One Piece: White Ghost of the Seas

Fish-Man Island.

Queen Otohime was leading a group of people as they waited at the port for White Ghost's arrival.

Neptune had not come.

He was the king of a nation. If he personally came to welcome a wanted criminal, it would not look good on the surface.

So Queen Otohime had brought only a few people.

Jinbe, of course, could not be absent.

Whenever any of the three members of the royal family went out, Jinbe had to act as their guard.

Fish-Man Island had finally changed so much. Jinbe did not want anything to happen to anyone.

He firmly remembered White Ghost's words.

"For profit, some people can become so deranged that you can't even imagine it. It isn't that you can't think of it—it's that there's nothing they won't do."

Jinbe had engraved those words in his heart.

After wandering the sea for so many years, he understood deeply how insane those ill-intentioned people could be.

Behind Jinbe were several more people.

To be precise, several fish-men.

Two of them stood beside Jinbe.

Aladine, a bearded brotula merman.

Bei Sha, a great white shark fish-man.

Both of them were members of the Sun Pirates.

Back when Hody Jones had wanted to attack White Ghost, he had also tried to recruit them.

But they had refused.

Those fish-men who had never even left Fish-Man Island had no idea how powerful those humans truly were.

When Kuro and Kaji brutally beat those people last time, they had also been watching from the shadows.

Although they had not agreed to act together with them, they still had to care because they were fellow fish-men.

Only after seeing that White Ghost's people did not kill them did they completely relax.

Although a few people had been taken away, that was already the best result.

Aladine and Bei Sha had originally planned to keep living quietly under hidden names.

But later, Queen Otohime's actions shocked them.

She was a noble, yet she had lowered herself and gone to Fish-Man District, that filthy and chaotic place.

After that, Fish-Man Island changed day by day.

As native fish-men, they felt it most clearly.

Several former members of the Sun Pirates gradually began joining the queen's team.

Looking at it now, they truly had not misjudged Queen Otohime.

It was only later that they learned this idea had been given to the queen by that human.

But that no longer mattered, because Fish-Man Island was no longer the Fish-Man Island of the past.

Later, as the deeds of that man, White Ghost, began spreading, Queen Otohime also told them about the follow-up plan.

At first, they did not believe that promise at all.

Deep in their bones, they still believed humans could not be trusted.

Only later, after Shyarly came to speak with them, did they gradually begin holding on to a fantasy and wait for that man.

Returning Fish-Man Island to the land above.

That was something countless fish-man ancestors had paid for with their lives.

They had been deceived again and again.

They had fallen again and again.

Their hearts had been wounded again and again.

Originally, they had no illusions left toward humans.

They had not expected that man to make such a promise.

Although the price was enormous, there was no free lunch on this sea.

After news spread that White Ghost had fought three Admirals alone, they became even more certain that man would definitely bring them back to the land.

Jinbe looked at the two friends beside him.

"Then, according to the previous plan, I will leave what comes next to you."

Aladine nodded, but his face showed some hesitation.

"Will doing this anger that man?

"Especially when he won't be restrained under those circumstances. If we truly provoke him, Fish-Man Island won't be enough for him to slap apart."

Bei Sha also hesitated.

"Although we have a cooperative relationship with him, under these circumstances, it feels like we are the ones breaking the agreement."

Jinbe could only shake his head helplessly.

"That man's capacity isn't so small. Remember, he is a Conqueror's Haki user. Besides, he will understand our difficulties."

Aladine scratched his head.

"I'm not worrying for no reason, Jinbe. That guy's reputation on the sea doesn't seem that good."

Jinbe frowned, but soon relaxed again.

"It will be fine. That man is not like what the newspapers say. He will understand."

While Jinbe and the other two were still worrying, Shirahoshi at the side was extremely excited.

Ten-year-old Princess Shirahoshi was already almost nine meters tall. No one knew what she had eaten to grow this large.

At this moment, Shirahoshi's eyes were fixed on the distant sea, and she kept muttering,

"Why hasn't Lord White Ghost arrived yet? Didn't they say he already submerged?"

Otohime looked dotingly at her daughter.

"Alright, Shirahoshi. They should arrive soon. Stop muttering.

"Mother's ears are almost covered in calluses. Since you came here, you've repeated that no fewer than thirty times."

Shirahoshi lowered her head and looked at her mother.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I'm just too anxious."

Otohime shook her head.

This daughter of hers had been tied firmly to White Ghost's side.

As for this, Shirahoshi had explained to them before.

That man's presence gave her a very safe and comfortable feeling.

Very few people on Fish-Man Island knew Shirahoshi's identity, and Otohime was not sure what exactly about that man attracted her daughter so much.

They only felt he was terrifying.

Yet her daughter said he felt safe and comfortable.

At first, she and Neptune had been puzzled for a long time and worried for a while.

Later, Shyarly told them that White Ghost's ability was a very special existence, and that the man himself was also very special. That fellow would not harm Princess Shirahoshi.

After that, Otohime and Neptune stopped thinking too much about it.

Since they could not figure it out anyway, why waste their brains?

As long as they knew White Ghost would not hurt Shirahoshi, that was enough.

Just as Otohime was still thinking, Shirahoshi, who had been waiting anxiously beside her, could not help muttering again.

"Why still hasn't Lord White Ghost come?"

Otohime's pretty face darkened.

If she had not stopped her, judging from her daughter's current appearance, Shirahoshi would probably have entered the sea long ago.

Perhaps because Shirahoshi had been muttering too much, dozens of Sea Kings had unknowingly gathered near Fish-Man Island's port.

Jinbe and the other two were the first to sense the Sea Kings gathering nearby.

However, those Sea Kings did not seem hostile. They were only circling nearby.

Jinbe looked toward Shirahoshi and thought silently,

Ancient Weapon Poseidon, huh? Truly terrifying.

As the source of all this, Shirahoshi did not notice the abnormality nearby at all. She only stared into the pitch-black sea.

Just as everyone was growing somewhat impatient, a huge dark shadow slowly appeared in the black sea.

That shadow kept advancing through the seabed. Every time it moved, the seawater shook.

"What is that?!"

The trio who first noticed something was wrong immediately shielded Otohime and Shirahoshi behind them, each staring at the monster in the sea as if facing a great enemy.

Jinbe frowned tightly.

"Queen Otohime, please take Princess Shirahoshi and leave first. I cannot determine whether the thing inside is friend or foe."

Just as Otohime prepared to follow Jinbe's advice and retreat, Shirahoshi's eyes lit up beside her.

"It's Lord White Ghost! I can sense Lord White Ghost's aura."

"Hm?"

Several gazes turned toward her, then turned again toward the deep sea.

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