"…Sorry."
Jinbei finally said the last two words—
But the Den Den Mushi on the other end had already gone dead.
Staring at the silent transponder snail, Prince Fukaboshi of Fishman Island frowned.
"Jinbei, you're one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a member of Marine HQ. Wasn't your attitude just now a bit too soft?"
The other two princes nodded in agreement.
In their eyes, Jinbei wasn't just anyone.
As a Warlord, he held a respected position both on Fishman Island and in the eyes of the Marines.
Even among the Yonko, his name carried weight.
And yet, the one on the other end of the line?
Just a pirate from the weakest sea.
Jinbei, face dark, shook his head.
"No… It's not about status."
"You have to understand, Arlong once followed Tiger-san. We've sailed the Grand Line, even the New World. We've faced Admirals, Yonko, monsters of all kinds…"
"But even if Arlong were facing a hopeless battle, he would never sound so desperate."
"There's only one explanation." Jinbei's tone grew heavy.
"To Arlong… the enemy he faced wasn't just strong. He was far stronger than anything we saw in the New World."
This time, the three princes' faces truly changed.
None of them could have imagined that Arlong, out in the East Blue, had run into someone who even Jinbei held in such dread.
"How is that possible? Isn't the East Blue the weakest sea?" Fukaboshi asked, visibly regretful.
He never should've brought Fishman Island into this.
He'd only tried to protect Arlong for the sake of drawing Jinbei closer…
But instead, they not only failed to save Arlong—
They may have just made Fishman Island a new enemy.
Jinbei, bitter, revealed a few secrets:
"East Blue… is the hometown of Garp, the Marine Hero."
"It's said he sometimes returns, though no one knows exactly where."
"Shanks, the Red-Haired Yonko, is also rumored to vanish into East Blue now and then."
"More than that, the Marines place high importance on East Blue. That's why no particularly strong pirates ever rise there."
The three princes listened in stunned silence, horror creeping into their hearts.
Garp—the legendary Marine who captured the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Red-Haired Shanks—on the cusp of being declared one of the Yonko.
To offend either of them would be suicide.
"Damn Arlong!" Jinbei slammed the table.
"What did that idiot do in the East Blue to make someone so furious that even killing him wasn't enough?"
"What now, Jinbei-dono?"
Fukaboshi was clearly worried.
Arlong was no longer important. Right now, all they cared about was how to avoid a war.
Jinbei frowned deeply. "We wait. Gather intel. We must find out who this Uzumaki Naruto truly is."
"And I need to visit the Whitebeard Pirates—urgently."
The princes nodded quickly.
If they'd really provoked a monster, Whitebeard might be their only hope.
...
"Tsk tsk… just arrived and already pissed off Fishman Island,"
A chuckle slipped from Naruto.
Nami lowered her head in guilt.
"Naruto-dono… I'm sorry. Just to protect us, you've made such a powerful enemy…"
She didn't really understand what a Warlord of the Sea was.
But the words "recognized by Marine HQ" were enough to terrify her.
Naruto just shook his head with a calm smile.
"Doesn't matter. What's another grudge? I've already pissed off Marine HQ and the World Government."
"Adding Fishman Island to the list? Eh, no big deal."
He ruffled Nami's orange hair, voice soft:
"Blood debts… must be paid in blood."
There was no way the higher-ups on Fishman Island didn't know what Arlong had been doing.
In the end, they protected their own kind.
Nami nodded firmly.
"I'll get stronger too. One day, I'll help Naruto-dono kill them all."
Naruto smiled and nodded approvingly—then turned to the few remaining trembling fishmen in the distance.
"Still some left…"
"W-Wait!!"
Hachi, eyes wide in terror, raised all six of his arms. One of them held a Den Den Mushi.
"Silvers Rayleigh—the Dark King—is on the line! He wants to talk to you—"
"Chidori."
Lightning pierced straight through Hachi's heart.
Naruto didn't wait for another word.
He struck like thunder and ended him instantly.
Redemption?
What a joke.
You don't get to commit atrocities, then ask for forgiveness with a single apology.
Nami didn't say anything.
Too many had died—her young heart had already begun to grow numb.
And deep inside… the seeds of revenge and slaughter were taking root.
"…The Dark King, huh?"
Naruto picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. What, are you planning to avenge that guy too?"
On the other end, inside Shakky's Rip-off Bar in Sabaody Archipelago, Silvers Rayleigh sat in a chair, gazing at the snail in his hand.
"…So you do believe it was me on the line when you killed Hachi?"
"Of course."
"…Sigh."
Rayleigh let out a long, helpless sigh.
If Naruto had said "no," he might've left things be.
After all, he had already washed his hands of piracy.
And Hachi…
Was a pirate. A criminal.
If he died—he deserved it.
But Naruto knew.
He knew who Rayleigh was, and still killed him.
Now Rayleigh couldn't ignore it.
"…He once saved my life," the former Pirate King's right hand said bitterly.
"If I ever meet you in person… I'll probably avenge him."
"Great. I'd love to fight the Pirate King's right hand."
Naruto hung up without hesitation.
Hearing the busy tone, Rayleigh let out a wry smile.
"What an arrogant brat…"
"He's pissed off Jinbei and Fishman Island, and now he's challenging me too…"
(End of Chapter)
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