"Looks like this battle is finally over…"
Watching the two massive ships wrapped in spatial power slowly sink beneath the waves and slip into Fish-Man Island, countless fish-men couldn't help but swallow nervously, their gazes fixed and tense.
The moment that would decide the fate of Fish-Man Island…
Had arrived!!!
Even though Fish-Man Island lay deep beneath the ocean, the massive shockwaves from that earlier battle had still reached them, subtle tremors brushing through the seafloor.
Not to mention the countless Sea Kings frantically fleeing in terror—
Their panicked expressions had been seen by many fish-men.
"Does this mean… we're going to be under the Black Emperor's protection?"
"This… it looks like Whitebeard took a pretty bad beating, but… it seems like neither of them actually went down, right?"
Some of the fish-man soldiers watching the live broadcast whispered quietly among themselves.
"Silence!!!"
Striding forward, the King of Fish-Man Island glared at the chattering soldiers and barked out a furious order.
Instantly, the crowd went silent.
Because they could all see—King Neptune's expression was deadly serious.
Beside him, Queen Otohime clasped her hands gently in front of her stomach, quietly waiting for the arrival of the two Sea Emperors.
"The result is already obvious, King Neptune."
From afar, Orin crooked his finger slightly, and in the next instant, the two enormous ships materialized within the heart of Fish-Man Island.
Hands casually in his pockets, Orin walked step by step toward Neptune, a relaxed smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
The outcome was… satisfactory.
Orin's mood was light.
"Sorry to trouble you, Neptune…"
Whitebeard approached as well, his massive frame wrapped in bandages under his sons' insistence. His weapon, Murakumogiri, rested loosely in his grip. A faintly apologetic expression crossed his face.
"This fight… ended in a draw. So…"
Orin slowly spoke, and under the gaze of everyone present, he extended a single finger and drew an invisible line across the ground.
Whoosh—
In an instant, the earth of Fish-Man Island split with a massive glowing line, using the Red Line's central axis as the dividing point.
"From now on… the half closer to Paradise—that is, the Sabaody Archipelago—will be under my protection. The other half… will be entrusted to Whitebeard."
"…!"
Gasps erupted all around.
Everyone except Whitebeard was stunned into silence, exchanging bewildered looks, at a complete loss for words.
This…
Wasn't this… splitting Fish-Man Island in two?
But none of them dared say anything.
Because this was the final decision made jointly by two of the Four Emperors of the Sea.
A mere Fish-Man Island didn't have the authority—or courage—to object.
To gain the protection of even one Emperor was already a blessing…
And if they thought about it another way, having both of these Sea Emperors guarding them meant Fish-Man Island's safety would now rise to an unprecedented level.
From now on, Fish-Man Island would fly two flags—Whitebeard's Jolly Roger and the Black Sun flag!!!
...
Once the arrangements for Fish-Man Island were settled, Whitebeard didn't stay long.
After all, this place was directly beneath Mary Geoise, close to Marine Headquarters—and besides, he was still injured. His recovery speed was nowhere near as fast as Orin's.
But Orin… stayed behind.
"Well…"
Clearly, even after so many years, Neptune still remembered Orin's fearsome reputation. Now, standing face to face with the "Strongest in the World,"
Even with their past friendship, he couldn't help feeling tense.
"Relax, King Neptune. I'm just planning to enjoy myself here on Fish-Man Island for a while. Oh, and by the way…"
"You should still remember Shyarly's prophecy, right?"
At Orin's words, Neptune's expression instantly changed.
"Orin—!! These are not things you can speak of publicly!!!"
Neptune cut him off before he could continue, his heart pounding rapidly.
Because if that secret ever got out…
He didn't know what would happen to Orin, but Fish-Man Island would definitely become the target of the entire world!!!
After all… it was about one of the Ancient Weapons.
The prophecy of the Sea King!!!
And now, ten years since the Roger Pirates' arrival, the foretold time was approaching—the Sea King's birth was imminent!
Orin, of course, liked Shirahoshi very much as a person.
At the very least, that certain Vander-something fish-man? Yeah… Orin fully intended to kill him.
Thus, when Orin expressed his desire to explore Fish-Man Island personally, Neptune bade him farewell and instructed Jinbei—who was still serving in the Ryugu Palace Guard—to accompany him.
"Or… Orin-sama!!!"
At this time, Jinbei wasn't yet the mighty hero he would become years later, the living fortress whose defense was unshakable.
Right now, the young Jinbei stood nervously before the [Black Emperor] Orin, rigid and stiff, awaiting his orders.
And how could he not be nervous?
This was Fish-Man Island's protector—a true giant among men on the Grand Line.
"No need to be so tense, Jinbei."
Orin eyed the large, round-bodied fish-man in front of him, his fists itching with the urge to land a blow just to test something—
Could this "blocker" really tank his punch and reduce the damage by ninety percent?
…But thinking about how that punch would probably blow straight through Jinbei's stomach, Orin reluctantly reined in his violent impulses.
Jinbei, however, was sweating bullets down his back.
"Come on. You and Hachi—take me on a tour of Fish-Man Island."
With Hachi and Jinbei leading the way and Crocodile following close behind, Orin strolled leisurely through Fish-Man Island's bustling streets.
Beautiful mermaid girls passed by, some even shyly offering little gifts of gratitude to the hero who had saved their home.
"Such enthusiasm…"
Orin brushed his hand lightly along the fin of a passing mermaid, his gaze carrying a playful curiosity.
No wonder they fetched such high prices in the human world…
They really were stunning and exotic.
"Speaking of which… it's been ages since I last saw Shyarly. Let's stop by for a little fortune-telling, shall we?"
"Uh…"
Jinbei hesitated but didn't dare contradict Orin's whim.
Soon enough, he led him to Shyarly's newly opened Mermaid Café.
They stepped inside, where a strikingly large shark-mermaid girl sat at a corner table.
The moment she saw them enter, Shyarly didn't seem particularly surprised.
"Jinbei? And…"
Years ago, Shyarly had been a tiny little girl who couldn't even count properly—but now, seeing Orin's figure, she immediately recognized him.
"Long time no see, Shyarly. The little girl who couldn't even count to ten has grown into quite the beauty, huh~"
"Orin-san…"
Her black hair veiled half her face. Now in her teens, Shyarly was maturing rapidly, her features delicate yet refined. She was no longer the little girl from before—she knew the man before her was no longer the youthful rogue of old, either.
"I already foresaw that we'd meet again," she said softly, "but I didn't expect it to be this soon."
So she'd predicted his arrival in advance?
Orin's eyes gleamed with interest, and he casually took a seat across from her.
"Is that so? Then can you also foresee what I want to ask you?"
Shyarly didn't answer immediately.
Her gaze fell upon the transparent crystal ball before her.
"You want to know… who will become the Pirate King in the future, right?"
"!!!"
Orin's eyes widened for a moment—but soon, he calmed down again.
"Tch… what a terrifying power. This is basically a conceptual ability… far beyond Observation Haki…"