Da da da!!
At this moment, a group of guards, clad in armor, burly in build, and wielding enormous spears, arrived at the pier, led by a tall merman.
The merman leader held a trident, a dot on his forehead, and had wavy, long hair.
He looked at Jinbe calmly and asked, "Jinbe, what exactly happened just now?"
"Prince Shakin, why have you come?"
Jinbe gazed at the tall merman, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
"Father sent me to check. By the way, has the silver-haired group left?"
Shakin tilted his head and glanced at the empty pier.
"Yes!" Jinbe nodded. "They just left."
Then, Jinbe briefly recounted the events to Shakin, urging him to return and report to Neptune.
Seeing that there was truly nothing to worry about, Shakin breathed a sigh of relief. After bidding farewell to Jinbe, he quickly turned and, with his guards, floated towards the Dragon Palace.
He knew from Jinbe that the disgusting fellow who had been harassing Shirahoshi had been dealt with by the silver-haired group. He needed to hurry back to deliver this good news to his father, and to Shirahoshi, who had been living in the hard-shell tower for years.
Honestly, when he heard that Vander Decken IX had been killed by the silver-haired group, he felt a sense of gratitude towards Konata, whom he had never met.
No one understood their little sister Shirahoshi's suffering over these past years better than her family.
Of course, they hated Vander Decken IX even more.
Now Shirahoshi was free, truly free.
Thinking this, a smile appeared on his stern face, and his steps quickened.
"You should be leaving too, shouldn't you!"
Jinbe withdrew his gaze from Prince Shakin and turned to look at Ace. Only then did a smile of relief grace his features.
Don't be fooled by Konata's lack of any discernible aura throughout their journey into thinking he was just an ordinary person.
First, he had heard Ace recount the battle of Sabaody Archipelago and Konata's terrifying feat of fighting Kizaru to a draw. Now, arriving at Fish-Man Island.
How could he possibly consider Konata an ordinary person? Especially with Kuina, who had fought Kizaru for a day and a night.
From Kuina, he could feel pressure, but this pressure did not instill in him a sense of defeat.
However, with Konata...
That fellow's presence felt like the starry sky in the dead of night, so profound it seemed capable of swallowing his very gaze.
If he hadn't learned of Konata's battle record from Ace, he wouldn't have felt such pressure.
But knowing Konata's strength, facing him without a hint of his power, the mental pressure was more than just a little.
After all, no one knew whether the silver-haired group was friendly or evil. The newspapers were just newspapers, not personal accounts.
Fortunately, fortunately, the silver-haired group was indeed on the side of benevolence.
His half-day's company had allowed him to feel their kindness, their gentleness that distinguished them from ordinary pirates.
But this last bit...
"Alas!" Jinbe sighed inwardly.
Damn Hody Jones. Given the character the silver-haired group had displayed, they should have forged a friendship with Fish-Man Island, or at least not been enemies.
But that fellow had done such a thing, completely squandering the goodwill the silver-haired group had felt towards Fish-Man Island.
And he could understand why the silver-haired group had left so quickly.
After all, no one liked a place filled with malice.
Just as merfolk disliked being on human islands.
Ace glanced at Jinbe and nodded, "That fellow is going to the New World, and he'll definitely challenge Father. I need to go back quickly and tell Father about this guy's strength."
"Yes!" Jinbe looked up, gazing in the direction the Thousand Sunny had disappeared, a complex emotion in his eyes. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll go back with you. It's been a long time since I visited Father."
"Really?" Ace turned his head to look at Jinbe, a smile appearing on his face. "If you come back with me, I think Father will be very happy, and Marco and the others too."
Thinking of the Whitebeard Pirates, Jinbe's face also softened into a gentle smile.
He was immensely grateful to Whitebeard. If not for him, Fish-Man Island would have long been occupied by the countless pirates flooding in during the Great Pirate Era.
Therefore, even though he was not a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, he had always called Whitebeard "Father."
He was genuinely thankful and respectful towards that man.
"Then let's go now!"
Ace withdrew his gaze and looked at the small boat he had docked at the port, a sense of eagerness in his voice.
"No rush," Jinbe calmly waved his hand, turned towards Fish-Man District, and said placidly, "I need to wait for them to wake up, give them some instructions, and then I'll leave."
After all, he was the boss of Fish-Man District, the captain of the Sun Pirates.
Although the Sun Pirates now consisted of only two people, he had to inform Aladdin before heading to the New World and the Whitebeard Pirates.
And Fish-Man District now...
When the fish-men woke up, there might be chaos. Although Hody Jones and his ilk were dead, they had left behind a mess. Jinbe had to stay and manage the situation.
At the very least, he would stabilize Fish-Man District before going to the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Oh..."
Ace followed Jinbe's gaze towards Fish-Man District, understanding dawning on his face. "You really can't leave immediately."
"Then should I wait for you, or will you come later?"
Ace looked at Jinbe.
He needed to return to the Whitebeard Pirates, ride the currents, ascend to the surface, and then go back.
But Jinbe didn't need to do any of that. He was a fish-man and could move freely through the ocean.
His journey to the Whitebeard Pirates would be much faster than Ace's.
"You go back first," Jinbe thought for a moment, then turned to Ace and said, "I'll come after I've dealt with the matters in Fish-Man District."
He had Ace's Vivre Card, so even in the deep sea, he wouldn't get lost. He could swim in a straight line, and it was possible he might even catch up to Ace before he reached the Whitebeard Pirates.
Ace clearly understood these things.
So he didn't think too much about it.
"Then I'll be going first."
He smiled slightly at Jinbe, then turned and jumped onto his small boat.
Boom—!
Fueled by his flames, the small boat quickly sped towards the gate. Other lobster fish-men were already waiting there.
They were fish-men on rotation, left behind by Prince Shakin.
Jinbe watched Ace's retreating back until he passed through the barrier and disappeared into the deep sea. Only then did he retract his gaze and turn towards Fish-Man District.
There were still a pile of things waiting for him to handle.
Looking at Fish-Man District, at the countless fallen fish-men compatriots, a wave of sadness washed over Jinbe.
Honestly, he didn't resent the silver-haired group, even though they had done all of this.
But the world was like this. The strong preyed on the weak. For the strong, ordinary people were like ants.
He didn't resent the silver-haired group, but he felt sorrow for Fish-Man Island.
Located at the boundary between the New World and Paradise, he had witnessed countless sorrows on this island throughout his life.
Because he had witnessed so much evil in his childhood, his disposition was not always like this. Although not as extreme as Arlong or Hody Jones, he still hated humans.
His personality gradually changed later, following Big Brother Fisher Tiger, under his brother's philosophy of "retaliation for retaliation."
Therefore, he understood the compatriots in Fish-Man District and felt sorrow for them.
The weak, in this Great Pirate Era, on this sea, had no right to choose. They could only survive by relying on other strong individuals.
This was Fish-Man Island.
He saw it with absolute clarity.
Neptune in the Dragon Palace saw it clearly too.
"Alas..."
A sigh, filled with helplessness and a touch of sadness.
...