“Tell me, what is the justice you believe in?”
Faced with Tiger’s words, Gern did not answer immediately.
Instead, he moved his finger from the stone tablet, turned to face him, a faint smile playing on his lips.
At the same time, the light of the Sea Forest shone on Gern’s face, outlining a deep silhouette.
“Calamity. Calamity Justice,” Gern said slowly, each word seemingly carrying heavy weight.
“It will shatter all the sins of the world.”
Tiger’s pupils contracted slightly; he felt a certain almost fanatical belief contained within Gern’s words.
“Only through indiscriminate, large-scale calamity-level destruction…” Gern continued, his gaze as unfathomable as the deep sea.
“Can civilization be reshaped.” He paused, looking directly into Tiger’s eyes, “Isn’t that right, Tiger?”
This was also the first time he had elaborated on the true meaning of his justice to anyone in such detail.
The reason was none other than the person before him…
Was a true “Sun God,” the liberator, Fisher Tiger!
Tiger met Gern’s gaze, and in those eyes, he saw something familiar, or rather, an emotion from deep within his own heart…
It was dissatisfaction with the existing order, a yearning for change.
But Gern’s method was more extreme, more… dangerous.
“Indiscriminate destruction…” Tiger repeated in a low voice, his brows tightly furrowed, “That would harm the innocent.”
“Change is always accompanied by sacrifice.” Gern’s tone was terrifyingly calm.
“Just as you saw during your travels around the world, the existing order has rotted to the core.
Gentle reform? That’s merely a palliative to delay death.”
Tiger fell silent.
He recalled everything he had witnessed in the human world!
The tragic state of the slave markets, the evils of racial discrimination, the tyranny of the Celestial Dragons… every scene was etched into his memory like a knife.
“So, this is your purpose in approaching Fish-Man Island?” Tiger finally spoke, his voice laced with caution.
“To make this a part of your ‘Calamity Justice’?”
Gern chuckled softly, shaking his head: “Fish-Man Island is my collaborator, not a sacrifice.”
He turned to look at the schools of Fishman swimming in the distance, “What I need is a cornerstone, a fulcrum to gain a foothold in the New World. And Fish-Man Island… is just right.”
“Because of its location?” Tiger keenly sensed the key.
“Located directly beneath Holy Land Mary Geoise, where the Marine and World Government cannot easily interfere…”
“Clever.” Gern gave Tiger an appreciative look, “But not just that.
Fish-Man Island also possesses unique culture and power that other islands cannot compare to.
Moreover… you and I are both existences ignored by the World Government.”
Tiger’s heart rate quickened.
Gern’s words were like a key, unlocking something deep within his heart.
Years of anger towards the human world, and dissatisfaction with the status quo, now seemed to find an outlet.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Neptune about this?” Tiger probed, “Tell him your true intentions?”
Gern’s smile widened: “Will you?” he retorted, “Compared to Queen Otohime’s naive ideals of peace,
My method, though radical, has a greater chance of truly changing the plight of the Fishman race.”
“Besides…” At this, Gern silently took a step forward, lowering his voice.
“Are you truly content with merely being a traveler, Tiger?
That rage hidden in your heart, I see it clearly.
In fact, you are crazier than I am, it’s just contained within you for now, but soon it won’t be able to be contained… you will do something that will shock and terrify the world!
For example… challenging the world’s highest authority.”
“Challenging…” Tiger abruptly took a step back, as if a raw nerve had been struck.
His fists unconsciously clenched, nails digging deep into his palms.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tiger tried to compose himself, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.
“Three years ago, at the slave auction on Sabaody Archipelago.” Gern suddenly said, his gaze like a knife.
“Didn’t you witness with your own eyes your own kind being sold as commodities?
Your own people being dragged away like dogs by Celestial Dragons, you saw it, didn’t you, Tiger?
That feeling of powerlessness, that anger… they never left you, did they?”
Tiger’s breathing became ragged, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
That truly was the darkest day in his memory, and he had never spoken of that experience to anyone.
But Gern’s words were like a sharp dagger, piercing deep into his most profound wound.
Those memories he had deliberately suppressed surged forth like a tide.
The desperate eyes of his compatriots on the auction block, the jarring sound of chains clashing, the shrill laughter of the Celestial Dragons, and himself watching from the shadows…
“Shut up!!” Tiger roared suddenly, his muscles tensing, veins bulging beneath his reddish skin.
He clenched his right fist, the power-generating technique of Fishman Karate instantly erupting, and he punched towards Gern’s face!
The force of the punch tore through the water, carrying enough power to shatter reefs, striking directly at Gern.
However— “Clap!”
Gern merely casually raised his left hand, his palm precisely catching Tiger’s fist.
And at the moment of contact, he neutralized the impact, without even stirring a ripple.
“Anger is good fuel, Tiger.” Gern remained motionless, his eyes terrifyingly calm.
“But blind anger will only burn yourself.”
Tiger’s fist trembled violently in Gern’s palm, yet he could not advance another inch.
He widened his eyes, staring in disbelief at the Marine before him.
His full-power strike, fueled by anger, had been so casually parried!
“Do you think I haven’t tried?!” Tiger’s voice was hoarse, and his other fist also swung out fiercely.
“When I was young, I also appealed to the World Government, sought help from the Marine, and even pleaded with those so-called kind human nobles…”
Gern also raised his right hand, again steadily catching his fist.
Their arms froze in the air, like two statues locked in a struggle.
“And then?” Gern suddenly retorted, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
“You found that all ‘proper channels’ were dead ends, didn’t you?
The Celestial Dragons’ privilege overrides all laws, and the Marine are nothing but their watchdogs…”
“Shut up!!” Tiger roared, trying to pull back his fists, but found Gern’s hands unmoving like iron clamps.
He suddenly lifted his leg for a horizontal sweep, but Gern sidestepped in advance, kicking up a cloud of sand.
“Look at you now, you even hesitate to punch me, a Marine.” Gern suddenly released his hands, letting Tiger stumble back.
“Are you afraid that if you completely break ties, Fish-Man Island will lose its last protection or face retaliation?!”
Tiger gasped, steadying himself, his nails digging deep into his palms.
The Sea Forest’s glow illuminated his contorted face, making the old sun-shaped scar on his chest shine.
He himself was once a slave; he was captured by humans in his first year after leaving Fish-Man Island!
“You don’t understand…” Tiger’s voice was as low as thunder.
“Otohime believes that as long as we persist in conveying goodwill, humans will one day…”
“Have a change of heart?” Gern scoffed, interrupting him, then suddenly pulled out a visual Den Den Mushi from his pocket.
“Then take a look at this.”
The image projected by the Den Den Mushi instantly froze Tiger.
It was the deepest slave prison in Mary Geoise, with hundreds of iron cages containing slaves of different races, among them several young Fishman children.
Their Fishman tails were pierced by rough iron rings, and the chains were stained with dried blood.
“Ideals and reality are not the same.” Gern’s voice was chillingly cold.
“No matter how many times Queen Otohime submits so-called ‘Fishman Rights Bills’ to the World Government, it won’t change anything.”
Tiger’s fangs gnashed, and the bloodshot veins in his eyes spread like a spiderweb.
“Boom!!” In an instant, his fist slammed hard onto the Poneglyph; the stone tablet remained motionless, but blood spurted from his knuckles.
“Do you understand now?” Gern closed the projection Den Den Mushi, his voice suddenly softening.
“Goodwill needs power to protect it.
And my ‘Calamity Justice’…” He reached out and placed his hand on Tiger’s trembling shoulder, “Can give you that power.”
The Sea Forest fell into a deathly silence, even the glowing plankton stilled.
Tiger slowly looked up, the rage in his eyes gradually settling into something more terrifying—a resolute determination.
“You… how do you know?” Tiger’s voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth.
Gern did not answer directly, but instead turned to face the Poneglyph again: “This world has many secrets, Tiger.
Some are carved in stone, some are hidden in people’s hearts.” He gently patted the stone tablet.
“Just like the content recorded on this stone, only specific people can decipher it.”
“So, I won’t stop you. Do whatever you want to do!
Once you’ve done what’s in your heart, then return directly to Fish-Man Island. Don’t ‘evade’!”