31 Slave Messiah

(Three Days Later)

"So Captain, what's our first island?" Bonney asked, curious about what the so-called deadliest route in the Grand Line would start with.

"A small, civilian island known as Foolshout Island."

"A civilian island? That's boooring!" Sugar complained.

Rex opens his mouth to explain, but Hawkins cuts him off. "I wouldn't be so sure. The fates council me that great opportunity. awaits on the island before us."

Rex tenses up. He had chosen Foolshout for a very particular reason. To save the most tragic character in the One Piece canon.

"Will we make it in time?" Rex asks.

"We will make it… but there is not much time to spare."

Rex nods. He took Hawkins's predictions rather seriously and knew Hawkins did not exaggerate.

"Kid, I need you to activate the boosters!"

Kid frowns, not wanting to waste what precious Gem fuel the ship had left. While Rose could synthesize it, she could only do so in meager quantities.

"Rex, are you sure about this? What is the emergency on Foolshout Island?" Kid asks.

"The death of a martyr. A man who's done things that never could have been imagined before he did them."

The crew is all confused at who this person is but Robin gasps.

"You can't mean…" Robin starts, thinking of only one person, currently active in the Grand Line who fits that description. "Helping him will alienate us from the World Government for good."

Rex just grinned. "I pick heroes over gods any day now gun the engines!"

Kid nods, running the maneuvers.

After that, there is a brief crew meeting.

"Kid, you and Monet are coming with me to the island, everyone else stays here, loots the marine ship and prepares to go to the next island."

"Marine ship?" Killer asks. "How many marines will we be facing?"

"It's a rear admiral's personal ship, so I'll assume there'll be at most a commodore or two and a couple captains. We actually know the Rear Admiral who'll be here."

"The swordsman from Minion Island? Strawberry?" Rose asks, remembering him immediately. "He seemed strong." She said with a frown.

Rex grins, he had been eager to fight Strawberry for some time now. While not directly his fault, Rex placed some of the blame for Gem's death on Strawberry's incompetence. If he had stayed on Pica for the whole battle, Doflamingo would have been locked in battle with Tsuru.

"Don't worry, I'm a lot stronger than I was on minion island. Besides, I still have my new move to play with. Faust, let's go."

Rex then makes all his preparations for battle. As for why he chose to only bring Monet and Kid, anyone else would be at risk.

From what Rex remembered, there were dozens of marines in Strawberry's attack force, most of them armed with rifles. Aside from Kid and Monet, whose Devil Fruits would protect them, anyone else would be injured from the barrage of so many weapons. Guns were no joke, even Whitebeard died to guns.

<i>Foolshout Island, Grand Line</i>

Minutes later, the supercharged King Gucci has made it to Foolshout island. In the surrounding waters, Rex can already see the Sun Pirates, led by Jinbe, clashing against the Marine ship.

Based on the fact that there was limited damage to both ships, the Marines must have just arrived. Tiger must still be alive then.

"Let's go!" Rex shouts out before leaping out into the sea. His inflated body quickly skips across the water and as he touches down on the island, Rex quickly deflates and ignites the gas inside his body.

Boom!

Rex is sent flying across Foolshout island, eagerly searching for Fisher Tiger and Strawberry's fight. Finding it quickly, Rex blasts himself to the location.

"Fisher Tiger, in the name of Justice and the high authority of the World Government, I have come to arrest you. Should you resist, I am authorized to use any force necessary to apprehend you!" Strawberry shouts out, his hands wrapped around his blade.

"Justice…" Tiger mutters. "So, it is justice for people to be enslaved because they are not descended from 20 old bags of bones who are long dead!? It's justice for hundreds of fishmen and mermaids to live in fear of being captured!? It's justice for children to be brutally tortured!? If that is your justice, I reject it!"

"Men fi-"

Bang!

Rex lands with a massive dust cloud standing next to Fisher Tiger. The large red fishman looks at the tiny human with a curious expression. Even in Faust's body, Rex was only half Tiger's size. Given the 60 marines surrounding him, he was surprised anyone would stand by him.

"Phew!" Rex sighs. "I thought I was late."

"Hey buddy, who the hell are you, we are the Ma-"

"Silence!" Strawberry says, shutting his crewmen up as he turns to Rex. Seeing that Rex was already in his 'Hybrid Form', Strawberry is afraid he wanted to join Tiger which would make this exponentially more difficult. "Vesta 'Tiger King' Rex, this man is directly wanted by the highest authority of Mary Geoise, do you intend to stop me from arresting him!?"

"Hmm…" Rex says, putting his finger to his mouth, planning on stalling a few seconds for Kid and Monet to arrive. "I don't know Berry-kun. I really like you and all, so I don't want to make your job harder. Then again, I am a pirate so it's sort of my job to make yours harder. Such a tough decision. What do you think Mr. Tiger?"

Tiger looks at Rex, then back at the apprehensive look on Strawberry's face. Was the rear admiral really afraid of this little brat? If so, why?

"I will fight him either way. But know this, if you wish to fight with me. I cannot guarantee your safety. We are outnumbered and outgunned, this fight will be difficult."

"Outnumbered. How do you figure?" Rex says, turning to Strawberry with a grin.

Strawberry's eyes widen. "Men fire at him right n-"

Swoosh!

An invisible aura radiates off of Rex dropping half the marines in an instant. Of the few that are left, most of them are trembling in a state of half-consciousness. Rex shakes his head, his Conqueror's Haki was still too weak.

The remaining men all rush at Tiger, while Strawberry and Rex eye each other carefully.

Then, Rex moves.

Ding!

Rex's 'claws' clashed against Strawberry's blades. He had created them during his training when he had beaten a decently famous swordsman and gotten himself a graded sword, which was smelted into the claws. They were just tekko-kagi, not unlike Kuro's but they helped sell the Tiger Zoan appearance.

"Don't think just because you bested Diamante that you can defeat me!" Strawberry roared. "Nitoryu: 100% Organic Jam!"

Strawberry moved at an impressive speed, making numerous attacks at once. Each blade glows with a red light as he cuts through the wind with almost no resistance. Strawberry's swordsmanship focused on getting in an immense amount of blows in a short time frame.

Unfortunately for him, with observation Haki, Rex was far more evasive than he was before. Most of his blows only hit open air with a few connecting leaving light scratches.

Strawberry pants slightly as he finishes his 100 strikes. Only 15 of them had landed on Rex and none of them were significant injuries.

"Are you done?" Rex chides playfully, though internally he is greatly impressed. Without being fused with Faust, this rear admiral would give him a good fight. Though, admittedly, there were certain techniques he couldn't use in this form.

Strawberry grimaces, feeling that Rex hadn't even broken a sweat from this.

"I'm not done ye-"

Bang!

"Well, I'm not waiting anymore!" Rex roared, kneeing Strawberry in the stomach.

Strawberry bends over, almost vomiting in pain. The vibrations from this knee strike even enraged Strawberry's injuries from Vergo's bullet, dazing him momentarily. But the next strike comes quickly, barely giving him a chance to block.

"Pirate scum!" Strawberry roars. "It's considered impolite to attack while someone is talk-"

Clang!

Rex's claws clash against Starwberry's sword once more, the rear admiral ready for the interruption this time. He is not, however, ready for what comes next.

Hmm! The five blades of Rex's right claw seem to hum and sizzle as they begin to rapidly vibrate and heat up. This was the true ability of Rex's newest move Tiger-Print: Flaming Lumberjack.

Rex had had the claws specially made by the finest blacksmiths in the four Blues for this exact purpose. He had not settled for anything less and most blacksmiths were ecstatic to get a chance to work on some graded steel.

While the outside of the claws was made of graded steel, the insides of the blade were made with tungsten. Rex could then run electro through the tungsten to heat the blades up to immense temperatures. As for the vibrations, that was simply Hasshoken, which make the blades vibrate like chainsaws, then the name 'Lumberjack' actually had a double meaning.

Strawberry sweats profoundly, feeling the heat coming off the blades, and rushes back, only for Rex to press on the attack. Clash after clash, cause Strawberry's clothes to be drenched with sweat from the blade's radiated heat.

"Damn it, what's with those claws of yours!" Strawberry says after the tenth clash with the blades.

Rex's 'swordsmanship' was poor, far inferior to Strawberry's but by virtue of his claws, he was beating Strawberry out. After all, Strawberry's own blades were only graded swords, and he hadn't awoken armament haki. As such, the burning, vibrating claws caused his swords to chip and weaken.

"They were forged in the burning heat of Mordor and are unrivaled in the world. I once clashed with Whitebeard's Murakumogiri and it was broken in a single strike!" Rex boasts shamelessly. He very much liked the claws, as they only enhanced his fighting style, not encumbering open handed blows.

Strawberry didn't believe Rex's tall tale, but he knew he was going to lose soon if this kept going on. Tiger had made short work of his men and was now facing down the last remains of them. If he joined the fight, it would be over.

"It seems I have to go all out." Strawberry said with a serious expression. "Nitoryu: 1000 Crumb Shortcake!"

Rex is surprised by the speed of Strawberry's strikes in this barrage. It was at least double his earlier pace, and the strikes seemed to be more flexible.

Then, Rex realizes what had changed. Strawberry was infusing Kami-E into his movements, moving faster and more flexibly than he could without it. However, the drawbacks were equally clear as Strawberry cringed in pain at the many muscles, he pulled by over-drafting his flexibility.

Rex cringes, before deciding to go all out himself.

"Burning Claw fusion!" Rex roars, with his 'claws' disappearing.

Strawberry is confused at first, only for Rex to grab both Strawberry's blades in his bare hands and clench down. The blades quickly start to melt, and Strawberry tries to pull them back only for Rex to drag him forward by his blades and headbutt him.

This was Rex's finishing move, where he used his Jake Jake no Mi's ability to 'integrate' his clothing into his body in order to integrate the claws like they were gloves. This gave each of his fingers a bladed edge and gave his hands the strength and durability of a graded weapon without losing any flexibility.

The downside to this was if Rex wanted to heat up his claws, he would risk burning himself from prolonged contact as Rex didn't have any innate heat resistance.

Still, this surprise attack has the intended effect, destroying Strawberry's weapons and giving him a concussion from the Hasshoken headbutt. Rex then walks up to Strawberry slowly.

"Do you plan on killing me?" Strawberry asks with a stern face. "Because if you do, I will not beg you for mercy. I will instead be resigned in the knowledge that my superior will hunt you to the ends of the earth and defeat you!"

"Kill you? But murder is illegal, you know?" Rex said with an exaggerated tone. "Instead, I will do to you as your World Nobles have done to them."

Rex then rips open Strawberry's shirt, placing his palm down on the center of the Rear Admiral's chest. It quickly glows white-hot, as a loud skin sizzling sound can be heard. Strawberry tries to grit his teeth and not scream out, but the pain is unimaginable, causing him to wail in pain.

A large, claw like brand is formed on Strawberry's chest, engraving itself deeply on the Rear Admiral's skin. Rex then retrieves the Rear Admirals blades, planning on recasting them to fortify his claws.

"There, now you're my slave. Oh wait, slavery's illegal. Better call the Marines, buddy. Maybe they'll help you." Rex said, walking away from the barely conscious Strawberry. "Tell Borsalino that if he wants to come for me, he'll have to put in some work."

Rex then walks over to Tiger, who has just finished his last opponent. Tiger was wounded slightly, but generally okay. After all, as a fishman, his fishman karate thrived near water sources, or in locations where there was a lot of water in the air. On land, he was at a notable disadvantage.

"You good, bro?" Rex says, causing Tiger to look at him oddly.

"We are not brothers, but I am indeed unhurt." Tiger says, looking down at Strawberry's body approvingly. He found Rex's karmic justice to be fitting as he did not murder Strawberry but instead sent a message against slavery.

"Then let's go. I'm not sure how long it will be until reinforcements come for these fools!"

Rex and Tiger then leave, running into a fatigued Kid and Monet along the way. Strawberry had hidden a commodore and several marines in the forest to prevent the rest of the Sun Pirates from retaliating, but Kid and Monet had taken him out.

"So this is what we came here for?" Monet cries out exhaustedly. "A big fish?"

Rex gives Monet a stern glare. "He is a fishman, and yes, he is indeed what we came here for. A true king is one who has shed the petticoat of prejudice and dons the apparel of acceptance. Your views… disappoint me."

Rex then keeps walking with Tiger, causing Monet to stutter.

Of course, Rex didn't truly blame her. Anti-fishman racism was basically engraved into the fabric of human society. In fact, other than Kid and Killer who he had basically raised and maybe Bonney, most of his crew would probably hold similar opinions.

On the way, Rex and Tiger exchange few words but most of the trip is in silence. Tiger recalls where he had heard of Rex before and asks him if he really knew Jacket D. Hoodie.

"Jacket D. Hoodie. What a guy he is?" Rex says dreamily. "Even in a dozen years, I don't think I'll ever be able to do anything but reach a tie with him. Truly a ferocious man, with abs of steel!"

"He's mastered the World Government's Tekkai technique?" Tiger asks incredulously, surprised that a revolutionary would possess such a technique.

"Let me tell you about Jacket D. Hoodie…" Rex starts, telling Tiger all kinds of stories of fights he had been in with a little twist.

When Rex and Tiger finally make it to the shore, they see that there is indeed a battle breaking out, but not between the Sun Pirates and the Marines.

"Hawkins, Killer what the hell are you doing!?"

"Arlong, Jinbei stand down!"

Yes, Rex and Tiger arrived to see their own crews seemingly at odds with each other. Killer was in the midst of battling with Jinbei while Hawkins and Aladine were clashing.

"They started it!" The two sides point at each other.

Rex and Tiger look at each other sheepishly like two parents having to break up a fight between children.

"I don't care, now shake hands and make friends!"

The four all grumble but begrudgingly follow their orders.

"Now Mr. Tiger…"

<i>Marineford, Paradise</i>

"Oh, so Strawberry-kun was defeated by a super rookie. How scary!" A man drawls out on the Den Den Mushi. "He even branded one of my marines. What a brutal dude!"

Borsalino just sighed in his mind. This was supposed to be an easy job that would give him the merits to make admiral. Now, it had gotten so damned complicated.

"Eh, he even learned to control his conqueror's Haki?" Borsalino says with a surprised expression. Most pirates who possessed conqueror's Haki either learned how to use it from their captains, as with the three emperors and Rayleigh or took years to hone it.

"What a terrifying dude." Borsalino says, pseudo-seriously. "Just come back to Marineford for now. As for Rex Vesta, if he stays on Fool's Gambit some other pirate group will probably take him out."

Borsalino then hangs up, kicking his feet up and relaxing. It seemed like he might have to go out and capture a pirate or two for himself. How lame.