At ten thousand meters under the sea, a colossal, glowing bubble came into view.
A ray of light shone down from the surface above, completely covering the immense bubble. Inside this bubble was the legendary island that many people yearned for: Fish-Man Island.
The Straw Hat crew stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, looking at the island that resembled a luminous pearl at the bottom of the sea. They were all completely captivated.
Carl silently raised his camera to take pictures, his eyes shining with excitement.
"This is Fish-Man Island! What a beautiful place!" Luffy couldn't help but sigh.
"It's such a gorgeous island, and it has beautiful mermaid ladies! It's a man's dream!" Sanji was already dizzy with heart eyes.
"Yohohohoho! I wonder if I might be permitted to take a peek at Miss Mermaid's panties!" Brook also expressed his typical lustful desire.
"Ah, I've heard that mermaids don't wear panties," Little B (Chopper) stated, adjusting his glasses.
They don't wear panties?!
Both Sanji and Brook were stunned, and blood gushed from both of their nostrils at the same time.
Jango rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Why would you think that? Their lower bodies are entirely fish! It's natural they don't wear panties. And it's not like you haven't seen Granny Kokoro, so it's best not to have overly high expectations."
As soon as Granny Kokoro was mentioned, Sanji and Brook instantly lost all spirit, as if their dreams had been shattered. Brook had seen her photo and, upon hearing she was a mermaid, felt just like Sanji that perhaps true love didn't exist. Now that Jango brought her up again, they felt utterly defeated.
"Never be like Granny Kokoro," they silently vowed, "or we will truly die!"
The Kraken successfully guided the Thousand Sunny and the submarine to the entrance of Fish-Man Island. The Fish-Man and crab soldiers guarding the entrance were terrified by the monstrous Kraken. Someone had already contacted the high command for backup.
However, a large, blue Fish-Man appeared at that moment, instantly calming the panicking soldiers.
"Boss Jinbe, thank you for coming! This sea monster is trying to force its way onto Fish-Man Island! You have to beat it back!"
"Boss Jinbe, the safety of Fish-Man Island rests on you!"
"Boss Jinbe..."
Indeed, the blue, stout Fish-Man was Jinbe. His popularity on Fish-Man Island was clearly very high.
Jinbe quickly raised his hand to quiet the noisy soldiers. "Don't be nervous. We have old friends here, and I came to greet them after hearing the news."
With that, Jinbe looked up at the top of the Kraken's head.
The Thousand Sunny and the submarine emerged, and Luffy and the others waved and smiled at Jinbe.
"Jinbe, long time no see! We're here to visit Fish-Man Island!" Luffy shouted.
"Brother Luffy, you are all very welcome!"
With Jinbe arriving to greet them personally, there would be no trouble entering Fish-Man Island at all. When the soldiers learned it was the arrival of the Five Emperors crew, they were immediately stiff with fear.
In the minds of many Fish-Men, a figure who could stand on equal footing with the Four Emperors was an overwhelmingly powerful existence. They recalled the chaos Fish-Man Island had endured, a period they couldn't bear to remember. But simply because of Whitebeard's words—"I am friends with King Neptune"—and the hoisting of the Whitebeard Pirates' flag, Fish-Man Island was completely protected and stabilized. To many Fish-Men, Whitebeard was practically a god.
The Straw Hats could challenge the Whitebeard Pirates. Who would dare mess with an existence like that? Fortunately, many also knew that the Straw Hats and the Whitebeard Pirates were allies, and that Straw Hat Luffy and Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, Ace, were sworn brothers. There was no need to fear; they were all friends!
Jinbe was extremely welcoming. "Brother Luffy, King Neptune has already heard about the Straw Hats' arrival and specifically asked me to welcome you. Follow me to the Ryugu Palace! The King has already prepared a banquet!"
"Banquet! Banquet! Meat! I want meat!"
Luffy, the dedicated food lover, drooled openly, which made those around him slightly disgusted.
Carl put a hand to his forehead helplessly. This was his student, a complete glutton and a goofball determined to embarrass his teacher.
The rest of the crew also looked embarrassed. We're so sorry to have such a Five Emperors captain!
Carl quickly intervened. "Jinbe, could you take us to the Sea Forest first? I heard that's where the ship coating is done. We need to leave the ship there to save time later."
Franky added, "By the way, my teacher, Tom-san, has a younger brother in the Sea Forest. I'd like to meet him and have him coat the ship. I also need to send a letter to Granny Kokoro and Iceburg."
When Luffy heard they had to go elsewhere first, he became visibly unhappy. Then Nami slapped him hard on the deck, firmly deciding they would go to the Sea Forest first.
"Then let's go to the Sea Forest first. It will take the King a little more time to prepare the full banquet anyway," Jinbe said easily.
Next, the Kraken continued to pull the Sunny and the submarine toward the Sea Forest. Jinbe boarded the Sunny, and everyone exchanged greetings and caught up on the latest news.
"The Whitebeard Pirates are not doing well right now," Jinbe volunteered.
"The Blackbeard Pirates have been aggressively invading Whitebeard's territories while my father's injuries have not yet fully healed. They're committing all sorts of crimes—burning, killing, and looting. The Whitebeard Pirates have been forced to consolidate their forces and wait until my father recovers."
The atmosphere among the Straw Hat crew immediately became serious at the mention of this. There was no doubt that the Blackbeard Pirates would eventually become enemies of the Straw Hats, and a confrontation was inevitable.
Law couldn't help but ask, "Jinbe, are you certain how strong Blackbeard is now? It's impossible that he hasn't fought against anyone significant during this sudden expansion into the New World!"
Jinbe was very well-informed. "Blackbeard has indeed engaged in a few fights. The Blackbeard Pirate crew began seizing territory as soon as they arrived in the New World, and they wiped out many major pirates. Some of these pirates had bounties over $1 billion Berries. Yet, few of them lasted three moves against Blackbeard."
A pirate with a bounty of $1 billion Berries couldn't last three moves against Blackbeard?
This result was certainly shocking.
As the only person in the world with the power of three Devil Fruits—two Logia-types and one unknown—Marshall D. Teach had undoubtedly attracted immense attention, so the news Jinbe shared was certainly credible. However, was it truly that easy to defeat a pirate with a $1 billion bounty in just three moves?
Carl wasn't overly impressed. A high bounty didn't necessarily mean absolute strength; some highly-bountied pirates were mediocre fighters after all. If Blackbeard could defeat a monster like the Yonko Kaido's right-hand man Jack in three moves, then Carl would admit Blackbeard was powerful enough. Otherwise, he was still likely far weaker than Luffy.
Carl had stressed more than once that Devil Fruits change fate, but Haki defines a life. The power of three Devil Fruits was indeed potent, but Blackbeard's Haki was still likely lacking. Carl estimated his strength had only just climbed to the Yonko tier.
He definitely wouldn't be able to defeat any of the veteran Four Emperors, which was why he was only bullying the injured and aged Whitebeard. If he was truly strong, he would go challenge Kaido or Shanks. Not daring to do so meant his strength simply wasn't sufficient.
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