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The people of Fish-Man Island understand better than anyone that Arlong is an overlord-like figure on Fishman Street, possessing formidable combat power. Only Fisher Tiger and Jinbei can keep him under control.
They thought Arlong might lose, but they never expected him to lose so completely.
Princess Otohime and King Neptune remain calmer. After all, Princess Otohime has a strong presence of her own. Pops is a friend of King Neptune, so Fish-Man Island is under his protection.
"Have you all seen the truth? Don't underestimate humans just because fish-men are naturally stronger! The ocean is vast, and there are countless terrifying humans out there! The man standing before you is one of them!"
"I have personally witnessed his battle with a Marine Admiral, which even shook the Red Line! The debris from the battle could devastate Fish-Man Island! He didn't even take Arlong seriously! Do you understand the difference?!"
Fisher Tiger lectured the young fish-men passionately. As he spoke, some of them seemed unconvinced.
At this moment, Arlong was regaining consciousness, still a bit dazed by what happened.
Jason had his doubts: How impressive am I really? Destroying part of the Red Line and actually doing so are different things, right?
"Mr. Jason, please demonstrate your strength once more. They are too impulsive. If we don't let them understand how cruel the surface world is, the Sun Pirates will face dire consequences!"
Fisher Tiger pleaded with Jason again.
"Alright, but what should I cut?"
"As long as it doesn't harm anyone, anything is fine!"
"Oh!"
Jason looked around and spotted the tallest coral reef, towering hundreds of meters high.
"One Sword Style: Split Slash!"
A massive slash of energy shot out, obliterating half of the coral reef upon impact.
Everyone, including Arlong, stared in shock, cold sweat trickling down Arlong's forehead.
"I would die! If that hit me, it would be over!"
"What incredible power!"
"That's unbelievable... He must be a monster!"
The fish-men murmured among themselves, and when Fisher Tiger saw their shock, he continued.
"Now do you understand? Don't be arrogant! Otherwise, you'll meet your end without realizing it!"
"I understand! Brother Tiger!" the fish-men chorused, and Fisher Tiger nodded in satisfaction.
"Thank you very much, Brother Jason!"
"It's nothing! Don't worry!"
...
After this, Fisher Tiger began organizing the Sun Pirates. The crew had been chosen, and while getting to Fish-Man Island was relatively easy, there were still plenty of preparations before setting sail the next day.
King Neptune and Princess Otohime returned to the palace, while Jason found Arlong, who was accompanied by Jinbei. Upon seeing Jason approach, both of them stiffened slightly.
"Don't be nervous, I won't act recklessly!"
Jason sat down next to them.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing much. I just want to say that not all humans are bad. There are good ones among us. For example, I risked my life to save Brother Tiger, right?"
Hearing this, both of them started to lower their guard against Jason.
"Also, there's one more request I have for you, Arlong."
"What is it?"
Arlong looked puzzled, trying to figure out what Jason might need from him.
"If one day—let's say if you ever go to a place called Cocoyashi Village in the East Blue—do not kill anyone there! The rest is up to you! Can you promise that?"
"Is that all?"
"Yep!"
"Okay! For Brother Tiger's sake, I'll promise you!"
Jason felt relieved. He hoped Arlong wouldn't forget to be cautious, as saving people without significantly altering the timeline was a complex task.
(„ಡωಡ„) "I'll reward myself by looking at a mermaid for one more minute. Dear Robin, you won't blame me, right?"
"Alright, I'm counting on you. Don't forget! I'm leaving!"
"Uncle Tiger, I'm off!"
"Oh! Walk slowly! Remember to gather at Fish-Man Bay tomorrow and return to the surface!"
"Got it!"
Jason stood up, clapped his hands, greeted Fisher Tiger, and slowly left the Geelong Court Square.
With some time still on his hands, Jason began to wander, unknowingly arriving at the Sea Forest.
"This is... the Sea Forest? How did I end up here? Oh well, I should go back!"
Just as he turned to leave, Jason remembered there might be a piece of history here!
"That's right! If I take a rubbing of this historical text and give it to Robin, she will be so moved! Then I could seize the opportunity to kiss her, hug her... and then..."
(˵ಡ『ಡ˵) Ohohohoh~
With determination, Jason, who initially planned to leave, suddenly felt energized.
Finding the historical article wasn't difficult. Digging a little deeper revealed not just one but two pieces! There was even a red poneglyph here!
However, Jason realized he hadn't brought any rubbing paper...
But that didn't deter him. He quickly used his Moonwalk and Shave techniques to gather the paper in just two minutes, skills he hadn't utilized against Arlong. This showed how he was trying to gain an advantage with Robin. Although he could win her over without this, making his wife happy was his priority!
That night, Jason slept in a hotel near the snack street of Yuman Bay, as it was his favorite location, offering delicious food right upon waking!
...
The next morning, after eating to his heart's content, Jason returned to Fish-Man Bay. The ships there had been coated, which normally wouldn't be necessary for fish-men, but for Jason, some items couldn't be submerged in water.
"Hey! Brother Jason! You're here early!"
"Ah, good morning, Uncle Tiger. I'm heading home now. I couldn't sleep!"
"Then please wait a moment. The food for the journey isn't ready yet. It's the last to be prepared since it's the easiest to gather!"
"No problem, I'll just look around for a bit!"
About an hour passed, and the food delivery arrived, brought by King Neptune and Princess Otohime.
"Brother Jason, these are the specialties I promised you! They include various shellfish, snacks from Fish-Man Island, and even deep-sea pearls!"
King Neptune gestured to Minister Zuo, who directed two mermaids to bring out a huge package and set it down in front of Jason.
"Thank you so much! Robin will love this!"
Jason knew exactly what Robin liked: various books, especially history ones, sandwiches, not-too-sweet cakes, and coffee. Of course, she also liked pearls; what girl didn't love shiny things?
Jason packed the large bag of specialties and went to wait by the side. There was nothing else for him to do at that moment.
Fisher Tiger and the King engaged in lengthy discussions, as it was natural to talk more before leaving Fish-Man Island.
More than an hour later, as noon approached, Fisher Tiger returned to the ship.
"Everything is ready! Let's set sail, brothers!"
As the ship departed slowly, King Neptune, Princess Otohime, and a group of fish-men waved goodbye until it disappeared from sight.
...
Everyone on board, except for Fisher Tiger, looked ahead with excitement, including Jason. The fish-men were thrilled because they were now pirates free to roam the sea, while Jason felt joy about returning home.
Only Fisher Tiger appeared solemn, as the future ahead remained uncertain and undoubtedly dangerous.
"Brother Tiger! Our voyage is about to begin! What shall we call our pirate crew?"
A younger crew member asked.
"I've already decided. Our crew will be called the Sun Pirates!"
"Why not Fish-Man Pirates since we're all fish-men?"
"Because some of our comrades were rescued from the Celestial Dragons and branded with the hoof of the flying dragon, marking them as slaves. To prevent discrimination, I discussed it with Princess Otohime and others and decided to brand everyone on the ship with a sun symbol to cover the dragon's mark."
"If anyone disagrees, they can disembark now! We haven't left Fish-Man Island yet!"
"We will not! We will never discriminate against our fellow fish-men!"
The crew shouted in unity!
Jason smiled at this display of togetherness. Indeed, it seemed humans were the ones keen on fighting amongst themselves!
Using the underwater channel, the ship swiftly approached the entrance of Fish-Man Island.
"Listen up! Once we leave this place, we'll have no ties to Fish-Man Island! Everything we do from now on is our own responsibility! Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
With their jubilant cries, the ship exited Fish-Man Island and began rising to the surface.
...
...
Sabaody Archipelago
Not far from the civilian entrance on Island 44, the Sun Pirates' ship emerged from the water, its coating falling away as it surfaced.
"Finally here! Hahahaha!"
Excitement spread across the faces of the fish-men, with some marveling at the sky, sea, and distant mangroves.
"Uncle Tiger, it's not wise for you to enter the Sabaody Archipelago now, so let's part ways here!"
"Alright, this small boat is prepared for you! You can use it without needing navigation tools; it's just a matter of preference!"
One side of the large ship opened, revealing a smaller boat capable of holding just a dozen people. A fish-man pushed the small boat into the sea.
"Hahaha! Thank you very much!"
Jason grabbed his bag of specialties and jumped onto the small boat.
"I'm leaving now, Uncle Tiger! See you later!"
"Ah, until we meet again! You'll always be my friend!"
"Of course! Arlong, don't forget my request!"
Waving goodbye, Jason rowed the boat toward the Sabaody Archipelago. After he disappeared into the waterway in the center of the island, Fisher Tiger and his crew also slowly departed from the Sabaody Archipelago, heading into the unknown.
Jason skillfully navigated his small boat without losing his way, finally arriving at Island No. 13 without incident.
Securing his boat, he picked up his bag of specialty goods and walked toward Shakky's Rip-off Bar. As he reached the door, Jason decided to have a little fun.
Knocking on the door, he lowered his voice, pretending to be official:
"Gate of Opening! I am a Marine from headquarters, and I have orders to search for suspicious persons!"
Inside, there was a moment of silence before the sound of footsteps approached.
When the door opened, it was Shakky. Upon recognizing Jason, she rolled her eyes.
"It's just you, Brother Jason! You scared me! I thought a real Marine had come, and I was ready to help Hancock and the others escape!"
"Did I frighten you, Miss Shakky?"
"Not really!"
"That's a relief!"
Jason stepped into the bar, where he found not Rayleigh, but another familiar face glaring at him.
"Alala, Hancock, Marigold, Sandersonia, are you scared?"
Hancock's eyes flared with anger upon hearing this.
"Damn it! I'll turn this bastard to stone!"
Marigold and Sandersonia hurriedly intervened.
"Sis, please don't! Mr. Jason is our savior; you can't do this!"
"Exactly! If you use your powers like that, you won't get married, I promise you!"
Hearing this, Hancock became even angrier, while her sisters anxiously tried to dissuade her.
"Mr. Jason, please quit teasing your sister! We're at our wit's end!"
The two of them had worried expressions on their faces.
"By the way, why are you back from Fish-Man Island already? Didn't you just go there yesterday?"
"I completed my tasks, so I came back promptly. Look! I brought back some special snacks!"
Jason pointed to his specialty gift bag, taking out a few snacks to share.
"These are treats from Fish-Man Island. Make sure you aren't angry with me after eating them!"
"Thank you!"
"I don't want them! Hmph!"
Jason just shrugged in response.
"By the way, when I returned, I noticed that there aren't many Marines left on the island. I suspect the World Government wants to manage this quietly. If you want to head home, now is the time!"
Upon hearing this, Hancock and her sisters' faces lit up with hope—could they finally go home?
"Really? It calmed down so quickly? Mr. Rayleigh has been out all this time, so we didn't know what's going on!"
"Yes! I rowed all the way in from the island without seeing many Marines. It should be safe! Just let Hancock and the others put on ordinary clothes and disguise themselves as fishermen returning from the sea!"
"Sounds great! Let's wait for Mr. Rayleigh to return before we decide what day to leave!"
"Alright! But you'd better hurry, or my beloved Robin won't get to try these snacks!"
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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