With Jinbei's addition, many fish-men from the Sun Pirates were also automatically recognized as new members by the system, and a total of 1,000 Adventure Coins were awarded, on top of the 600 that he had received from Jinbei.
"Eh? You're leaving already? You've only been here for a day."
"If you want to stay, Luffy would definitely agree to let you remain in the crew."
"Don't say stupid things, women will only get in the way of my pursuit of my dream!"
The Straw Hats had reached the ship's docking point, and when they heard Sanji's words, all of them were shocked.
"Impossible! Sanji would never say something like that, who are you? You can't be Sanji!"
"A dream! This must be a dream!"
Usopp and the others shouted with disbelief written all over their faces.
Vivi gently covered her mouth.
Now, Sanji, looking as satisfied as Mr. Luffy himself, seemed to be in sage mode.
"This morning, a mermaid brought him food and even fed him with her own hands. That's probably the reason."
Zoro, who had been in the same room, said bluntly.
Vivi suddenly froze.
I'm sorry, I misunderstood, Mr. Sanji!
(Men are truly stupid creatures), Nami thought to herself with amusement.
The group cheerfully arrived at the docking point and saw the brand-new Merry.
"You're back? Already leaving?" Franky greeted them.
"Luffy said we're setting sail immediately, let's get ready."
Nami spoke, raising the Log Pose on her wrist, a puzzled look on her face:
"However, the Log Pose is unstable… what's going on?"
The needle was trembling irregularly.
At that moment, Neptune and the others came to see them off, and a mermaid stepped forward.
"Miss Nami, since you're the navigator, this is for you."
The speaker, leaning on a horned cane and wearing a purple robe, was a catfish mermaid.
He handed Nami a new Log Pose.
"What's this?" Nami asked in surprise.
"This is the Log Pose used in the New World."
Neptune explained with a smile:
"In the past, there was only one needle used in Paradise, so it was impossible to navigate in the New World."
"This one has three—why?"
"With it, it only takes half a day to fully store the magnetic energy of this island. Your original one is still trembling irregularly, isn't it?"
The Right Minister briefly explained how to use the new Log Pose:
"In the seas of the second half of the Grand Line, on some islands, not only do the currents and climate suddenly change, but the magnetic field can also vanish without warning. In such cases, you must rely on the other two indicators to determine the course."
"The three pointers each point toward different magnetic fields of islands, which means you can choose one of three possible routes."
"Miss Navigator, you must find the safest path amidst the trembling needles. Your choice will affect the lives of everyone in your crew."
After hearing this, Nami finally understood.
In short, the greater the trembling and frequency of the needle, the more unstable the island's magnetic field, and the more dangerous the destination.
"I see. Please leave it to me! I'm the navigator of the Straw Hats!"
Nami declared confidently, turning her head and raising her right fist:
"We're ready to set sail!"
Neptune smiled as he watched the pirates board their ship.
At that moment, Usopp suddenly asked:
"By the way, where's the captain? Where's Luffy?!"
"Luffy said he had someone to see and would be back soon."
—Fish-Man Island, Mermaid Cafe.
Luffy sat quietly on a shell sofa, looking at the mermaid in front of him.
Shyarly was also staring at him.
"You came here on purpose to see me? Luffy of the Straw Hat Pirates."
Facing the man who had killed her brother, Shyarly's demeanor was a little strained.
Not that she had much affection for Arlong.
The difference in appearance and personality between them was immense.
She was simply a little uneasy.
Not because of the power Luffy possessed, but because of the prophecy.
Her foresight never worked on Luffy—never.
To Shyarly, Luffy was a stranger, an anomaly unlike anyone else.
"We're setting out soon. Next time we return to this island, we'll bring the whole place up to the surface."
Luffy picked up Shyarly's coffee, took a slow sip, and said:
"Before leaving, I came here just to ask you one thing."
"I don't care about Arlong, and you don't need to apologize. It was all his choice." Shyarly shook her head, holding her pipe but not smoking.
After a pause, she continued:
"Besides, he was a notorious criminal, it was only natural that he'd end up that way."
Apologize? For what?
Luffy was speechless.
Arlong had died, and rightly so. How could he come here to apologize to his sister when he hadn't done anything wrong?
Of course, he couldn't say that aloud—it would only embarrass her.
Shyarly was indeed a little embarrassed, and from Luffy's subtle expression, she knew she was mistaken.
"What's your question? Ask it now!"
She quickly changed the subject.
"Do me a fortune-telling for someone," Luffy said bluntly, pretending not to notice her awkwardness.
"Shiki, the Golden Lion—the great pirate who was once counted among the three legends alongside Roger and Whitebeard. A girl your age might not necessarily know about him…"
"I know! How could I not know about that pirate? Are you underestimating me?"
Shyarly shot him an annoyed glare.
Although Shiki had been active more than twenty years ago, she had still heard his name as a child.
"Sorry, you look so young. I unconsciously thought you were still a teenager."
Shyarly had no words for that. She rolled her eyes at him and pulled out a crystal ball from beneath her fish tail.
"Let me say this first: my fortune-telling is not 100% reliable, and I can't foresee trivial details. For example, if you ask me what color clothes he's wearing today, I can't."
"Where is he?"
Hearing that, Shyarly put down her pipe, gripped the crystal ball with both hands, and slowly closed her eyes.
After a while, she opened them.
Her expression gradually turned fearful, beads of sweat forming on her face.
She murmured in disbelief:
"The Golden Lion will bring a great disaster to East Blue. The Pirate King's hometown, Loguetown, will become a sea of flames!!"
The fragments flashing through her mind made her body tremble lightly.
"East Blue?"
Luffy froze for a moment.
Twenty years ago, after escaping from prison, Shiki had indeed been plotting revenge.
But his plan for revenge was… strange. He didn't head for the Holy Land of Mariejois to wreak havoc and slay one or two of the Five Elders.
He didn't storm Marine Headquarters to slaughter tens of thousands of marines.
Instead, he went to East Blue, stirring up chaos just to prove to the World Government that he had the power to take vengeance.
If the Straw Hats hadn't stopped him, East Blue really would have been in grave danger.
"I see. Thanks for the coffee."
Luffy stood up, ready to leave.
Knowing that Shiki was going to East Blue made things simple.
More than half a month…
"You're going to stop him?" Shyarly asked in surprise.
"East Blue is the weakest sea. No one, no force, can stop him. If I don't go, then who will?"
Luffy smiled faintly as he spoke.
---
End of Chapter
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."