Yerug Island isn't a regular island. It's an area composed of many small islands scattered around the periphery, with a massive island at the center.
At first, Larson thought this large island was Yerug, but after Roberta's explanation, he realized that when they had reached the smaller islands, they had already arrived at Yerug.
Many others had come to Yerug Island along with Larson's group. In fact, many people had already arrived before them, but the sudden seaquake had drawn even more. This event had accelerated the exploration of the island.
Standing on the Oro Jackson, Plank couldn't help but look on with envy. "When will we have a ship as big as this?"
Larson, standing beside him, smiled silently. He didn't answer aloud, but he knew the answer in his heart: very soon.
"That person..." Roger suddenly said, his eyes fixed on a distant ship, a curious expression on his face.
That ship seemed to have the same destination as theirs—Yerug Island.
"What's going on?" Whitebeard asked.
"He's a pirate from the New World. I've met him once before," Roger replied, surprised. "I didn't expect him to come here as well."
Hearing Roger's words, Larson began to ponder. Have all the New World pirates arrived already? It seemed their own pace had been slow.
Wait! Larson thought of something. It had only been a few days since the events at Yerug Island began. It was impossible to reach this place from the New World so quickly. Even Roger's crew had arrived in advance without knowing they'd encounter this situation.
So, how did this pirate arrive so quickly? Or had he already known about the island?
As these thoughts ran through Larson's mind, his Sharingan activated quietly. Suddenly, he noticed something unusual.
On that ship stood a peculiar-looking man.
"A fish-man?" Larson murmured.
Rayleigh, with his sharp ears, heard Larson instantly. Following Larson's gaze, he noticed the pirate ship in the distance.
After thinking for a moment, Rayleigh said, "There's indeed a fish-man on that ship. I forgot his name, but his bounty is less than 300 million beli."
Rayleigh, always the wise one among the Roger Pirates, managed to provide an answer with just a few words from Larson.
At that point, Roger and the others also turned their attention to the distant ship. Whitebeard lifted his naginata and smiled, "Shall I stop them?"
It seemed Whitebeard assumed Larson was interested in the pirate crew ahead.
Although no order was given, the others on the Oro Jackson instinctively readied their weapons.
Unconsciously, Larson had become a figure capable of influencing both pirate groups.
"I was just thinking of something," Larson said, stopping them.
The people on the ship didn't realize it, but their fate had almost been altered by that one sentence.
"Do you think there's a chance that fish-men can sense disturbances on the island before others?" Larson asked.
Considering that Yerug Island had the power to affect Sea Kings, it seemed possible that fish-men, being aquatic beings themselves, might be able to sense that power.
"It's simple. Let's catch them and ask," Rayleigh suggested straightforwardly.
Everyone prepared to move. This time, Larson didn't stop them, as he also believed it might be the easiest solution.
In the end, that poor pirate ship couldn't escape its fate.
"But we don't need so many people to go," Larson said, noticing that Roger, Whitebeard, Rayleigh, and Gaban were all preparing to disembark. Larson thought it best to prevent unnecessary alarm and suggested they take a more measured approach.
"Let's just send one person to invite the fish-man over and ask for more information."
After all, their crew was a serious pirate group, not one that frequently pillaged and plundered. This was merely an investigation to test a theory, and there was no need for a large crowd. If others saw this many people disembarking, they might assume the crew was planning another kidnapping.
Not far away, Roberta and Jem, watching the scene, wiped sweat from their foreheads. It looked like they were about to witness someone else become a victim, just like they had been "invited" onto the ship earlier.
It's worth noting that Larson had initially only intended for the two of them to act as guides. After all, it didn't require so many people to lead the way. But Jem and Roberta had insisted on coming along, claiming that such an important task couldn't be left to just one person.
After wiping away their sweat, Jem and Roberta began to look forward to seeing who the next "lucky" person would be.
On the other side, after Larson mentioned it was best to send only one person, Rayleigh immediately volunteered. "I'll go."
No one was inclined to argue with Rayleigh about this.
Meanwhile, on the pirate ship...
"Thyssen, do you feel it?"
A man with a black beard and a scar across his face approached, his eyes locked onto the figure ahead.
Standing before him was the strange-looking fish-man that Larson had noticed earlier.
It was the scarred man who had asked the question, his voice filled with anticipation.
The fish-man, named Thyssen, turned to face him. "The captain's sense of it is growing stronger. I have a hunch there's treasure at the center of Yerug Island."
The scarred man's face lit up with excitement upon hearing Thyssen's words. "That's amazing, Thyssen! If we pull this off, you'll be my number one hero!"
Thyssen's expression shifted, a mixture of reserved pride showing through.
Suddenly, a panicked voice rang out from behind them.
"Captain, it's bad!"
The scarred man frowned, his good mood immediately disrupted. "What is it now?"
His frustration was evident. Having his moment ruined by his crew didn't sit well with him.
"Ship! There's a ship behind us!" The subordinate panted, clearly out of breath.
"A ship? What of it? It's just a ship. What's so unusual about that?" The scarred man was growing more impatient.
"No, Captain... you'll understand when you see it yourself!"
Realizing he couldn't explain well enough, the subordinate stepped aside, urging his captain to see for himself.
The scarred man grabbed the telescope from his crewman and peered through it. As he focused on the sea behind them, he saw three ships following closely.
His eyes widened, panic suddenly washing over him as he recognized the flags flying from those ships.
This familiar pirate flag...
His heart skipped a beat.
"This, this, this..." He stammered, the color draining from his face.
Then, without warning, he completely lost his composure and shouted, terror etched in his expression, "Go! Go! Go! We need to get out of here, now!"