Chapter 73: Vacation
At the pinnacle of the Great Pirate Era stand usâthe "Four Emperors."
Pirate crews in the four seas or the first half of the Grand Line rarely reach even a thousand members. Most range from fewer than ten to around a hundred. Even the larger crews cap out at 200 to 500. Sure, some exceed a thousand, but 1,000 to 5,000 is the absolute limit. The Warlords might stretch into the four-digit range, but thatâs another story.
But in the New World? For an Emperorâs crew, anything less than five digits is a joke. There were exceptionsâlike the Roger Pirates or Whitebeardâs crew, who thrived with elite small numbersâbut try ruling vast territories or clashing with rival Emperors with that.
Youâd always want more. Hell, even Whitebeard eventually swallowed his pride, absorbing allied crews to command tens of thousands. Necessary to protect his waters.
Take this very spotâitâs under Whitebeardâs flag. And nobodyâs stupid enough to attack an island flying an Emperorâs banner. Cross one of us, and you will pay. Doesnât matter if you flee the Grand Line. Weâll hunt you to the ends of the earth and teach you the industryâs unwritten rule: What happens when you defy a Sea Emperor.
Some call it the "New Worldâs Baptism." Hotshot rookies dragging their "Paradise" arrogance into these waters? Delicious to shatter their confidence. Some even bawl like toddlers. Show them an Emperorâs terror, and grown men will beg for their lives.
Since we, the Beast Pirates, joined the Emperors, weâve been untouchable. A near-absolute force, free as conquerors⊠yet some things still donât go our way.
"âUghhh⊠Wouldnât it be great if the Four Emperors, Marine HQ, and the Warlords all accidentally gathered on one island? Then we could have a warrrr~âŠ"
"Then theyâd all fall for Nue-samaâs cuteness, and the world would be saved, zaurusu~!"
"Thatâd be the apocalypse! And drop the weird speech tic already!!"
Iâd docked at the islandâs beach for a little vacation. My swimsuit had the crew mesmerized. Around me were two of my top officersâUti and Page One, also in swimwearâplus a thousand Beast Pirates, including my Unknownâs crew.
Speaking of, the Unknown flies our Beast Pirates flag but also sports sails stylized after my adorable face and wings, plus one with "ćŠ" (yĆ). Its UFO-inspired black hull oozes dark, cute charmâirresistible. No need for this many crew, but I wanted to sail her. Custom-built by Wanoâs finest to my exact specs: stage, bathhouse, fun torture chamber, top-tier Wano weaponsâperfection.
Oh, and plenty of female crewmates. Unlike sexist dinosaurs like Whitebeard, we welcome anyone who can fightâwomen, kids, whoever. Uti, Page One, even Jackâall raised on the ship since childhood. Sure, some are still single-digit ages, but theyâre stronger than most grunts. I trained them. Heh.
My earlier rant? Just venting years of frustration. Sighing, I sipped a cocktail my subordinates made.
"Everyone overreacts to the tiniest move. Marines cling to their âbalance,â rivals scheme for advantageâexhausting."
"The Marines are pests, zaurusu."
"I get it, but⊠Nue-san, mind explaining why weâre really at Fish-Man Island?"
"Vacation plus recruiting."
"So vacationâs the main goalâŠ?"
"PÄ-tan, stop fishing and enjoy! A rare chance to relax with Nue-sama, zaurusu!"
"Donât call me PÄ-tan!! Waitâârecruitingâ⊠You mean for that planâŠ?"
"Yep! So weâre vacationing while waiting for âfishâ to bite. Fitting, no? This is Fish-Man Island~âĄ"
"Of course! With Nue-samaâs Observation Haki, easy, zaurusu!"
I giggled, nodding at Page One. He frowned, then asked:
"Speaking of⊠How far does your Haki reach?"
"Hmm⊠An island? Maybe all of Wano if I push it."
"Damn⊠So why fish-men allies?"
"Silly PÄ-tan! For fun, obviously, zaurusu!"
As they bantered, I stretched my Haki, sensing the islandâs inhabitants. Strong ones stand outâweâd know when they arrived. Until then, Iâd chat with my adorable crew.
"Did you know? Fish-men have been oppressed by the World Government for ages. So tragic~âȘ"
"Uh, yeah, butâŠ"
"Dumb, zaurusu! If theyâre born stronger, just kill the humans, zaurusu!"
"Hehe, true! But they canât. âStrongâ is relativeâmost canât hang in the New World. No match for the Governmentâs might."
"Nue-samaâs so smart, zaurusu!"
"Canât think of many strong fish-men⊠Jack, Sasakibe⊠thatâs it."
Uti and Page One nodded. Fish-men are weak. A human subspecies, but weaker on land. Aquatic by natureâcalling them "fish" fits.
Not that I discriminate. All races are equal. No room for petty hatred.
They, though? They despise humans. Smirking, I sipped my drink, then glanced sideways.
"But itâs deeper. This hatredâs ingrained. Lookâjust us being here makes them seethe with fear~âĄ"
"!"
"âYou there!!"
Finally, they arrivedâsoldiers armed with spears, led by a hulking merman: the Ryugu Kingdomâs king, his beard wild.
"The Beast Pirates⊠and youâNue, the Vice-Captain!"
"Whoa! The hellâs this giant fish?!"
"You picking a fight?!"
"Gyaha! This beardy moron know who heâs talkinâ to?!"
"How dare you insult His Majesty?!"
"These bastardsâŠ!"
"âHOLD YOUR POSITION!! DO NOT ENGAGE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!"
The soldiers bristled at our crewâs mocking laughter, but King Neptuneâsensing their hostilityâsnapped at them with unshakable authority. I couldnât help but grin.
"Ohhh~? So the king does have an eye for strength. Whatâs the matter, Neptune~âĄ?"
"âŠThe question is mine to ask. What business does a Beasts Pirates fleetâone of the Four Emperorsâhave on Fish-Man IslandâŠ!?"
"Canât we visit without an agenda? Though if youâre this scared, you couldâve just ignored us~âĄ"
"Ignoring you isnât an option when youâve occupied this beach for days! The merfolk are distressed. I never imagined youâd dare move against this islandâŠ"
I tilted my head, sashimi dangling from my chopsticks. Huh?
"âWait. Why wouldnât we move against you?"
"âŠDo not play the fool. This island flies Whitebeardâs flag. Strike here, and you inviteâ"
"âŠâŠâŠâŠHa. What the hell are you talking about?"
"!!!"
The moment he said it, I pulsedâjust enough to make their knees buckle without passing out. Fearâs no fun if they black out.
"Assuming weâre too scared of Whitebeard to act⊠just makes me want to prove you wrong~⥠Ever heard of reverse psychology?"
"Y-You cannot be serious! Youâd risk warâŠ!?"
"AhahaâȘ Iâd love a war~⥠Tell meâif I wiped this island off the map, would that start one? Because I might justâ" I tapped my spear lightly. The soldiersâ terror was delicious. I couldâve crushed them then.
âBut I lowered my weapon.
"âNah. Not today. Youâre smarter than I heard, Neptune⊠but you suck at Emperor politics."
"W-What do you mean�"
"We donât avoid Whitebeard out of fear. We avoid the chain reaction."
Hereâs the real frustration.
As Emperors, we fear nothingânot even each other. Kaido, me, any of us would bet on ourselves in a straight fight. Even against Whitebeard.
But victory isnât the problem. Itâs what comes after.
"If Whitebeard and I went all-out? The winner would be the Emperor who didnât fight. The Marines would swoop in. The Warlords would pick sides. Itâs not about strengthâitâs chess."
"âŠThe balance of power."
"Bingo~⥠So now you get it. We donât fear Whitebeardâs flagâwe respect the game."
Another pulse of pressure. They shook. This island? These ants? I could turn them to seabed gravel right now.
But thatâs the trap.
The Four Emperors are locked in a stalemateâeach strong enough to cripple the others, but never without cost. Win a war, and youâre too weak to stop the next enemy. The Marines pray for that opening.
So we play the long game. Expand territory. Undermine rivals. No grand movesâjust erosion.
And Whitebeard? Annoyingly sharp. Raid his turf, and heâll raid yours to force you home. No brute force. No blunders. Just a slow, grinding masquerade of power.
"So, Your Majestyâyou sure you want to poke the bear? Let us lounge here⊠or lose hundreds trying to chase us off. Your call~âĄ"
If youâre dumb enough to think a Whitebeard flag makes you safeâIâll really kill you.
I shot them a look laced with menace, silently driving the message home. The soldiers recoiled, fear flashing plainly in their eyes. Hard to tell when theyâre already pale, though. Still, even as his face blanched, Neptune remained calm. He seemed to be calculating something, and after a moment, he spoke.
ââŠWe promise not to harm anyone from this country.â
âYour Majesty!?â
The soldiers cried out in disbeliefâbut it was the right, realistic call. I guess meeting us in person made things clear. They couldnât drive us off, and we werenât going to leave. So, if it meant protecting his people, he was willing to compromise. I nodded in approval.
âI canât promise anything, but weâre not going to go around hurting or killing people on our own. We might get attacked, though. Oh, and weâll be needing food and fuel while weâre staying here. Got it? âĄâ
âSo, you wonât strike first. In that case⊠weâll do what we can.â
âNegotiations complete~⥠Now, how about all you small fry head on home? Weâve got a beach barbecue, volleyball, and a show coming up. Or do you wanna stay and watch?â
âI wanna play beach volleyball with Nue-samaaa~~âĄâ
âWe donât got enough fish for the barbecue!! Step it up, you guys!!â
âY-yes, sir!!â
ââŠEveryone, back to the castle.â
âYâŠyes, sir.â
I rose from my beach chair as Neptune gave the order, and the soldiers withdrew, clearly frustrated but obeying. Heâs a good king. If heâd acted like most humansâtrying to fight us out of prideâthe fishmen and merfolk wouldâve been in a much worse spot. Being king of Ryugu Kingdom demands serious judgment. Way more than a typical king.
âEspecially since thereâs always some idiot who doesnât know their place. ⥠I felt it coming and let my lips curl into a grin.
âDONâT SCREW WITH ME!!!â
â!â
âHuh? Who the hellâs thatâŠâ
Someone stepped forward, yelling, just as Neptuneâs troops were leaving. A fishman shoved aside those trying to hold him backâand I recognized him immediately. That nose, that build⊠I couldnât help but smirk. Donât tell me heâs actually going to pick a fight? I decided to watch.
He was clearly furious.
âFour Emperors or not, what kind of pathetic joke of an army canât even get rid of some brat kids calling themselves officers!? Neptune Army!!â
âKing Neptune!! Iâm Arlong from Fishman District!!â
âAh⊠one of those pirate types, eh. Arlong, was it. You and your crew should stay away from this beach for the time being. Itâs off-limitsââ
âYouâre seriously bowing down to humans!? Kids!? I didnât think youâd fallen this far!!â
âArlong! Thatâs the Neptune Army and a Yonko crew! Stand down!!â
Ah, Hacchan. The octopus guy. Seeing all these familiar faces brings back memories. Thereâs Kuroobi, Chew⊠the whole Arlong gang trying to hold him back. But for whatever reason, Arlongâs got it in his head to pick a fight with us and Neptuneâs army. What a temper. He still hasnât learned that being weak and stupid gets you hurt. That kind of reckless attitude is fun to watch, though.
âIf you cowards wonât do it, then I will!! Iâll take care of those brats myselfâ!!â
âHuhhh!!? Who the hell are you calling brats!? Me, Peitan, and Nue-sama!? You little shark punkâŠ!!!â
â!?â
âUlti-sama!?â
Ahh, now the hot-headed oneâs fired up too. Ulti-chan flew into a rage and charged straight at Arlong. She even transformed mid-run, caught his attack, and cracked his nose wide open with a headbutt.
âGYYYYAHHH!!?â
âIâll beat you to death right now, you pathetic little shark bastard!!!â
âArlong!!â
âThat girl⊠Sheâs a dinosaur userâŠ!!â
âDamn itâArlong!!!â
Yikes. Ultiâs got him pinned and is just going to townâbiting, slamming, punching, kicking, headbutting⊠Itâs not a fight. Itâs a beatdown. I mean, Arlongâs the one who bit her first, and if you get wrecked this hard by a seven-year-old, thatâs on you.
And thenâone of the Neptune soldiers moved. Wait, is thatâŠ? Oh! Thatâs the boss!! Jinbe!! Looks like he couldnât just stand by while Arlong was getting mauled. Heâs coming in to stop it. He looks strong⊠This might be bad. Even Ulti and Peitan probably canât beat Jinbe. Still, itâs a chance to earn some XP, so whatever.
âHey now, we were trying to let you off easy. You really wanna go?â
âStep aside!! Didnât you say no one would be killed!? Were you lying!?â
âHe came at us first, so itâs self-defense⊠Anyway, what now, Nue-san? At this rate, Big Sis is gonna kill that shark. Am I allowed to fight?â
âIf you do, just donât kill him. And donât lay a hand on any of the other soldiersâthey havenât done anything.â
ââŠGot it. Then you, charging at usâyouâre our XP now!â
â!!â
âBoss Jinbe!!?â
Page One activated his powers, transforming into his hybrid form, and launched a full-force punch at Jinbe, sending him flying through a few buildings. Still, as expected of Jinbeâhe was guarding, and even if he underestimated him because heâs a kid, heâs not going down like Arlong. He got back up and charged straight at Page One.
Man, heâs strong. Itâs not like Peitanâs weakâheâs strong enough to be a Lead Performerâbut heâs still a kid. Thereâs no way he can beat one of the strongest fishmen alive. Actually, the fact that he did land a surprise hit and knock him back is kind of impressive. Promising, even.
âSigh⊠King Neptune, you really think harmony with humans is possible when people like this are around? And, uh, weâre kinda past the point of putting our weapons down too~ What are you planning to do?â
âGhh⊠Iâm sorry!! Jinbe, thatâs enough!!â
ââŠ!! But stillâŠ!!â
âWhat, you're worried about that shark? Then give it up. The guy's dead meat if my sister keeps going.â
I flashed a warning glare at King Neptune, making it clear: if this keeps up, weâll take it as a challenge.
But Neptuneâs words werenât getting through. Jinbe still looked hung up on Arlong. And honestly, heâs right. If things go on like this, Arlong really will die. No doubt about it.
âUgh⊠AghâŠ!â
âStop!! Heâs seriously gonna die!!â
âStop, you say!?â Ulti snarled, âYou wanna be next, huh?! Iâll kill you too!!!â
âAah, hey hey, Shark-boy over thereâwhat was it again? Arlong? If you just say, âWe were fools, Iâm sorry,â weâll let you off the hook. Sound good?â
ââŠS-Shut⊠up⊠you damn humansâŠâ
âAww, youâve got guts, Iâll give you that ⥠But now weâve got no choice but to teach this scrawny little fish all about the big, scary worldâlike what ruthless really means, hmm~~?â
âGyahahaha!! You guys hit the jackpot! A front-row seat to Lady Nueâs brutality show!â
âKick back and enjoy the view! Youâre about to see what happens when you cross the Beasts Pirates!!â
My crew went wild from just a few of my words. Theyâre so easy to hype up itâs almost cute. Still, weâre talking about pirates under a Yonko. Even without me stepping in, theyâre more than enough to handle this crowd. Neptune and Jinbe? Well, they might have their hands full.
But hey, itâs not like weâre planning to kill anyone. I walked over to Arlong, smiling sweetly as I spoke to the lot of them.
âAlright, alright, everyone calm down. Didnât I just tell the king? Weâre here on vacation, remember? No rough stuff.â
âEh? So we canât kill him, saurus!?â
âNope. But still⊠letting him off scot-free would hurt our reputation. Hmm⊠okay, Iâve got it!â
I stopped Ulti and crouched down by Arlong, giving him a wink.
âOne⊠hundred⊠berries. Thatâs all âĄâ
ââŠ!!? One hundred⊠berriesâŠ!?â
âWhat? Are you seriousâŠ? I mean, paying thatâs nothing, butâŠâ
âNyu~! Thank goodness!! Arlong-sanâs gonna be okay!!â
Arlong stared in disbelief. His crew, Neptuneâs soldiersâeveryone looked at each other, clearly baffled. Makes sense. A Yonkoâs crew backing down over pocket change? It didnât compute.
And honestly, I could have shaken them down for more. But ten thousand, a hundred thousandâitâs all pocket change to us. And I doubt these sad little fish could cough up anything worth our time anyway.
So instead, I decided to amuse myself. Letting them live in exchange for that tiny sum? It was perfect. Smiling, I told them:
âI love fish-men and merfolk ⥠So Iâll be nice to you, okay? Your life, little fishy, is worth exactly one hundred berries ⥠Isnât that a great deal? You get to buy back your life for a measly hundred berries âĄâ
ââŠ!!! Youâre saying⊠my life is only worth a hundred berriesâŠ!?â
âYup, super sweet of me, right? Thatâs not even enough for a can of soda âȘ Cheaper than a loaf of bread. Wow, what a bargain!!â
âAs expected of Lady Nue!! So kind, saurus!!â
âGrrrrrâŠ!!! Donât screw with me!!!â
Arlong, half-dead already, suddenly lost it and shouted in rage. I donât get it. I went out of my way to make it super affordable, so whatâs the problem? Did he want to die that badly? Or was it the idea of putting such a measly price on a fish-manâs life that sent him off? Itâs not like I meant that all fish-men are worth a hundred berries.
Just that I didnât care enough to ask for more. But I guess heâs got a massive inferiority complex. Itâs a common thing with people whoâve been discriminated againstâseeing insults where there arenât any.
âEhh? So you wonât pay? Donât tell me you seriously canât scrape together a hundred berries?â
âDamn youâŠ!! Youâre mocking me⊠to the bitter endâŠ!!!â
âArlong-san!! Please, just endure it!! Youâll live!!â
âSo noisy, saurus. Letâs just finish this already, saurus.â
âDonât!!! Stop!!!â
As Arlongâs crew and Jinbe shouted, Ulti raised her hand to strike.
But in that instantâa shadow moved between them. I caught Ultiâs shoulder and gently pulled her back.
â!!â
âWhat the hell!?â
â! Thatâs⊠Tiger-san!?â
âBig bro TigerâŠ!â
âThe big bro TigerâŠ!!â
The large red fish-man whoâd suddenly jumped in from above, ready to strike us down, was exactly the man Iâd been looking for.
The leader of Fish-Man District. The adventurerâFisher Tiger.
âJinbe, Arlong⊠King Neptune⊠Weâve got a lot to talk about. But nowâs clearly not the time.â
âHaaah!? Who the hell asked you to butt in!?â
âStay, Ulti-chan. âAhaha! So youâre the adventurer Fisher Tiger! Nice to meet you! Should I introduce myself too?â
âNo need. I already know who you are. I may be an adventurer, but you donât survive these seas without keeping tabs on monsters like you.â
âOh? Is that so? Then⊠are you looking to pick a fight with us?â
âI only stepped in to protect my comrades!! I have no intention of fighting you!!â
Tiger said this without ever breaking eye contact. He said thatâbut his stance told a different story. He looked ready to throw down at any second.
Well, from my perspective, adding one more fighter to the mix doesnât change much. But if I werenât here, my crew mightâve had a bit more trouble. I could let this all play out for a bit longer just for fun⊠but I figured our little time-waster was about wrapped up. Smiling, I made my decision.
âOkayyy ⥠In that caseâweâll let you all go!!â
â! âŠIs that so. Then we owe you.â
âBut! Itâs not really a condition or anythingâbut how about we talk? Just the two of us? Iâve always wanted to hear more about the legendary adventurer.â
âWhatâŠ? Donât be ridiculous! You expect Tiger-san to agree to that kind ofââ
âââFine.â
âBig bro Tiger!? But theyâreâ!â
âItâs alright, Jinbe. All of you. Take care of Arlong for me.â
Tiger accepted my offer, still clearly cautious, but holding his crew back as he stepped forward. Hm, not bad. The man does lead a bunch of misfit fish-men, after all. Heâs got the presenceâand the guts.
But I see it. I donât miss it. That flicker buried deep in his heartâthe fear, the sorrow, the hatred. All those festering emotions.
âHeehee⊠Alright then, one ticket to my ship, coming right up âȘ You guys go play for a while. Ulti, Page One, get the barbecue started, will you?â
âGot it, saurus!! Câmon Pei-tan, time to go catch some fish for the grill, saurus!!â
âWhoa!? Quit yanking me, sis!! And hey, youâve got blood on you!! Wipe it off first!!â
And with that, I left the preparations to Ulti and Page One, and went off to have a little chat with Tiger. A conversation about our upcoming âraidââand âliberation.â I planned to learn everything about him⊠before offering him an invitation.
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