"Whoa! So this is the underwater world of the Blue Sea!" Enel exclaimed, gripping the railing of the bubble-coated Ark Maxim in excitement.
Wyper shoved Enel aside, his eyes filled with wonder. "I never imagined the blue depths would be so beautiful!"
As Sky Islanders, Enel and Wyper had dived into the Sea Clouds before gaining their Devil Fruit powers, but the cloud sea was nothing like the vibrant world of the Blue Sea.
Noir, holding a Transponder Snail, whistled cheerfully as he snapped photos of the underwater scenery.
Fish swimming close by, coral reefs in a dazzling array of colors, this was an experience far beyond anything he'd known in his previous life.
Being a world-conquering overlord isn't everything. Sometimes, a scenic trip is just as rewarding!
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the Ark Maxim. Everyone looked up.
A massive sea king, a giant octopus with unnervingly human-like facial features and a disdainful expression, hovered above them.
Its eight tentacles, thick as pillars, reached towards the Ark Maxim, creating a flurry of bubbles in the deep sea.
Enel rolled up his sleeves, his voice booming with conceit. "Hey! Are you looking for a fight?!"
Before Noir could stop him, Enel conjured a powerful bolt of lightning, launching a massive thunder dragon towards the sea king.
The bubble coating surrounding the ship rippled precariously. The raging lightning, before even reaching the octopus, exploded in the water!
The bright flash illuminated the dark depths. The sea king, its body convulsing from the powerful electric shock, rolled its eyes back.
A plume of black smoke billowed upwards, carrying the scent of grilled octopus.
Onboard the Ark Maxim, Noir and the others stared in disbelief.
Noir, his hair now a frizzy afro, rushed forward and punched Enel on the head, scolding him furiously, "Are you stupid?! We'll all get electrocuted in the water!"
Enel, having taken a punch for no apparent reason, was about to retort when he saw everyone's blackened faces and afro hairstyles. He burst into laughter.
Hearing Enel's laughter, Noir immediately tackled him to the ground, joined by Lucci and Wyper, who proceeded to deliver a sound thrashing.
After a while, the three, feeling much better, looked down at the bruised and battered Enel, who stammered an apology:
"Sowwy... So sowwy..."
...
Suddenly, Enel looked up sharply. his eyes fixed on a point in the deep sea.
Noir frowned. "Someone's coming. And they're not using a ship."
"Fish-men, perhaps…?"
As the Ark Maxim drifted closer, a group of diverse fish-men came into view.
Noir narrowed his eyes. He noticed an interesting symbol on their bodies.
A crimson sun. Almost every fish-man bore the mark.
It was the emblem of the Sun Pirates.
The Sun Pirates, founded by Fisher Tiger, consisted mainly of former slaves liberated from Mary Geoise. They covered their hoof marks with the sun symbol as a sign of their liberation.
Fisher Tiger was dead. These fish-men must be Jinbe's subordinates.
Jinbe is still a Warlord. Why would he send his men to intercept us…?
Before Noir could ask, the fish-men parted, revealing a rather plump, blue figure.
It was a whale shark fish-man with wild, windswept eyebrows and sideburns and a thick, short beard on his chin.
A lightning-shaped scar ran across his left eye, and two prominent fangs jutted from his lower jaw, giving his otherwise round face a slightly menacing appearance.
Noir’s eyes widened. This blue… fellow… was…
Jinbe? He's here personally? He wouldn't actually be looking for a fight, would he?
Wyper, unable to contain himself any longer, shouted, "What do you want?! Don't think we're afraid just because we're underwater!"
Before he could finish, Jinbe and the other fish-men bowed deeply towards the Ark Maxim.
Wyper's blustering words hung in the air. He blinked, slightly embarrassed.
Jinbe, his round belly pressed against the ground, spoke in a deep, respectful voice. "Noir, we thank you for what you've done for our fish-man brethren."
Noir relaxed. He finally understood Jinbe's intentions.
After escaping Mary Geoise, Noir had instructed Puff to contact King Neptune of Fish-Man Island to arrange for the return of the liberated fish-man slaves.
Neptune had entrusted Jinbe with the task of retrieving his people.
Everything had been agreed upon, but then the Underworld Pirates became the target of relentless pursuit by the World Government and the Marines, making it impossible for Jinbe to find them.
Jinbe and Neptune had heard from Puff about Noir's actions, mirroring the heroic deed of Fisher Tiger years ago. This filled Jinbe with profound respect.
Jinbe had believed himself to be carrying on Tiger's legacy, but Noir's appearance made him realize there were others out there, individuals even more daring and courageous.
During the battle at Sabaody, Jinbe had wanted to assist Noir, but the fight had ended before he could arrive…
So, the courteous Jinbe had waited at the entrance to Fish-Man Island for Noir and the others.
It should have been Jinbe escorting the fish-men home, but Noir had ended up doing it instead, which is why Jinbe adopted such a humble attitude.
Jinbe remained bowed, seemingly waiting for Noir to speak. Noir had been about to tease him a bit, but he couldn't bring himself to be rude to someone so respectful.
Noir sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing, really. Just a minor detour."
Jinbe raised his head slightly. "Thank you!"
He then gestured towards the fish-men flanking him. "The other entrances to Fish-Man Island are dangerous. Please follow me."
...
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