In the New World, aboard the Moby Dick, Marco was receiving a newspaper from a seagull.
The moment he saw the front-page headline, his interest was piqued.
"Pops, looks like another incredible rookie has appeared on the seas. The moment he showed up, the Marines slapped a 300 million Beli bounty on him."
Whitebeard burst into laughter after reading Chenos's news.
"Gurararara! What an interesting brat. He looks promising. Marco—if this kid makes it to the New World, go ask him whether he wants to join our family!"
At the Big Mom Pirates' territory, Perospero was also reading the paper. When he saw Chenos, he couldn't help but stick out his long tongue and lick his lollipop.
"Mama, there's an interesting little punk here. The moment he appeared on the seas, he killed a Marine Vice Admiral. Should we recruit him into our crew?"
"Ma~ma~ma~ma~" Big Mom laughed. "What race is he?"
Perospero replied awkwardly, "Uh… Mama, he's human. But his—"
Before Perospero could finish, the anticipation on Big Mom's face vanished, replaced by a terrifyingly cold expression.
"Hmph. Just a human. Boring. If this brat comes to the New World, recruit him. If he refuses—kill him."
Aboard the Red-Haired Pirates' ship, Shanks showed a trace of sadness after reading Chenos's news.
"Beckman… this kid was a slave too. Sigh. Those Celestial Dragons… they really commit endless sins."
Beckman quickly scanned the newspaper. After finishing, a look of surprise crossed his face.
"An encounter above Fish-Man Island? If it was there, the Marines would definitely send Borsalino, the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit. From Marine Headquarters, it'd only take him a few minutes to arrive."
"Vice Admiral Kent was a mid-tier Vice Admiral. Even if he was killed, a 300 million bounty would still be excessive."
"Which means the Marines likely sent Borsalino after Chenos—and not only did Chenos survive, he probably defeated him. Otherwise, the Marines wouldn't issue such a high bounty."
"Captain, this kid Chenos has serious potential. I think we should recruit him. With some time to grow, he'd become a core combatant on our ship. When we face Kaido or Big Mom in the future, we'd gain a huge boost in strength."
Shanks looked at Beckman with a helpless expression.
"Beckman… this kid was a slave. Look at his chest—that's clearly the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon. Wuu… that's just too pitiful."
Beckman's face darkened as he looked at the drunk Shanks. He pulled out his gun and smashed the butt of it hard against Shanks's head.
"You bastard! You drank all night again, didn't you?! Wake up!"
In Wano Country, Kaido merely let out a disdainful snort after seeing the news, tossed the newspaper to the ground, and continued drinking.
It wasn't just the Four Emperors.
Many pirates throughout the New World had also noticed Chenos's emergence. They marveled at yet another peerless rookie appearing on the seas—yet wondered whether this powerful newcomer would join one of the great forces… or die at the hands of a Sea Emperor.
All of these reactions were unknown to Chenos.
And even if he did know, he wouldn't care.
Because his goal was never to please them—
He intended to claim a place in the New World.
Three days later, Chenos once again boarded the Freedom, now fully coated, and headed for Fish-Man Island.
With Fisher Tiger on board, the journey went smoothly, and they safely descended into the sea. Fish-Man Island—the final stop of the first half of the Grand Line—was only half a day away once the Log Pose locked on.
Chenos also planned to accompany Fisher to the Ryugu Palace, to explain their intentions to King Neptune and Queen Otohime.
Fisher deeply respected both of them. Even when he planned the assault on Mary Geoise, he had informed them beforehand.
This time, forming an alliance with Chenos, he likewise hoped to gain their support. With their backing, their plans would become far easier to carry out.
Fisher was extremely popular on Fish-Man Island. Wherever he went, fish-men greeted him warmly.
As the group passed through the island's central plaza, they saw Queen Otohime—her small figure standing out—calling out to the crowd, urging them to sign a petition.
"I have already received approval from the World Nobles to establish friendly relations between humans and fish-men!"
"This means we have taken another step toward the land!"
"As long as everyone signs the petition, we will be able to live on land one day!"
"Please, for the sake of our children—so they may one day see the sunlight on land—sign your names!"
Queen Otohime spoke passionately at the center of the plaza.
Yet her calls received little response.
Watching her be rejected again and again—yet still refusing to give up—Fisher felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Unable to bear seeing her like this, he quickly stepped forward.
"Princess Otohime, I'm back!"
Seeing Fisher, Otohime immediately lit up with joy.
"Fisher! Are you alright? I was so worried about you. I'm so glad you're willing to return to Fish-Man Island!"
"Come, I'll take you to see Neptune. He'll be so happy to know you're safe!"
Only then did Otohime notice Chenos, Tesoro, and Shark standing behind Fisher.
Her eyes brightened even more.
"Fisher, these three are…?"
Seeing the look in her eyes, Fisher understood exactly what she hoped to hear. He nodded.
"They are my captain and my companions—my… human friends."
He then introduced each of them in turn.
Upon hearing this, Otohime's smile grew even more radiant.
She took Chenos's hand and said warmly,
"Thank you for accepting Fisher as your crewmate. His thoughts can be rather extreme, and I've always been worried about him."
"I can feel your ambition—and your pain. I can also feel that you don't intend to use Fisher, but truly regard him as a companion. That makes me sincerely happy."
"Please, take good care of Fisher in the future. Help soothe the wounds in his heart. Don't let him fall into extremism. I'm counting on you."
Chenos smiled at Otohime.
"Don't worry, Queen Otohime. I'll take good care of Fisher. He's my crewmate, after all."
Although his inner thoughts had been seen through, Chenos felt no anger toward Otohime.
Someone who devoted her life to bridging the gap between humans and fish-men was impossible to hate.
However—
Not feeling anger did not mean agreeing with her ideals.
Chenos continued calmly,
"Queen Otohime, I deeply admire your dedication to reconciling humans and fish-men. But I must say this—your approach is too naïve."
"Relying solely on speeches and persuasion cannot make fish-men truly accept humans, nor can it truly bridge the gap between the two races."
"If fish-men truly wish to live on land—"
"They must walk another path."
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