Rusalka’s attitude towards humans was relatively friendly. However, the crew on the ship were still his subordinates, and they would talk of many secretive things when meeting, so he did not take Rusalka with him.
Although Fishman Island was not particularly safe, the reason why a considerable number of Merfolk were gathered in Mermaid Cove was not only because of the beautiful environment but also because it was a relatively safe place within Fishman Island.
He was just going to meet Kojiro and the others, it wouldn’t take much time. Besides, he often left Fishman Island, and Rusalka also wasn’t a three-year-old child; she should have no problem in staying alone. So, he got careless.
Seeing Mandrell suddenly leave, the Fish-Men thugs understood that it was time to take action.
“Is this what you brought?”
“Yeah, considering the special environment here, I think this kind of product should be quite popular.”
“Alright, I’ll find a place for you first, and then I have some personal matters to attend to. Wait until I handle them…”
Mandrell and Kojiro had just exchanged a few words on the matter, but then Hachi’s voice came from outside the entrance to Fishman Island.
“Nyuuuuu, Brother Mandrell, Brother Mandrell! Someone is targeting you!! Nyuuuuu! I heard it in the Fish-Man District!”
Looking at Kojiro next to Mandrell, Hachi didn’t say anything as he knew Mandrell had quite a good relationship with some humans. Then, without waiting for Mandrell to inquire, he began recounting what he had heard in the Fish-Man District.
“When did this happen?”
“Nyuuuuu, just a short while ago. I went to Boss Arlong first, but he said you could handle it by yourself, so he didn’t come. They should have arrived earlier than me.”
“Oh no!”
An ominous feeling appeared in Mandrell’s heart. If what Hachi said was true, those people had already arrived before Hachi, and their target was indeed him.
At this moment, there seemed to be some commotion in the direction Mandrell came from.
“Hey, don’t run! What’s happening over there?”
“There are human pirates causing trouble; I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s chaos!”
Mandrell randomly stopped a Merfolk and inquired about what had happened.
Apart from the pirates and Fish-Men thugs, there were also people from the World Government waiting to receive goods. So, after Mandrell left, they quickly devised a plan.
They would attract attention with the human pirates causing a riot on Fishman Island, then blend into the crowd and create chaos. While chaos erupted among the nearby Merfolk and Fish-Men, they would seize the opportunity to capture Rusalka.
Later, they would leak some information to Mandrell, leading him to those people preparing to receive goods on the surface.
The reason for letting those human pirates take action is because they still had to continue living on Fishman Island. Causing small trouble is one thing, but if they openly did something like this, they won’t be able to live on Fishman Island in the future.
Like a newly born calf not fearing the tiger, as this year’s Super Rookie, they were able to move unhindered in the first half of the Grand Line, so their confidence swelled and even when facing Whitebeard’s flag, they showed no fear, agreeing to the request of the Fish-Men.
In any case, looting Fishman Island itself was their goal.
“Nyuuuuu, Brother Mandrell! Where are you going?!”
“I’m going to look for Rusalka. These guys are my friends; take care of them for me!”
“Nyuuuuu? Wait, where are you all going?”
Watching Kojiro and the others directly chase after Mandrell, Hachi was momentarily unsure of what to do and could only follow them.
“Can an ordinary officer really run this fast?”
Kojiro, trailing behind, couldn’t catch up with Mandrell. He had thought that after three years of training with Hyogoro, he was not weak anymore, but to his surprise, he couldn’t even catch up with Mandrell. This made him feel even more certain that the decision he made back then was indeed the right one.
He didn’t know that Mandrell was currently using Splash at full power, using its explosive force to propel himself quite far each time.
“Rusalka! Rusalka! Where are you?!”
Returning to the place where the two had parted ways, indeed, there was no sign of Rusalka.
“Mandrell! Calm down; you won’t find her like this!”
Kojiro finally caught up. Mandrell had not only been in his Ability Form the whole time, but he had also been in an Ability-enhanced form due to his disguise as a Fish-Man. It was only when Kojiro transformed into Bisharp, receiving a boost from his ability, that he managed to catch up with difficulty.
“I can’t calm down…”
“Don’t panic. I’ve informed the people in New World; they should still be on Fishman Island. Even if they leave, there are only two ways. If they dare to go to the New World, our people will stop them.
Moreover, if what Hachi said is true, their target is you. Even if they captured Rusalka, it’s to get to you. As long as you’re here, she should be fine.”
Being an onlooker gave Kojiro a clearer perspective on the situation. He wanted to inquire about the situation from the surrounding people, but the Merfolk or Fish-Men, seeing that he was a human, didn’t even stop, running even faster.
Just at this moment, oddly enough, a Fish-Man chose to do the opposite and voluntarily revealed that he had seen Rusalka.
“Where is she?!”
“Brother Mandrell! It’s him, Nyuuuuu, he’s with those guys!”
Before that person could speak, Hachi’s voice suddenly came, disrupting their entire plan.
Hearing this, Mandrell’s eyes instantly turned red. In his rage, he didn’t give the opponent a chance to escape, pressing him to the ground.
“Speak! Where is she?!”
His strength had long surpassed this Fish-Man. Even though he struggled, he couldn’t break free from Mandrell’s restraint, and his face gradually turned blue.
“Mandrell! Let go, he’s almost dead!”
Kojiro tried to pull Mandrell’s arm away, but it had no effect. In desperation, he had no choice but to kick him, finally causing Mandrell to release his grip.
“Speak!”
It’s not that he didn’t want to speak; it’s just that he had just been choked by Mandrell, making it impossible for him to utter a word.
“Cough, cough, I don’t know. They should be on the surface near Sabaody Archipelago.”
“Nyuuuuu, Brother Mandrell, it’s too dangerous there. How about…”
Mandrell didn’t say anything. With the destination in mind, he rushed towards the bubble film above. Due to training it daily, Splash had evolved beyond a skill that could only hop on the water surface. At this point, it had transformed into a unique form of Geppo.
“Nyuuuuu, Brother Mandrell….why is he glowing? Is he turning into light?”
They couldn’t stop Mandrell, but as he charged towards the bubble film above, Mandrell’s body underwent a tremendous change.
Enveloped in white light, a tail stretched out from behind him, his neck became slightly longer, and his limbs became thicker with bone spur-like structures. When the white light dissipated, his entire body had turned blue.
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