The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Fishman Island - Sea Forest

The colorful corals sway in the shimmering light of the deep sea, resembling a dreamlike forest.

Groups of fluorescent jellyfish dart among them, adorning this underwater forest like a starry sky.

Tesoro stood on the periphery, while Gern stood in front of a huge coral reef, his gaze fixed on the red historical text hidden among the coral reefs.

His fingertips gently traced the ancient characters on the stone tablet, feeling the weight of history that had settled within them.

At this time, this piece of historical text had not yet left Fishman Island.

And next to it, on the apology plaque by Joy Boy to the Little Mermaid, there was also the "I was here" graffiti that Roger had Oden carve a few months earlier.

"Roger has no manners at all! This is a fine!" Gern muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Tiger stood not far away, arms crossed, his sharp gaze fixed on Gern's back.

His cheeks opened and closed slightly, and his breathing was a little faster than usual, revealing his inner turmoil.

“You should know that a powerhouse of my level possesses considerable Observation Haki,” Gern suddenly spoke, his voice exceptionally clear.

“Your emotions or malice are too obvious, Tiger.”

Tiger's body stiffened slightly, then he slowly lowered his arms.

He hadn't expected his guard to be so directly exposed.

After a moment of silence, he stepped forward and stood beside Gern, his gaze also fixed on the historical text.

“I’ve heard that the upper echelons of the navy all have their own beliefs about justice.” Tiger’s voice was low, tinged with a hint of probing.

"Can you tell me... what is your sense of justice, Gern?"

Chapter 149 Tiger, You Need "Natural Disaster"

Tell me, what kind of justice do you believe in?

Gern did not immediately respond to Tiger's words.

Instead, she removed her fingers from the stone tablet, turned to face him, and had a faint smile on her lips.

At the same time, the light of the Sea Forest shone on Gern's face, outlining his deep features.

"Natural disaster. Natural disaster is justice," Gern said slowly, each word seemingly carrying a heavy weight of power.

"It will shatter all the evil in the world."

Tiger's pupils contracted slightly as he sensed a near-obsessive conviction in Gern's words.

“Only through indiscriminate, large-scale catastrophe-level destruction…” Gern continued, his gaze as unfathomable as the deep sea.

"Only then can we drive the reshaping of civilization." He paused, looking directly into Tiger's eyes. "Isn't that right, Tiger?"

This was also the first time he had explained in detail to others the true meaning of justice in his mind.

The reason is simple: because of the person in front of me...

He is a true "sun god," a liberator, Fisher Tiger!

Tiger and Gern locked eyes, and in those eyes, he saw something familiar, or perhaps it was an emotion deep within his own heart…

That was dissatisfaction with the existing order and a desire for change.

But Guern's approach was more extreme, more...dangerous.

“Indiscriminate destruction…” Tiger repeated in a low voice, his brow furrowed. “That would harm the innocent.”

“Change always comes with sacrifice.” Guern’s tone was eerily calm.

"As you see when you travel around the world, the existing order is rotten to the core."

Mild reforms? That's nothing more than a placebo to prolong death.

Tiger remained silent.

He remembered everything he had witnessed in the human world!

The horrors of the slave market, the atrocities of racial discrimination, the tyranny of the Celestial Dragons... every scene was etched deep into his memory like a knife.

"So, this is your purpose in approaching Fishman Island?" Tiger finally spoke, his voice tinged with wariness.

"You're making this part of your 'natural disaster justice'?"

Gern chuckled and shook his head: "Fishman Island is my collaborator, not a sacrifice."

He turned to look at the school of fish swimming in the distance. "What I need is a cornerstone, a foothold to stand on in the new world. And Fishman Island... is just the right place."

"Because of its location?" Tiger keenly sensed the key point.

"Located directly beneath the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, it's a place even the Navy and the World Government can't easily interfere with..."

“Smart.” Gern gave Tiger an approving look. “But that’s not all.”

Fishman Island also possesses a unique culture and power that other islands cannot match.

Moreover... you and I are both beings ignored by the World Government.

Tiger's heart started racing.

Guern's words were like a key, unlocking a lock deep within his heart.

Years of anger toward the human world and dissatisfaction with the status quo seem to have found an outlet at this moment.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Neptune all this?” Tiger asked tentatively, “and tell him your true intentions?”

Gern's smile widened: "Would you?" he countered, "compared to Queen Otohime's naive ideals of peace."

My approach, though radical, is more likely to truly change the fate of the merfolk.

“Besides…” At this point, Gern silently took a step forward, lowering his voice.

"Are you really content with just being a traveler, Tiger?"

I can see clearly the anger you're hiding inside.

Actually, you're even crazier than me, it's just that it's currently locked inside your heart, but soon it won't be able to be locked anymore... and you'll do something that will shock and terrify the world!

For example... challenging the world's highest authority.

“Issue a challenge…” Tiger suddenly took a step back, as if a sore spot had been hit.

His fists clenched unconsciously, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tiger tried to remain calm, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.

“Three years ago, at the slave auction in the Sabaody Archipelago,” Gern suddenly said, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Didn't you witness firsthand how your own kind were sold as commodities?"

You saw your own people being dragged away by the Celestial Dragons like dogs, didn't you, Tiger?

That feeling of powerlessness, that anger...it never left you, did it?

Tiger's breathing became rapid, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

That was indeed the darkest day in his memory, and he never mentioned that experience to anyone.

But Guern's words were like a sharp dagger, piercing his deepest wound.

Those memories he had deliberately suppressed surged back like a tidal wave.

The despair in the eyes of his compatriots on the auction stage, the jarring clang of chains, the piercing laughter of the Celestial Dragons, and himself watching from the shadows…

"Shut up!!" Tiger roared suddenly, his muscles tensing and veins bulging under his red skin.

He clenched his right fist, and the power-generating technique of Fishman Karate exploded instantly, slamming a punch toward Gern's face!

The fist ripped through the water, carrying enough power to shatter rocks as it struck Gern.

However—"Smack!"

Gern simply raised his left hand casually, and his palm precisely caught Tiger's fist.

It neutralized the impact at the moment of contact, without even causing a ripple.

“Anger is excellent fuel, Tiger.” Gern remained unmoved, his eyes eerily calm.

"But blind anger will only burn you up."

Tiger's fist trembled violently in Gern's palm, but could not advance any further.

He stared wide-eyed at the navy man before him, utterly incredulous.

His furious, all-out attack was so easily taken down!

"You think I haven't tried?!" Tiger's voice was hoarse as he swung his other fist out.

"As a young person, I appealed to the World Government, sought help from the Navy, and even pleaded with those so-called kind human nobles..."

Gern raised his right hand as well, and once again caught his fist steadily.

The two men's arms were frozen in mid-air, like two sculptures locked in a struggle.

"And then?" Gern suddenly asked, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"You've found that all the 'legitimate paths' are dead ends, haven't you?"

The Celestial Dragons' privileges are above all laws; the Navy is nothing more than their watchdog…

"Shut up!!" Tiger roared, trying to pull his fist back, but found that Gern's hands were as immovable as iron clamps.

He suddenly raised his leg and swept it horizontally, but Guern dodged it by sidestepping in advance, kicking up a cloud of sand.

"Look at you now, you even hesitate to throw a punch at a Marine like me." Gern suddenly released his hands, letting Tiger stagger backward.

"Are you afraid that if things completely fall apart, Fishman Island will lose its last refuge or face retaliation?!"

Tiger steadied himself, panting heavily, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The fluorescent light from the sea forest reflected on his狰狞 face, making the old sun scar on his chest shine.

He was once a slave, captured by humans in the first year after leaving Fishman Island!

"You don't understand at all..." Tiger's voice was deep and thunderous.

"Hime believed that as long as goodwill is consistently conveyed, humanity will one day..."

"Will you have a change of heart?" Gern interrupted him with a sneer, suddenly pulling out a video Den Den Mushi from his pocket.

"Then please take a look at this."

The image projected by the Den Den Mushi froze Tiger instantly.

That was the deepest slave cell in Mary Geoise, where hundreds of iron cages held slaves of different races, among whom were several young merman children.

Their fish tails were pierced by rough iron rings, and their chains were stained with dried blood.

“Ideals and reality are not the same.” Gern’s voice was icy cold.

"No matter how many times Queen Otohime submits the so-called 'Fish-Man Rights Act' to the World Government, it will not change."

Tiger's fangs clenched so hard they rattled, and bloodshot veins spread across his eyes like a spiderweb.

"Boom!!" In an instant, the fist slammed hard onto the historical text. The stone tablet remained unmoved, but blood gushed from the knuckles.

"Do you understand now?" Gern turned off the projector Den Den Mushi, his voice suddenly softening.

"Kindness needs to be protected by strength."

"And my 'natural 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 had stopped moving.

Tiger slowly raised his head, the anger in his eyes gradually settling into something more terrifying—a resolute resolve.

"You... how did you know?" Tiger's voice was almost squeezed out through clenched teeth.

Instead of answering directly, Gern turned to face the historical text 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 contents recorded on this stone, only specific people can interpret them."

So I won't stop you, do whatever you want!

Once you've done what you've set your mind to, go straight back to Fishman Island. Don't "run away"!