"You… are you really an Admiral of the Marine?"
King Neptune looked up at Shirogai with disbelief, his head still pinned beneath Shirogai's foot.
"Could it be, as an Admiral, your stance doesn't align with the Marines?" he asked incredulously.
"Of course," Shirogai said with a smile, lifting his foot and casually tossing out a comic book. "This Admiral is the true Silver Serpent Admiral!"
"But at the same time," he added with a grin, "I also have other identities, such as a pirate."
Swish!
The comic book did not get wet. Instead, it spun and enlarged in the seawater, flipping open on its own to reveal a smiling figure… and a bewildered, limp Straw Hat pirate floating helplessly in the water.
"Gurgle, gurgle…," Luffy's limbs drifted weakly in the seawater, his mind still foggy.
Huh? Wasn't he fighting that monkey king? How did he suddenly end up submerged?
"Nice to meet you, King Neptune," Shirogai's true body said, smiling as it emerged from the comic's pages. With a gentle snap of his fingers, all the seawater in the room vanished, rescuing the land‑born Captain on the verge of drowning.
"Let's properly introduce ourselves. Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, I am Shirogai."
Shirogai.
The genuine Shirogai.
His face matched the legendary bounty poster worth ten billion Berries!
This man, who had risen to legendary status in just one year at sea, was none other than the super pirate Shirogai.
And the young man beside him, wasn't that Monkey D. Luffy — Fire Fist Ace's brother everyone spoke of and whom Jinbe had shown King Neptune?
"…?" King Neptune was completely dumbfounded as he stared at the renowned super pirate, who was casually standing before him.
"You… you! You!" he stammered incoherently.
"Omnipotent God King… how… how could you be an Admiral of the Marines?"
At last, after nearly losing his ability to speak, King Neptune finally regained his composure.
"Akiue Hoshi, this is Master's true body!" Shirogai waved at the little pufferfish girl who was breathing heavily, then looked up at King Neptune with a gentle smile.
"Being an Admiral on the side is just a hobby of mine, nothing special."
"Hiss…" King Neptune gasped, his face betraying utter astonishment.
Nothing special? That was a lie!
That was an Admiral of the Marine!
A military rank at the pinnacle of Marine authority, with the power even to erase nations without consultation!
But soon Neptune's reaction changed — the rank of Admiral seemed insufficient when faced with someone this overwhelmingly powerful.
This was a being capable of ending battles alone, who had forced the Marines and even the Whitebeard Pirates — the second‑strongest force — to cease a brutal war through his persuasion.
In the past six months or so, his influence on the world had become unmistakable.
His prestige as a God King not only rivaled the Four Emperors, but had ascended to a level second only to the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger — and in some eyes was even surpassing him.
The former Pirate King Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, plunging the world into chaos in pursuit of the legendary treasure One Piece.
And this man — Shirogai — after the bloody Marineford War's aftermath, opened the age of the sky, the era of the Great Sky Island's dream becoming reality.
What once was only a tale — sailing through the sky above the White Sea — became fact.
This caused truly powerful pirates to focus on sky‑based travel, crossing the Red Line from above rather than risking deep sea routes.
That was why Hody Jones had been so reckless in the deep waters — strong pirates no longer bothered with the old routes.
The truly powerful now slid across the skies, then dashed into the New World.
What made this God King so famous, feared, and revered across the seas was the military force he had established, one that shook all four seas and stood against the Marines:
The Air Force, and the Sky Island Alliance that counterbalanced World Government authority from above.
Though Shirogai was not officially part of either, the world knew that his mindset aligned with theirs — where his blade pointed, everything fell before it.
Such a towering figure — covertly sent to Fish‑Man Island's Ryugu Kingdom — and strangely, he had even beaten up the King himself.
"…?"
King Neptune, recalling the embarrassing thoughts he had held moments before, glanced guiltily at the God King standing before him.
Rumors outside claimed this Pirate God King could see into people's hearts — just like his late Queen Otohime — but far more dominating.
Ordinary people standing before him truly had no secrets. He was a walking god among humans.
"Oh, only the main body has this ability," Shirogai said kindly.
"…?"
King Neptune's face froze.
Oh no — he really heard it!
"Human Master! Who is he!"
Akiue Hoshi clutched Shirogai's clothes in awe as she stared at Shirogai's true body.
"Haha, Master's current body is just an illusion — this is Master's true body," Admiral Silver Serpent said, stroking Akiue Hoshi's head, then exchanging knowing glances with his real body.
Zzz!
Shirogai's true form flickered with the speed of lightning and vanished into the seawater.
"Wow! Is this Fish‑Man Island?"
Luffy, who had been cluelessly watching, finally caught on and excitedly scrambled toward the blocked semi‑circular water dome, breathing hard as he poked his head through.
"Gurgle, gurgle woo woo woo, help… help…"
But as soon as his head hit the water, his body flopped lifelessly onto the floor like a salted fish.
"Hehe…" Shirogai shook his head helplessly, truly Luffy.
"Good disciple, go save that idiot," Shirogai said with a grin.
"Wow!!!"
Little Akiue Hoshi clumsily pulled Luffy up.
"Human! You're an idiot!" she shouted, hands on her hips in imitation of her master, glaring at Luffy with disdain.
Luffy, water dripping from his face, sat panting and grinning at her.
"Cough cough, hehe, I'm Luffy! I'm gonna be the Pirate King! Thanks for saving me!"
"No problem! I'm Akiue Hoshi! I'm gonna become…"
Akiue Hoshi bit her fingernail, thought a moment, then bared her sharp teeth proudly:
"I'm gonna become the Human King's strongest disciple!"
…
"So, God King…" King Neptune asked tentatively, still shaken, "did you come specifically for our Fish‑Man Island Ryugu Kingdom?"
The violent clone earlier had left a deep impression on the old King, nearly seventy years old, who remained wary.
"Don't be afraid," Shirogai said with a gentle smile. "That clone's emotions were a fusion of joy and anger."
He looked at the anxious Fish‑Man King and chuckled.
"I'm a gentle person myself. I prefer to use peaceful means, to subdue people with virtue!"