Chapter 250: That Service Actually Exists
The Ryugu Kingdom's diplomatic office on the Sabaody Archipelago was surprisingly easy to find. Clear, concise signposts indicated the correct path at every major intersection.
Unless one suffered from an inherently terminal sense of direction—the kind that magically prevented them from reaching their destination no matter what—even a reasonably intelligent animal could follow the arrows straight to the office doors.
When designing the layout, the Fish-Men had thoughtfully taken the abysmal average literacy rate of pirates into account. Consequently, the area was plastered with large, vivid illustrations depicting exactly what the building was for, alongside blatantly obvious pictograms of various forbidden actions.
On the outer fringes of the Sabaody Archipelago, the thunderous roar of Marine artillery echoed across the groves. Dracule Mihawk was entirely unaware that the bombardment was a massive manhunt aimed squarely at him, the infamous "Marine Hunter."
Ever since he casually strolled into Fish-Man Island's jurisdictional zone, he hadn't seen a single trace of the Marines.
"I heard you offer a service for a rapid, direct descent to Fish-Man Island."
While some of the pirates actively seeking transit permits here harbored undeniably malicious intentions, even they were forced to put on their best behavior and rigidly adhere to the rules. As a result, the queue was remarkably orderly.
Finding a relatively uncrowded service counter, Mihawk stated his request bluntly.
"Rapid direct descent? Are you referring to our VIP solo sightseeing package?" the clerk asked politely. "The fee for that is considerably higher. Here is the itemized price list, along with the strict rules and safety regulations you must abide by."
The pirate captain earlier had merely spouted total nonsense in a desperate bid to get Mihawk off his ship. He had absolutely no idea that Fish-Man Island actually offered such a service.
Compared to the sluggish, multi-day process of coating a ship and hoping it didn't sink, this VIP route involved a dedicated Neptune Army escort. It was exponentially faster, and the safety coefficient was practically guaranteed.
Only Fish-Men and Merfolk possessed the underwater mastery required to entirely mitigate the lethal risks of deep-sea descent and ensure a client's survival if an accident occurred.
However, this premium service was primarily aimed at wealthy tourists eager to explore the wonders of the deep sea. Anyone who could afford to travel across the oceans to Sabaody Archipelago purely for sightseeing wasn't short on cash, meaning the fee was naturally exorbitant.
Mihawk briefly scanned the list of regulations before tossing a thick stack of Berries onto the counter.
Human trafficking, smuggling, causing trouble—he had zero interest in any of those activities anyway, so the restricted behaviors didn't concern him in the slightest.
"When is the next departure?"
"In three hours, sir."
"Acceptable."
Although it still required a bit of waiting, compared to spending several agonizing days waiting for a ship coating to dry, this was incredibly efficient.
Taking his VIP transit permit, Mihawk walked straight toward a nearby commercial district. With three hours to kill, he needed to find a place to pass the time.
Mihawk wandered aimlessly until three words hanging above a small bar caught his eye: "Rip-Off Bar."
However, what drew Mihawk's attention wasn't the bar's name, but the old man sitting in a rocking chair by the entrance, casually smoking a cigarette.
Though his hair had turned completely silver, his eyes radiated an unmistakable, profound vitality.
"The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh. I never expected to stumble across the right hand of the Pirate King in a place like this."
"You've got the wrong person, young man," the old man chuckled, not missing a beat. "I'm no 'Dark King.' I'm just an old geezer enjoying his retirement."
It hadn't been that many years since Roger's execution, yet the physical appearances of many legendary figures had undergone drastic changes. Rayleigh's iconic blond hair was now fully silver.
Gloriosa of Amazon Lily had aged even more severely, shriveling into a hunched old woman; nobody looking at her now would ever guess she was the fearsome Empress of the Kuja Pirates from decades ago.
Roger's death had profoundly shifted the mindsets of many people across the sea.
Seeing the man deny his identity, Mihawk neither turned to leave nor drew his blade. He simply stood there in silence, staring intently at Rayleigh.
"Young man, you're blocking my sunlight," Rayleigh sighed after a while. "Do you mind stepping aside?"
The suffocating silence stretched on until the angle of the sun shifted across the sky. Finally, Mihawk broke eye contact and quietly turned away, choosing to leave without forcing a confrontation.
He couldn't sense even a shred of fighting intent emanating from Rayleigh. He understood perfectly well that when a legendary blade willingly sheathed itself and completely hid its edge, he couldn't force it to swing.
Unable to get what he wanted, he naturally departed.
"What was that about?" Shakky asked, stepping out of the bar. "You just stared at that kid in silence for half the afternoon?"
"He's quite an impressive young man," Rayleigh smiled softly. "This new era is much more lively than ours was. Still, that kid walks around with such a stiff, gloomy face... he doesn't look like the type who smiles much.
"I don't think someone like him is the one Roger is waiting for."
Sometime later, safely enveloped in the protective bubble film of his VIP suite, Mihawk began his descent into the deep sea. The other reason he had left the bar was that his "departure time" was fast approaching.
There were a few others traveling alongside him in separate bubbles. Judging by their luxurious clothing and massive piles of luggage, they were clearly wealthy tourists on vacation.
Swimming outside the bubbles, Neptune Army soldiers acted as dedicated tour guides, introducing the marvels of the underwater ecosystem and politely answering the tourists' questions.
The VIP clients weren't crammed into a massive, communal bubble. Each person had their own private, bubble-coated suite, and some even had a dedicated 1-on-1 Fish-Man guide. Considering the astronomical fee they had paid, this level of premium service was to be expected.
"Please do not panic," a guide's voice echoed through a Den Den Mushi speaker inside the bubbles. "Those were unruly pirates attempting to cross the border illegally. Since you have purchased our VIP service, we will ensure every single one of you arrives at Fish-Man Island safely."
Halfway through the descent, a squadron of Sea Beasts had mercilessly pulverized a pirate ship attempting to sneak past the checkpoint. The brutal scene had terrified some of the tourists, prompting the escorts to quickly reassure them.
"What about the Marines?"
Mihawk, who had remained completely silent for the entire trip, finally asked his first question.
"The Marines?" The Fish-Man guide snorted. "The Marines don't dare take this route. Normally, we mind our own business, but if those bastards ever decided to look for trouble, we certainly wouldn't be afraid of them."
Mihawk could clearly hear the deep-seated disgust in the soldier's voice—but woven tightly into that disgust was an unmistakable layer of sheer, absolute disdain.
"I heard your King was once a highly wanted criminal?" Mihawk asked calmly.
"Oh? You're quite well-informed, sir," the guide chuckled. "But that was a very long time ago. It was entirely because the Marines committed heinous atrocities and refused to admit it, so they pinned the blame on him instead.
"The World Government cleared that up ages ago! His Majesty Nereus is an incredibly warm, benevolent, and wise King!"
Mihawk deeply resonated with the phrase "committed heinous atrocities and refused to admit it." That was exactly how the Marines operated. No matter what atrocities they committed, they could always shout "Justice" to justify it, and anyone who opposed them was immediately branded "Evil."
Even when a Marine was blatantly committing acts of pure evil, if you killed them to protect yourself, you would instantly be slapped with a bounty. Then, you'd be relentlessly hunted down, destroying any hope of a peaceful life.
It was normal for the Marines not to patrol the deep sea. But back on the surface, while he was waiting, Mihawk had clearly noticed something: the Marines absolutely refused to step a single inch into Fish-Man Island's jurisdictional zone.
Even when pirates they were actively hunting fled into that sector, the Marines would immediately halt their pursuit, as if terrified of crossing an invisible line.
Even the legendary Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, could peacefully run a bar in that territory without fear of a Marine raid.
And this... was exactly what he wanted.
The World Government's invitation to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea was an undeniable acknowledgment of his terrifying strength; ordinary Marines were completely powerless against him anyway.
"Accepting this invitation... perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea," Mihawk thought to himself as he watched the vibrant deep-sea landscape. "At the very least, it will keep those annoying flies as far away from me as possible..."
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