One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

Chapter 402: Chapter 402: Don’t Forget Meiser is in the Straw Hat Pirates, Jimbei!

"Come, have a taste."

The Minister of the Right walked over to Usopp and the others with several cups of tea, smiling as he said, "This is a specialty of Fish-Man Island, Kombu Tea."

"It has the effect of regulating the intestines and aids in digestion."

This was one of the better things they could offer on Fish-Man Island.

"Ah."

"Thanks a lot."

Usopp took a sip of the tea, and his eyes immediately lit up. "It’s delicious!"

"You’re so thoughtful, Minister of the Right!"

Brook also chuckled, "I’m in your debt, Minister of the Right. Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

"Don’t mention it," the Minister of the Right said, shaking his head with a smile. "Compared to what you’ve done for Fish-Man Island, this is nothing at all."

If it weren’t for the Straw Hat Pirates, Fish-Man Island would have been completely destroyed. Therefore, he was immensely grateful to this pirate crew.

"After drinking it... my stomach does feel a bit more comfortable~" Little Merry said, rubbing her belly.

"Is that so? That’s good then," the Minister of the Right smiled.

Looking at the cute little thing, the Minister’s eyes were filled with kindness. For some reason, he saw a shadow of Princess Shirahoshi when she was a child in this little one. They were both... so adorable.

The Minister of the Right then said, "Since you all seem to like it, take some with you later."

"Then we’ll have to trouble you, Minister of the Right."

"It’s no trouble," the Minister of the Right shook his head. It was just some tea leaves, not a particularly valuable item.

"Once Luffy and the others get back, we’ll have to say goodbye to Fish-Man Island..." Usopp said with a touch of sentimentality.

Though he felt some reluctance, as pirates, they couldn’t stay in one place. So... they could only say goodbye!

"Eh?"

"Don’t say such things, Mr. Long-nose," Shirahoshi said, crying.

Looking at Shirahoshi suddenly bursting into tears, Usopp was dumbfounded.

"Don’t cry, Princess Shirahoshi..."

"My apologies, my apologies!"

"Also, my name is Usopp..."

But unfortunately, these words had no comforting effect on Shirahoshi. After all... the Straw Hat Pirates were leaving soon. Thinking of this, she cried even harder.

Nami looked on helplessly; she didn’t know how to comfort the young girl either. The Minister of the Right also looked at his princess with a bit of helplessness, but what could he say? Strongly demand the Straw Hat Pirates stay? Don’t be ridiculous; as pirates, how could they be willing to stay on Fish-Man Island forever?

Thinking of this, the Minister of the Right sighed helplessly.

"Big Sister Shirahoshi."

Merry floated in front of Shirahoshi and said with a smile, "Don’t cry. We will definitely meet again in the future."

"Really?"

"Really!" Merry nodded, then raised her small hand and said, "We can pinky swear!"

"Then let’s pinky swear~"

"Mhm!"

Watching the two of them touching their pinkies, Perona was rendered speechless. Although their pinkies did touch, Merry herself wasn’t even as big as Shirahoshi’s pinky... The sight was truly surreal.

"Although the picture is a bit strange, at least Princess Shirahoshi stopped crying," Usopp said with a sigh of relief.

As expected of Merry, she always had a way! Thinking of this, Usopp secretly gave Merry a thumbs up.

Then, he turned to Nami and asked, "Speaking of which... why haven’t I seen Franky?"

Since the banquet ended, he hadn’t seen that guy... Could he still be drinking? That shouldn’t be right; he wasn’t exactly a heavy drinker.

"He went to learn about sailing the ship," Nami said. "Supposedly, there are things to keep in mind when surfacing."

"I see..." Usopp nodded. "Franky really is reliable!!"

It seemed there would be no problems going to the New World.

"Minister of the Right."

A merman soldier walked over and handed a list to the Minister of the Right, saying, "This is the list of stolen treasures from the Treasure Vault. Please have a look."

"Let me see."

Taking the list and glancing at it, the Minister of the Right frowned and said, "They were quite ruthless."

"Treasure chests, treasure chests, more treasure chests..."

"Hiss... Wait!"

"Treasure Chest?"

As if remembering something, the Minister of the Right’s eyes suddenly widened, and he let out a terrified shriek. "Gah!"

Startled, several question marks appeared over Usopp’s head. He turned to the stunned Minister of the Right and asked, "What’s wrong, Minister of the Right?"

Why the sudden outburst?

"Is there something important among the missing treasures?" Nami asked, puzzled.

The others also looked at the Minister of the Right in confusion, wondering why he had suddenly screamed.

Chopper, as if thinking of something, widened his eyes and said, "Could it be that the Energy Steroid from before was stolen?"

That stuff was extremely dangerous!

"No... it’s not that."

The Minister of the Right shook his head, then turned and ran inside, saying, "I have something to discuss with His Majesty. Please excuse me."

With that, the man left. Although everyone was curious, since the Minister didn’t explain in detail, they didn’t pursue it further.

"I wonder when Luffy and the others will be back," Chopper said, resting his chin on his hand.

"Should be soon," Nami said.

She felt it shouldn’t be hard for those four to find the culprits.

"Did they give you the Log Pose yet?" Perona glanced at Nami.

"Not yet."

Nami shook her head and said, "I assume it’s not ready yet."

However, this wasn’t particularly urgent, as long as they got it before departure.

"Then let’s use this time to study our Devil Fruit Ability," Usopp said, standing up. "I feel like I’ve become a bit stronger than before."

"Me too."

Nami nodded and said, "It seems battle really is the best way to improve one’s abilities."

"Then let’s work hard together~"

"Ooh!"

"Jimbei."

Sitting on his throne, Neptune looked down at Jimbei and asked, "How have you been lately?"

"Are the members of the Sun Pirates doing well?"

Thinking back, it had been over two years since he had seen those people.

"Yes, they’re doing fine," Jimbei smiled. "Each one is more energetic than the last—almost aggressively so."

"That’s good."

Neptune smiled, then remarked with some emotion, "When I heard that your Sun Pirates had joined BIG MOM’s command, I was quite surprised."

"How is it? Did BIG MOM make things difficult for you?"

"No," Jimbei shook his head. "Though she isn’t exactly reasonable, she hasn’t made things hard for us."

"Moreover... she gave us a lot of freedom, so we don’t have to stay in Totto Land every day."

This was why he could come to Fish-Man Island to wait for the Straw Hat Crew.

"No wonder you could show up here," Neptune nodded.

Then, his expression became somewhat complicated.

"Jimbei, a capable man like you, bowing your head under someone other than Fisher Tiger... you must have endured a lot of grievances."

"It’s nothing," Jimbei said with a smile. "I’m not the type to be obsessed with being the leader."

"Besides... joining the command of one of the Four Emperors in the New World is a better way to protect my comrades."

"Is that so?"

Neptune said, "But I always felt you did it to protect Fish-Man Island."

After a pause, Neptune continued with a complex look, "It is because of you all that we had the chance to borrow BIG MOM’s Pirate Flag to protect Fish-Man Island."

"Otherwise, Fish-Man Island might have..."

"Thank you, Jimbei!"

"Don’t mention it," Jimbei shook his head with a smile. "We were supposed to protect Fish-Man Island in the first place. After all... this is our home too."

"It’s just that... because we are wanted criminals, we can’t be stationed here year-round, so we had to use this method to protect Fish-Man Island."

Although the method was roundabout and required some price... as long as it protected Fish-Man Island, it was all worth it.

Hearing Jimbei’s words, Neptune’s eyes grew even more complex. Jimbei really was...

Just as Neptune was about to say something else, Jimbei suddenly clenched his fist and said, "Your Majesty, there is something I must explain to you."

"Please, speak."

"I plan to leave BIG MOM’s command this time."

Neptune was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly and said, "Are you planning to accept Luffy’s invitation?!"

"You’ve heard about that too."

"Yes."

Neptune nodded with a smile and said, "Shirahoshi told me when she returned."

At this moment, Neptune wasn’t angry at Jimbei’s words; on the contrary, he was happy because Jimbei had made this decision! After all... that was what Jimbei wanted most!

"Yes, I have indeed thought about it," Jimbei said with a smile. "But in the world of pirates, honor and duty matter."

"So... I need to properly and formally settle things with BIG MOM first. Only then can I join the Straw Hat Pirates as a free man."

After speaking, Jimbei paused, his expression gradually becoming serious. "However... it might anger BIG MOM, and she might vent her rage on Fish-Man Island."

"When that happens... Fish-Man Island won’t have the protection of her flag anymore..."

As if imagining the consequences, Jimbei sighed deeply.

Looking at Jimbei’s deeply furrowed brows, Neptune shook his head helplessly.

"You really like to shoulder everything yourself, Jimbei."

"Hmm?"

Jimbei was stunned, clearly not expecting the King to say such a thing.

"Let things take their course, Jimbei," Neptune smiled. "There will surely be a way when the time comes."

"Look, just like this time—though there was a great commotion, we also gained tens of thousands of troops from the Fish-Man District, didn’t we?"

"So rest easy."

Neptune paused, then continued with a smile, "Besides... even if this island really loses the protection of BIG MOM’s flag, we aren’t completely without options."

At these words, Jimbei was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand. "You mean..."

"Yes, exactly," Neptune said with a smile. "When the time comes, I will ask the Straw Hat Boy to borrow their flag."

Jimbei immediately laughed upon hearing this, laughing very happily.

"Hahaha, that truly is an excellent plan~" Jimbei said, laughing loudly.

"Right?"

Jimbei nodded, then said, "I didn’t expect Your Majesty to trust the Straw Hat Crew so much."

He wasn’t talking about borrowing the flag; after all, given their relationship with the Straw Hat Pirates, borrowing a flag wouldn’t be an issue at all. He was referring to the belief that the Straw Hat Pirates could become great pirates who could intimidate the seas!

Understanding Jimbei’s meaning, the corners of Neptune’s mouth curled up. "Of course I trust the Straw Hat Crew."

"Don’t forget who is in that crew."

"You mean... Meiser."

"Of course."

Neptune nodded as if it were obvious. "Besides... Luffy is the man who will become the Pirate King, so I believe there’s no problem trusting them!"

Recalling his understanding of Luffy and Meiser, a smile also appeared on Jimbei’s face. "True enough."

How could such a team remain unknown in the New World? Likely, before long, they would become a powerful force no weaker than the Four Emperors...

By then, Fish-Man Island would no longer need BIG MOM’s protection. Thinking of this, Jimbei laughed even more happily.

Soon after, Jimbei left, clearly intending to chat with Luffy and the others again.

Watching him leave, Neptune sighed with emotion, "You’ve really had it hard, Jimbei..."

Fish-Man Island truly owed this man too much. Thinking of this, Neptune let out a silent sigh.

A moment later—

"Your Majesty! Big, big, big... big trouble!" The Minister of the Right rushed in, looking extremely agitated. "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

"What’s happened, Minister of the Right?" Neptune looked at him in confusion. "Why the panic?"

Had pirates broken in?

"I’ve remembered something extraordinary."

The Minister of the Right said, "I heard from Prince Fukaboshi that as long as the Straw Hat Crew can recover the stolen treasure, you will give all of it to them, right?!"

"Yes, that’s correct," Neptune nodded, then asked in confusion, "Is there a problem with that?"

It was just some treasure; giving it away was fine. Was this really worth such a panic?

"That’s exactly where the problem lies..." The Minister of the Right swallowed hard. "Your Majesty, if they find it, please make sure they return the Treasure Chest to us."

"What did you say?!"

Neptune was immediately displeased. "There’s no logic in asking back for something already given to others!"

"I couldn’t say such a thing even if it killed me!"

Asking the Straw Hat Crew to return something? What a joke; did he not care about his pride?

"But... but the Treasure Chest will explode as soon as it’s opened..." the Minister of the Right said with a grimace.

Neptune: ?

Hearing the Minister’s words, Neptune’s head was filled with question marks.

"What do you mean?" Neptune stared at him, dumbfounded. "What do you mean it will explode as soon as it’s opened?!"

"You set a bomb inside the Treasure Chest?"

"Why would you do that?!"

At this moment, Neptune couldn’t fathom why the Minister of the Right would do such a thing.

"This was because of the incident ten years ago," the Minister of the Right explained. "At that time, the Treasure Chest was opened by someone unknown, and the contents were taken."

"So... I thought about setting some bombs, so that if a thief ever came back, it would give them a lesson. Who would have thought..."

After hearing the explanation, Neptune was rendered speechless. Although the situation was ridiculous, thinking carefully, the Minister of the Right hadn’t exactly done anything wrong. After all... he was thinking of Ryugu Palace.

Thinking of this, Neptune sighed helplessly.

Then, he rubbed his forehead and said, "I understand. If Luffy and the others find the chest, I’ll explain the situation to them carefully. That should solve the problem."

"I am deeply sorry..."

"It’s not your fault," Neptune said, shaking his head. "Who could have predicted things would develop this way?"

However... Neptune felt there shouldn’t be an issue, as Luffy and the others were very reasonable people. Explaining the situation would suffice.

The Minister of the Right also sighed helplessly, then said, "Now I just hope Luffy and the others didn’t open the chest on the way back."

Otherwise, he would truly be a criminal.

Hearing the Minister’s words, a look of worry appeared on Neptune’s face.

Surely... not...

Just then, a Fish-man soldier walked in and said, "Your Majesty, Minister of the Right, news just came in. Luffy and the others have returned to Ryugu Palace."

"Are they all safe and sound?"

"Yes!"

Although the soldier didn’t know why the Minister of the Right asked such a question, they were indeed uninjured.

"That’s good..." The Minister of the Right breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems I was overthinking it."

As long as they were fine, all was well.

"Next, we just need to explain the situation to them," Neptune smiled. "Let’s go, Minister of the Right. Let’s find Luffy and the others!"

"Ooh!"

With that, the two old men walked out smiling and soon arrived at the entrance of Ryugu Palace.

At that exact moment, Meiser and the other three returned on the Long Flounder.

"Oh! Everyone’s here!" Luffy said, waving his arm with a grin. "Did you all eat and drink your fill too?"

"Ah, yes, we did..."

Neptune nodded instinctively, then asked in confusion, "Luffy, did you not find the thieves? Why don’t I see the treasure?"

Nami and the others also looked at Meiser and the group curiously, wondering if they hadn’t found anyone or if they had put the items in a Scroll.

"We found them," Luffy said. "There were three big bags of treasure!"

As he spoke, Luffy made an exaggerated gesture with his arms, making Nami’s eyes sparkle. Just how much was that?!

"Then why don’t I see it?" Neptune asked, puzzled. "Did you send it to the ship?"

"No," Luffy shook his head. "I gave all that treasure to BIG MOM."

"Eh?"

"EHHH!!"

"You gave all the treasure to BIG MOM??"

Hearing Luffy’s words, everyone present was dumbfounded. Especially Neptune and the Minister of the Right—they were so terrified their faces turned pale. Giving treasure rigged with bombs to BIG MOM... was this a joke?!

"Yeah, gave it to her."

Nami: !

"Why would you give it to her!" Nami roared with a Shark Mouth.

That was her money! Hers! Why should BIG MOM get to take it!

"Because they said they’d destroy Fish-Man Island if they didn’t get their candy," Luffy said, annoyed. "They’ve got problems in the head, right?"

"I could understand wanting meat, but what’s with the sweets?!"

"But don’t worry, I’ve already provoked them, so they won’t come to destroy Fish-Man Island!!"

As soon as he said this, the air went silent.

Then, Usopp, Chopper, Brook, and Merry looked at Luffy in terror and cried, "You provoked one of the Four Emperors?!"

"Yes!"

The four of them: ...

Why did they suddenly feel like their future was looking very grim?

"He actually provoked BIG MOM."

Jimbei looked at Luffy in shock. Was this guy’s courage a bit too much?

"So impressive, Lord Luffy~" Shirahoshi smiled. "To actually dare to provoke BIG MOM."

"That’s not the point!" Usopp roared with a Shark Mouth.

Hearing Usopp’s roar, Shirahoshi was immediately scared to tears.

"Lord Long-nose is so scary..."

"I told you my name is Usopp!"

"Also... sorry..."

"This is trouble," Jimbei said, rubbing his brow. "It seems I need to leave BIG MOM’s command as soon as possible, before things get even more complicated."

Otherwise, BIG MOM might order him to attack the Straw Hat Crew. Thinking of this, Jimbei felt a massive headache coming on.

After rubbing his brow, Jimbei looked at Luffy and said, "In any case, don’t do anything more to provoke BIG MOM."

"Who would dare?" Usopp said, sounding close to a breakdown. "Provoking one of the Four Emperors is a one-way ticket to being wiped out!"

That was one of the Four Emperors... once targeted by such an existence... they could all be killed!

Thinking of this, Usopp felt completely numb.

"The Four Emperors..." Perona said with a frown. "They seem like a bit of a hassle."

Usopp: ?

Just a bit of a hassle?

Is that right?

"Hey, Minister of the Right." Neptune leaned in close to the Minister of the Right and whispered, "Isn’t this even worse?!"

"I didn’t expect things to develop to this point either..." the Minister of the Right said with a grim expression.

Who could have imagined that Luffy and his crew would give all the treasure to the BIG MOM Pirates for the sake of Fish-Man Island?

Now, it was no longer realistic for them to even think about getting the Treasure Chest back.

At this thought, both old men felt a throbbing headache.

"Anyway... it couldn’t be helped," Sanji said. "After all, they already said those things."

Zoro shrugged upon hearing this, essentially agreeing with Sanji.

Nami remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Meiser with an expression that seemed to say: Aren’t you going to say something?

Seeing this, Meiser spoke up, "If Luffy hadn’t done that, the BIG MOM Pirates would have come to destroy Fish-Man Island. That’s no joke!" freёwebnovel.com

"So... I support Luffy too."

After finishing, Meiser nodded firmly, as if in total agreement with his own words.

"Ah, so that’s how it is."

Nami walked in front of the four of them with a smile and said, "It seems all four of you share the same thought."

"Of course, I—"

Before Luffy could finish his sentence, he noticed the sky had suddenly turned dark.

"Huh?"

"Why did it get dark?"

In the next instant...

BOOM!!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

A crack of thunder sounded, accompanied by four muffled thuds.

Then, Nami stood over the four men lying on the ground, her face contorted into a Shark Mouth as she roared, "Why did you give them all the treasure, you four bastards?!"

Even if there was a reason... she was still so furious!

Thinking of this, Nami fumed, "Believe me, I’ll beat you to a pulp, you idiots!"

"But you already did!"

Usopp looked at Nami, dumbfounded. Saying that now felt a bit off.

"So scary, Nami!"

Chopper and Merry clung to each other, looking at Nami with terrified eyes, as if they were looking at a demon god.

Jimbei: —

Watching the four of them get flattened, Jimbei was rendered speechless.

So, his previous intuition was correct.

Everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates... seemed to be afraid of Nami!

"An... Anyway..." Luffy said, trembling as he crawled back up and raised a hand. "Guys... let’s head for the New World..."

The three others lying on the ground raised their hands shakily and replied, "Oh... let’s go..."

"I feel like the future is nothing but darkness, hey!"

Seeing the performance of those four, Usopp felt completely drained.

"I didn’t expect that in the end, it would be humans who saved Fish-Man Island~"

Madam Shyarly looked out the window, her face full of emotion.

Who could have guessed things would turn out this way?

"Madam Shyarly."

Camie walked in, looking at Madam Shyarly with a smile. "Luffy and the others said they’re leaving Fish-Man Island, so... can I go see them off?"

"They’re leaving so soon?"

Madam Shyarly’s eyes flickered for a moment, then she nodded. "Sure, go see them off."

"After all, once they leave today... who knows when we’ll meet again."

Hearing Madam Shyarly’s words, a hint of sadness appeared in Camie’s eyes.

Yes, once they left, no one knew when they would return to Fish-Man Island.

"Alright, don’t overthink it," Madam Shyarly smiled. "We’ll meet again sooner or later."

"Yeah!!"

Camie nodded vigorously, suppressing the stray thoughts in her mind.

Just as Madam Shyarly said, they would meet again sooner or later.

"Then, Madam Shyarly," the mermaid girls who had been hiding outside pushed the door open and asked, "Can we go too?!"

"You all want to go?" Madam Shyarly said. "Then let’s close the shop for a bit. Consider it a day off for everyone."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "However... the customer flow cut off by Hody will recover soon, so... you’re all going to be very busy from now on~"

"Don’t worry, Madam Shyarly!"

"We’ll make the atmosphere of the cafe even better~"

"That’s right!"

"Hahahaha!"

Seeing the girls’ smiling faces, Madam Shyarly laughed along with them, then gestured for them to go, saying she would close up the shop herself.

After watching them leave, Madam Shyarly took a puff from her pipe, her expression becoming somewhat melancholy.

"Madam Shyarly..."

"Hmm?"

Startled by Camie’s voice, Madam Shyarly turned to her and said, "Why haven’t you left yet?"

"I’m going now, but your Crystal Ball..."

Looking at the shattered Crystal Ball, Camie’s expression became complicated. Did this mean Madam Shyarly could no longer perform Divination?

"The Crystal Ball..." Madam Shyarly stared at the broken shards for a moment, then smiled and shook her head. "It’s fine. That was the last time anyway. I don’t plan on continuing Divination anymore."

"Something like the Straw Hat Boy destroying Fish-Man Island... I don’t want to see a terrifying future like that a second time."

She paused, then turned toward the window. "It would be for the best if this Divination was actually wrong."

Taking in Madam Shyarly’s reaction, Camie sighed silently in her heart.

It was precisely because her predictions had never been wrong before that she was so afraid...

Even though Luffy didn’t destroy Fish-Man Island this time, Madam Shyarly’s predictions didn’t have to happen immediately!

It could be in a year, or even longer.

And because there was no proof that this prediction was wrong yet, Madam Shyarly was...

After a moment of silence, Camie said, "Madam Shyarly, no matter what, Luffy and his friends would definitely never do something like that..."

Madam Shyarly fell silent for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "You have a point."

"Sorry, Camie, I shouldn’t have doubted your friends..."

"I understand. I’ll believe in them."

"I’ll believe that they won’t become the culprits who destroy Fish-Man Island!"

Camie nodded with a smile, glad that she finally believed in the Straw Hat Crew.

Then, Camie turned to leave. "Then, Madam Shyarly, I’m going to find Luffy and the others now."

"Wait a moment, Camie..."

"Huh?"

Camie stopped, looking back at Madam Shyarly in confusion. "What is it, Madam Shyarly?"

Did she want to go along too?

Seeing Camie’s confused look, Madam Shyarly was silent for a moment before putting down her pipe and speaking seriously, "Camie, that young man wearing sunglasses... he’s Meiser, right?"

"Eh?!"

Camie was stunned by the question.

"Why... why would you ask that?"

Had Madam Shyarly already discovered Meiser’s identity?

Or... was she just curious?

Madam Shyarly shook her head helplessly, seeing right through the expression on Camie’s silly face. "Nothing, just asking."

"Go on, go find your friends, Camie."

"Oh!"

Although she didn’t know why Madam Shyarly asked, since she didn’t press for more, Camie didn’t need to dwell on it.

With that thought, Camie breathed a sigh of relief and turned to swim out, calling back, "Then I’m off, Madam Shyarly!"

"Stay safe."

"I know!"

"That girl..."

After watching her leave, the smile faded from Madam Shyarly’s face, replaced by a complex expression. "What a dummy... the answer was written all over your face."

Shaking her head, Madam Shyarly turned to look at a Wanted Poster on the table.

"So he’s still alive... That’s wonderful!"

"Thank you."

"Hero of Fish-Man Island, Ōtsutsuki Meiser!"