Hmm?
Shano was a bit surprised and looked in the direction Smoker was pointing.
Sure enough.
In the deep sea area surrounding Fishman Island, a ship flying Whitebeard's flag was heading toward the entrance valve of Fishman Island.
A small ship, about the size of the Merry.
Once it reached the entrance, it was immediately welcomed in by the Dragon Palace Kingdom soldiers stationed there and disappeared into the other side of the valve channel.
"Whitebeard? That sounds familiar, I think he's a very famous Great Pirate." Nami pondered, pinching her chin.
"Of course he's famous, just like that Kaido we encountered at the Water Capital, both are among the Four Emperors standing at the pinnacle of the New World."
Robin smiled, "A legend continuing from the old era to this day, he could be called the leader of the Four Emperors and is the only pirate alive with a bounty exceeding 5 billion Belly."
Perhaps only someone like Nami, who grew up in a sheltered environment, wouldn't know how fearsome Whitebeard's reputation truly is.
"Over 5 billion Belly?!!"
Nami was shocked; she thought her brother's bounty of a billion was already top tier, but it could actually reach such heights?
How many times would that be compared to hers!
Oh right, speaking of which, her bounty should finally get fair treatment this time around.
They had been sailing in the deep sea for days, isolated from the outside world, and she didn't even know if the new warrants were out yet.
Once on Fishman Island, she definitely had to buy a newspaper immediately to check.
"Why would Whitebeard's people come here?" Nojiko couldn't help but ask.
"Who knows, but it's normal because Fishman Island is one of the territories under Whitebeard's name."
Shano casually said, weighing in his hand a Fly-Fly Fruit that looked very similar to the Dark-Dark Fruit.
The appearance of Whitebeard's flag did give him a mischievous thought of making use of waste...
"Territory?"
Nami was puzzled.
Pirates who sail the seas all the time and the word "territory" were concepts she couldn't connect in her mind.
"That's right, rather than saying the Four Emperors are pirates at the top, it's more accurate to say they are warlords ruling over regions with numerous followers under their command, generally controlling large territories."
Shano was always patient with his sister when she wasn't causing trouble, and he explained:
"This pattern has been stable for some years, which has led to the biggest difference between the New World and other places."
"That is, the World Government and Navy have weak control over here, almost no different in essence from the Four Emperors, just a larger warlord."
"And the Navy Headquarters also dares not easily break this balance, usually monitoring the movements of the Four Emperors' subordinates primarily, rarely venturing deep into the New World, and the Navy stationed in the New World are not allowed to provoke the Four Emperors without the approval of the highest ranks."
The Navy encountering pirates and not daring to directly engage in battle?
That just sounds very frustrating.
Smoker raised his eyebrow while chewing on his cigar.
Since graduating from the elite camp at headquarters, he had never been dispatched to a branch in the New World.
He truly wasn't familiar with these intricacies.
Robin, on the other hand, blinked thoughtfully.
Her focus was drawn to the warlord theory mentioned earlier; it was the first time she had heard this description, and upon careful thought, it seemed quite accurate...
"Then, brother, when will we have our own territory?"
Nami eagerly spoke up, punching the air, "Just like those Four Emperors, using our name to protect countless people and even deter the Navy from bothering us."
"We haven't even officially entered the New World yet, and you're already thinking that far?" Shano chuckled.
However, Nami had a point.
Since the ultimate dream and goal is to end this era, establishing a home base and gradually building power until they have enough strength to confront the World Government face-to-face is essential.
In the first half, neither his strength nor the surrounding environment was enough to support him to consider these matters.
But from now on...
Shano glanced thoughtfully above Fishman Island, where, above these tens of thousands of meters of ocean and nearly ten thousand meters above, lies the location of Holy Land Mary Geoise.
He squinted slightly, a smile spreading across his lips:
"Take it slow, don't rush, there will be that day."
As he spoke,
The Endgame had already reached the valve, following the ships that had arrived earlier, lining up to enter in order.
Ships passing through here are supposed to do so this way; otherwise, they would be seen as illegal immigrants.
Of course, there are those headstrong ones who go through the bubble unauthorized.
But in that case, facing pursuit by the Dragon Palace Kingdom's army is one thing, but the double-layer bubbles of Fishman Island are not just for show.
As soon as a ship passes through the outer bubble, its coating will be absorbed and disappear, and the space between the two bubbles is hollow; without the coating, the ship will directly plunge downward, sinking into the deep sea.
In most cases, this would result in the ship being destroyed and its crew perishing.
...
It didn't take long before the Endgame passed through the valve and smoothly sailed into the inner sea of Fishman Island.
It approached the shore, preparing to anchor.
Many ships were already docked in this area, some of which were pirate ships bearing black skull flags. Upon seeing the Endgame approach, they clearly recognized the flag at first glance and hastily retreated to either side.
This scene, everyone was already used to it, and there was no reaction.
In comparison, the scenery in front of them was more attention-grabbing.
From the inside, the island looked even more beautiful, with various buildings arranged in an enchanting manner, the scenery dreamy and surreal, and from time to time, various fish wrapped in bubble rings swam across the sky, making this island truly appear like a fairy tale world.
"As per usual, let's split up and explore separately for now, and regroup for dinner tonight."
Shano issued the order, then looked at Nami, "Nami, there's an important task that's within your duties, you haven't forgotten, right?"
"Got it!" Nami immediately raised her right hand, "Buy the newspaper!"
There were indeed newspapers for sale on Fishman Island; she had seen fishman children hawking newspapers in the streets from a distance!
Although it was unclear by what means they were delivered here...
"You really see yourself as the Newspaper King!"
Nojiko gave her a karate chop on the head, shouting with sharp teeth, "You're the navigator, the navigator, you idiot! In the New World, the old Log Pose is useless, you need to buy several new Log Pose dedicated to the New World, remember?"
"I know."
Nami pouted and covered her head in grievance.
"Boss, are you planning to find that small boat we just saw?" Smoker asked, looking at Shano.
"Yes, I sensed with Observation that there was a noteworthy presence on that boat, planning to engage with them and see what happens."
Shano nodded.
That presence was excessively strong and didn't attempt to hide it at all, almost rivaling the feeling Shampodi Rayleigh gave him before, hard to ignore.
If he remembered correctly.
Whitebeard's protection of Fishman Island was entirely out of a sense of duty.
The old man lent his name and flag to Fishman Island without making any demands, unlike BIGMOM, who would occasionally levy a special "tax".
So, he was genuinely curious about why Whitebeard's people had come here and why such high-ranking cadres were dispatched.
...
Ten minutes later.
Everyone split at the street corner and wandered off to places of interest.
Zeff, as usual, went to shop for ingredients first, while Robin was intrigued by this kingdom that's sustained for thousands of years under the sea, off to chase and explore its history.
As for Nami...
She claimed she was going to carry out her navigator duties first but slipped into a nearby alley, acting sneakily and not letting Nojiko follow.
Even with a thumb, you could guess what she was buying.
Everyone just smiled, no one exposed her.
After all, they were also concerned about the update on their warrants and would buy a copy if they happened to come across a paperboy.
Just not as urgently as Nami.
...
Food street.
Here, there were two streets, one north and one south, the north designated for the Fishman Race, and the south for the Merfolk Race.
It wasn't about causing division; the fishmen and merfolk on Fishman Island had no real barriers between them, it's just that their tastes greatly differed.
The merfolk didn't eat meat or fish at all, getting their protein from various algae and shellfish.
While fishmen had no taboos, they wouldn't refrain from eating fish even if they resembled them a bit.
Jack, at this moment, was at the north end of the street, wearing a satisfied smile, putting down a large pile of specialty snacks he was holding, sitting on a bench, and casually grabbing a giant takoyaki to take a big bite.
He was raised in the City of Gastronomy since childhood and had never been to Fishman Island, so he didn't have any "hometown" special feelings about it.
However, seeing his fellow people bustling all around the streets did give him a unique sense of kinship.
Besides, the food here was just to his taste, and after strolling down the food street, he started to like this place.
"Hey, have you heard? That Shano has already arrived on this island!"
At this moment, a deliberately lowered voice came from deep within the alley behind him.
"Shano? Which Shano?"
Another shrill voice followed.
"Who else! It must be the one big brother has been very interested in, Captain Shano of the Endgame Pirates, for years now!"
Jack's ears twitched, and he couldn't help but chuckle, continuing to bury his head in his food.
Indeed, as expected of boss Shano, even among those living ten thousand meters deep in the sea, there were faithful fans of the boss.
It gave him a sense of pride.
The conversation continued in the alley behind:
"Are you sure?"
"Without a doubt, heaps of folks saw it on the beach, the word's out now."
"And you're here eating! Idiot! Come with me now, we need to report to Brother Hody before anyone else; this is a great merit! Haha, finally a chance to take Shano's head, just thinking how happy big brother will be!"
Footsteps hurriedly echoed and quickly faded away.
"..."
Jack's chewing slowed down immediately.
He put down the food in his hands, stood up expressionlessly, and turned to look at the dark alley.