Chapter 28: Jinbe's "Honor," Garp's "Logic"
Jinbe's massive frame froze in place, solidified into a blue reef by the crushing pressure of the ten-thousand-meter deep sea.
The sounds of the world seemed to vanish.
Only Garp's casual remark detonated repeatedly within his mind.
"On the way... beat that old hag up for you?"
On the Coral Plaza, the air, which had just begun to relax after the training session, was once again stretched to the breaking point.
Clatter.
The Clima-Tact in Nami's hand slipped through her fingers.
It hit the uneven coral ground with a light sound, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Wh... What did he just say?"
"Beat... beat her up? The Charlotte Linlin?"
"What does he think a Four Emperor is? Some minor inconvenience he can solve on a detour?"
"We're going to be chased to the ends of the New World! We'll be turned into cake along with Fish-Man Island and sunk to the bottom of the sea!"
Nami's voice trembled uncontrollably as she hugged Chopper tightly.
She felt the entire world spinning; the solid ground beneath her feet felt like a storm-tossed ocean.
"It's over... This grandpa is ten thousand times more reckless than Luffy!"
Usopp rolled his eyes back, foam bubbling at his mouth as he slumped limply backward.
Garp paid no attention to the cries of the juniors behind him.
To his ears, their panic was nothing more than the buzzing of mosquitoes, unable to affect his mood for the upcoming dinner in the slightest.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he grabbed Luffy—who had just crawled up from the ground—by the back of his collar. Arms around each other's shoulders, they walked toward Ryugu Palace.
"Let's go, you brat! Training is over, time to eat!"
"Tell Neptune to bring out that Sea King sake! No one leaves until it's all gone today!"
"Oh oh! Food! Sake!"
The vast Coral Plaza was left with nothing but countless impact craters and a crowd of petrified people.
And Jinbe, standing alone in the center of the square, looking lost and abandoned by the world.
Night fell over Fish-Man Island.
Outside the massive bubble lay eternal darkness.
Inside the bubble, the soft glow emitted by the coral decorated this underwater paradise like a dream.
The Sea Forest.
This was the quietest place on Fish-Man Island, and the final resting place of Queen Otohime.
Before the massive white tombstone, Jinbe's tall figure cast a silent shadow.
He had been standing there for a long time, motionless.
In his mind, two voices were fighting a chaotic war.
On one side was his promise to Queen Otohime. It was his responsibility for the future of Fish-Man Island, the "Code of Honor" he maintained with the Four Emperor pirate, Big Mom, to preserve this fragile peace.
On the other side were Luffy's clear, determined eyes.
And Garp's unreasonable, yet irrefutable "logic."
Which one is the correct path?
The aroma of food, accompanied by light footsteps, came from behind him.
Jinbe didn't turn around.
He knew who it was.
Crunch.
A crisp chewing sound broke the silence of the forest.
Garp's figure sat down beside him without warning, holding a skewer of steaming hot takoyaki in his hand.
He didn't launch into a long speech, nor did he preach from a high horse.
He simply bit off a takoyaki ball and asked vaguely with his mouth full:
"Is this 'honor' of yours just pinning the future of Fish-Man Island on whether a moody, insane old hag receives her damn sweets on time?"
Jinbe's body shook violently.
Garp bit off another ball and continued.
"My logic is simple."
"The future of your family and your crew should be held in your own hands."
"Since my grandson has decided on you, you need to keep up with his pace."
"Don't make him stop and wait for you to sort out your stale, rotten baggage."
His words were simple and crude.
But like a sharp knife, they sliced open the fragile shell Jinbe had wrapped himself in under the guise of "honor."
Garp held out the skewer, which had only one takoyaki ball left, in front of Jinbe.
"Will you pick up a weapon and protect the people you want to protect?"
"Or will you hug your laughable honor, stay here, and passively take a beating? Choose for yourself."
He paused, a dangerous smile pulling at his lips.
"As for the small problems... I'm here."
Jinbe looked at the bamboo skewer in front of him.
The last takoyaki was still steaming.
He raised his head again, looking toward Ryugu Palace in the distance.
Even across such a distance, he felt as if he could hear the laughter of Luffy and his crew fighting over food.
The hesitation, the struggle, and the confusion in his eyes were replaced in that instant by an unprecedented light.
That light was named "Resolve."
The banquet at Ryugu Palace continued.
Although the threat of one Four Emperor was gone, the presence of Garp—who was even more unreasonable than an Emperor—kept the atmosphere strangely eerie.
Just then, Jinbe returned.
His tall figure appeared at the entrance of the Great Hall.
Everyone's eyes instantly focused on him.
He didn't look at anyone else.
He walked straight up to Luffy.
Under the shocked, confused, and bewildered gazes of everyone present, the former Warlord of the Sea, Captain of the Sun Pirates, and Hero of Fish-Man Island, "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe...
Slowly knelt on one knee.
He took a cup filled to the brim with sake from a nearby guard's tray. He raised it high with both hands and offered it to the straw-hatted boy who was still fighting Zoro for the last piece of roast meat.
"Captain."
His voice was steady, resonant, and echoed throughout the entire hall.
"I, Jinbe, from this day forth, am willing to discard everything to follow you!"
"This life is yours!"
"Please accept this cup of initiation!"
Luffy stopped fighting for the meat.
He stared blankly at Jinbe kneeling before him, then looked at the cup of sake, his mouth opening wider and wider.
In the next second.
He snatched the cup and downed it in one gulp!
Then, he revealed a smile brighter than the sunlight.
"That's great! Jinbe!"
"Welcome! My partner!"
"OHHHHHHH!"
"Boss Jinbe has joined us!"
"We finally have a helmsman!"
"Start the banquet! A banquet for our new crewmate!"
After a brief silence, the entire Straw Hat crew erupted into unprecedented cheers.
Nami and Usopp wept tears of joy, Luffy did a strange celebratory dance, Franky struck a "SUPER" pose, and Chopper and Brook sang and jumped around.
The atmosphere in the Great Hall was completely ignited at this moment.
King Neptune watched this scene, a relieved smile appearing on his face.
Sitting in the seat of honor, Garp finished the last drop of Sea King sake and let out a satisfied burp.
Just at the peak of this carnival.
"Re... Report!"
A guard of Ryugu Palace rushed into the Great Hall, scrambling and crawling, his expression full of panic.
He ran so fast he even slammed headfirst into a pillar.
He scrambled up immediately, his voice high-pitched and distorted by fear.
"Report to His Majesty! Bad news!"
"A ship... A ship flying the flag of the Beast Pirates has forcibly broken into Fish-Man Island!"
The carnival music came to a screeching halt.
The smiles froze on everyone's faces.
The Great Hall fell into a deathly silence once again.
The Beast Pirates.
That was the crew of another one of the Four Emperors—Kaido of the Beasts.
(To be Continued)