Chapter 242: Uninvited Guests
Fish-Man Island was a necessary waypoint, or rather, a transit hub, for pirates traveling from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World.
Because the turbulent ocean currents encountered while diving from Sabaody Archipelago toward the New World could damage ship coating and prevent direct passage, Fish-Man Island was essential for repairs to ensure safe passage.
From this strategic perspective, Fish-Man Island was an absolutely crucial location.
Big Mom's interest in occupying it certainly wasn't solely for its special desserts.
"Have you all reached a decision?"
Looking at Jinbe and the other two leaders, Rhodes' tone was calm, showing no excessive joy at the impending submission of Fish-Man Island. He remained perfectly composed.
"Fish-Man Island is willing to pledge its loyalty to you."
Neptune and the other two exchanged meaningful glances, then performed the most ancient fish-man gesture of respect, stating solemnly.
"Good."
Rhodes nodded slightly, neither attempting to entice them with grand promises of a glorious future nor intimidating them with threats about the consequences of betrayal.
They were all intelligent individuals with their own insights—no one needed lengthy explanations or intimidation tactics.
Given Jinbe's honorable character, unless Rhodes fell in battle, Fish-Man Island was almost certain never to betray him.
This would become a new source of faith for Rhodes, undisturbed by external political influences, and with the merfolk's naturally devout hearts, there would likely be many unexpected benefits.
In fact, the instant submission of tens of thousands of fish-men under the live broadcast across all of Fish-Man Island had already significantly boosted Rhodes' accumulation of faith power.
If it weren't for the upcoming Dressrosa battlefield, where he might need to utilize faith power in direct combat, Rhodes could have already used it to further strengthen his physical transformation.
"Fish-Man Island has approximately four to five million inhabitants total, with merfolk being the minority and fish-men comprising the majority," Neptune explained regarding the island's demographics.
"However, due to severely limited trade opportunities, Fish-Man Island isn't particularly wealthy economically."
"Actually, if proper trade routes with the surface could be established, Fish-Man Island possesses many valuable specialty products—such as the highest-quality pearls, unique deep-sea metals, exotic corals..."
Neptune spoke with considerable helplessness.
In the eyes of most humans, fish-men were considered alien creatures and weren't socially accepted, while merfolk were viewed as high-value commodities for slavery—making equal trade relationships with humans nearly impossible.
At this moment, Chief Secretary Robin asked with genuine curiosity,
"Why don't you expand your territory to other oceanic regions?"
Fish-men could breathe underwater and survive perfectly well in various coastal waters—there was no practical need to confine the entire population to Fish-Man Island alone.
"Well..."
Neptune sighed softly,
"On one hand, Fish-Man Island has been the ancestral homeland of our people for countless generations."
"On the other hand, the rest of the ocean is simply far too dangerous."
"Merfolk are relatively safe—they won't be preyed upon by Sea Kings or sea beasts due to their natural affinity with marine life. But fish-men are completely different."
Rhodes and Robin understood immediately.
The oceans of this world were the undisputed territory of Sea Kings and countless predatory sea beasts.
Merfolk didn't consume fish and were naturally harmonious with the sea, so aquatic creatures wouldn't harm them. But fish-men were different—they became potential food.
And fish-men comprised the overwhelming majority of the Fish-Man Island population.
"How strong is Fish-Man Island militarily?"
Robin glanced at Rhodes, then continued questioning on his behalf.
She was his secretary—if her boss didn't handle administrative details, she had to manage them herself.
"..."
Neptune appeared somewhat embarrassed and fell silent.
Fish-Man Island's regular military was the Neptune Army, and frankly, their combat strength was rather underwhelming.
Otherwise, when Neptune had first heard of Hody Jones' rebellion, his immediate response would have been to personally lead his forces to suppress it—not defer to Jinbe's intervention.
At this moment, Jinbe spoke in a serious tone:
"Although fish-men are naturally ten times stronger than baseline humans, there are trade-offs in everything. Our talent and learning aptitude tend to be merely average, and our strength ceiling is relatively limited. It's exceptionally rare for any fish-man to reach a level where they can challenge entire nations single-handedly."
"If I don't encounter any extraordinary opportunities in my remaining years, I've likely already approached the natural limit of my strength."
Upon hearing this honest assessment, Rhodes nodded slightly in understanding.
This was simply the natural order of things.
For example, Sea Kings—despite their enormous sizes, massive populations, and status as the true rulers of the oceans—almost none possessed genuine intelligence, except for a select few super-massive ancient Sea Kings.
Fish-men were naturally stronger than humans physically, but their talent for learning and comprehension was distinctly average. They produced far fewer prodigious geniuses compared to humanity.
As the five were discussing these matters, a minister suddenly entered hurriedly and reported:
"King Neptune! The Big Mom Pirates have arrived to... visit!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the entire room fell into stunned silence.
Jinbe and the other leaders all displayed expressions of surprise and concern, clearly intimidated by that infamous name.
Rhodes remained outwardly calm, though inwardly his mind was racing analytically.
The Big Mom Pirates' arrival at Fish-Man Island at precisely this moment was undoubtedly aimed at conquering and claiming the island as their territory.
But unfortunately for them, Fish-Man Island had just become his territory as the Dragon Slayer Swordsman.
Forget Big Mom—even if the World Government itself arrived, he would absolutely never back down!
Observing Rhodes' composed demeanor, Neptune and the other leaders calmed somewhat, quickly deducing the Big Mom Pirates' obvious intentions while growing increasingly worried.
"Don't be afraid. I'll handle this situation personally," Rhodes said with complete calm, his true intention being to demonstrate overwhelming strength and instill proper fear.
In this world, to successfully occupy and hold territory, demonstrating sufficient power was everything.
He simply hoped the Big Mom Pirates had sent someone genuinely strong—otherwise, he might not be able to properly establish the necessary deterrent.
Although he wasn't personally afraid of Big Mom herself, Rhodes was self-aware enough to acknowledge he wasn't yet capable of defeating a Yonko-level powerhouse in direct combat.
Currently, his life transformation and subsequent scattered faith power enhancements had evolved his divine physique to approximately one-tenth completion.
This ten-percent evolution allowed Rhodes' raw physical strength to roughly match Jinbe's level—only slightly weaker in pure power.
Rhodes estimated he would need to evolve to at least thirty-percent divine transformation to combine his advanced swordsmanship and lightning manipulation to actually contend with a Yonko.
While everyone waited tensely, the Left Minister escorted a group of visitors inside shortly thereafter.
Most of these individuals displayed calm expressions, but upon closer inspection, an unmistakable natural arrogance could be detected in their bearing.
Clearly, in the eyes of a Yonko's crew, Fish-Man Island was an extremely weak force.
Their coming here to claim it was essentially doing the island a tremendous favor, and Fish-Man Island should be extremely grateful for the protection.
If it weren't for Rhodes' presence, this scenario might have actually played out exactly as expected—Fish-Man Island, long vulnerable and coveted, desperately needed a powerful protector.
Leading the delegation was a tall, imposing man with distinctive golden-orange hair styled to resemble three-pronged flames.
Rhodes recognized him immediately.
Charlotte Oven!
A Paramecia-type Netsu Netsu no Mi user, and one of the powerful triplets along with Charlotte Katakuri and Charlotte Daifuku—officers ranked just below the Sweet Commanders.
Even within the formidable Big Mom Pirates, he was considered an elite combatant, second in authority only to the Sweet Commanders themselves.
Sending such a high-ranking officer to Fish-Man Island demonstrated, to some extent, Big Mom's serious regard for claiming this strategic location.
Charlotte Oven paused momentarily upon entering Ryugu Palace, then narrowed his eyes with visible hostility, his body beginning to radiate intense heat that visibly distorted the surrounding air.
"Who are you supposed to be?"
His sharp gaze swept past Neptune and the other leaders dismissively, focusing directly on Rhodes, who was clearly positioned as the authority figure.
"Me? Most people call me the Dragon Slayer Swordsman."
Rhodes smiled faintly.
Oven was momentarily startled—the title of Dragon Slayer Swordsman carried considerable weight.
Fighting a Marine Admiral to a standstill, dueling Whitebeard himself, overwhelming multiple Whitebeard Pirates division commanders—this series of achievements was more than sufficient to prove this rookie was an absolute monster.
But Oven's surprise was fleeting. He quickly recomposed himself with professional dignity.
Other powerful pirate organizations might hesitate or retreat in fear, but he would absolutely not.
"So Fish-Man Island has become your territory now, has it?"
Oven easily deduced this fact from the scene before him, hence his somewhat confrontational tone.
"Unless you're mistaken, that's precisely the situation," Rhodes replied calmly.
Upon hearing this direct confirmation, Oven managed to maintain his composure for the moment, but the Big Mom Pirates officers who had accompanied him were already visibly agitated, expressing extreme dissatisfaction.
They all understood the purpose of this mission perfectly—how could they possibly allow someone to steal their prize right before their eyes?!
If this were any of the other established Yonko, that would be one thing—but what right did some mere rookie have to claim territory coveted by a Yonko's crew?!
(End of Chapter)
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