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

Chapter 294 Passing by
"Boss! This, this isn't the person you asked us to find, is it?"

The patrol team members who received the photo glanced at it and then exclaimed in a low voice.

"Huh? What?"

"Look, he has golden hair and is a grouper fish-man."

"It matches everything you described back then! Boss, you're not going to try and steal him from the Celestial Dragons—hmm!"

Seeing that the other person was losing control of their volume, the old fishman quickly covered their mouth.

"Keep your voice down!"

"I was just taking someone else's job, how was I supposed to know that this guy was connected to the Celestial Dragons?"

"Uuuuu~"

Upon hearing the old fishman's explanation, the patrol team member blinked, indicating that he could let go.

Fortunately, their patrol team was positioned far enough back, otherwise their actions might have attracted the attention of others, which would have been a huge problem.

"Pooh!"

"Whoo~"

"Oh, I see. So what do we do now, boss?"

Since the Celestial Dragons are involved, this is not something that these small patrol fishmen can handle on their own.

"Nothing to do."

"This matter should only be known to the ten or so people in our third squad. Don't spread it outside."

"As for the rest... if our people find them first, let me know before you report it. Don't worry about the rest, just do what you need to do."

[If someone else finds it first, then there's nothing I can do... This is all I can do for you, Bourfat.]
Although the old fishman was grateful to Bulfat for his help to the orphans over the years, he could not allow his team members, who had followed him for many years, to be put in danger.

[However, we still need to let that brat Bourfath know about this, just in case.]
Upon hearing the order to disband, the old fishman immediately headed to the place where Bulfat and the others had landed... He didn't have a Den Den Mushi, so he had to rely on his own two legs to inform them face to face.

……

On the other side, Bourfat, who had already strolled to the entrance of Fishman Street, paused slightly.

Fishman Street does not refer to a single street, but rather a vast district with a maze of alleys and lanes, resembling a dark and dangerous labyrinth.

He's like a dumping ground for the entire Fishman Island, where people dump all the things they don't want or find disgusting.

Broken furniture, unwanted pets, animal carcasses that are difficult to dispose of, and children who are seen as a burden.

Darkness, chaos, and stench were the dominant themes there, and almost no one who basked in the light of the sun tree 'Eve' would want to set foot in that damp and cramped area.

"After all these years, this place hasn't changed at all!"

"Ugh! That familiar musty smell~"

Stepping forward, Bourfat skillfully turned left and right, arriving at the 'main street' of this neighborhood.

This straight main road, slightly wider than a typical alleyway, runs east to west across the block, dividing Fisherman Street into north and south sections.

The southern part, being closer to 'normal,' is controlled by some strong fish-men. Besides having access to firsthand garbage resources, these people often engage in tertiary industries… such as highway robbery.

The area to the north was a gathering place for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who were marginalized; it was also the darkest place on the entire Fishman Island.

In that place where the light of the sun tree 'Eve' cannot reach, cruel things that are unimaginable to ordinary people happen every day.

That was precisely Bourfat's destination.

Walking on the familiar damp ground, Bulfat touched his pocket, only to find that he hadn't brought the candies that were used to lure the little fishmen this time.

"Speaking of which, there have been quite a few fewer kids in Fishman Town these past few years. It seems we should thank Whitebeard..."

The peaceful environment has greatly reduced the number of orphans on Fishman Island, which has led to a year-on-year decline in the proportion of fishmen in the 'training classes' on Fenrir Island in recent years, with ordinary human children gradually making up the majority.

But from the mermaid's perspective, this was undoubtedly a good thing. Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps.

Pa~pa~pa~
It's very close; it should be on the street across the street.

Not only that, the footsteps were heavy and frequent, indicating that the owner of the footsteps was an adult fishman who was in a great hurry to leave the place.

Instead of turning around to see who the other person was, Bourfat walked in the opposite direction of his steps.

This is the northern half of Fishman Street. The owner of the footsteps—that adult fishman—is not often seen here unless he has a special purpose.

Bulfat, who had been hanging around this place for many years, had already roughly guessed the other party's purpose in coming here.

As Bourfat continued deeper into the alley, the footsteps faded into the distance, replaced by an extremely faint... baby's cry.

[As expected, another father coming to abandon his child...]
Without pondering why he would deliberately take such a long detour to abandon the child deep within Fishman Street, Bourfat quickened his pace, following the faint cry…

Judging from the crying, the child is most likely still an infant, and there could be danger if they are not found quickly.

Pa~pa~pa~
"Hmm...is it this way?"

After squeezing through several winding alleys, he arrived at an extremely inconspicuous corner and stopped.

After searching around, he focused his attention on a moldy wooden board leaning against the wall... The baby's intermittent cries were coming from under there.

[Strange, why hide it?]
[Is it not meant to be thrown away, but just temporarily placed here?]
People who lose their children usually treat it like throwing away trash, subconsciously hoping that someone will take care of it or deal with it. So they usually won't leave it in such a remote place, much less deliberately hide it with a wooden board.

Setting aside his various speculations for the moment, Bourfat took a few steps forward, squatted down by the wall, and reached out to lift the wooden plank...

……

"Gentlemen, you've been following me all this way. Is there anything I can teach you?"

After leaving Mermaid Harbor, they walked quite a distance until they reached a relatively secluded and open area. Jinbe suddenly stopped and turned around to ask a question.

"Oh? We've been discovered?"

"When?"

A hundred meters away, the two marines who had been trying to conceal their figures heard each other's words and stopped hiding, revealing themselves at the same time.

"That's the question I should be asking you. When and how did I give myself away, making you two suspect me?"

With things having come to this point, Jinbe stopped hiding his intentions and simply brought it all up, his body tense as he prepared for battle.

"It was when I showed you the photos that your breathing faltered for a moment."

With his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword, Mien looked at the fishman not far away and explained calmly.

"Hmm~"

Jinbe nodded upon hearing this.

"I see. It seems my cultivation is still insufficient."

"Alright~ Little Fatty Fishman, can you tell us where the person in the photo is now?"

"If you tell the truth, you can leave safely~"

"After all, we don't really want to use violence."

Albury stepped forward, subtly aligning with Mien's positioning, while simultaneously threatening him with both soft and hard tactics.

"I'm sorry, I don't know where the person in the photo is... In fact, I'm looking for him myself."

"Oh~~~"

"That means there's no room for negotiation then."

(End of this chapter)