Fish-Man Island's main gate.
Twelve-year-old Neptune was brought to the entrance by his father, where he saw the usually high-ranking adults on Fish-Man Island gathered together as if welcoming someone important.
Neptune looked displeased. "Why do we have to welcome a pirate?"
"He is not a pirate. He is our friend!"
Fish-Man Island's current king, Carlo, rubbed Neptune's head. Despite being eight meters tall himself, Neptune was still just a child next to his father's imposing ten-meter frame.
This all traced back to more than twenty years ago, when Carlo had just become king. At that time, pirates and slavers roamed Fish-Man Island with increasing boldness, kidnapping beautiful mermaids and greatly intensifying tensions between humans and the island's residents.
Even with increased guard forces, the high profits from kidnapping and selling mermaids made the practice impossible to stop.
Until Silas appeared.
Dean, Silas's fish-man shipwright, made the introduction. Silas, already carrying a 200 million Belly bounty, proposed training the unemployed residents of Fish-Man Street as the island's new guard force.
On Fish-Man Island, there were two types of "fish-people": Fish-men and Merfolk.
The ruling class were Merfolk.
Merfolk generally lived in Fish-Man Island's main city districts, where apartment buildings were built along coral reefs and sunlight was provided by the Sunlight Tree Eve. Fish-men, however, could only live in the dirty, chaotic Fish-Man Street.
So initially Carlo was not optimistic about this plan. Though humans classified both mermaids and fish-men as "fish-people," he saw big differences between them.
Fish-men were too crude and violent to handle the guard duties of protecting citizens.
Silas held completely opposite views, pointing out that if he as king held prejudices against his own subjects, he was not qualified to be king.
To make things difficult for Silas, Carlo had even asked him to rescue mermaids who had been kidnapped by slavers and sent to Sabaody Archipelago auctions.
True to his word, the White Wolf Pirates rescued the auctioned merfolk, earning Carlo's trust.
Silas then turned his attention to Fish-Man Street, single-handedly conquering the entire district and creating an unrepeatable legend.
From that day, Fish-Man Street officially became part of Fish-Man Island.
Though Fish-Man Island still could not handle some powerful pirates today, it was much better than twenty years ago.
And Silas had written through Dean, saying he could contact the Giant Kingdom to send several powerful giants to assist Fish-Man Island's defense.
And was willing to use his own reputation to protect Fish-Man Island.
This was why Carlo brought a large group of high-ranking mermaids and fish-men to stand before Fish-Man Island's gate, welcoming Silas.
The current Silas has this qualification!
"They are coming!"
With a gentle sound of waves, a not-too-large ship appeared before Fish-Man Island's main gate harbor. Though the ship was not big, the symbol on its sail commanded everyone's respect.
This was the White Wolf Pirates' flag!
Twelve-year-old Neptune, seeing the respectful attitudes of the surrounding elders, first realized there existed a class of people in this world who could treat power and status as nothing.
He was Fish-Man Island's crown prince, King Carlo's only son.
But before true powerhouses, he was nothing.
The Millennium Falcon arrived at Fish-Man Island's harbor. When a man of average height but high spirits, wearing an unruly smile, stepped out, everyone held their breath.
Until the man laughed loudly. "Carlo, long time no see! How have things been these years?"
"Haha, thanks to you, Fish-Man Island is much stronger than before!"
Neptune watched his father smile in return, genuine warmth replacing the formal politeness, as if greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in ages.
"Silas, when was your last visit?"
"Eight years ago, I think."
Silas's eyes also held some emotion. That was when he had accepted Carlo's invitation to help Fish-Man Island rescue kidnapped mermaids one last time.
That was when he had encountered Rona vacationing at Sabaody Archipelago.
His defeat at her hands had planted the seeds of retirement in his mind. Back then, he never could have imagined he would return to Fish-Man Island under these circumstances.
"Carlo, still avoiding the World Council? It's convening right now. There's probably still time if you wanted to attend."
"Silas, don't tease me. With everything Fish-Man Island is dealing with, how could we possibly participate in the World Council?"
Due to human discrimination and hunting, fish-men and mermaids held too deep prejudices against humans. As king, he had to consider his subjects' feelings.
Moreover, Carlo did not see participating in the World Council as necessarily good.
As for the annual Heavenly Tribute, consider it protection money Fish-Man Island paid to the World Government.
Fish-Man Island did not lack that money anyway.
As the only transit station for pirates traveling between the Grand Line's sides, not just pirates needed to pass through Fish-Man Island, but also many merchants smuggling goods to the New World for profit.
Unable to afford the World Government's direct passage on the Red Line, the dangerous underwater route was their only choice.
From these merchants, Fish-Man Island earned substantial income.
Not to mention the rich undersea mining.
Just mining and selling these underwater minerals made Fish-Man Island extremely profitable.
This was why the World Government always wanted good relations with Fish-Man Island.
Fish-Man Island's resources were simply too abundant!
And Silas came not only to promote the giants' mercenary reputation and protect Fish-Man Island with his name, but also to establish sea trade routes connecting Fish-Man Island, Elbaf, and Sphinx.
All countries and islands along the route could be trading partners.
This was undoubtedly win-win. Fish-Man Island had no reason to refuse.
And indeed that was the case.
Already needing Silas's help, Carlo naturally would not refuse such mutually beneficial proposals, even planning to voluntarily concede advantages in negotiations.
With one purpose.
"Silas, I heard you are recruiting new crew members."
Carlo secretly approached Silas, then gestured toward Neptune.
"What do you think of my son?"
Carlo actually wanted to entrust his only son, Fish-Man Island's crown prince, to a pirate... to become a pirate himself!?
"Huh?"
Even Silas was stunned.
He racked his brains thinking. Did the future Neptune have any notable strength?
If it were his daughter Shirahoshi, Silas might actually consider it.