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

Little Sugar also glared at Robin with wide eyes, trying to glare her away with her eye power!

Bellamy was the most indifferent of them all. He wasn't particularly interested in Robin, let alone the fish-men. He just idly looked around.

"Tiger, you'll be following us from now on. You can disembark when we reach the next island. Our destination is the Grand Line. If you wish, you can even stay with us until we enter the Grand Line."

"Ah... this is really too much trouble for you."

"It's alright. We'll repay kindness with kindness, and each of us will keep our own accounts. It's not a problem. From now on, you can just call me Kazan."

"...Then, I'll have to trouble you for a while, Kazan, and those humans..."

“I’ll drop those humans off at the next stop. I have no relatives or friends here, so I don’t have time to take them home. Besides… people who have been reborn should have a brighter light in their eyes than ordinary people, not their lifeless appearance. Even if you take them to their doorstep, they might just quietly wait to die. You think you can change humans’ attitudes towards fish-men by relying on these ‘institutionalized’ people? Impossible!”

Kazan spoke frankly about all his thoughts. Even though Fisher Tiger didn't intentionally save Robin at first, Kazan was genuinely grateful to him and didn't want him to continue doing such futile work or die like that.

Not everyone is 'Kera'. At least 'Kera' still smiles on instinct and tries to make a living by fulfilling their value. But the guys on the lower level are practically the living dead, giving no hope to those who want to save them.

"...Kazan, how did you know?"

"Given Fishman Island's current situation in this world, is it really that hard to guess what your purpose is in doing this? Do you think the World Government can't guess? It's just that they don't care about Fishman Island at all; they only care about how to make the Celestial Dragons happy."

"Is there really no other way...?"

"There must be a way. How to change the semi-slavery situation? It's simply a matter of relying on the people's anger to overthrow the forces that enslave you. Fight! Fight them until they're afraid! But, the fighting strength of your Fishman Island is not only low, but your numbers are also small. You can't win by fighting, and anger is useless."

"The only option is to fight?"

"We have no choice but to fight! Peace is driven by war, and war is the only way and the only way to create peace."

"...I need to think about...those humans...I'll leave it to you."

"Ah."

Kazan looked at Fisher Tiger's conflicted and pained expression and didn't say anything more. Kazan wasn't the one who had experienced it firsthand, so he couldn't teach Tiger what to do. He was just expressing his own opinion.

Kazan's words were initially intended to stop Fisher Tiger from doing what he was doing. Knowing what the future would hold, he didn't want Fisher Tiger to continue down the same path. Robin had secretly told Kazan, "He's my benefactor. Without him, I wouldn't be able to see my brother again."

However, to Kazan's surprise, there was another person who fell into deep thought after hearing Kazan's words.

Jinpei.

Although Jinbe has become more calm and thoughtful under Fisher Tiger's subtle influence, he is still young and has not yet become the eldest brother. He obviously lacks the wisdom and responsibility that he will have in the future. However, he has now learned to analyze what Kazan said.

He was older, and his perception of the meaning in people's eyes on this ship was second only to Fisher Tiger, who had been a slave. He could sense that, apart from the boy wearing a black arm armor who looked at them with a somewhat cold gaze, the others on this monster pirate crew didn't have any particular opinion of them.

Especially Kazan. In Jinbe's eyes, Kazan looked at those strange humans with the same way he looked at them fish-men, as if he were just looking at a stranger of his own kind.

The reactions of the other fish-men on the Sun Pirates crew were enough to tell them that after traveling through so many towns, they had become much more discerning about humans. If the Monster Pirates had viewed them the same way they had seen the humans before, they wouldn't have been willing to bow to them, even if they were their benefactors.

The Monster Pirates' attitude towards the Sun Pirates gave Jinbe a long-lost sense of comfort, much like how seven or eight years ago, when they came to protect the Whitebeard Pirates, who were caught in a jealous and chaotic situation on Fishman Island due to the start of the Great Pirate Era, because they had been indebted to Neptune in their youth. Fishmen were, at most, just 'novel' creatures in their eyes, nothing more.

This is a man with the same spirit as his father.

Jinbe watched Kazan sitting at the bow of the ship, affectionately cuddling Robin as if no one else was around. If there was any difference between Kazan and Old Man Kazan, it was that the former was still a bit immature and lacked the aura and strength of a king.

He's a man you can befriend with sincerity!

This was the conclusion Jinbe ultimately reached. Jinbe also hoped to make friends with creatures of other races, but unfortunately most of them were ignorant and arrogant, looking down on marine creatures because of their land-dwelling identity. Little did they know that this world is filled with the ocean, and the true rulers of this world are the marine creatures.

Now, Jinbe has decided to try and become friends with this monster pirate crew!

Even Doraemon wants friends from other races! There is still hope for humanity!

Chapter 070 Three Sets of Armor

More than a month has passed since Kazan took over the Sun Pirates. On a small island during their journey, Kazan placed those humans who had once been slaves on it. Those who wanted to live could live, and those who didn't would be sent home to die anyway. Kazan gave them the opportunity to choose between life and death.

"Kazan! There's something I've always wanted to ask: your Monster Pirates are so powerful, how come you haven't entered the Grand Line yet?"

"So our next destination is the Grand Line, we've been looking for this girl for a while now."

On the lawn deck of the Carosso, Kazan and Jinbe sat on the ground, eating the side dishes prepared by Monet and chatting idly.

He was surrounded by three jealous girls: Monet, Robin, and Sugar.

For more than a month, the three little ones have been revolving around Kazan every day. At first, Monet showed the big sister's demeanor and magnanimity, giving Robin a period of time to stick to Kazan on her own. But now that they've gotten to know each other, she's not going to let her little sister have her way!

Yes, Robin is a year younger than Monet! She's a younger sister!

As for Sugar, she's just there for the fun of it all. She gets bullied by Kazan every day and cries her eyes out, yet she still keeps coming over to be bullied.

"Yes, brother is so good to Robin~ Even Monet probably doesn't get this kind of treatment. I was wondering at first who that petal on the pirate flag represents?"

"Oh, Sister Monet is joking~ Robin is just a younger sister, Monet is Brother's little sister, how could she be treated worse than Robin? Brother will treat Sister Monet well too, right? Brother~"

"Roar roar roar~"

"Huhuhu~"

"Give me a normal smile!"

Kazan, seeing the two girls covering their faces and laughing, gave each of them a whack on the head. The two immature girls started showing off their amateurish tea ceremony skills. Haha, how laughable.

"Speaking of which, Jinbe, you're really strong. You're no worse than Tiger, are you?"

"Ah... well, it's a difference between individuals. If we're only talking about Haki and the level of mastery of Fishman Karate, then I'm naturally no match for Brother Tiger. However, I'm a whale shark fishman, while Brother Tiger is a sea bream fishman. In terms of physique, my growth potential is slightly higher. As I get older, I'll gradually close the gap with Brother Tiger."

"What an enviable physique! He must be even stronger underwater."

"Kazan, you don't need to be modest. At least on land, Tiger and I can't beat you."

Since the Sun Pirates joined the crew, Jinbe has frequently come to chat with Kazan, even more often than his older brother Fisher Tiger. When they stop at an island, Jinbe will also spar with Kazan.

The difference in strength between the three is not very large, but it is still quite clear.

On land: Kazan is slightly stronger than Fisher Tiger, who is slightly stronger than Jinbe.

In the ocean, there's no need to try, and no one should try. Kazan would never be able to fight the Fish-Men in the sea. Even among the Four Emperors and Marine Admirals, very few would dare to challenge the Fish-Men in the ocean.

It was precisely because of Kazan's powerful combat strength and Whitebeard-like spirit that the fish-men of the Sun Pirates had a good impression of him, and some even admired him. Even Arlong, who hated humans, didn't have any ill feelings towards Kazan.

Jinbe, who had always called Arlong "trash" and "useless" and disliked him, was surprisingly satisfied with Arlong in this matter.

"It's been great to have you guys sparring with me these past few days. I feel like my skills are going to decline if I can't find a few more opponents."

"Hahaha, getting on your ship is like getting on a pirate ship. Tiger wants to run away as soon as he sees you now. He said he's started to have back pain lately."

"Hmph, this is not enough... By the way, come with me, we'll be on the Red Line in less than a month. I've prepared a gift for you and Tiger as a farewell present."

"Huh? Do we need to be so polite between us?"

Jinbe's body is obviously round and plump, but he stands up from the ground without any effort.

Kazan led Jinbe all the way to the first basement level. As soon as they entered, Jinbe felt suffocated. The entire space was dry and stuffy, which was very unfriendly to fish-men.

Jinbe, suppressing his discomfort, followed Kazan to a large altar in the center of the smelting room, where something was quietly placed.

"This is... armor?"

"These are three suits of armor that I specially developed, made primarily of steel and modified with special metals. They represent the results of my research and hard work over the past month. I originally intended to test the waters before modifying the Black Rhino Armor for Xiao Bei, but I didn't expect it to actually succeed."

"The Black Rhino Armor, ah... Bellamy's outfit, quite a few fishmen in the Sun Pirates are quite envious and want to trade with him for it, but Bellamy just won't give it up, hahaha."

"I haven't had a chance to modify or enhance Bellamy's set yet. I plan to prepare something more complete before modifying it for him. Of these three sets, the blue and red ones are for you and Tiger, and the yellow one is for you to choose from."

"Are they categorized by color?"

Jinbe looked at the three completely different suits of armor on the smelting platform and was a little puzzled. These things were indeed very attractive to men, and even Jinbe was slightly tempted.

"Yes! The red one is called the Xingtian Armor. It incorporates a special metal that I made myself. With the help of Armament Haki, it can generate flames by rubbing against the air. I have focused on enhancing its power, making it suitable for compensating for Tiger's physical problems."

"The blue one is called the Flying Shadow Armor. I focused on enhancing its speed and water manipulation capabilities. Jinbe, your mastery of ranged techniques in Fishman Karate is relatively weak, so you can make up for that weakness with this armor."

"The yellow one is the Vajra Armor. It has nothing but defensive enhancements, but because it's quite extreme, its defensive power can reach the same level as Xiao Feng's Armament Haki!"

Kazan stroked the three sets of armor, his tone somewhat proud. Although they lacked weapons and the original flashy abilities, creating these special armors was already a breakthrough, especially considering it only took a month.

Controlling the steel element to transform the other metals into the three sets of armor they are in now is an incredibly demanding task that tests one's patience. During the forging process, there were so many failures that Kazan almost lost his composure.

Given more time, he might even be able to forge a steel Gundam, although it would most likely just be a useless, unrefined object.

"This... Kazan, thank you!"

Jinbe hesitated for a moment, not saying anything to refuse or be polite. He felt that saying such polite things would be an insult to the friendship between the Sun Pirates and the Monster Pirates.

"Hmph, let's give it a try. Perfect timing, I also created a suit of armor for myself using the Iron-Steel Fruit. Let's practice on the next island and see how it works!"

"it is good!"

Chapter 071 Trial of Armor

"Go, Jinbe! Tiger is so cool! Woohoo!"

"Get out of here, all of you! My eldest brother is the best! He can take on both of you at once!"

"Huh? Bellamy, are you trying to start a fight?!"

"Who's afraid of who? Come on!!"

On a deserted island, Kazan and Tiger Jinbe, who were preparing to test the effectiveness of their armor, hadn't even started fighting yet, while Bellamy was already on the verge of taking on the fishmen of the Sun Pirates.

However, most people didn't pay much attention and had already gotten used to it.

After spending so much time together, Bellamy, who initially didn't care much for the Sun Pirates, now hangs out with the fishmen every day, and there are many times when they play around and spar with each other.

Especially Ah Long, who, to everyone's surprise, was the one who got along best with Bellamy. In Ah Long's eyes, Bellamy was not a human being, but a compatriot who grew up together in 'Fishman Street'. The two had very similar personalities and methods of dealing with enemies, so they got along very well.

At first, Jinbe was worried about Arlong's hatred of humans and was reluctant to see Bellamy and Arlong interact. However, he later thought that this might change Arlong's view of humans, so he let them spend time together.

Kazan was quite surprised that the two guys' relationship had improved, since he himself didn't like Arlong very much. The reason wasn't because of what Arlong did to Nami; Kazan didn't have a strong liking for Nami as a character, and he wouldn't dislike his friend's underling because of a woman he had never met.

The reason why Arlong dislikes Arlong is because Arlong applies the same attitude he has towards humans to the members of the Monster Pirates, except for Kazan and Bellamy. Although he has tried his best to restrain himself and the situation is gradually improving, Kazan is still a little unhappy.

On the deserted island, Kazan was attempting to take on Tiger and Jinbe alone.

"Come on, let's test my research results! Emperor Armor! Combine!"

"Armor Combination!"

The above is purely Kazan's self-narration. The moment the voice ends, a layer of light gold, super cool armor suddenly condenses on Kazan's skin.

Emperor Armor - Normal Form!

It's really just a facade; the actual nature of the Emperor Armor is simply a different form of the steel membrane that Kazan usually has attached to his body.