Chapter 11: The players have disturbed the Navy! ...
Violet's actions were too fast and too unexpected. It wasn't until she fed Tiger the third serving of [roasted jellyfish rings] that the stunned fishmen came to their senses and hurriedly split into two groups. One group went to pull Violet out, and the other group went to save their unlucky captain who was on the verge of death and had just experienced a "murder".
One of the merfolk couldn't help but shake Tiger desperately, crying out, "Waaaaah, Tiger, you died so tragically!"
Tiger: *burp*
Fishman: "..."
Fishman: "Am I imagining things? I think I heard a hiccup?"
Yes, that's the sound of Tiger eating too much. Jinbe, who was carrying Violet away, thought with an eerily calm demeanor.
Jinbe looked at Violet, and Violet looked up back at her cheap teammate.
Still suffering from the pain of aging? Still troubled by declining energy? Still worried about the concerned look your wife gives you? XX brand pills, a man's energy booster, will help you regain your youth!
Jinbe instinctively raised his hand to cover the newspaper advertisement on Violet's face, so as not to corrupt the other innocent and naive fish-man kin.
Jinbe blushed and said, "Why did you change the newspaper?!"
Violet: "The previous one didn't have enough durability." Only after Violet was out of the battle did she realize that the disguise she had put on to avoid choosing a faction too early actually had a slight defensive function.
It was truly faint, so faint that Violet didn't even notice it. But since it was armor, it must have durability. Seeing that the previous piece was about to reach zero durability, the skillful player made himself a new one.
Violet: "Put me down quickly, I still have food to cook for You-Know-Who!"
Upon hearing this, Jinbe's eyes also began to sting. Boss Tiger, has it really come to the day he has to eat his last meal?
Jinbe: "I had no idea that Tiger's last thought before he died was to eat grilled jellyfish rings. I've really failed in my duty!"
"Waaaah, us too!"
"Waaaaah, we've been so neglectful of you, Captain!"
"Wow—Captain, we'll remember to bring you a serving of fresh, hot grilled squid rings every year when we visit you!"
Tiger Shark Tooth: "I'm not dead yet!"
——
After repeated confirmation by the ship's doctor, Captain Tiger, who had eaten Violet's magical dish, had not fully recovered, but was indeed out of danger.
"That's amazing! Are you a member of the Big Mom Pirates?"
Vier pinpointed the key phrase: "BIG MOM, why do you say that?"
The young fishman looked at the enlarged newspaper box in front of him: "Uh, because Big Mom and her children love cooking and are very good at it. I heard that their Devil Fruit abilities are all related to food."
A guy who can make dishes that heal wounds does sound like a member of the Big Mom Pirates.
"No, I am not a pirate."
"Then you are..."
"I'm a farmer!"
“Um…” Jinbe walked into the room, paused when he saw Violet’s newspaper box, “…My benefactor, Captain Tiger wants to talk to you.”
Benefactor? Shouldn't this title come from the mouth of a beautiful, long-legged, white-haired fox-tailed lady with a slender waist? Why is she calling me a fat fish?!
Jinbe: "...I am a whale shark."
Violet bowed and sincerely apologized: "Private Marseille, I thought the NPC couldn't see the comments in the input box before clicking confirm."
Jinbe skipped the topic: "...Tiger is waiting for you."
Violet was taken to see Tiger. It can only be said that as the captain of the Sun Pirates, the You-Know-Who whose name resounds throughout the four seas and the Grand Line, he actually understood the player's intention to go through him to see the Fish-Man King after a long, rambling conversation.
Shall we go see King Neptune?
Tiger looked at Violet, who hadn't shown her face yet, and asked, "What do you want to see our king for?"
Vera said frankly, "Make a deal with him." Exchange a large piece of meat for gold.
Is this guy in front of me, as a friendly human, trading with King Neptune for a future where fish and humans can coexist peacefully?
Tiger gripped the armrest tightly. He had a premonition that perhaps the time Queen Otohime had been waiting for was about to arrive.
——
"Bru bru bru—"
Storoberry waited patiently on the Den Den Mushi's end for almost five minutes before the call was finally connected.
"Thanks to you, Sentomaru, otherwise we almost had to use the Den Den Mushi again... Moshi moshi, it's Storobelli, how's the operation going?"
"The initial plan went smoothly. The Sun Pirates, completely unaware, walked into the Navy's encirclement. Tiger and a crew member named Shpin went off the island alone, and I was in charge of leading the pursuit..."
"We successfully severely injured Tiger, but before we could close in, someone appeared and rescued him."
"Oh?" the Den Den Mushi drawled out. "Fishman?"
"No, it's a human being."
"Humans? Humans who help fish-men, how terrifying~ When did the relationship between humans and fish-men become so good?"
"But there's nothing we can do if we don't catch them. After falling for their trick once, even if we try to use the slave auction market as bait, they should become more cautious and won't fall for it again, right?"
The long, sarcastic tone made it unclear whether it was mocking the group of good-hearted pirates or the government departments that came up with such terrible ideas.
"Have you taken a picture of the other party? Let's issue a reward first, and we can deal with the rest later."
"Yes, there is... but the other party is disguising themselves."
"It's okay, just send it out~"
Stolberg recalled the newspaper the other party had used as a disguise, and a question flashed through his mind.
Should that outrageous advertiser pay the Navy for advertising?
——
After seeing Violet off, Tiger sat alone in his room, lost in thought.
A near-death experience can help you see yourself more clearly.
It wasn't until then, when he was willing to give his life rather than accept human blood transfusions, that Tiger realized that no matter how rationally he had previously believed in Queen Otohime's path of "peaceful coexistence between mermaids and humans," his emotions had become unable to accept humans.
He is no longer suitable to lead the Sun Pirates; otherwise, sooner or later, the hatred in his heart will drag this idealistic and noble pirate crew into the abyss of hatred.
The girl's appearance presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a breakthrough in the relationship between mermaids and humans, and he had to bring her to Queen Otohime no matter what. The Pirate King Roger, that human male, ushered in a new chapter for the seas, and the mermaids must seize this opportunity to secure their place in this new era.
They are not special fish, nor are they slaves sold into slavery, but intelligent beings with rights, just like those in other constituent republics.
How long has it been since he returned to Fish-Man Island? Perhaps he should take a break; the Sun Pirates also need a younger captain who has no hatred towards humans.
Tiger called Jinbe into the captain's cabin. No one knows what they talked about, but the candlelight in the captain's cabin stayed on all night.
The next day, Tiger, his hands wrapped in bandages, walked out of the captain's cabin and announced in front of all the fish-men that he was handing over the position of captain of the Sun Pirates to Jinbe.
The fishmen were in an uproar, with the dragon being the most vocal in his opposition. However, for some reason, he emitted a repulsive odor of a mixture of vomit and excrement, and no one wanted to get too close to him. Thus, his protest was drowned out by the voices of the other fishmen.
Tiger: "My physical condition is no longer suitable for leading everyone on continued sea adventures."
Tiger: "This is a decision I made after careful consideration. I trust that Jinbe can continue to lead the Sun Pirates to sail on this sea and bring freedom to every oppressed and enslaved fishman, mermaid, and human."
"Brother Tiger..."
Tiger looked at the group of merfolk who were leading the opposition: "If anyone wants to quit, they can leave now."
No one spoke; Jinbe becoming the new captain of the Sun Pirates was a foregone conclusion.
Violet didn't care about any of this; to the players, the change of power among NPCs was just a minor game update.
Jinbe solemnly found Violet and told her about Tiger's decision and the fact that he had become the new captain of the Sun Pirates. Then he looked at the girl in front of him with a little nervousness.
Tiger was so eager to put Jinbe in the captain's position because he hoped that Violet and Queen Otohime's meeting would take place after he became captain.
Jinbe was touched that Tiger had cleared the obstacles for him, but he was also more nervous, worried that he would not be able to gain the friendship of the human girl in front of him like Tiger had.
Violet: "Oh, so is my merman faction's favorability still there?"
Jinbe: "Of course, you are our friend."
Violet: "Then there's no problem. When can I meet the Fishman King?"
Jinbe: "King Neptune is on Fishman Island, which is 10,000 meters below the surface of Saint Mary Geoise."
Violet's expression changed: "What? The seabed? I can't go there!" Players are creatures that are easily soluble in water!
Although Jinbe couldn't see Violet's face, he could hear the panic in her tone. In fact, this was the first time he had ever felt this girl's emotional fluctuations.
Jinbe comforted him, "It's alright. We'll go to the Sabaody Archipelago to coat the ships first. It's a very mature process, and many people travel to Fishman Island this way every year."
Jinbe: "Tiger and I have already corresponded with Queen Otohime and King Neptune. They have decided to meet with you. When the time comes, we just need to follow the correct path to Fish-Man Island, and fish-men will come to meet us."
Violet didn't understand, so she waved her hand to indicate that Jinbe would arrange everything.
Jinbe was deeply moved by this trust and secretly vowed to bring Violet safely to Fishman Island and, as her host, to show her the island's scenery and cuisine.
Jinbe proudly declared about his hometown: "You'll love Fishman Island, my benefactor."
Violet shuddered violently: "Stop, stop, I said stop! Isn't You-Know-Who on your side? How come your information isn't synchronized?"
Vera: "Just call me Vera."
Jinbe: "...Okay, Violet. Um, why are you called Ship? The former captain's title?"
Violet said quietly, "Because ever since he stirred up the whole world and became the most terrifying and powerful pirate, no one has dared to say his name directly."
So, the legend of Brother Tiger has developed to this extent among humans?
Jinbe was confused but impressed, but he still looked at Violet seriously and said, "You're different, Violet. You're an important friend of ours. You can call Tiger by his name directly."
"Me too, you can just call me Shiping."
Violet exclaimed in surprise, "What? Did I max out your favorability rating?"
Violet rushed forward and tried to lift Jinbe up and shake him: "Any achievement rewards? Any rare materials? Any crafting blueprints?!"
Although he decided to put aside his prejudices and get along with humans in a friendly manner, Jinbe did not expect to be so close to them right away. He quickly covered his chest, turned around, and escaped from Violet's room.
Violet: "What a nimble fat head... no, a whale shark."
A note from the author:
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Ahhh, I really want to touch Jinbe! I imagine it would feel cool and matte to the touch, sob sob _(:з」∠)_
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