Present - Fisher Tiger's POV
The Red Line rose before him like a monument to oppression, its sheer rock face gleaming pale in the moonlight. Fisher Tiger's powerful hands found their grip on the ancient stone, his muscles burning from the grueling climb, but his heart filled with purpose that transcended physical pain.
One year. One year since his own escape from this place of horrors, one whole year of gathering strength, allies, and resolve for this moment. Tonight, he would return not as a slave, but as a liberator.
The natural rock formations provided better concealment than the maintenance routes—no security sensors, no patrol schedules, just raw stone that his fishman strength could conquer through determination and skill. The World Government expected attacks through their mechanical systems, not through the primal approach of scaling the Red Line itself.
As he reached the summit of the Red Line, Fisher Tiger allowed himself a moment to remember the young Celestial Dragon who had made his escape possible. Alcaster Reed—a name that still puzzled him. The boy had risked everything to help a fishman slave gain freedom, driven by moral convictions that seemed impossible in someone so young and born to such privilege.
I wonder if you knew this day would come, Fisher Tiger thought as he began making his way toward the outer compounds. Did you plan for this moment when you handed me those maps?
The natural approach had worked perfectly—no alarms, no detection systems, just the primal feat of scaling sheer rock that few would attempt and fewer still could accomplish.
Soon, the screams of the World Nobles would echo through these hallowed halls. Soon, the slaves they had tormented would taste freedom for the first time in years.
The real work was about to begin.
Three Months Earlier - Alcaster's POV
"The arrangements have been finalized, young master," the household administrator reported as Alcaster reviewed the transport documents in his Mary Geoise study. "Your acquisitions will be delivered directly to the compound via the automatic pathway system. They should arrive within the hour."
Alcaster nodded, maintaining his composed exterior while anxiety churned in his stomach. He had sent the three sisters ahead from Sabaody while he concluded other business, ensuring they would be processed and secured before his own return to Mary Geoise.
"Koala," he said quietly to his attendant, "ensure the new arrivals are provided with appropriate meals immediately upon arrival. The transition to household service should be as smooth as possible."
"Of course, young master," Koala replied, her tone carrying the subtle understanding that had developed between them since their honest conversation.
When he finally arrived at the Reed compound later that evening, the sisters had already been processed through the standard protocols and assigned to their designated quarters. The security arrangements were in place, additional guards stationed as befitted valuable acquisitions, enhanced screening implemented per his father's instructions.
The first time he encountered them in his household, they were standing in the main receiving hall under guard, still in restraints, radiating hostility and suspicion. From their perspective, he was simply another Celestial Dragon who had purchased them for his own twisted purposes.
He maintained the expected demeanor of a satisfied customer examining his new property. No attempts at reassurance, no gestures of comfort—such behavior would have been suspicious and potentially dangerous for everyone involved.
"Your acquisitions are secured in the designated quarters, young master," reported the head of security once the transfer was complete. "Shall we proceed with standard integration protocols?"
"Not immediately," Alcaster replied. "I prefer to allow new acquisitions time to adjust to their circumstances before beginning formal training. Stress reduction improves long-term compliance."
It was a reasonable enough explanation that avoided raising suspicions while buying him time to figure out how to help the sisters.
As he made his way to his private chambers, Alcaster reflected on the complexity of what he had undertaken. Three more lives now depended on his ability to navigate the dangerous currents of Celestial Dragon society before Tiger arrived.
The real challenge was just beginning.
Two Months Earlier - Agent Maris's POV
The assignment remained the most unusual of Agent Maris's career, and that was saying something for a CP0 operative who had worked protective details for World Nobles for over a decade.
Training slaves in combat techniques—even under the guise of "service protocols"—violated every standard procedure she had ever learned. Yet here she was, standing in a private training room, watching three of the most dangerous-looking women she had ever encountered practice defensive movements.
The Kuja warriors moved with lethal grace even in chains, their every gesture radiating controlled violence despite months of captivity. Teaching them anything that could be construed as combat training seemed like providing weapons to natural-born killers.
"Maintain your center of balance through the transition," she instructed, her professional training overriding her personal misgivings. "Remember, these movements appear to be submissive service protocols to casual observers."
Boa Hancock executed the technique flawlessly, her expression one of barely contained rage throughout. Her younger sisters followed suit, their coordination suggesting years of training together.
What disturbed Maris most wasn't their obvious potential for violence—she had worked security for enough Celestial Dragons to expect that kind of danger from high-value acquisitions. What bothered her was how the young Reed master had specifically requested that she teach them techniques that would actually be useful for escape rather than the typical broken-spirit conditioning most nobles preferred.
"Your spatial awareness is improving," she noted as Sandersonia successfully evaded a simulated approach from multiple angles. "Though I suspect your natural instincts require little enhancement."
The middle sister's eyes flashed with something that might have been gratitude before quickly returning to neutral wariness.
Agent Maris had worked enough unusual assignments to recognize the signs of a deeper game being played. Young Saint Reed wasn't simply training exotic pets for his amusement—he was systematically preparing these women for something that would require genuine survival skills.
Whether that something involved escape, combat, or some other purpose remained unclear. What was clear was that her orders were to ensure they received the best training possible while maintaining absolute discretion about the nature of their instruction.
As she concluded the day's session, Agent Maris found herself hoping that whatever the young Celestial Dragon had planned, it would end better than most schemes involving World Noble eccentricity typically did.
The Kuja sisters deserved better than to be pawns in another powerful person's game, regardless of how well-intentioned that game might be.
Six Weeks Earlier - Koala's POV
The change in household dynamics since the arrival of the three sisters had been subtle but profound. Where once Koala had been the sole recipient of Alcaster's unusual kindness, she now observed him extending similar consideration to their new companions.
Better quarters, proper meals, respectful treatment from staff—all arranged quietly and without fanfare, presented as standard protocols for valuable acquisitions rather than acts of compassion.
But Koala noticed something else, something that troubled her. Alcaster's treatment of the sisters was almost... clinical. Professional. He ensured their physical needs were met, that they received proper training, that they were protected from the worst excesses of Celestial Dragon culture, but he maintained an emotional distance that seemed deliberate.
Was he trying to spare them the psychological burden of gratitude? Koala wondered. Did he believe that if they never realized he was helping them, they would suffer less guilt about their circumstances?
The thought both impressed and saddened her. Even his kindness was calculated to minimize their psychological trauma—treating them as nothing more than valuable acquisitions so they wouldn't feel indebted to their captor.
He was protecting them, just as he had protected her. The realization brought both comfort and concern—comfort in knowing she wasn't alone in understanding his true nature with Tiger, concern about the risks he was taking by extending his protection to three additional people who didn't yet understand his motivations.
"The Amazon sisters seem to be adapting well to household protocols," she commented during one of their private moments, testing whether he would acknowledge what they both knew.
"Appearances must be maintained," Alcaster replied carefully. "Though their well-being remains a priority for... practical reasons."
The conversation was conducted in their usual coded manner, but Koala understood. He was doing everything he could to help the sisters while maintaining the necessary fiction of ownership.
"They don't trust easily," she observed. "Past experiences have taught them to expect the worst from those in positions of power."
"Understandable, given their circumstances," Alcaster nodded. "Trust must be earned through consistent actions rather than words. Although unnecessary for them"
As weeks passed, Koala began to see small signs that the sisters were beginning to recognize something unusual about their situation. Better treatment than they had expected, training that actually empowered rather than diminished them, and a master who never exercised the casual cruelties they had been conditioned to anticipate.
Whether they would accept the truth about Alcaster's intentions remained to be seen. But Koala found herself hoping they would eventually understand what she had learned—that even in the darkest places, unexpected allies could emerge from the most unlikely circumstances.
Present - Koala's POV
The explosion echoed through Mary Geoise like thunder, rattling windows and sending vibrations through the marble floors. Koala pressed herself against the wall of the corridor, her heart racing as shouts and running footsteps filled the air.
It was happening. Fisher Tiger had returned.
She moved quickly through the compound, staying to the shadows as she had been taught during her training with Agent Maris. The skills that had been presented as "proper service protocols" now revealed their true purpose—navigating dangerous territory while avoiding detection.
The sisters' quarters were in chaos when she arrived. Guards who should have been stationed at their door had been called away to respond to the larger emergency, leaving only a skeleton security presence.
"What's happening?" Hancock demanded as Koala slipped into their chamber, her years of enslaved caution warring with her warrior instincts.
"Freedom," Koala replied simply, producing the keys she had lifted from the distracted guard. "Fisher Tiger has returned to free the slaves of Mary Geoise. Including you."
The chains fell away from their wrists with metallic clinks that seemed impossibly loud in the sudden silence.
"How do you know—" Sandersonia began, but Koala was already moving toward the hidden panel Alcaster had shown her weeks earlier.
"This way," she urged, revealing the concealed passage that connected to the maintenance tunnels. "The main routes will be watched, but this leads directly to the eastern access point."
As they moved through the narrow passage, Hancock grabbed Koala's arm. "Wait. Why are you helping us? Why risk yourself for people you barely know?"
Koala met her eyes in the dim light filtering through the tunnel. "Because someone once helped me when they had no reason to. And because you deserve the chance to choose your own fate."
"The Reed boy," Marigold said suddenly, understanding dawning in her voice. "This was planned."
"Not planned," Koala corrected as they reached the access point where Fisher Tiger waited with several other freed slaves. "But prepared for. He's been preparing for this moment since the day he bought you."
Present - Fisher Tiger's POV
The sight of Mary Geoise in flames was more satisfying than Fisher Tiger had imagined during the time he had planned this. Celestial Dragons fled through their golden halls like the cowards they truly were, their assumed divinity revealed as the fraud it had always been.
But personal satisfaction wasn't the purpose of this mission. Throughout the compound, his allies were systematically freeing every slave they could find, breaking chains both literal and metaphorical that had bound so many for so long.
"Tiger!" called one of his companions, a former slave who had joined his cause after Fisher Tiger's initial escape. "The eastern wing is secured. We found the holding cells."
"Good," Fisher Tiger replied, smashing through another barrier with casual strength. "Continue the sweep. Every chain broken tonight is a victory."
As he moved deeper into the compound, following routes he remembered from his own enslavement, Fisher Tiger reflected on the strange turns his life had taken. From slave to liberator, from victim to the architect of the World Government's greatest humiliation.
And somewhere in this chaos was the young Celestial Dragon who had made it all possible—not just through the maps and information he had provided, but through the moral courage to see slaves as people worth saving.
Tonight, your investment in one fishman's freedom pays dividends beyond what you could have imagined, Fisher Tiger thought as another group of freed slaves joined the growing exodus.
The sun was beginning to rise over Mary Geoise, and with it, a new dawn for all those who had thought freedom was only a dream.
Present - The Escape
The boats that would carry them to freedom waited at the Red Line's base, accessible through the same mechanical systems that had once brought many of them to captivity. Fisher Tiger stood guard as the liberated slaves made their way to the descent platform, his massive frame ensuring no pursuit could interfere with their escape.
Around him, dozens of freed slaves prepared for the journey down—many still struggling to believe their nightmare was ending. The boats were the same ones used for official transport of merchandise, now commandeered for a far more noble purpose.
The three sisters stood among the crowd, their eyes wide as they processed the reality of their liberation. For months they had been trapped in the heart of their enemies' power, and now...
As they prepared to board the descent boats, Hancock finally spoke the question that had been building since they began their escape.
"Why?" she asked Koala, who stood nearby among the other freed slaves. "Why did he really help us?"
Koala was quiet for a long moment, choosing her words carefully. "I think... I think he was trying to spare you from feeling grateful to your captor. By treating you as just another acquisition, by never showing you kindness directly, he wanted you to escape without the burden of owing anything to a Celestial Dragon."
"But he did help us," Sandersonia said wonderingly. "All of it—the training, the conditions, even the timing of our purchase. It was all preparation."
"Yeah..." Koala confirmed. "The training with Agent Maris, the better treatment, even your placement in his household—all of it was to ensure that when this moment came, you would be ready to seize it. But he never wanted you to know it was him."
As understanding dawned fully on the sisters' faces, Marigold asked the question they were all thinking: "Will we ever see him again?"
"Perhaps," Koala replied, looking up toward the burning city above them. "But right now, the important thing is that we're free. What you do with that freedom is up to you."
The boats began their descent toward the sea level below. Behind them, Mary Geoise continued to burn as Fisher Tiger's raid achieved its ultimate purpose—proving that even the most secure fortress could be breached when enough people refused to accept injustice.
And as they descended toward freedom, three sisters who had thought themselves lost forever discovered that sometimes salvation came from the most unexpected sources, even when that salvation deliberately hid its true face.
The boats carried them toward a new chapter of their lives, one they would write for themselves rather than have written for them by others.
Freedom had never felt so real.
Present - Alcaster's POV
From the window of his study, Alcaster watched Mary Geoise burn and felt a complex mixture of emotions—satisfaction at seeing his plans come to fruition, anxiety about the chaos unleashing around him, and deep sadness for the destruction necessary to achieve meaningful change.
The sounds of battle echoed through the compound as Fisher Tiger's raid reached its climax. Somewhere in that chaos, Koala was guiding Hancock and her sisters to freedom. Somewhere else, dozens of other slaves were breaking chains they had worn for years.
A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. "Enter," he called, quickly resuming his desk position and arranging papers as if he had been working through the emergency.
His father burst in, his usual composed demeanor replaced by barely controlled panic. "Alcaster! Thank the gods you're safe. The compound is under attack—some kind of slave rebellion led by that fishman who escaped years ago."
"Fisher Tiger?" Alcaster asked, injecting appropriate surprise into his voice. "I thought he was long gone."
"Apparently not," Dominus replied grimly. "He's returned with allies and they're systematically freeing every slave in Mary Geoise. Your acquisitions—are they secure?"
Alcaster had prepared for this question. "I sent them to the secure chambers as soon as the alarms began," he replied. "Though with this level of chaos, I can't guarantee their safety."
His father nodded, accepting this reasonable precaution. "The Marine response is being coordinated now. This madness will be ended soon."
But Alcaster knew better. By the time the Marines organized an effective response, Fisher Tiger and his liberated slaves would be long gone, leaving behind only the memory of the night when the impossible became reality.
As his father departed to coordinate with security forces, Alcaster returned to his window. The fires were beginning to subside, suggesting the raid was entering its final phase. Soon, Fisher Tiger would lead his people to the waiting ships and then to whatever destiny awaited them on the open sea.
Mission accomplished, Alcaster thought with grim satisfaction. The sisters were free, dozens of other slaves had been liberated, and the myth of Celestial Dragon invincibility had been shattered forever.
It had cost him five valuable allies and considerable resources, but some prices were worth paying for the right cause.
As dawn broke over the scarred landscape of Mary Geoise, Alcaster began planning his next move in the long game he was playing against the corrupt system that surrounded him.
The war was far from over, but tonight had been a significant victory for the forces of justice.
And sometimes, that was enough to keep fighting for tomorrow.