Chapter 567: Baptism of Doctrines
"You're actually showing concern for a human, Arlong. Looks like you're not beyond redemption after all."
"Stop talking nonsense. I don't trust humans, but if that guy really sacrificed himself for the boss... maybe there are a few exceptions among humans."
Sitting on the deck leaning against the cabin, Arlong stopped speaking, and Jinbe couldn't figure out what was on his mind.
"Hey, big guy, didn't Mandrell mention before that our whereabouts were leaked by a merchant?"
Glancing down at Arlong, Jack casually responded to him.
"Brother Mandrell said it's possible; except for him, no one else should know your destination. You didn't notify them until you were almost there. Even if the residents of Foolshout Island informed in advance, the Marines couldn't have waited in ambush so quickly, considering G2 Branch is days away from here."
"That bastard..."
At the moment, Arlong was quite displeased; Tiger got ambushed by Marines, and then there's this human, Mandrell, who shattered his perception of humans. So, he wanted to find a place to vent, and those who betrayed them were undoubtedly the best targets.
Since Tiger forbade him from killing indiscriminately, Tiger would not approve of him acting impulsively. He needed an opportunity with a justifiable reason, like justified retaliation.
"Brother Jinbe, come with me. You also dislike those who betray us, right?"
But just as the conversation reached this point, there was a commotion on the sea surface. Mandrell had returned.
"Don't be foolish, Arlong. Do you think the Marines are fools? They will definitely leave ambushes in those places after this operation. Going there means death. Who's free? Get me a set of dry clothes!"
After circling in the underground river, Mandrell returned to the ship. Unexpectedly, before he even got on the ship, he heard Arlong spouting nonsense.
However, Arlong's reaction this time was different; he didn't say anything and just turned and walked away.
"Did he turn stupid after hitting his head or something?"
"Maybe he suddenly realized something. Sir Mandrell, thank you for helping us save Boss Tiger. We are grateful for that. Please tell us if there's anything we can do in the future."
While Arlong walked away "rudely," Jinbe stayed behind, expressing gratitude to Mandrell for the help.
"No need to be so polite. We have our own reason for that. If he dies, the Fish-Man District will be in complete chaos. Return to Fishman Island first; you need to lay low for a while. There are some matters I need to discuss with your Boss Tai personally."
Taking the towel and clothes handed by his subordinate, Mandrell reverted to his human appearance and began drying his hair. Just then, Arlong suddenly turned back.
"Mandrell, as for Shyarly, I don't have much of an objection if it's you."
"Huh? What nonsense are you spouting?"
"You know what I mean. I have some knowledge of what happened on Fishman Island."
"Hey, get your ship's doctor to check his brain; there seems to be something wrong with him."
Looking at the blue guy beside him, Mandrell felt it necessary to remind him.
This was indeed a misunderstanding. After Arlong left, Mandrell took care of the underage Shyarly for a while. She got along well with Rusalka, so sometimes they bring her together with them when they leave.
But Arlong didn't interpret it the same way; although he only briefly looked after Shyarly and was a little concerned for his little sister, he definitely wouldn't approve if she chose a human partner.
In Arlong's view, Mandrell, who took care of his little sister every day, wasn't that clean and honest, but after this incident, his thoughts wavered a bit.
With the largest rebel, Arlong, temporarily compromised, under the persuasion of Fish-Men like Hachi and Jinbe, members from both pirate crews began to get along quite well. They even held a small party, but Mandrell did not participate; he went to the sickbay to visit Tiger.
"Don't pretend to be asleep. You've been awake for a while now."
"How did you know?"
"Don't you know what medicine you're using? It's a special medicine allocated to the officers by Lord Arceus. Since you didn't die, you couldn't have been unconscious for so long. What's the matter, do you have an objection with being alive?"
"....."
Listening to Mandrell's question, Tiger remained silent for a long time. Through the window, he could see the cheers and laughter of his fellow Fish-Men on the deck, and even Arlong who is rarely seen during such occasions was present.
Although not actively participating, at least he didn't avoid everyone. This was already a significant improvement.
"Even that ba*tard Arlong can change, what are you hesitating for?"
Following Tiger's gaze, Mandrell also saw the situation over there and continued to ask him.
Arceus' order was that Tiger must remain alive. Now that he has been rescued, if this guy couldn't accept it and committed suicide, then the rescue would have been in vain. To ensure the mission's smooth completion, Mandrell took on the role of a psychologist.
"You...must have known about the slavery incident from back then, right? Also a few years ago, you got targeted on Fishman Island for an inexplicable reason..."
After a long while, Tiger told Mandrell about what happened back then.
"I find that I can't do it. I want to forget those things, I want Fish-Men to have a different way of life... but..."
Bringing up those things, Tiger couldn't help but clench his fists, his eyes bloodshot.
"Idiot."
"Huh?"
"I said you're an idiot. Because of what happened back then, you no longer fear death. So, what exactly are you afraid of? Even if you want to die, you should at least take your enemies to hell with you."
Hatred is always the most effective motivator; Mandrell's words seemed to wake Tiger up from a dream and Tiger suddenly came to a realization.
"No, that's not it. The Celestial Dragons have powerful guards, and even if you manage to kill one of them, Fish-Men killing a Celestial Dragon...it would end the entire race..."
"So why don't you think a bit further? Killing a Celestial Dragon is a grave crime, but making this group disappear is not."
Later, while people outside were having a party, Mandrell spent the evening telling Tiger about Kaido's "revolutionary ideas" and the Arceus Cult's doctrines. From the feedback he received from Tiger, he seemed to have been successfully "baptized."
At least, he could see life returning to Tiger.
"You're right. It would be such a waste to die like this. I also want to see children live under the real sun..."
With a new goal in mind, Tiger also stepped out and joined the party outside. Listening to the Fish-Men's cheers outside, Mandrell couldn't help but take out a small notebook, which has the exquisite Thousand Arms symbol engraved on the cover.
"This thing created by Sister Misu... is quite handy."
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