In the world of pirates, whether it's swordsmanship, martial arts, or Haki, all are closely tied to one's beliefs and determination.
Wood may currently be lying low, but that's simply due to his cautious nature.
He likes keeping a low profile and playing the part of a background character, but that doesn't mean he lacks the resolve to become stronger.
If he didn't want to grow stronger, why would he choose to join the Navy, and why would he sneak off to train on the back mountain while others were resting?
Take, for example, Red-Haired Shanks, who stands at the pinnacle of Haki in the pirate world. Not only does he possess the rare "Conqueror's Haki," but his Haki is also of a very high level, earning him respect from almost everyone on the seas.
But is Shanks flashy in his actions? On the contrary, among the Four Emperors, he is probably the most low-key, almost like a small and transparent figure.
Big Mom founded "Totto Land," Kaido built his Zoan Devil Fruit army, and both are major players in the underworld.
Whitebeard commands the largest fleet among the Four Emperors, with the most "sons" in the world.
And then there's Shanks. His crew members seem like background characters, and he likes to hang out in a bar in the weakest sea. Without the author's introduction, no one would even consider him one of the Four Emperors.
The world is harsh. Children like Aine and the three Hancock sisters are not uncommon.
Wood can't save everyone, but when something happens right in front of him and he has the power to help, he can't just stand by and do nothing.
Just like when he first arrived in this world, even though he was weak and terrified of the fierce pirates, he still stepped forward when he saw Aine in danger.
At that time, Aine was just a familiar stranger living on the same island as Wood.
He may not have the power to become a hero who saves the entire world, but when faced with genuine cries for help right in front of him, Wood couldn't turn a blind eye.
The people taking over the slaves from Wood were not the Celestial Dragons themselves but members of the CP organization, who serve as their lackeys.
Usually, the Celestial Dragons don't bother dealing with lowly individuals like them.
Moreover, after handing over the slaves, the CP members need to conduct an investigation to ensure there are no dangerous elements among the slaves who might approach the Celestial Dragons. As for Wood and Gion, they were promptly expelled from the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
After all, as the Holy Land, it was no place for lowly people like them to stay.
Meanwhile, the Fish-Men who escaped from Wood's grasp managed to return to Fish-Man Island. A few days later, they finally made contact with the Fish-Man adventurer, Fisher Tiger.
Upon learning that his compatriots had been captured while trying to rescue a mermaid and taken to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, Fisher Tiger was naturally furious and immediately decided to head for Mary Geoise.
Compared to the widespread human population, the number of Fish-Men is significantly smaller. This is why, despite their generally superior combat abilities compared to ordinary humans, Fish-Men have always been in a disadvantaged position.
But it's also for this reason that the Fish-Men are incredibly united, especially those who follow Fisher Tiger, who consider their fellow Fish-Men as their brothers.
Most of the Fish-Men naturally supported Fisher Tiger's decision to go to Mary Geoise to rescue their compatriots. They were willing to follow him through hell or high water at his command.
However, there were also dissenting voices, such as the more level-headed Jinbei.
Many Fish-Men who had lived their entire lives on Fish-Man Island might not know what the so-called Holy Land, Mary Geoise, truly is. Some might even think it's just an ordinary island.
But Jinbei knew very well that it wouldn't be easy to land on Mary Geoise, and even if they made it there, they might not only fail to rescue their compatriots but could also end up losing their own lives...
"Jinbei, what do you mean? Are you trying to stop us and Tiger from rescuing our fellow Fish-Men?"
Arlong, who had been following Tiger for a few years now, had quickly become a leader within the group due to his fierce and combative nature, and his voice carried some weight.
"No, I'm not saying we shouldn't rescue our comrades. I'm just suggesting that we need to plan this carefully.
Mary Geoise is the headquarters of the human World Government, located at the summit of the Red Line. The defenses there must be extraordinarily tight.
To avoid any mishaps, I believe we need to carefully plan the rescue operation."
Jinbei was cautious, while Arlong and others were more aggressive, so it wasn't long before the two sides started arguing loudly.
Jinbei thought Arlong was all brawn and no brains, and that acting impulsively would only get everyone killed.
Arlong, on the other hand, thought Jinbei lacked courage, that he was undermining their morale while boosting the enemy's. The idea of attacking the stronghold of the highest human authority—wouldn't that be amazing? If they could wreak havoc there, would humans dare to look down on Fish-Men in the future?
"Enough! Jinbei is right; Mary Geoise is extremely dangerous, and we must not be careless.
But…"
Hearing Tiger agree with him, Jinbei breathed a huge sigh of relief. But just as he was about to present his plan, Tiger suddenly continued, "But we can't ignore our comrades who have been captured.
We all know what kind of scum the Celestial Dragons are. Anyone who's been to Sabaody Archipelago knows it all too well.
In the hands of those degenerates, who can say whether our comrades can hold on until we rescue them?
Every moment we delay might mean another comrade dies at their hands or suffers unspeakable torture from the Celestial Dragons."
"So, I've decided to go to Mary Geoise to rescue our comrades alone!
That way, even if I run into danger, I'll be the only one who can't make it back. But if I succeed, I'll naturally bring our other comrades back with me."
As mentioned before, there are two ways to reach Mary Geoise. One is the official route that Wood and the others took.
The other route involves traveling underwater from Fish-Man Island, bypassing the Red Line through an underwater cave.
This second route is more dangerous due to the presence of Sea Kings and underwater volcanoes, but these dangers are greatly minimized for Fish-Men who can breathe underwater.
Even though coated ships can travel underwater, if the soap bubbles burst, even the strongest human would be instantly crushed by the immense water pressure or suffocate.
But for Fish-Men, this isn't an issue at all. Taking the underwater route also allows them to easily bypass the heavy defenses of Mary Geoise.
As for the Red Line, Tiger had already come up with a strategy: just like in the original story, he planned to climb the Red Line by hand, bypassing the defenses and directly entering Mary Geoise from behind!