"It's amazing, Camie. You can actually command schools of fish," Meiser remarked with admiration. "In a way, that's like a superpower."
Watching the fish leading the way ahead of the Thousand Sunny, Meiser couldn't help but feel impressed.
Perhaps this was the innate talent of the Fish-Man race?
"It's kind of a special ability unique to our Fish-Man race," Camie replied with a shy smile. "But I can only communicate with small fish like these."
"There are those who can talk to larger fish?"
"Yes!" Camie nodded earnestly. "I've heard that Boss Jimbei can communicate with whale sharks!"
"That's really incredible!"
As she spoke, Camie exaggeratedly waved her arms, making Meiser chuckle.
"Mr. Meiser! Mr. Meiser!"
"Just call me Meiser."
"Ah... Meiser," Pappag interjected eagerly. "What kind of Ninjutsu can you use?"
"Can you use the Clone Technique?!"
"Can you use Water Release?!"
Seeing Pappag grow more and more excited, Meiser sighed helplessly. Of course, it was this kind of question again.
"I already used Water Release earlier when dealing with that fish in the ocean."
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to that side..."
After receiving the news about Hachi being captured, Camie had been completely focused on that and hadn't noticed the changes on the sea.
"It's fine. You'll naturally see it when we go to rescue your friend later," Meiser reassured with a smile. "No need to rush."
"Okay!"
Pappag nodded enthusiastically, his eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Meiser is so kind~"
"Kind..."
Meiser glanced at Camie. "Is that your catchphrase?"
The way she added "dear" to names gave him a strangely peculiar feeling.
"Yes!"
"Hmm... That's quite amusing~"
"Miss Camie~"
Sanji swayed over with a plate in hand, fawning over her. "Please try this special strawberry tart I made~"
"Strawberry tart?"
Curious, Camie took a bite, and her eyes instantly lit up. "So delicious!"
"Thank you, Sanji dear!"
"Ah~"
"Serving Miss Camie is worth dying for..."
"Then hurry up and die already," Zoro sneered.
"What did you say?!"
Veins bulging on his forehead, Sanji handed the plate to Meiser, signaling him and Pappag to share it.
Then, with a furious expression, he charged at Zoro, and the two began brawling on the deck again.
"Uh..." Pappag accepted the strawberry tart from Meiser, looking bewildered as he pointed at the two. "Are they...?"
Not long ago, these two had just fought. Why were they at it again?
"Yeah, this is pretty much their daily routine," Meiser said calmly. "You'll get used to it."
Glancing at Meiser's composed expression and the unfazed reactions of the others, Pappag fell into deep thought.
This... was truly a strange way of getting along.
After finishing the food, Pappag said, "Thanks for the treat~"
"For our cook, finishing the food is the best compliment you can give him."
"Is that so?"
Pappag glanced at the tray Meiser had placed on the floor, thought for a moment, then walked over and took another piece to eat.
Seeing this, Sanji's lips curled into a smile.
But the cost of his distraction was a punch from Zoro.
"Bastard!"
Sanji roared before grappling with Zoro again.
"Camie, why aren't you eating?" Merry came over and asked. "No appetite?"
"Mmm... I'm worried."
"Worried?"
"Hachi's voice sounded so weak. I don't know if he's being mistreated..."
"Don't worry, Camie," Pappag said after swallowing a cookie whole. "That guy's tough. He'll be fine."
"Hachi?"
Hearing Camie's words, a trace of doubt flickered in Meiser's eyes.
Could it be that Hachi from the East Blue?
Glancing at Nami, whose expression remained unchanged, Meiser figured it must just be a coincidence—otherwise, Nami wouldn't have stayed so calm.
"I wanted to ask earlier," Merry said. "Why did they kidnap Camie's friend?"
At this, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to listen.
"To sell."
"Se... sell?"
"Yes," Pappag nodded. "Here on Sabaody Archipelago, the slave trade is a thriving business."
"And the price for mermaids and fish-men is many times higher than for humans!"
"That's why they targeted us."
As Pappag explained, the others' expressions gradually darkened.
Clearly, everyone despised human traffickers.
"How awful..."
"Isn't there anyone stopping this?" Nami asked. "Or are there no Marines here?"
"The slave auction business is legally protected."
Hearing this, Nami's face darkened instantly. She never imagined such a trade could be protected by law.
"This is legally protected?!" Meiser said in disbelief.
"Yes."
Meiser opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
Why?
He didn't understand.
Had the world really sunk this low?
Corrupt Marines, murderous pirates, unchecked slave markets... What kind of godforsaken world was this?!
"That's just how things are on Sabaody Archipelago..." Pappag said helplessly. "So if those guys catch you, what awaits might as well be hell."
As Pappag spoke, the grim possibilities flashed through everyone's minds, and they all said in unison: "I'd rather die."
"Don't worry, Camie. We'll help you rescue him," Meiser reassured her.
"Still, you all need to be careful," Pappag said seriously. "This involves a kidnapping syndicate called the Flying Fish Riders. They're very powerful."
"Powerful?"
"Yes. They're a newly emerged group, but their strength is formidable. Once they target you, escape is nearly impossible."
"Rumor has it they've already captured many pirates."
"Captured pirates?"
Franky said in surprise, "So they're bounty hunters then."
If that's the case, then this Flying Fish Riders group is indeed quite special.
"No, they also send captured people to auction houses."
"If they specialize in catching pirates—why would they target you?"
"Maybe... because of those three fish-men, Macro and his group," Pappag thought for a moment before answering.
"Fish-men..." Zoro frowned. "Kidnapping their own kind..."
Seems like every race has its share of scum.
"Don't worry, we're plenty strong."
"That's reassuring..."
"Tell us more about these Flying Fish Riders," Meiser said. "The more details, the better."
"I don't know much," Pappag shook his head. "Just their name and some of their deeds."
"Oh, right—their leader is Duval, a masked man who seems to be searching for someone."
"I heard they inspect every ship passing through here, but so far they haven't found what they're looking for."
"Many are curious about who he's searching for, but the Flying Fish Riders keep tight-lipped. No information has leaked."
"That's all the intel I could gather."
Pappag sounded somewhat helpless by the end.
Back on Fish-Man Island, his influence was considerable—gathering intel wouldn't have been a problem. But on land, he was practically useless, no different from an ordinary starfish.
Well, except he could talk.
"They inspect every single ship?" Luffy said incredulously. "Who could this guy be looking for?"
"What kind of grudge is this?"
Sanji was equally surprised. Searching every passing ship was no small matter—if they encountered strong opponents, they could get wiped out. Yet they persisted... What kind of hatred could drive someone to such lengths?
"This grudge must be massive..." Meiser mused. "Hunting pirates here is probably just part of their search."
At this point, a thought occurred to Meiser, and he said almost unconsciously, "Maybe... the person they're looking for is a pirate?"
"Could be."
"But—whoever they're after, it's none of our business."
"True enough."
"Anyway—Camie, we'll definitely help you rescue Takoyaki!" Luffy grinned widely.
"Yeah!"
Just then, the school of fish on the sea surface began thrashing violently, as if sensing something terrifying.
"What's happening?"
"Is the weather changing?" Chopper's expression darkened. "Nami?"
Clearly, the earlier Serpentine Sea Current had left quite an impression.
"No."
Nami looked up at the sky. "The climate isn't changing."
Her skin detected no shifts in temperature or humidity, meaning no sudden weather changes were coming.
"We're already within the influence of Sabaody Archipelago—the weather doesn't change abruptly here," Pappag explained.
"Then what's going on?"
"Let me check."
Camie jumped up and ran to the ship's edge, carefully listening to the sounds of the fish. After a moment, she said, "They say they can only take us this far..."
"Trouble—it's the Flying Fish Riders!"
"Where?!"
Luffy immediately rushed to the bow of the ship, his eyes fixed intently on the sea ahead, but he didn't spot anything suspicious.
"In the sky!"
"Bzzz—"
As Meiser's voice trailed off, the distinctive sound of flying fish motorbikes echoed from above.
"No way, it's real?!" Usopp exclaimed in shock, staring at the sky. "How are they flying?!"
Could they be three Devil Fruit Ability Users?
"Because they're riding special flying fish," Camie explained. "These fish can leap out of the water and stay airborne for five minutes."
"There are fish like that?!" Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's amazing!"
"Idiot, now's not the time to be impressed!"
As the three flying fish drew closer, Meiser swiftly appeared beside Luffy, narrowing his eyes. "A perfect source of intel, delivered right to us..."
But to Meiser's surprise, the three flying fish simply soared past the Thousand Sunny without stopping.
"They... flew away?!"
Were they not here to fight but to scout instead?
"Hahaha, what a huge haul this time!"
Loll, seated on his flying fish, cheered excitedly. "We thought we'd only find a mermaid, but we stumbled upon the Straw Hat Pirates instead!"
"Hurry, let's report back to the boss—we've found the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Why not attack them now?" the bearded man suggested.
"Moron, the Straw Hat Pirates' combined bounty is over 1 billion Berries! With just the three of us, how could we possibly win?" Loll snapped.
Even if they dropped all the bombs strapped to their flying fish motorbikes, they wouldn't stand a chance against the Straw Hat Pirates.
Better to just bring the intel back.
"Fine..."
The bearded man sighed. There was no other choice.
Just then, a high-pressure water jet shot from behind, striking the bearded man's flying fish motorbike with pinpoint accuracy.
"Thwack!"
Like slicing through rotten wood, the fish was effortlessly split in two.
Witnessing this, Pappag exclaimed in awe, "Is this the legendary Water Release Technique?"
Pappag stared at Meiser's back in admiration. If it weren't for the urgency of the situation, he would've asked for a photo together.
Camie was equally stunned, never having seen a human who could manipulate water before.
"Yep, that's the Water Release Technique," Meiser said with a smile, retracting his Ninjutsu.
Hearing this, Pappag grew even more excited.
"Hey, Meiser, why'd you kill the fish?!" Luffy complained. "I wanted that one!"
"Idiot, now's not the time to worry about that!" Sanji scolded. "Let's catch them first!"
Once we find their hideout, we can get as many as we want.
"Sanji's right," Meiser agreed. "After we locate their base, we can—"
Before he could finish, the fat man riding the flying fish suddenly dove down, yanking the bearded man up before soaring back into the sky at incredible speed!
"Hmm?"
"Carrying the weight of two people, yet still able to run this fast?" Meiser muttered in surprise.
Perhaps fearing another attack, the fleeing figure threw a smoke bomb, completely obscuring visibility in that airspace while swiftly darting diagonally upward at full speed!
By the time the smoke cleared, the person had already vanished.
"Tch, ran away fast."
"Seems those three were probably scouts or something similar," Zoro remarked.
They hadn't even engaged them... clearly just here to gather intel.
"Not necessarily," Franky countered. "They might've come to capture Camie. Only fled after spotting our pirate ship."
Regardless, their collective bounty exceeding one billion berries was deterrent enough—most wouldn't dare provoke them lightly.
At that moment, Merry raised her hand. "Um, I faintly heard them say 'found the Straw Hat Pirates' just now..."
Meiser gave Merry a curious look. How had she heard that? Was this some special ability of a Ship Spirit? The thought plunged him into contemplation.
Franky looked utterly baffled. So they really had been the targets?
"Wait, hold on," Usopp said incredulously. "You're saying this so-called Duval was actually looking for us, the Straw Hat Pirates?"
The revelation painted identical expressions of bewilderment across everyone's faces.
"Does... anyone actually know that guy?"
"Nope..."
After exchanging glances, the crew collectively sank into deep thought. Clearly, none recalled offending such a person.
"If nobody knows him..." Chopper ventured, "why would he be waiting to ambush us here?"
No one could answer—this was precisely what everyone wanted to know.
"Who cares," Luffy declared. "We'll find out once we track him down."
"Fair point," Meiser agreed.
Though the reason for this ambush remained unclear, given the connection, they had to investigate.
"Camie, which direction?" Nami asked.
Without the fish schools guiding them, they'd lost their bearings.
"Straight ahead," Camie pointed forward confidently. Her mermaid instincts now guided her in these waters.
"Merry—"
"On it!" came the cheerful reply.
Under Merry's control, the Thousand Sunny surged forward at full speed!
Those on deck silently gazed ahead. Right now, they all burned with one question: What could that man—who'd waited so long for them—possibly want?