Fish-Man Island, at the bottom of the sea.
This was a beautiful, ethereal, dream-like kingdom.
"Is that so? Understood. I'll pay attention to any strong individuals passing through Fish-Man Island..."
In the emerald-green Sea Forest, a lone figure sat on a large rock, silently putting away his Den Den Mushi.
This was a heavily built whale Fish-Man with blue skin, whose injuries had already recovered. It was "Jinbe."
"Jinbe, you're here!" The Vice-Captain and Ship Doctor of the Sun Pirates, the Multi-Limb Fish-Man Aladdin, with sharp teeth and a flowing ponytail, covered in alphabet tattoos, walked over, carrying a trident.
"Since losing my memory, I've been diligently training in Fish-Man Karate every day. I've finally managed to unleash several layers of its power..." Jinbe stood up and looked at Vice-Captain Aladdin, asking directly, "How is it? Did you find that Vander Decken?"
These past few days, he had indeed been practicing Fish-Man Karate.
Otherwise, as a "Fish-Man," if he couldn't even master this, relying on the Six Powers every day in future battles, he would probably be exposed quickly.
"No, I originally got his information, but when Prince Shark Star led his men to pursue him, that bastard had already vanished without a trace..."
Aladdin hugged his trident, saying helplessly, "Our men did block him in the deep sea, but he was no match for that abnormally large fellow, Neptune-sama."
"I heard there are pirates causing trouble on this island again?" Jinbe narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice.
"Mhm, Whitebeard's flag can indeed intimidate most pirates, but many of these desperadoes are arrogant and boastful. They're sharpening their knives, preparing to enter the New World and challenge the Four Emperors, seizing territory and so on. Before they see their own coffins, they aren't afraid of the Whitebeard Pirates at all. They want to abduct a few female mermaids..."
The auction price of female mermaids at human auction houses was only a few tens of millions of Belly, but in reality, if sold, they would basically not go for less than a hundred million Belly, or even more.
Such exorbitant profits naturally made those pirates, Fish-Man slave traders, and even adventurers, envious. Even with the Whitebeard Pirates' flag there, those who dared to take risks were endless. Fortunately, most of them were relatively weak in strength, and the power of the Neptune Army alone could deal with them.
If it weren't for that flag intimidating those powerful pirates, Fish-Man Island would probably face another terrifying catastrophe like twenty years ago. Aladdin, who had experienced that dark period, naturally knew how much Whitebeard had helped Fish-Man Island.
"Although Old Man Whitebeard is willing to lend us his flag for free, relying on a single flag is far from enough. Moreover, recently, because of what you said last time, that Eustass Kid might have been captured by Golden Lion, wanting to intentionally provoke a war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the World Government. They are already busy enough with their own affairs; we can't bother them too much..."
"..."
Because all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates had once visited him, and coupled with Aladdin reminding him that he had always called Whitebeard "Old Man" in the past, and deeply admired and respected him, Jinbe, "with amnesia," simply didn't change his address to avoid causing resentment and conflict with others.
"Through observation these past few days, I've found Fish-Man Street to be quite chaotic, and quite a few Fish-Men are secretly dissatisfied with the rule of the Ryugu Kingdom. They even continuously persecute and commit evil acts against Fish-Men or mermaids who have helped humans. King Neptune seems to intentionally or unintentionally neglect Fish-Man Street. If this continues, I estimate something bad will happen sooner or later..."
Jinbe patted Aladdin's shoulder, looked directly into his eyes, and revealed his long-contemplated plan, speaking candidly: "I've considered it carefully for a long time. Rather than letting them continue to stir up trouble here, harming their own kin due to excessive hatred, or even leading to an uncontrollable, unpleasant rebellion in the future, it's better to directly recruit them all into the Sun Pirates..."
"Aladdin, what do you think?"
"Jinbe, you..."
Aladdin was clearly somewhat surprised by Jinbe's suggestion.
The old Jinbe would certainly never have said such a thing, nor would he have had so many ideas, much less actively interfere with the Ryugu Kingdom's governance of Fish-Man Island.
However, thinking about Jinbe after his memory loss, some changes were normal, and his starting point was also for the sake of Fish-Man Island.
"Actually, you're right. I've also found some things wrong with Fish-Man Street's situation. The 'Night Trial' that has continuously appeared on Fish-Man Island over the years, making the vast majority of Fish-Men and mermaids fearful and uneasy, is probably inseparable from Fish-Man Street..."
Gazing at the solemn-faced, clearly very serious Jinbe, Aladdin frowned and sighed softly: "Ultimately, the only ones Fish-Men can truly rely on are us Fish-Men. Although I believe Whitebeard is indeed very strong, strong enough to protect our Fish-Man Island, he is gradually growing old after all; he can't protect Fish-Man Island forever!"
The "Night Trial" that made countless Fish-Men change their complexions referred to certain extremists who used cruel means to assassinate and offer the blood of their own kind to humans. King Neptune had once ordered a strict investigation, but they could never find out who was responsible. They only secretly suspected the culprits came from Fish-Man Street!
"What do you want to do?"
Even with amnesia, he was still the captain of the Sun Pirates.
Aladdin believed Jinbe wouldn't change. At the very least, he would not do anything to harm his Fish-Man Island kin. He could guarantee that.
"Develop the Sun Pirates, and establish a formidable Fish-Man fleet..."
Looking at the boundless emerald-green Sea Forest, Jinbe said with some solemnity: "I don't expect to be like the Whitebeard Pirates and other great pirates in the future, whom even the World Government fears.
But only by increasing the influence of the Sun Pirates on the open sea can we better intimidate those pirates and Fish-Man slave traders. Our Fish-Man Island cannot always rely on others to maintain that meager dignity.
With the status of a Shichibukai, we don't need to worry about being pursued by the Marines (and can even go a step further and strike at those who dare to violate Fish-Man Island's interests and have ill intentions!"
"But if you recruit too many people, the Ryugu Kingdom won't agree. That will threaten their rule..." Aladdin directly pointed out the most crucial problem. No ruler would wish for an overly vast power under their command to threaten their rule. He believed that even King Neptune, who was always known for his benevolence and tolerance, was no exception.
But Jinbe's solemn demeanor clearly indicated that he wasn't just thinking of recruiting a few hundred people. Otherwise, with the influence of the Sun Pirates and "Sea Knight" Jinbe, he would only need to send a word to Fish-Man Street, and countless young people who admired the Sun Pirates would rush to join them.
"I will personally talk to King Neptune!" Jinbe said with a calm face.
If Neptune disagreed, for the sake of the next plan, he wouldn't mind borrowing Germa's power.
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