Garp observed the scene before him.
Even with his decades of experience, it was rare to see dozens of pirate ships openly crowding a single harbor like this.
The last time he'd seen this many pirate ships gathered in one place was at God Valley, facing the pirate crews under Rocks' banner.
And this was just one port.
Who knew how many more pirate ships were lurking elsewhere?
Michael counted again carefully—fifty-one pirate ships in total—before shaking his head.
How had Fish-Man Island deteriorated to this state?
Was this really just the result of losing its affiliation with the World Government?
Michael had a growing suspicion that Fish-Man Island's current predicament wasn't solely the fault of the World Government—or even humans alone.
The island's own people, whether royalty or commoners, had clearly tolerated too much and acted too little.
But there was also a sense of helplessness.
Fish-Man Island, though called an "island," was more like an isolated undersea fortress.
Encased within an enormous double-layered bubble membrane, the space between the two layers served as a protective air barrier.
Despite being 10,000 meters below the sea, thanks to the oxygen and sunlight transmitted by the Yarukiman Mangrove, Fish-Man Island was no different from surface islands.
In fact, the illuminated underwater environment made it one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places in the world.
Thus, the upper half of Fish-Man Island resembled land, while the lower half housed the districts where fish-men and merfolk lived normally.
However, Michael had long stopped trying to assess Fish-Man Island's situation.
Any estimate would only prove worse than expected.
"Tch, traveling with an old man is such a hassle. I have to handle everything myself."
Michael sighed, suddenly missing T-Bone and Shu, the dynamic duo of corpse disposal.
If those two were here, these fifty-one pirate ships would've been perfect target practice for them.
"Hey! Brat, if you've got something to say, just say it! What did this old man ever do to you?"
Michael ignored Garp, instead spreading his wings and flying towards the pirate ships ahead.
At the same time, he drew "Morning Star" from his waist.
With so many pirate ships around, cleaning them up wouldn't be a problem, right?
"Spark Rune Blade—Slash!"
Swinging Morning Star, the runes ignited.
The surging white Holy Flame, guided by the Morning Star, transformed into a massive Flying Slash.
Not a single one of the fifty-one pirate ships could halt the slash for even an instant.
In the blink of an eye, they were all cleaved in two.
Then, under the scorching Holy Flame, they were completely reduced to ashes.
Instantly, the entire harbor became much clearer.
Naturally, this single sword strike was witnessed by the pirates and Fish-Man Island residents on the shore.
Among them were undoubtedly pirates belonging to those destroyed ships.
But even if they had eight times the courage, they wouldn't dare oppose a powerhouse capable of such a feat with a mere flick of their wrist.
They could only quietly accept their misfortune!
Thus, under the gaze of fearful and curious onlookers, Garp's flagship slowly sailed into the harbor.
"A dog-head prow! It's the warship of Marine Hero Garp!"
"Wonderful! The Marines must have come to help us, unable to stand by any longer!"
"Not necessarily. Even if it's Marine Hero Garp, he's still a hero of the humans. Who's to say… he's any different from those despicable humans."
Garp's fame, whether in the pirate world or among civilians, could be considered a household.
Now that he had arrived at Fish-Man Island, it at least made the pirates there begin to restrain themselves.
After all, most of them came to Fish-Man Island to enter the New World.
Running into the Marine Hero right at the gateway would be the worst luck.
Soon, pirates who witnessed the Marines' arrival spread the word, quickly disseminating the news throughout Fish-Man Island that Garp had arrived and destroyed all the pirate ships in the harbor.
But this had nothing to do with Michael.
When Michael set foot on the island, his first impression was…
This island was indeed prosperous and beautiful.
In terms of prosperity alone, it could rival the Sabaody Archipelago.
In fact, after the Sabaody Purge, the current Sabaody Archipelago might not even compare to Fish-Man Island.
Moreover, Fish-Man Island achieving this level of prosperity was undoubtedly more challenging than for Sabaody.
Just look at the geographical locations to understand.
One is a crucial maritime hub, while the other lies deep beneath the sea.
If both islands were under equal conditions, Fish-Man Island would undoubtedly be more prosperous.
However, accompanying this was an overwhelming sense of oppression.
The fish-men and merfolk on the streets, though living normal lives, wore no smiles—lifeless and eerily subdued.
Apart from the merchants peddling forced smiles and the wide-eyed newcomers, the civilians seemed numb.
"Tsk tsk, Michael, the atmosphere here is… strange."
"Obviously. Anyone with eyes can tell something's off."
Michael's lips twitched.
He wasn't blind!
In fact, some civilians, upon seeing the Marine uniforms, revealed the same hatred in their eyes as when they looked at pirates.
This situation could only mean one thing: the so-called "Regional Justice" faction of the Marines had already visited this island.
[Regional Justice faction : A faction within the marines whos members is filled with a diehard supporter of World goverment]
But Michael wouldn't question it—he would change Fish-Man Island's perception of the Marines.
Yet this also meant that, aside from pirates, during this visit to Fish-Man Island…
Michael might also have to deal with the corrupt elements within the Marines themselves.
Beside him, Garp clearly had the same thought.
The old man's usually straight back seemed to slightly hunch after a sigh.
But it lasted only a moment.
"Let's go. We'll visit the Ryugu Kingdom first."
With that, Garp headed toward the most conspicuous palace at the center of Fish-Man Island.
Meanwhile, several shadowy figures darted past the alleyways near the port.
Michael gave them a brief glance before ignoring them.
It seemed Fish-Man Island wasn't completely passive after all.
Though whether these people had any brains was another matter...
*****
"Aniki! Our scouts just reported! A new group of Marines has landed on Fish-Man Island! And leading them is none other than the legendary Marine Hero Garp!"
"Plus there's a Marine beside him with no records in our database—but he destroyed all fifty pirate ships at the port with a single sword strike!"
In a corner of Fish-Man District, the young Arlong was reporting to a fish-man.
The figure before him was crimson-skinned—none other than Fisher Tiger, the renowned fish-man explorer.
And the future captain of the Sun Pirates.
Originally destined to be captured by Celestial Dragons as a slave, he remained on Fish-Man Island thanks to Michael dismantling the slave trade network.
"...Garp? Where are they headed?"
"Towards the royal palace!"
"I'll go check it out. Arlong, keep watch over Fish-Man District... If any pirates or Marines come looking for trouble like last time, don't hold back."
"Yes, Aniki!"
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