Under Brook's questioning, the mermaid Ariel furrowed her brow, thinking hard. There was a sleazy, four-legged creep who'd stared at her with greedy eyes, like she was some kind of treasure!
At the time, Ariel thought he was just an overzealous fan. But then the guy had the audacity to propose to her in public—only to get thrashed by the royal guards and tossed out!
Not long after, weapons started flying at her out of nowhere. Now that she thought about it, that creep had shot her a spiteful glare as he was dragged away.
"That jerk! Ugh, if I'd known, I wouldn't have shaken his slimy hand! Next time I see him, I'm gonna pound him!"
Ariel puffed out her cheeks, fuming. Her tiny fists clenched, swinging at the air to vent her frustration.
Suddenly, a whizzing axe came hurtling toward her. Ariel yelped, leaping into Brook's arms, clinging to his neck as her whole body dangled from him.
"Tch!"
Before Brook could react, Kaido launched into the air, smashing the axe to bits with a single swing of his club.
"Pathetic attack. Barely worth my time!"
"Brook, when are we gonna catch that creep? He's pissing me off!"
Ariel, blushing, hopped down from Brook, quickly redirecting her anger to the attacker. Hopefully, nobody noticed her moment of panic!
"Redfield and Tom are already on it. Don't worry, he's as good as caught!"
Brook led the group into King Mars' reception hall, where Kaido was stationed at the entrance, tasked with swatting down any more flying weapons.
...
"Brook-sama, we've located that Poneglyph you asked about," King Mars said, eager to show some results. "We were planning to send it, but if it's convenient, you can take it now!"
"Good work. And the rewards—have they been distributed? Don't skimp on them. The Hell Pirates aren't short on Belly!" Brook said, his tone light but firm. "Oh, and if you've got any promising young talents, I might just take them back for training!"
Brook wasn't that interested in Poneglyphs right now, but his collector's itch wouldn't let him pass up a unique piece like this. Every slab was one-of-a-kind, perfect for his growing hoard!
"Of course, I'll handle everything properly!" King Mars replied, relieved that Brook wasn't upset. With the Hell Pirates backing Fishman Island, they'd have some stability—at least until Brook's crew fell, if that ever happened.
Mars quickly arranged for the next tribute to be handed over, including the mermaid wine Redfield had specifically requested and the Fishman Island specialty pastries Charlotte Linlin demanded.
...
Outside Ryugu Palace, Kaido lounged, bored out of his mind. After smashing a few weapons, the attacks had stopped. Redfield and the others must've nabbed the culprit already, right?
He gazed up at the palace's dragon statue, its majesty sparking a grin. One day, he'd transform into a dragon himself, soaring through the skies with Brook! He'd lead the Hell Pirates' top fighters to crush Vesper's and Rocks' crews, making the Hell Pirates the New World's sole overlords!
In the distance, Kaido spotted Redfield and the others returning, dragging a charred fishman. The guy looked like he'd been zapped to a crisp—talk about pitiful!
"Worororo! Redfield, you work fast!" Kaido bellowed, grinning. He had mad respect for the crew's top fighters, especially after getting his ass handed to him by Redfield and Linlin. Those two didn't hold back—electrifying him half to death!
Whitebeard Newgate, on the other hand, rarely used his Quake-Quake Fruit in spars, focusing instead on teaching Kaido the basics of Armament and Observation Haki. Most of what Kaido knew about Haki came from Newgate's patient lessons.
"Hah! Of course!" Redfield smirked. "This guy thought he could hide outside Fishman Island, but we sniffed him out."
Fisher Tiger piped up, eager to claim some credit.
"Yeah, don't forget me! I helped!" Though, truth be told, he'd mostly just cheered and pointed the way.
"Quit dawdling," Redfield said, hoisting the singed Vander Decken VII into Ryugu Palace. "This guy's got secrets. Let's wrap this up and get back to the New World. We've got bigger fish to fry."
How did Redfield know the fishman's name? Simple—reading an enemy's mind was just another Tuesday for him.
...
What he found shocked him for a solid half-second. This creep genuinely believed Ariel might be Poseidon, the Ancient Weapon, capable of commanding Sea Kings!
On second thought, it seemed unlikely. Sure, Ariel had a knack for a unique kind of Observation Haki, but her timid demeanor didn't scream "legendary mermaid princess." Still, Redfield figured it was worth mentioning to Brook. With Brook's uncanny knack for knowing things, he might sniff out the truth.
Inside the grand hall, Ariel was scarfing down food like her life depended on it. After days of fear-induced insomnia and skipped meals, having Captain Brook nearby gave her a warm blanket of safety. Everything tasted divine!
She'd just stuffed her face when Redfield strutted in, dragging the charred, sleazy figure of Vander Decken VII.
"Oh ho! Perfect timing—full belly, ready to burn some calories!"
Ariel, throwing decorum to the wind, zipped over, itching to pummel the guy who'd terrorized her for days. Seeing Vander Decken's grimy state, she tried to grab Kaido's spiked club for a thunderous smackdown, but it was way too heavy.
She glanced at Tom and Tiger—no weapons. Then she eyed Redfield's noble sword, but one glare from him shut that idea down fast.
Brook came to her rescue, signaling Parrot to toss out a Seastone rod from their ship's supplies. What followed was a surreal sight: a mermaid princess whacking an unconscious fishman with a black rod!
The scene was… odd, to say the least. Brook stepped in before things got out of hand.
"Ahem, Ariel, let's not kill him. I still need to collect his Devil Fruit."
But Ariel, sleeves rolled up, kept swinging, making even Prince Neptune swallow hard.
"Cough! Ariel, mind your image!" Brook said, gently stopping her. "We're taking this guy with us. You keep shining here on Fishman Island, but stay sharp. If anything happens, contact us right away!"
"You're leaving already, Brook? You just got here!" Ariel pouted, her anger spent. Sure, that creep had scared her for days, but his antics had brought Brook and the crew back to Fishman Island—a silver lining, at least.
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg