"Captain, why are there so many ships ahead? Aren't they going in?"
After arriving at the entrance, they discovered they actually had to queue up.
"What do you think this place is? It's not just an island—it's a nation. Of course everyone coming here has to register."
Shirakawa explained.
"Oh, then why are there pirate ships ahead of us? We were all alone on the way here."
Could it be that the Navy's efficiency was lacking, and after they left, a few more pirate crews had slipped out of the Navy's grasp?
"Those are probably crews returning from the New World. Don't mind them—just a bunch of trash that got weeded out over there."
With the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, the rate at which pirates were getting eliminated in the New World had only climbed higher. Even some of the old, established crews had been pushed out by newcomers.
"Is that so?"
Jora sized up the ships ahead of them. Indeed, there didn't seem to be anyone particularly powerful aboard.
"People like that probably only made it into the New World by luck."
Yuristine said. On this ship, his Observation Haki was the strongest, so he could clearly sense the condition of everyone on the ships ahead.
"Now that you mention it, I just realized—our crew is missing someone with exceptionally good luck."
Such a person didn't need to be strong, just lucky. Sometimes, whether you survived a crisis or not depended entirely on having someone like that aboard.
"Someone like that isn't easy to find, Captain."
"I know." In all these years, the only person Shirakawa could think of was Buggy.
But getting Buggy to join their crew was impossible—Buggy had his own dream.
"Alright, it's our turn."
By now, all the pirate crews ahead of them had finished registering, and a few fish-man soldiers walked directly up to their ship.
The bubble coating on their ship had already dissolved the moment they entered the entrance.
"Another pirate crew, huh?"
Seeing the pirate flag flying on the Silver, the fish-man soldier sighed inwardly. Besides pirate crews, he doubted anyone else ever visited their island anymore.
"Please state your crew's name and the names of all members."
The fish-man soldier said in a perfectly calm tone. He'd asked these questions more times than he could count.
"Mole, cooperate with their registration."
"Yes, Captain."
After the registration was complete, the fish-men let them through, and they docked at the harbor reserved for their kind.
"The Silver Pirates? Never heard of them."
After they'd registered, the fish-man muttered to himself.
"But that's fine. A crew with no reputation shouldn't pose any threat to Fish-Man Island."
"Whoa, Captain, there are so many ships here!"
The moment they reached the harbor, Mole exclaimed. Seeing this many pirate crews gathered in one place was truly a rare sight.
"Yeah. Some are probably heading to the New World like us, and others are returning to the first half."
Here, they didn't have to watch their own ship at all—dedicated fish-man soldiers would guard it.
After all, the fish-men were dying for them to leave as soon as possible. If their ship got damaged, wouldn't they be stuck on Fish-Man Island forever?
"So this is the inside of Fish-Man Island? But why is there sunlight?"
Adara asked, puzzled.
"Who knows?" Jora answered. They didn't understand the principle behind it either.
"Alright, stop debating. Let's disembark now—I'll show you the wonders of Fish-Man Island."
No one on the ship knew Fish-Man Island better than Shirakawa, so he naturally assumed the role of tour guide.
"Yes, yes! Captain, hurry up and take us to where all the mermaids are!"
Wind said excitedly.
"Don't rush. Take it slow, slow, slow."
Shirakawa wasn't sure if Fish-Man Island had changed since his last visit.
"Why are there only fish-men on the streets? I haven't seen a single mermaid."
After walking for so long, Wind said, disappointed.
"And there are so many soldiers patrolling the streets, too."
"Probably to guard against slave traders," Yuristine explained.
"After all, a single mermaid can fetch seventy to eighty million berries at auction in the human world."
"Is that so? Even more than I'm worth."
Adara's bounty hadn't reached that amount yet.
"But these fish-men don't seem very friendly toward us."
Adara said, sounding a bit scared. The fish-men's faces were already frightening enough on their own—paired with their cold expressions, they looked outright ferocious.
"That's normal. Haven't you noticed how many more fish-man slaves there are suddenly? You could say Fish-Man Island is the greatest victim of the Great Pirate Era."
Fish-men and mermaids had always commanded high prices, but back then it was a market with no supply. Almost no one would dive ten thousand meters into the deep sea just to catch a mermaid for a few tens of millions of berries.
But now things were different. More and more pirates were taking to the seas, and those who'd learned the ropes had fully transformed into slave traders.
Capturing fish-men and mermaids had become one of their primary sources of income.
"Captain, look! There's a mermaid café up ahead. You think there might be mermaids inside?"
Wind suddenly said excitedly, pointing at the shop's sign.
"Mermaid Café?"
Shirakawa froze for a moment. Last time he'd been here, there was no café. Could it be run by that mermaid with the power of prophecy?
No, that didn't add up either. By the current timeline, that mermaid would only be twelve or thirteen years old.
"Come on, let's go in and take a look. If there are mermaids inside, we can satisfy your wish while we're at it."
"Thank you, Captain!"
With that, Wind transformed into a gust of air and vanished right before everyone's eyes.
When he reappeared, he was already standing at the entrance of the Mermaid Café.
"He moves this fast now, but why didn't I see this kind of enthusiasm in battle?"
Yuristine said, a bit exasperated. During their fight with Kizaru earlier, Wind had been completely useless—nothing more than a bystander.
"If Kizaru were a mermaid, Wind would probably act the same way."
At that, every crew member's mind conjured up an image of a mermaid with Kizaru's face, and they all shuddered in unison.
"Ugh—Captain, please never describe something that disgusting again."
Meanwhile, Kizaru, who had just returned to his office, suddenly sneezed.
"Ah? Is someone thinking about me?"
Kizaru wiped his nose with his hand, then turned his gaze toward the distant sea. In that direction, perhaps there was something worth holding onto.
/-\
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