"Brother Jinbe," the plump fish-man greeted Jinbe with respect.
"Mhm!" Jinbe nodded, signaling the red, round fish-man to go in and entertain Kouta and the others, ensuring they weren't neglected.
Lucci, at this moment, also noticed that Kouta and his group didn't seem like ordinary people. After all, someone who could have the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates as a guide, and have Jinbe accompanying them, couldn't possibly be ordinary.
Therefore, he nodded at Jinbe, turned around sternly, and walked into the restaurant.
"Haha!" Ace, seeing Jinbe's perpetually serious expression since meeting Kouta, smiled and said, "Jinbe, you don't need to be so tense. While I haven't interacted with Kouta and his group much, I can sense that they are clearly different from typical pirates. You don't need to be so nervous."
"I know."
"You know?"
"Mhm!" Jinbe nodded, gazing at the restaurant door with an unreadable emotion surfacing in his eyes. "I know they are different from ordinary pirates; I can sense it."
"Actually, with his strength, no one on this island can stop him, nor is there any place he cannot go. But he clearly has his own purpose. Although I don't know what it is, I still have to follow him until he leaves the island."
"After all, his strength..."
He didn't finish the sentence. Even in Whitebeard Pirates' territory, if that guy wanted to do something, Jinbe wouldn't be able to stop him.
As for pirates entering the New World, their conflicts might be with the Marines or other pirates there.
But Kouta's group, he believed, would not primarily clash with other pirates in that realm, but with the Four Emperors of the New World.
If the silver-haired one had ambitions, he would inevitably clash with the Whitebeard Pirates.
This was the reason why he had been nervously following Kouta.
Of course, there was another reason: Neptune did not welcome the silver-haired group, and he had to prevent them from going to Ryugu Palace.
Even if he couldn't stop them, following was better than not following. kan shuwu.xà
"Alright, stop thinking about all this unnecessary stuff."
Ace stepped forward, placed a hand on Jinbe's shoulder, and pulled him towards the restaurant entrance. "Someone's treating us to a meal, so our main task right now is to have a good feast."
Thinking of the delicious dishes Lucci made, he couldn't help but drool.
Swallowing, he gripped Jinbe's hand tighter and quickened his pace.
Jinbe glanced at Ace, shook his head helplessly, relaxed his body, and followed Ace into the restaurant.
...
"Hahahaha!! Is this the ship of that group of humans!"
Fish-Man Island, at the dock.
A group of fish-men, led by a gray great white shark-man with curly hair, wearing a flat hat adorned with a trident pattern, a wolf fur scarf around his neck, and a large tattoo on his left arm, arrived here.
They paid no mind to the guards surrounding the Freedom, their eyes filled with madness as they gazed up at the massive ship.
"Hody Jones, what are you doing here?"
The captain of the guards, seeing the fish-man leading the group, clenched his spear and stepped forward, shouting at Hody Jones.
Although they were all fish-men, the guards did not like these people from Fish-Man District; on the contrary, they even felt a bit disgusted by these fish-men before them.
"And besides..."
Saying this, he raised his spear, aiming its tip at another fish-man walking alongside Hody Jones, and shouted, "Wadatsumi! You dare show yourself on Fish-Man Island? Are you and Hody Jones's New Fish-Man Pirates plotting something!"
He then looked behind Hody Jones, at all the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates, and cold sweat gradually trickled down his face.
If only Hody Jones had come, he wouldn't be so nervous, as he was a former Royal Guard.
But Wadatsumi was different.
This guy was "the flying dutch
"Why so nervous?"
"Heeheehee!!"
"We're here just to get a look at the ship of a pirate with a bounty of 2.5 billion."
After speaking, Wadatsumi no longer paid attention to the guard captain. He looked up at the Freedom, his eyes gleaming.
Upon hearing that the silver-haired group had arrived at Fish-Man Island, he and Hody Jones had joined forces, both believing it to be an opportunity.
If the silver-haired group clashed with Fish-Man Island, they could seize the chance to take over the Royal Palace.
Hody Jones wanted to use his abilities to reach the Royal Palace and overthrow Neptune's rule, while he intended to use the strength of Hody Jones's New Fish-Man Pirates to approach Shirahoshi.
The two had no conflict; they each had their own ambitions and goals, and thus had been cooperating for a long time.
"Hody Jones, do you know whose ship this is?"
The guard captain stared at Hody Jones and shouted, "Do you want Fish-Man Island to be destroyed?"
Although he didn't know how powerful the silver-haired group truly was, as someone who had spent his entire life on Fish-Man Island, the strongest pirate he had ever seen was Brother Jinbe, and he had never seen Jinbe fight at full power. Therefore, he couldn't gauge the strength of the silver-haired group.
However, the fact that Brother Jinbe was nervous, and that the moment Ryugu Palace received the news from the gatekeepers, there was a wave of panic, and King Neptune immediately dispatched him, was enough to know that the silver-haired group was definitely not someone Fish-Man Island could provoke at this time.
And from the looks of Hody Jones and his crew, they clearly intended to damage or tow away the Freedom.
How could he allow such a thing to happen?
"Hahahaha!!"
Hody Jones let out a loud laugh, lowered his head, looked at the guard captain, licked his lips with his tongue, and then bloodshot veins gradually appeared in his eyes.
A killing intent flashed, and he raised his hand, waving it at the guards. "Take them down and drag this ship away."
Since they had made a decision, they couldn't back down.
Such an opportunity was hard to come by.
Ever since Otohime died, he had waited for so long. Although Fish-Man District still listened to Jinbe, the fish-men there, under his secret manipulation, were increasingly hating humans.
A pirate with a bounty of 2.5 billion would not be instantly torn apart by fish-men, which was perfect for his need to create chaos.
As long as Fish-Man Island descended into chaos, he could lead the entire New Fish-Man Pirates to Ryugu Palace, seize Neptune's power, and control all of Fish-Man Island.
Moreover, afterward, he wouldn't fear this pirate group. He had a secret weapon, and once he killed them, he would be the hero of all Fish-Man Island.