"Rear Admiral... Aiden?!"
As Jinbe said the name, those words echoed over the ruins of the port.
The busy Neptune Army soldiers around them froze. Although they lived in the deep sea where news was slow, even people down here understood the weight of the name Golden Lion.
That was a legendary pirate who had once fought for supremacy against the Pirate King, Roger.
"Is it really him..."
"I was wondering how a human could be this strong..."
Even King Neptune was deeply shocked when he heard the name.
He had been a great warrior on the seas in his youth, so he naturally knew what kind of monster Shiki had been. To be able to kill a legend like that, Aiden's strength had likely already reached a level few people on the sea could match.
"This... this is really..."
King Neptune turned toward Aiden, speechless for a moment. He never expected that the adventurer who saved his people was actually such a dangerous man.
"That is enough, Jinbe."
Aiden noticed the Fish-Men freezing around him and felt a bit speechless.
Did Ryugu Palace just get connected to the world? Their news was way too outdated.
Right now, the sea was covered in news about him killing a Celestial Dragon and fighting two Admiral candidates. As for Golden Lion? That was old history.
However, he did not plan to explain further. He just waved his hand casually.
"That is old news. There is no need to make a fuss."
He pointed at Jackson, who was lying motionless on the ground.
"Instead of my name, you should deal with this trash first."
"Yes!"
Jinbe immediately straightened his back. The respect he showed Aiden now was the kind reserved for strong fighters.
With the defeat of Jackson's crew, the incident finally came to an end.
Under Jinbe's command, the Neptune Army quickly took over the pirate ship loaded with explosives and escorted all the unconscious pirates into prison.
Although the Fish-Man District suffered some damage, thanks to the timely intervention of Queen Otohime, Aiden, and the others, no civilians died in the crisis.
In the end, Hody Jones, who had hidden in a dark corner trying to ignite a war, became the only casualty of the event.
Ryugu Palace, banquet hall.
To thank Aiden for resolving the crisis on Fish-Man Island, the banquet restarted, and the standard was even higher than before.
However, the mood in the banquet hall had changed.
Before, everyone treated Aiden with gratitude and curiosity.
Now, there was also awe.
The man who had knocked out an entire ship of pirates with Haki was someone no one in the hall would forget.
"Aiden."
After a few rounds of drinks, King Neptune could no longer hold back his curiosity.
He held a massive cup and turned toward Aiden in the guest seat. Neptune hesitated for a moment.
"I did not expect that you are the Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, Aiden... and I certainly did not expect you to be so young."
Neptune paused, then asked,
"But there is one thing I do not understand."
"For an important figure like you to go to the New World, you would normally take the official route through the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Why did you choose to have your ship coated with a Sabaody bubble and dive down this dangerous Fish-Man Island route?"
Although Fish-Man Island was a required path to the New World, that usually applied to pirates and illegal ships.
Marine Headquarters officers, especially a Rear Admiral like Aiden, could easily apply to cross the Red Line safely and quickly.
This was also why Jinbe and Neptune never thought Aiden was a Marine.
What proper high-ranking Marine went through the bottom of the sea?
Aiden picked up his cup and swirled the amber liquid inside. He answered as if it were nothing.
"Ah, about that... Right now, in name, I am actually a prisoner of Impel Down Level 6."
"Going to the New World this time... is partly an exile, and partly a chance to redeem myself."
Clank.
The fork King Neptune had just picked up dropped onto his plate, making a sharp sound.
The entire banquet hall went silent.
Everyone froze, as if they had just heard a fairy tale.
Impel Down Level 6?
Exile?
Are you kidding?!
"This..." Jinbe opened his mouth wide, unable to hide his shock. "A great hero who killed Golden Lion... exiled? Just... what kind of massive crime did you commit?"
Even if he blew up the Marine Headquarters building, the merit of killing Golden Lion should have canceled it out, right?
Aiden saw that everyone was too shocked to speak, so he continued explaining calmly.
"It is because I killed a Celestial Dragon a while ago."
Clatter!
The massive golden cup slipped from Neptune's hand and crashed heavily onto the coral table. The alcohol splashed all over him, but he did not notice at all. He just sat there with his mouth open in disbelief.
"Killed... killed what?"
Jinbe snapped the chopsticks in his hand.
A Celestial Dragon?!
They were the descendants of the Creators. They were the World Nobles. They were beings that even the king of Fish-Man Island had to kneel to.
This man... actually slaughtered a Celestial Dragon?!
Queen Otohime covered her mouth, unable to believe it.
"Are... are you joking?" the Minister of the Left asked, trembling.
"Do I look like I am joking?" Aiden shrugged.
Seeing everyone too shocked to speak, Lieutenant Commander Kane, who had been standing quietly behind Aiden, felt it was time to show his worth as his loyal subordinate.
He stepped forward and adjusted his uniform.
"There are things you do not know! Every word the Commander says is true!"
"At the time, in the Kalga Kingdom, a Celestial Dragon named Brax was hunting civilians there..."
Kane described the scene as if he had been there himself.
"Faced with that atrocity, only the Commander stood up! Aiden drew his sword and killed that Celestial Dragon right in front of Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"
A sharp gasp passed through the hall.
In this world, even the craziest pirates would not easily provoke a Celestial Dragon unless absolutely necessary, because that meant a fight to the death with the entire World Government.
But this Marine... actually killed one of those Celestial Dragons for civilians?!
Due to their race, the Fish-Men had suffered plenty of discrimination and persecution from the Celestial Dragons. Although they did not dare to resist, it did not mean they had no hatred in their hearts.
Hearing that someone actually dared to raise a blade against a Celestial Dragon, the shock they felt was like hearing a myth.
But Kane's story was not over yet.
He got more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had returned to that battlefield.
"Not only that! After killing the Celestial Dragon, facing the furious Vice Admiral Sakazuki and Vice Admiral Borsalino who arrived as backup..."
"Commander Aiden did not back down at all. Instead, he single-handedly fought two Marine Headquarters Admiral candidates!!"
"That battle destroyed most of Blackstone Town! In the end, if Vice Admiral Garp had not stepped in to mediate, who knows how far that fight would have gone!"
"Fought two Admiral candidates alone?!"
Jinbe was completely stunned.
He knew the weight of an Admiral candidate. They were among the strongest forces in the Marines.
And this man could fight two at once without losing ground?!
No wonder... no wonder that Conqueror's Haki from earlier was so powerful.
"Although they publicly claimed the Commander was locked up in Impel Down, that was just the World Government trying to cover up their shame."
Kane concluded proudly.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku knows very well that the Commander is one of the future pillars of justice. So he pushed aside all objections and gave him the title of redeeming his crimes, letting us go to take up our post at the G-5 Branch in the New World. That is why we are taking this route."
Hearing this, Neptune and Jinbe exchanged a glance, both clearly shaken.
How was he a prisoner?
He was clearly a monster who forced the World Government to compromise.
The young Fish-Man princes and guards around them shifted from awe to near-fanatical worship.
Cough, cough.
Sitting in the main seat, Aiden suddenly coughed twice.
He put down his cup, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and casually waved his hand, interrupting Kane's passionate speech.
"Hey, no need to talk about it."
Aiden leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed, as if what Kane had just said was not a big deal at all.
"It is all in the past. There is no need to bring it up. Eat, eat."
As Fish-Men, everyone present knew the terror of the Celestial Dragons all too well. They never dreamed that a human would actually dare to draw his blade against the high-and-mighty "gods" for the sake of commoners who were treated like dirt.
And a Marine at that.
That kind of courage...
That calm way of speaking about Celestial Dragons and Admiral candidates as if they were just obstacles he had already crossed...
It was more shocking than any bold claim.
Jinbe sat very still. His fists tightened on his knees.
The last trace of distance he had kept because Aiden was human began to disappear. In its place, the desire to follow him out to sea began to rise.
If there was truly someone on this sea capable of breaking the chains of race and bringing a real future, perhaps it was Aiden.
During a break in the banquet.
Aiden went to the balcony of Ryugu Palace alone to get some fresh air.
The view of the deep sea was still magnificent. Outside the massive bubble, glowing jellyfish occasionally drifted by, decorating the dark water.
"Mr. Aiden."
Queen Otohime walked over from behind.
She had changed into clean clothes and did not bring any attendants, clearly having something private to say.
Otohime stopped beside Aiden. She did not mention the Celestial Dragons, but instead bowed deeply.
"Besides thanking you for saving everyone, I want to specially thank you... for saving me."
Aiden turned his head and raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you say that? I did not save you from Jackson."
"Not Jackson."
Otohime lowered her head slightly.
"It was the child... who wanted to shoot me from the shadows."
Aiden remained silent.
Just as expected.
With her level of Observation Haki, she could naturally hear Hody's heartbeat vanish the moment he died.
"That child... his heart was filled with darkness and hatred."
Otohime's hands tightened around her sleeves.
"Although it hurts... I know that if that shot had been fired, everything between Fish-Man Island and humans would truly be over. All our efforts would have vanished into bubbles."
Otohime bowed her head again.
"You were the one who did it, right? In such a silent way... stopping the tragedy without letting anyone see the sight of a human killing a Fish-Man, preventing new hatred."
Aiden looked at the deep-sea night and said calmly,
"Queen Otohime, in this world, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow."
"You are in charge of spreading love and peace in the sunlight. As for the people hiding in the dark..."
"Someone has to clean them up, no?"
Otohime froze.
She looked at the man before her, who carried the great crime of killing a Celestial Dragon and was viewed by the world as a murderer.
Behind his harsh methods, she felt a kind of care that was hard to explain.
"You are truly a..."
Otohime gave a relieved smile. Her tears returned, but this time she smiled.
"...gentle criminal."
A few hours later.
The banquet finally ended.
Because it was late and they had just gone through a pirate disturbance, King Neptune warmly insisted that Aiden's group stay the night at Ryugu Palace, arranging the most luxurious shell guest rooms for them.
Aiden bid everyone goodnight and walked through the winding coral corridor, preparing to return to his room to rest.
"Aiden, please wait."
A large figure stepped out from the shadows at the corner.
It was Jinbe.
He seemed to have been waiting there for a long time. His usually straight shoulders looked a bit slumped right now.
Aiden stopped, not surprised.
"It is late. Are you not going to rest?"
Jinbe remained silent for a moment, then bowed deeply to Aiden.
"I waited here specifically to thank you again for your help today."
Jinbe clenched his fists.
"I made a fool of myself in front of you."
"As the captain of the Neptune Army, I only have brute strength. I thought I could protect Fish-Man Island, yet I was helpless against such a despicable trick... If you had not acted, I... I probably really would have kneeled for that ship of explosives."
That kneel would have thrown away not just his dignity, but the face of the entire Ryugu Kingdom.
"Still thinking about those pirates?"
Aiden answered.
"It is not that you are incompetent. Your world is just too small."
"Huh?"
Jinbe was stunned.
Aiden watched Jinbe, who was trapped in self-doubt.
He could tell that Jinbe was not just blaming himself for today's failure, but was also lost regarding the future of Fish-Man Island.
In Aiden's view, this Knight of the Sea was someone with far more room to grow.
In terms of character, he was incredibly loyal and righteous. He was even willing to face humiliation and kneel to protect his country. Such responsibility was rare on the sea.
In terms of strength, his Fish-Man Karate had reached mastery, and he had a massive advantage in naval battles. He was a fighter few people could match.
More importantly, the Storm Reaper was about to sail into the unpredictable waters of the New World, and he desperately needed a helmsman capable of handling wild ocean currents.
Instead of letting an excellent crewmate with strength, character, and skill stay in this corner of the deep sea as a patrol captain, it was better to bring him out to the sea to shine.
Since they had crossed paths, there was no reason to miss this chance.
"Jinbe, are you interested in seeing the outside world?"
Aiden asked casually.
"Go see the most chaotic yet freest sea. Go see how true fighters survive and make the rules."
"In this world, there are some answers you will never figure out hiding at the bottom of the ocean."
Jinbe froze for a moment.
Go to the outside world...
That desire to get stronger and that longing for the vast sea revived in his long-quiet heart.
But...
Jinbe looked back at the magnificent Ryugu Palace.
That was his home and his responsibility.
"Thank you for your high regard."
Jinbe took a deep breath.
"But I carry the heavy responsibility of guarding Ryugu Palace. I cannot..."
"I am... the captain of the Neptune Army."
Jinbe lowered his head.
"Right now, the situation on Fish-Man Island is unstable, and Queen Otohime's dream is not yet realized... I truly cannot just walk away like this."
He was rejected.
Aiden was not surprised. If Jinbe was someone who could be easily taken away, he would not be the Knight of the Sea.
"Is that so? That is a pity."
Aiden pulled back his hand and did not insist. He just casually shrugged and turned to walk toward his room, leaving a light sentence echoing in the corridor.
"I am leaving early tomorrow morning. If you change your mind, you are welcome anytime."
Jinbe stood there, watching Aiden's departing back, not moving for a long time.
...
The next morning.
Fish-Man Island's port.
The Storm Reaper had resupplied all its materials. The massive coated hull shone under the light of Sunlight Tree Eve.
"Aiden, are you leaving so soon?"
King Neptune came to see him off with Queen Otohime and the three princes. Neptune clearly did not want him to leave so soon.
"It is not good to impose for too long. After all, I am a criminal."
Aiden smiled and made a joke while checking the crowd seeing him off.
He did not see that blue figure.
"Still cannot let go, huh..."
Aiden felt a bit regretful, but he understood. After all, that was just how Jinbe was. His sense of responsibility was too heavy.
"Goodbye, Coral!"
"You must come visit us!"
Hancock and her two sisters leaned against the railing, sniffing while waving hard.
Aiden gave an order to Kane behind him.
"Get ready to set sail."
"Yes!"
As the giant anchor was pulled up by the winch, the Storm Reaper prepared to break out of the bubble layer.
Just then.
"Wait!!"
At that moment, a loud shout came from the distance.
Everyone turned around in surprise.
They saw a blue figure carrying a huge bundle, sprinting along the pier.
"Jinbe?!"
Neptune froze in surprise.
Pant... pant...
Jinbe rushed to the edge of the pier, panting heavily. He glanced at Aiden on the ship, then quickly turned around to face King Neptune and Queen Otohime.
Thud!
This strongest warrior of Fish-Man Island fell heavily to his knees in front of everyone.
"Your Majesty! Queen Otohime!"
Jinbe shouted, each word forced out with effort but clear.
"I... want to resign from my position as captain!"
"I want to go see the outside world! I want to seek out... the true strength to protect Fish-Man Island!"
Looking at Jinbe kneeling on the ground, Neptune froze.
But soon, Neptune's stern face slowly softened. He stepped forward and patted Jinbe's shoulder firmly.
"You silly boy! What are you saying about resigning!"
"I saw it a long time ago. Your heart has already flown off to the sea! Go! Go look at this world for me!"
Neptune laughed loudly, but his words caught for a moment.
"When you truly become an outstanding man, you can come back to protect Fish-Man Island!"
"Go, Jinbe."
Queen Otohime also spoke gently.
"The sea is vast. Go find your own answers."
"Your Majesty... Queen Otohime..."
Jinbe lowered his head until his forehead touched the ground.
Then he stood up, wiped his tears, put on his bundle, and leaped up, landing steadily on the deck of the Storm Reaper.
He walked up to Aiden, took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and said,
"Aiden... does your offer from last night still count?"
Aiden looked at the determined blue man before him.
Aiden smiled. He casually pointed at the helm behind him.
"Of course."
"That spot is still empty."
Jinbe looked at the spot, took a deep breath, and walked over, grabbing the helm firmly with both hands.
"Then, I will take charge of this ship's course for now."
There was no extra nonsense.
A promise between men often needed only a single action.
Aiden turned around and waved his hand.
"Set sail!"
"Yes! Sir!"
The massive anchor was slowly pulled up by the winch.
Jinbe held the helm with both hands. After testing it a few times, relying on his talent as a helmsman and his sense of the water, he quickly grasped the feel of steering this specially modified warship.
"What a great ship..."
Jinbe praised.
Then Jinbe settled his hands on the helm. Under his control, the Storm Reaper nimbly adjusted its course and slowly sailed out of the Fish-Man Island port.
As the ship sailed toward the exit passage leading to the deep sea, the layer of Yarukiman Mangrove resin bubble that had already been prepared rose from the bottom of the ship again, perfectly encasing the massive hull.
Pop.
With a soft sound, the Storm Reaper passed through Ryugu Palace's double-layered shield and dove back into the dark, deep seabed.
Pushed by the massive buoyancy bags and the deep ocean currents, it began to float up rapidly.
The surrounding seawater started to become cloudy and violent. That was the unique turbulence of the deep-sea updrafts.
But no matter how the currents struck, the Storm Reaper stayed steady in Jinbe's hands, as if it had merged with the sea.
Standing at the helm, Jinbe looked back.
Below, Fish-Man Island, emitting a soft glow ten thousand meters under the sea, was slowly fading away, looking like a bright pearl in the dark water.
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