Yasuo the Sword Saint had saved the Sun Pirates, and Wood had saved Yasuo. Indirectly, that meant Wood had also saved the Sun Pirates.
So, despite their usual disdain for humans, the fish-men of the Sun Pirates couldn't bring themselves to dislike Wood—even if he was one of those humans they normally despised.
"I know that many of you harbor a deep dislike, even hatred, for humans. I feel the same way.
But let me tell you, Wood is different. Not only is he a close friend of Yasuo, but the reason he's asking for our help this time is to save one of our own.
So, I hope you can put aside your prejudices for now and fight alongside Wood and his crew," Tiger declared to the fish-men of his crew.
Within the Sun Pirates, there were two distinct camps. While they were united on most matters, their views on humans were divided.
On one side, led by Jinbei, there were those who didn't care for humans but didn't outright hate them either.
On the other side, led by Arlong, were those who harbored extreme hostility toward humans. Any human pirate or Marine that fell into their hands usually ended up dead or severely maimed.
Although Wood was Yasuo's benefactor and friend, meaning Arlong wouldn't dare trouble him, the same could not be said for Franky, Ruth, and the others. Arlong's sharp teeth and hostile gaze were enough to make that clear.
Franky, who had always modeled himself after Tom, had assumed that all fish-men were gentle and kind, just like Tom. But Arlong's aggressive demeanor shattered that assumption.
As for Ruth and the others, they were caught between shock and fear at the sight of Tiger and his crew.
They had once been Marines, tasked with cataloging criminals and pirates from around the world, so they were well aware of who Fisher Tiger was.
This was a man with a serious reputation! Although Tiger's bounty was only a few hundred million Berries, it paled in comparison to the deeds he had accomplished.
Criminals directly wanted by the World Government were in a completely different league compared to those wanted by the Marines.
Ruth couldn't help but wonder. First, there was Nico Robin, the Demon Child, and now Fisher Tiger, the fish-man hero who stormed Mariejois. It seemed like their captain, Wood, had close ties with all of the World Government's most wanted criminals.
Would they one day encounter the world's most dangerous criminal, the Revolutionary Army leader Dragon, and find that their captain was on a first-name basis with him as well?
The arrival of the Sun Pirates significantly boosted Wood's forces.
Their side now consisted of Wood, Tiger, Jinbei, hundreds of elite fish-men, and ten former low-ranking Marine officers, including Ruth.
Franky and Iceberg, due to their age, were only capable of driving the sea train, so they didn't count for much in terms of combat power.
On the other side, Enies Lobby was guarded by Garp, Momousagi, the Judiciary's Jury, two giant warriors, two CP9 agents, the Law Watchdogs, and over ten thousand regular Marines.
In terms of numbers, they were outmatched by nearly a hundred to one, and Enies Lobby's top-tier combat strength was formidable.
"Wood, are you sure you can hold off Vice Admiral Garp and Momousagi by yourself? You don't need me to help?" Tiger asked, his tone filled with concern.
Tiger's strength was greater than Jinbei's—otherwise, Jinbei wouldn't have willingly called him boss.
But even Tiger, when he heard that Garp, the famous Marine hero, was among the enemy, couldn't help but worry.
Fish-men typically looked down on humans, believing them inferior in both strength and other aspects.
Yet, Tiger had to admit that some human warriors were exceptional. Even though he didn't pay much attention to the strongest humans at sea, the name of Garp, the Marine hero, was one he couldn't ignore.
Tiger knew that Wood was Yasuo the Sword Saint and believed in his strength—after all, Wood had held off a horde of World Government pursuers at Mariejois.
But when he heard that Wood planned to take on both Garp and another Rear Admiral alone, Tiger couldn't help but worry. After all, Garp was the man who had repeatedly cornered the Pirate King, Roger.
"I'm not planning on defeating Vice Admiral Garp or Momousagi. I only intend to stall them, and I don't think that'll be too difficult.
However, I won't be able to hold them off for long, so I hope you can break through the first two gates of Enies Lobby as quickly as possible," Wood explained.
If it were a full-on fight, Wood knew he couldn't beat Garp or Momousagi.
Hell, he couldn't even take on Garp alone. But if Garp was holding back, that was another story.
"If you're confident that you can handle Garp and that Rear Admiral on your own, then the rest of their forces won't be a problem for us.
While they may have over ten thousand Marines and we only have a few hundred fish-men, our fish-men warriors can easily take on a hundred each," Tiger declared confidently.
Fish-men were several times stronger than regular humans, but it was still unrealistic to expect an average fish-man to take on a hundred opponents.
However, the key here was that the fish-men of the Sun Pirates weren't just average fish-men—they were the cream of the crop from the Fish-Man District.
Jinbei aside, even those who were less famous, like Hatchan and Chew from Arlong's group, could easily handle a hundred regular humans.
Ordinary fish-men might be stronger than regular humans, but they weren't invincible. After all, during the Fish-Man Island arc, Luffy's underdeveloped Haoshoku Haki had knocked out tens of thousands of fish-men in one fell swoop.
As for the giants, the Sun Pirates had trained sea kings that could be used to deal with them.
Once all the plans were finalized, the next evening, the second sea train, Rocketman, departed with hundreds of fish-men and Wood's group of former Marines, heading straight for Enies Lobby.
Meanwhile, on Enies Lobby, Garp received word from Momousagi that Wood, along with hundreds of fish-men, was indeed planning a frontal assault on the island!
First, he had caused havoc at Mariejois, then unleashed chaos at Impel Down by releasing prisoners, and now he planned to break into Enies Lobby to free criminals.
Sengoku had often said that Garp acted without considering the consequences, but now Garp realized that Wood had far surpassed him in that regard.
Aside from Marine Headquarters, Wood had already wreaked havoc on every other major World Government facility, and after this, his name would undoubtedly echo across the entire sea.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 280+ at pat_reon.com/Betek.