who can change the direction of the sea in the future. So please! Don't tell the people on the island anything! The tragedy that happened to us and our anger towards humanity!"

He didn't want to pass this hatred on to the next generation.

Fisher Tiger's initial dream was simply to become an adventurer, but his status as a slave prevented him from being just an adventurer; he didn't want to keep fighting, but he couldn't help but resist, because his experience in Mary Geoise taught him that compromise was useless; he didn't want to be a hero, but he couldn't not be one, because he was afraid that if he lost these shackles, he would no longer be able to suppress the demons in his heart.

Such a person, willing to abandon hatred for the future of their race, would inspire fear in their adversaries in any world or country.

Either a hero or a tyrant.

"Sigh... he's someone you can't really hate."

Seeing Fisher Tiger's upper body visibly melting away, Jinbe, who was lying on the side, stared blankly, then quietly passed out like a salted fish.

"Hmm? Hair."

A gentle breeze lifted a few strands of black hair, revealing them to Kazan's eyes. He frowned and lifted Fisher Tiger's upper body slightly.

!!!

"Robin!"

Kazan looked at Nico Robin, who had a little blood on her head, with surprise in his eyes, then grabbed Fisher Tiger and threw him aside.

Upon hearing Kazan's shout, Bon Clay and Monet rushed over to see the girl Kazan was tightly embracing.

"Robin, wake up!"

As Kazan gently wiped the blood from Robin's head, he whispered something carefully in her ear.

The movements were as gentle as holding a piece of tofu; a little force would break it.

"Well……"

Robin frowned as Kazan gently shook her, her consciousness beginning to return. She gradually opened her eyes and looked at the red-eyed youth holding her.

Upon seeing the person before her, Robin opened her eyes without speaking, tears welling up and streaming down her face. She bit her lip and stared blankly for several seconds before hugging Kazan tightly and burying her face in his chest.

“Robin…”

"Why did you take so long to arrive..."

Robin's cold murmur pained Kazan. He held the trembling, frail girl tightly, speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say, his heart filled with self-blame and guilt.

For the first time in years, he freed his body from the steely confinement that had been there, making it soft and slowly heating it up to warm Robin. He did everything in his power to make up for his past incompetence.

"You won't leave me again, will you?"

"No one can make me lose you."

"My brother will be killed."

"Even if I'm killed, I won't let my sister be killed."

"Has my brother missed me these past few years?"

"Every hour, every moment."

Has my brother's love for me diminished?

"Every day is a little more than yesterday, and a little less than tomorrow."

What if I die in the next few years?

"Let blood fill the world, let the sea turn crimson, let the human world become a purgatory, and then hide away until I awaken the ability to break the shackles of space, and keep searching for you in one world after another."

"Sweet talk! Nonsense!"

It's true!

"Ah! I'm so sorry to interrupt you, but I feel like if I don't say something soon, my lower body might just leave me."

Just as the two were getting so emotional that even Bon Clay and Monet couldn't stand it anymore, someone finally spoke up.

It's him!

That hero!

Fisher Tiger!

"Ah...you're not dead yet..."

What an annoying guy!

Kazan glanced at the red fishman lying on the ground beside him, watching them. He should have saved him later.

"Uh... oh, this..."

Fisher Tiger scratched his head sheepishly, but he was genuinely anxious. When he woke up and saw Kazan, he panicked at first, then began to observe his surroundings.

With no more of his comrades harmed, Jinbe only fainted, and Kazan's body still burning with fever, Fisher Tiger immediately understood their current predicament.

Actually, what he cared about wasn't his own lower body, but his underlings. Some of them were also frozen, although for as long as he was, their strength was no less than his.

Chapter 069 Man and Fishman

"Thank you so much for your kindness!"

At this very moment, aboard the Monster Caroso, Fisher Tiger and Jinbe led a group of fishmen who lined up and bowed deeply to Kazan.

Unfortunately, Arlong didn't freeze to death, even though Kazan had planned to thaw him last. Perhaps fate wouldn't let him die; in any case, it's no longer Kazan's business.

By this time, the Sun Pirates' ship had sunk to the bottom, and all the dozens of fishmen and slaves had been transferred to Karoso. Karoso, which was not big to begin with, was now even more crowded. There was no other way but to temporarily house the slaves in the underground Kazan forge, where there was enough space to accommodate them.

"You're too kind. You've helped me bring my sister back, so you're practically benefactors to our monster family. It's just a small favor."

Kazan was still holding Robin in his arms. The little girl had been lacking a sense of security for too long, and now that she was suddenly back by Kazan's side, she didn't want to be separated from him at all and just wanted to stick to him.

As he said this, Kazan glanced back at his younger siblings behind him. Fortunately, his worst fears were not realized—that they would look at the fish-men with disapproval.

The younger siblings were all looking at Robin, who was nestled in Kazan's arms, with curious eyes.

Monet used the mast to cover half of his body, only revealing half of his face as he peered at Robin, making a 'crunching' sound.

Damn it! One small one is bad enough, but then a big one showed up too!