thefictionvixens Chapter 376 Ancient Weapon, Poseidon, the Sea King!
Chapter 376 Ancient Weapon, Poseidon, the Sea King!
Chapter 376 Ancient Weapon, Poseidon, the Sea King!
"I see," Sanji said, frowning.
He really hadn't expected that Arlong, that bastard, was released because of Jinbe. This was truly...
"Um."
Jinbe lowered his head slightly and said, "Because I became a Shichibukai, Arlong was released, and then we went our separate ways."
"Then why didn't you stop him then?!"
Perona said, "With your strength, taking down that guy named Aaron shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Forcing him to stay is indeed not a problem, but...."
Jinbe hesitated for a moment, then said, "He'll run away with his men sooner or later, after all... he hates humans very much."
"Moreover, bringing such a person back to Fishman Island would be very detrimental to Queen Otohime's plans."
At this point, Jinbe paused, then sighed and continued, "As for killing him..."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
"I watched this guy grow up. I just can't bring myself to kill him."
"So you just let him leave?" west Yan frowned.
"That's not the case."
Jinbe shook his head and said, "I discussed this matter with Aladdin... who is my first mate."
Our plan was that as long as Arlong caused some trouble, he'd be hunted down, and the Navy would naturally give us the information. Then I would personally take him down.
"But who could have imagined..."
Although Jinbe didn't finish his sentence, Sanji, who had experienced the Nami incident, understood what he meant.
Who would have thought that the Navy would collude with that damned Arlong?
Nami...
"fine."
Nami patted Merry's head, then calmly looked at Jinbe and said, "Go on."
Since I've decided to let the other person finish speaking, I won't let them shut up.
Thank you...
Jinbe bowed his head and thanked him, then said, "After I became a Shichibukai, the relationship between the World Government and Fish-Man Island eased somewhat."
"But because of Tiger's death, Fishman Island's hatred of humans has not lessened much, so Queen Otohime's plan still cannot be implemented."
"But Queen Otohime did not give up; instead, she worked even harder to collect autographed books from the people."
"Will this work?" Mary asked.
The hero who saved the fish-men died at the hands of humans. Under such circumstances, would anyone really be willing to sign a petition to go to land?
"The effect was minimal."
Jinbe shook his head and said, "At least at that time, the public's acceptance of this matter was not high."
Upon hearing this, Mei pursed her lips. It seemed that it wouldn't be easy for Princess Otohime to fulfill her dream.
"But she still didn't give up, did she?"
"Yes."
Jinbe nodded and said, "Even though not many people were willing to accept it, Queen Otohime never gave up."
In her words, "As long as one person is willing to accept it, it means the matter is feasible, so she's willing to continue working on it!"
"And so, Queen Otohime began her efforts, year after year, day after day."
"Until one day... Queen Otohime's fate underwent a tremendous change..."
Recalling what happened that day, Jinbe's eyes became somewhat complicated.
He then continued, "Because of a certain incident, an uninvited guest has come to our Fishman Island."
"And this uninvited guest..."
"He's a Celestial Dragon!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present looked surprised.
"Celestial Dragons?" west Yan exclaimed in surprise, "These self-proclaimed gods actually come to Fish-Man Island?"
Based on his understanding of the Celestial Dragons, these guys shouldn't be too happy to come to a place like Fishman Island.
After all... to those people, Fishman Island is full of filthy non-human beings!
"It's quite surprising, isn't it?" Jinbe said. "I was surprised too, but they just showed up."
"However, just as the other ship was about to reach Fishman Island, it suffered some terrible disaster, which led to its destruction."
"Then how did he get to Fishman Island?" Perona asked, puzzled.
They had seen what a destroyed ship looked like, and in that situation... how did the Celestial Dragons, as humans, survive?
"I don't know either."
Jinbe shook his head and said, "But he did indeed reach Fishman Island alive, and he was the only one who survived."
As for how that ship drifted to Fishman Island?
It can only be said that the other party was just lucky.
After hearing Jinbe's words, Xiyan thought for a moment and then said, "Perhaps... it has something to do with their attire."
"Attire?"
Everyone looked puzzled. What did this have to do with the Celestial Dragons' attire?
This is the deep sea.
"Do you remember what the Celestial Dragons we encountered in the Sabaody Archipelago looked like?" west Yan said.
"You mean that bubble wrap?" Sanji said, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Thinking about it carefully, those guys do seem to have a transparent bubble on their heads.
Could it be that... that's why the Celestial Dragons survived?
"Yes, it's that bubble canopy." west Yan thought for a moment and said, "From what I understand, most Celestial Dragons have a habit of not wanting to breathe the same air as other humans."
"So they wear a special bubble cover on their heads during the event."
"I think that's why he was able to reach Fishman Island alive even though his ship and coating were destroyed."
"But the pressure in the deep sea is immense," Nami asked doubtfully. "Can the Celestial Dragons really withstand that kind of pressure?"
The pressure at a depth of 10,000 meters in the deep sea is terrifying; even Zoro might not be able to withstand it!
How did the Celestial Dragons withstand this situation?
Could it be that a powerful Celestial Dragon has arrived?
"Perhaps it's because the Celestial Dragons wear rather unique clothing," west Yan said after a moment's thought. "Their clothing looks a bit like diving suits."
Although he didn't know why the Celestial Dragons wore such strange clothes, west Yan figured that this was probably why they had survived.
Otherwise, even if there is oxygen, the other party will not survive.
"A suit that can withstand the pressure of 10,000 meters deep in the ocean..." Nami blurted out, "How much would that be worth?"
west Yan: ? ? ?
Upon hearing Nami's words, several question marks immediately appeared above west Yan's head.
Then he complained, "Why are you still so concerned about money at a time like this?"
"What do you know?"
Nami rolled her eyes at west Yan. This guy had no idea what she had been through in the past, so naturally he couldn't understand why she was like this.
Seeing Nami rolling her eyes, west Yan gave a somewhat helpless look.
He doesn't understand?
No, he knows much more than Nami imagined.
However, west Yan did not explain, but simply shook his head and said nothing more.
"Why would that Celestial Dragon come to Fishman Island?" Chopper asked curiously.
"According to that Celestial Dragon, our Sun Pirates have slaves who escaped from him," Jinbe said. "And his purpose in coming to Fish-Man Island is to capture these people and take them back."
"But that doesn't make sense," Melly said, puzzled. "Weren't those people pardoned because you became a Shichibukai?"
"That's true, but you can't judge Celestial Dragons by common sense," Jinbe sighed.
The World Government has indeed pardoned his crew and allowed them to return to Fish-Man Island.
But if the Celestial Dragons come and take them away themselves, there's nothing they can do.
After all... he's a Celestial Dragon!
"These guys are indeed a few who can't be judged by common sense," west Yan nodded in deep agreement.
Although he only spent less than two days in Mary Geoise, he witnessed firsthand what hell was like there, so he knew very well what kind of people the Celestial Dragons were.
Then, west Yan continued, "Did you kill that person?"
No.
Jinbe shook his head and said, "Originally, those fish-men who were once slaves of this Celestial Dragon intended to kill him, but Queen Otohime intervened and protected him, so..."
"Protect?"
Perona asked doubtfully, "How can someone who can break a bone with a single slap protect someone?"
She couldn't imagine what kind of method the other party would use to protect people.
Jinbe paused for a moment after hearing Perona's words, then said with a complicated expression, "He took a bullet for a Celestial Dragon with his own body."
"Varied..?!"
Upon hearing Jinbe's words, Perona's eyes widened in disbelief.
Queen Otohime actually went to such lengths to protect the Celestial Dragons?
This is absolutely shocking!
"Why?"
"Isn't this Celestial Dragon who came to arrest people a bad guy? Why is Shirahoshi's mother protecting him?"
In her view, shouldn't bad people be punished?
Therefore, Meli simply could not understand Queen Otohime's thoughts.
"Because Queen Otohime wanted to realize her ideals," Jin said with a complex expression, "that's why she stepped in to protect that Celestial Dragon."
Upon hearing Jinbe's words, Sanji immediately seemed to understand something and said, "Is he trying to use this as a springboard to improve relations with the World Government?"
If she could really get closer to that Celestial Dragon, Shirahoshi's mother might actually be able to fulfill her dream.
After all... the Celestial Dragons have a lot of power!
If they wanted to, they could easily create an island suitable for the fish-men to live on!
"Yes, that's what Queen Otohime was thinking." Jinbe nodded and said, "So she told everyone not to attack that Celestial Dragon and to spare his life."
"And that's why this Celestial Dragon survived."
"The Celestial Dragons probably won't be grateful," west Yan said.
Upon hearing this, Jinbe fell silent, then said with a complicated expression, "Yes, I won't be grateful."
"Not only did they not show gratitude, they also took up arms and held Queen Otohime hostage."
"He demanded that we bring him a mask and also asked us to find him a doctor."
"mask?"
A hint of doubt appeared in Chopper's eyes. He could understand needing a doctor, since it was necessary to treat his body, but what was the purpose of needing a mask?
"Didn't Xiyan just say that Celestial Dragons don't like breathing the same air as us, so they need to cover their heads with something?" Jinbe said.
Upon hearing this, Chopper immediately showed a look of disgust and said, "At a time like this, you're still worrying about this kind of thing..."
The Celestial Dragons are really annoying.
Why do Celestial Dragons exist in this world?
"It may sound a bit far-fetched, but that's what the Celestial Dragons are like," west Yan said.
As someone who had personally visited Mary Geoise, west Yan knew very well what kind of people the Celestial Dragons were.
Therefore, it's quite normal for the other party to make such a choice.
"Yes, these are the Celestial Dragons..." Jinbe sighed.
"And then?"
Perona said, "With you, a Shichibukai, here, we should be able to rescue them without getting hurt."
"No, I wasn't the one who made the move," Jinbe said, shaking his head.
When he discovered this situation, he was thinking of taking action to capture that Celestial Dragon.
However, considering that he might not be able to rescue Queen Otohime unharmed, he gave up.
After all... Queen Otohime is really important.
"Who is that?"
After speaking, Perona paused for a moment, then, as if she understood something, showed a surprised expression and said:
"Could it be Whitebeard?"
If one of the Four Emperors were to come to Fishman Island, he could indeed rescue them without causing them any harm.
After all... such a character possesses the legendary Conqueror's Haki!
"No, that's not it." Jinbe shook his head and said, "My father wasn't on Fishman Island at that time."
If his father were here, he could indeed knock out a Celestial Dragon with a single burst of Haki.
Unfortunately... Dad isn't here.
"Who is that?" Perona asked doubtfully. "It can't be that curly-haired old man, can it?"
Even Jinbe, a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, couldn't do it, so it's even more impossible for that seemingly weak curly-haired uncle to save someone without getting hurt.
"Neither is King Neptune."
"Who is that?"
This time, Jinbe didn't answer, but turned to look at Shirahoshi, who had been staring at them.
Seeing this, Bai Xing blinked her big eyes, tilted her head, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Why does Jinbe want to see her?
Could it be... that there's something wrong with her?
Thinking of this, Bai Xing looked down at her body, but didn't see anything wrong.
This puzzled her. What exactly did Jinbe mean?
"You don't mean to say that this matter has something to do with Bai Xing, do you?" west Yan asked in surprise.
"That's right, that's exactly it."
west Yan:
What kind of fighting power could such a seemingly delicate and fragile girl, who likes to cry all the time...?
Or perhaps, both he and Luffy misjudged the situation?
Thinking of this, west Yan opened his Sharingan and looked at Bai Xing, intending to see something from her, but after looking for a while, he couldn't see anything special.
"What's wrong?"
Feeling a little uneasy under west Yan's gaze, Bai Xing cautiously asked, "Lord Xi Yan, is there something wrong with me?"
"It's nothing, I was just curious whether you, Shirahoshi, were hiding your true strength."
"What strength do I have?" Bai Xing shook her head and said.
She's just a little girl who cries easily when something happens; she doesn't have any real strength.
"That doesn't seem like a lie." Xi Yan nodded, then turned to Jin Ping, signaling him to explain.
This time, Jinbe didn't waste any words and said directly, "Just because I said this matter is related to Princess Shirahoshi doesn't mean she has great strength."
"What happened?"
"Because several colossal sea kings appeared that day!!"
When these words came out, everyone was stunned.
What's the deal with these colossal sea kings?
Shirahoshi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded. Indeed, quite a few colossal sea kings had appeared that day.
Did she hear some strange noises back then?
Thinking about this, Bai Xing fell into deep thought.
Meryl asked with a puzzled look, "Why would sea kings appear on Fishman Island?"
Jinbe paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "It's probably because of Princess Shirahoshi's crying."
"Crying?"
"Yes."
Jinbe nodded and said, "Princess Shirahoshi cried out because her mother was being held hostage."
"Shortly after that... several incredibly terrifying sea kings stormed into Fishman Island!"
"The Celestial Dragon was so frightened by the Sea King that he fainted, which resolved the crisis. Even now, when Jinbe recalls the scene, he is still shocked."
After all... the strength of a Sea King of that level is terrifying, and even he might not be a match for it.
And Princess Shirahoshi summoned more than ten of these sea kings at once!
What a terrifying power this is!
"Why would such a thing happen?" Mel asked Shirahoshi in surprise.
Is it just a coincidence?
No... she had a feeling this wasn't a coincidence.
"I don't know either," Shirahoshi said, shaking her head.
She vaguely remembered that her mother had mentioned something about the Sea King or Poseidon, but she couldn't remember the specifics, so she didn't know what it was all about.
west Yan then gave a look of sudden realization and said, "Jinbe, is this why you asked me before if I had fish-man blood?"
Now he understands why Jinbe asked him that strange question back then; so that's where the root of the problem lies.
"Yes, that's why." Jinbe nodded and said.
As for why Princess Shirahoshi possesses such an ability... Jinbe did not explain, after all, this was the most important secret of the royal family, so he would not reveal it before obtaining King Neptune's permission.
"I never imagined Princess Shirahoshi possessed the ability to summon Sea Kings," Dan said, looking at Shirahoshi in astonishment. "This is unbelievable."
If this power could be fully mastered, the strength of Fishman Island would be enhanced by leaps and bounds!
With Princess Shirahoshi around, no one can bully Fishman Island!
"I don't have that ability," Bai Xing quickly waved her hand and said, "I simply can't do that kind of thing right now."
"Can't do it?"
A hint of doubt appeared in Dan's eyes. Why couldn't he do it?
Hasn't it already been summoned?
"I don't know either," Bai Xing shook her head and said, "I really can't do that kind of thing."
"Perhaps it's just a coincidence," Sanji said.
The mermaid princess can summon sea kings and stuff... that sounds a bit fantastical, so Sanji feels it's a bit unrealistic.
What a coincidence...
After staring at Bai Xing for a while, west Yan murmured to himself, "I'm afraid not."
Although I don't know exactly how Shirahoshi did it, that power must belong to her!
As for what she said about not being able to do it...
Having lived in a hard-shell tower for ten years, it's understandable that she couldn't do it.
However, west Yan had no intention of saying such things, after all, it was someone else's business, wasn't it?
Then, west Yan changed the subject, asking, "What happened to that Celestial Dragon afterward?"
"Queen Otohime gave the order to treat this Celestial Dragon," Jinbe said. "So Aladdin treated him."
"After several weeks of treatment, the Celestial Dragon recovered."
"Afterwards, Queen Otohime planned to send this Celestial Dragon back to the sea..."
At this point, Jinbe paused, then said with a complex expression, "It was at this moment that Queen Otohime made a decision that shocked everyone!"
"What decision?"
"She decided to go on a journey on the sea with this Celestial Dragon to prove that humans are not so terrible."
Upon hearing this, everyone present widened their eyes.
"Go back with the Celestial Dragons?" Sanji exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't that like a lamb being led to the slaughter?"
Although Queen Otohime is a noblewoman from Fish-Man Island, the Celestial Dragons might not care about such things.
After all, the other party dared to directly kidnap Princess Otohime, so they probably wouldn't care about Princess Otohime's identity.
Under these circumstances... how could Princess Otohime still dare to go along?
Isn't she afraid of being captured by the Celestial Dragons and enslaved?
"That's what makes Queen Otohime so great," Jinbe said. "She made that choice because she knew what her people were afraid of."
"By having her, physically frail, accompany the Celestial Dragons on a journey, we can prove that not all humans are terrifying demons."
"And so, Queen Otohime, who had staked the future of Fishman Island on it, left Fishman Island with the Celestial Dragons."
"Didn't the curly-haired uncle come along?" Perona asked, puzzled.
Shouldn't we go together at a time like this?
"No," Jinbe shook his head and said, "In Queen Otohime's words, it would be pointless for someone as powerful as King Neptune to go."
"Only if she, being weak, goes can it prove that humans are friendly."
"King Neptune was eventually persuaded and chose to stay on Fish-Man Island with Princess Shirahoshi, silently awaiting Queen Otohime's return."
Upon hearing this, Mei turned to look at Bai Xing and said, "That feeling must be terrible."
Back then, wasn't she also stuck on Amazon Lily, silently waiting for Xiyan and Luffy to return?
That feeling...it's really unpleasant...
"Um.
This time, Bai Xing didn't refute, but obediently nodded.
At that time, she was indeed feeling very bad.
"Did...Queen Otohime finally return?" Perona asked.
"I'm back."
Jinbe nodded and said, "Queen Otohime has not only returned safely to the surface, but she has also brought a signed letter from a Celestial Dragon!"
"The letter stated that this person would support the fish-men returning to live on the surface and agreed to peaceful coexistence between humans and fish-men."
"It was because of this letter that Queen Otohime had even more confidence in leading everyone to live on the surface."
"After all... the Celestial Dragons have a lot of influence!"
"She actually convinced the Celestial Dragons?"
west Yan stared at Jinbe in astonishment. How could he have gotten such a decision from an unreasonable Celestial Dragon? How did Queen Otohime manage to do that?
"That's right, Queen Otohime did persuade the Celestial Dragons." Jinbe nodded and said, "Although I don't know exactly what happened, she really did it."
west Yan fell silent upon hearing this, then said with some emotion, "It seems that this Queen Yi Ji is even more formidable than we imagined."
Did he do it by relying on his innate Observation Haki?
It's not impossible.
"Since they had the Celestial Dragons' approval, why didn't they succeed in the end?" Nami asked.
"Because...Queen Otohime had an accident..." Jinbe said, closing his eyes in pain, "While collecting everyone's signatures...she was shot through the heart and ultimately died..."
Upon hearing this, everyone present subconsciously frowned.
"How could something like this happen..." Chopper said, his face grim. "The murderer is utterly despicable!"
Princess Otohime is about to succeed!
Nami, as if struck by a sudden realization, widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Could it be a human...?"
"Ah, at least that's how it appears on the surface."
Nami fell silent. Why did things turn out this way?
Why can't things be a little more perfect?
"What does it mean on the surface?" west Yan asked, frowning.
"Because when we found the killer, he was already dead," Jinbe said. "He was shot dead by Hody, who was still in the King's Army."
"No, wait a minute!"
west Yan raised his hand to stop Jinbe from continuing, then said, "You just said that the person who discovered the murderer was Hody?"
"Yes."
"He was the first person to pinpoint the killer's location, right?"
"Yes." Jinbe nodded and said, "Not only was he the first to discover it, but he was also the first to shoot and kill the prisoner."
Upon hearing Jinbe's words, Xiyan was immediately rendered speechless.
He sensed that something was very wrong.
After thinking for a moment, west Yan turned to Xiao Ba and said, "You told Chopper before that Hody was going to attack Fishman Island, is that true?"
"Yes," Xiao Ba said with a grim expression. "Hody hates humans, and he also hates King Neptune, who wants to befriend humans. So he plans to take over Fishman Island with his people."
If Hody succeeds... then this guy will probably lead the fishmen to attack humans.
But doing so would cause enormous casualties, and even... it could lead to the complete destruction of Fishman Island!
Therefore, he did not want that to happen.
"How could this be..."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Shirahoshi wondered, "Why is Hody so evil?"
They've already made so many concessions...
"So they're already about to make their move," Jinbe said, frowning.
It seems things are more serious than he imagined.
Nami looked at Xiyan, who was deep in thought, and said, "What did you think of?"
"I think I know who killed Queen Otohime," Xiyan said. "This whole thing was most likely a staged event orchestrated by Hody himself."
Upon hearing this, Bai Xing was immediately stunned.
Then, she looked at west Yan in surprise, never expecting that he could deduce the real culprit so quickly.
That's right, the real killer who murdered her mother was actually that guy Hody!
That human was just a scapegoat that Hody found; it was Hody who actually did the dirty work!
Mecaro wore a sad expression, as it had witnessed the event firsthand and told Princess Shirahoshi about it.
However, Princess Shirahoshi honored her mother's dying wish and did not wish to harm others, so...
Thinking of this, the great white shark sighed silently.
The others didn't notice the change in the two people's expressions; they were all looking at west Yan.
"Why are you so sure?" Sanji asked.
"This person harbors extreme hatred towards humanity, so it's impossible for him to want to see Queen Otohime's dream come true. Therefore, it's quite reasonable for him to take action at this time," west Yan said in a deep voice.
"But the one who made the move wasn't human?"
"Who told you that just because someone made the move they were human?" west Yan retorted. "Has anyone checked the human's firearms?"
"We really haven't checked it..." Jinbe said with a grim expression.
After he arrived, Hody took the body to tell everyone the details, so he didn't have time to examine it.
Of course, that's mainly because I didn't think of that.
"So you think it was Hody who actually made the move?" Sanji said.
"That's possible."
west Yan nodded and said, "At least judging from what this guy is doing now, this reasoning is correct."
After saying that, west Yan paused for a moment, then continued, "Of course, it's also possible that I'm wrong."
However, he felt that his reasoning was probably pretty accurate.
Bai Xing hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, considering whether she should tell the truth.
But when she thought of what her mother had told her, she silently shut her mouth and began to secretly wipe away her tears.
Seeing this, Jinbe sighed. It seemed that this princess was thinking of Queen Otohime again.
"In short... after this incident, the people, who were already distrustful of humans, have once again withdrawn their trust," Jinbe said. "Even with the three princes who inherited Queen Otohime's will mediating, the effect is far less than when Queen Otohime was still alive."
"However, the three princes did not give up. Even though it was very difficult, they still adhered to Queen Otohime's ideals."
"They believe that one day, the fish-men will be able to return to the surface."
"So, after ten years of effort, they once again received a lot of signatures from the people."
"Although the number is far less than before, it's still a pretty good start."
"And this is the origin of the Fishman Pirates and... the struggle that Fishman Island has waged against discrimination by humans for the past 16 years."
"At the same time... it's also the story of those two great men."
After speaking, Jinbe fell silent, then slowly closed his eyes, looking as if he were making some important decision.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and said, "Miss Nami, Arlong, who committed evil deeds in your hometown... is actually one of my underlings."
"I originally planned to rush over and stop him as soon as he caused trouble, but unfortunately... Arlong bribed the nearby navy, which meant that the Navy Headquarters couldn't get any information about it."
"Therefore... I also have no way of knowing what Ah Long did."
"And this is why you and many others have suffered persecution from Ah Long..."
"What do you mean?"
Perona frowned and said, "Are you trying to shirk responsibility?"
She now understands what happened!
If Jinbe dared to shirk his responsibility, she would show him what the power of the Ghost Princess was all about. "No, I never intended to shirk responsibility." Jinbe shook his head, then turned to face Nami and knelt down before her.
"Huh?"
Nami was stunned when she saw this.
"This is.."
"I also bear some responsibility for this." Jinbe lowered his head and said, "So... as long as you can calm down, I'm willing to pay any price for it."
"Even if you wanted my life, I wouldn't bat an eye!!!"