Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 288 Two Forces
"Pfft~ Pfft~ Spit!"

"You kid!"

The bitter taste that numbed his tongue only slowly emerged after the old fishman swallowed the tea. Helpless from the bitterness, he could only stick out his tongue in vain.

Having lived his entire life underwater, he finally got to experience what 'mountain delicacies' taste like today.

"Hey! Don't throw it!"

Seeing that the other person was about to throw away the health tea bottle and water, Bourfat quickly stepped forward to stop him.

"Do you know how expensive it is to make a cup of this stuff? Just that one sip you took was worth more than a whole bottle of wine I used to give you!"

"..."

Sure enough, the old fishman stopped what he was doing the moment he heard this... He had been frugal his whole life and couldn't stand anything that wasted money.

Frowning, the old fisherman glanced again at the steaming pale yellow tea, shaking his head with a mixture of heartache and regret:
"Tsk~"

"What a waste! You're just wasting money on this stuff!"

"Wouldn't it be better to use alcohol instead?"

Carefully screwing the lid on, the old fishman hung the thermos on his waist... Since he knew this thing was so precious, he would drink it all, no matter how bitter it was, even if it tasted like urine.

"Who says it's not~"

Seeing the other party's actions, Bourfat smiled inwardly, but still said aloud:

"But I can't do anything about it... You know, there's a little girl in the pirate crew who's always watching over us~"

"Even the slightest lie I tell can be detected..."

After saying that, Bourfat shook his head, feigning helplessness.

"Tch~ You should be secretly happy!"

"For someone in your line of work to reach this age and not only not have died at sea, but also have someone constantly thinking about you... you must have some kind of kinship with the sea god in your past life."

"Alright, let's get back to business. What does the person you're looking for look like? I'll go and find out for you."

The old fishman waved his hand, interrupting the other party's boasting, and began to ask about finding personnel.

After all, Fishman Island isn't very big, but it would be quite difficult for Bulfat's ship of a few dozen people to quickly find a single fishman here... mainly because this isn't their territory, so they can't make too much of a fuss.

"cough~"

"His name is La Hire, he's a grouper. He has blond hair and is very tall, probably... a head taller than me?"

Bourfat gestured with his hand, unsure of what to say.

After all, it had been more than ten years since they last met, and he wasn't quite sure what the other person looked like now.

"The grouper-man is even taller than you, hmm..."

The old murloc memorized these characteristics and began to recall if he had recently encountered any murlocs who matched these traits.

"One more thing, he seems to have only recently returned to Fishman Island, so I think he's probably somewhere in Fishman Town."

"Oh? That's an important clue."

The presence of a new, unfamiliar face can quickly narrow down the search.

"Only this?"

"Ah."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for you. If he really is on Fishman Island, I reckon I can find him in a day or two."

"Then I'll leave it to you, sir."

"Hey~ It's no big deal."

The old merman waved his hand, about to leave to inform the rest of the patrol, but then remembered something and spoke up to remind them:

"By the way, you and your people shouldn't move around too much during this time. Just stay here quietly."

"Or we can go back to the surface first and come down in a couple of days."

"Oh? What happened?"

Faced with this request, Bourfat, who was preparing to enjoy a mermaid massage at the island's massage parlor, couldn't help but feel curious.

"It's nothing~ It's just a bit unfortunate. The navy is also on the island, and they seem to have something to discuss with King Neptune."

“Although you are a fish-man, you are still a pirate at heart. If you get into a conflict with them on the island, it will not be good for anyone.”

Although Fishman Island is nominally Whitebeard's territory, due to his special relationship with King Neptune and its unique geographical location, Whitebeard himself rarely interferes in the island's affairs.

The Whitebeard Pirates simply ensured the safety of the island. Fishman Island's internal and external affairs were almost entirely autonomous, just like any other independent kingdom. Whitebeard even refused the annual protection fee.

Therefore, as residents of Fishman Island, they try their best to maintain the island's peace and not cause trouble for the Whitebeard Pirates.

Upon hearing this news, Bulfat stroked his chin. As a fishman, he naturally didn't want to cause chaos on Fishman Island.

"Wow~ It's really strange that the Navy would come here~"

"Ah."

"It wasn't just the navy. I glimpsed some other people on the warship from afar. Those guys weren't wearing navy uniforms and looked rather secretive."

The old fish-man added that he actually didn't quite like those humans in white clothes setting foot on Fish-Man Island. "Not wearing uniforms... are they high-ranking Navy officers or people from the World Government?"

"Bourfat murmured softly."

"I'm not sure either, but judging from their identities, they must be quite important. At least King Neptune treated them with great care..."

"Yeah, okay, I got it."

"Then we'll wait here for your good news."

No longer dwelling on naval matters, Bourfat turned and shouted towards the ship:
"Jinbe, have you packed your things? What are your plans?"

"All packed up, Brother Bourfat."

Boom!
As he spoke, a round figure jumped off the deck, carrying a package that was even bigger and rounder than himself on his back.

"Brother Bulfat, I think I'll go back to Fishman Street now, and we can make plans for the rest later."

Let's part ways here for now.

"Okay, then be careful on your journey from now on."

Bourfat didn't mince words and simply nodded in farewell.

"Yes, I understand, thank you."

Jinbe nodded, then looked at the old fishman who was staring in disbelief.

"Long time no see, old man."

"Eh! What...what...what's up?!"

The old fishman obviously didn't recognize Jinbe at first glance, after all, he and Jinbe had only met a few times, and the other was just a few years old at the time.

His memory of Jinbe was from a few years ago, when he saw that the young Jinbe was pitifully hungry, so he gave him two pieces of bread.

Unlike other children in Fishman Street who would grab the bread and run away or wolf it down on the spot, the other person took the bread and solemnly thanked him first, saying that he would definitely repay this kindness in the future before leaving with the bread.

To be honest, this was the first time the old fishman had seen the words "Enyi" (恩义) on a child from Fishman Island, and it also made him remember the other person's name - Jinbe.

Looking at Jinbe, who was already much taller than him, and who was blue, chubby, and burly, the old fishman nodded with satisfaction.

It seems that Bourfat was not lying to him after all; the orphans he took away were indeed being well taken care of.

"It's grown so big already!"

"Okay, okay!"

The old fishman patted the other's strong arm, his eyes full of smiles.

"After all, I've received a lot of help from Brother Bourfat over the years. But you seem to have lost a lot of weight since then."

Jinbe asked with concern, for he had never forgotten the old man who had given him a meal.

"Haha, that's what happens when you get old."

"I never expected that after all these years, you would still remember this old man."

"Of course I remember! Those two pieces of bread you gave me back then not only saved my life, but also my companion's. I will never forget this kindness in my next life!"

……

Compared to the joyous reunion here, the atmosphere in the Fishman Island Royal City—Dragon Palace—was not so harmonious.

In the magnificent and spacious royal palace hall, there were only four people present. The maids and guards who usually served there had all been dismissed and sent outside. Even Queen Otohime had been told to stay in her bedchamber.

“King Neptune, that fishman is a slave of the Celestial Dragons who escaped from the Holy Land. You should understand what this means.”

Standing in the center of the hall, a cold, emotionless voice spoke.

"Um……"

King Neptune did not reply to the man in the white suit and strange mask in front of him, and the two naval officers in righteous coats standing behind him.

The former great knight, now the king of the Dragon Palace Kingdom, simply frowned deeply.

"..."

"What do you want?"

After a long silence, Neptune, sitting on his throne, finally spoke with difficulty.

The other party represents the highest level of the World Government—the Celestial Dragons. Fish-Man Island must treat this matter with utmost care.

Even though his friends had promised to protect the island, it didn't mean Neptune could disregard the opinions of other powers... especially the World Government.

He was grateful for his friend's kindness, but he also didn't want to cause trouble for the other person.

So even though these people were enslaving his own people and even openly demanding from him, he still couldn't show any dissatisfaction or hostility.

"I need the full cooperation of your Fishman Island in the search and capture of that escaped fishman slave. He must be caught within three days."

"..."

"Sigh... I understand."

(End of this chapter)