One Piece: Davy Jones, Captain of the Terror Ghost

Chapter 197 197: Jinbe’s Regard for Davy Jones

"Aladine," Jinbe said, resting his thick arms on his knees. The two sharp fangs at his jaw protruded slightly as he spoke in a serious tone. "Tell me carefully what's been happening on Fishman Island recently—don't leave anything out."

"I don't actually know that much,"

Aladdin replied, stroking his black goatee.

He took a quarter of an hour to recount everything he'd heard, using words as concise as possible.

Some parts were clearly exaggerated or embellished, but with Jinbe's and Aladine's breadth of experience, they could easily discern the truth from rumor.

It was hard to believe how much Fishman Island had changed in just over a month—and, most of all, how the Sun Pirates had done nothing while their homeland was in crisis.

As the current captain and vice-captain of the Sun Pirates, both felt a deep pang of shame.

After Jinbe quietly listened to the whole account, Aladine asked for his thoughts. Jinbe let out a long sigh.

"At this point," Jinbe said solemnly, "I've decided to respect the choice of Fishman Island."

"But…" Aladine frowned deeply. "Are we really just going to abandon Fishman Island like this?"

Ever since Captain Fisher Tiger's days, the Sun Pirates had always regarded Fishman Island as their home port.

Even when Whitebeard claimed the island as his territory, they hadn't left. Instead, they'd chosen to join the Whitebeard Pirates.

That had never changed—was it really going to be different now?

Aladine felt a strong sense of guilt, uncertain how he'd ever face Captain Fisher Tiger in the afterlife.

"We are not abandoning Fishman Island," Jinbe said, turning his powerful gaze toward Aladine. "Whoever can protect Fishman Island—we will follow them."

Aladine's eyes widened slightly at those words.

It was a simple truth—one he himself had thought about before—but he had worried that Jinbe, having grown used to the status of a Warlord of the Sea, might not be willing to bow to anyone.

But Aladine had underestimated Jinbe's love for Fishman Island, a love that far surpassed any loyalty to one person or power.

After all, being a "Shichibukai" already meant bowing to the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. Bowing down wasn't the problem—the real folly was in following the wrong person and remaining blindly loyal.

Jinbe would never be such a fool.

"The great pirate and protector of Fishman Island," Jinbe continued, "was once Whitebeard and Captain Fisher Tiger. Now, it could be someone else."

"If Davy Jones has the power to stand firm amid the storm between the Four Emperors and Marine Headquarters—to keep Fishman Island safe—then following him would not be out of the question. From what I've seen, he's already shown signs of possessing that strength."

"To protect Fishman Island from both the Four Emperors and the Navy?" Aladine's eyes widened further. "You think Davy Jones has that kind of power?"

He stared at Jinbe in surprise.

"Your evaluation of Davy Jones is higher than I imagined," Aladine said slowly. "You're even comparing him to Whitebeard and Fisher Tiger."

Whitebeard, Edward Newgate—who was he?

A legendary pirate of the same era as the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. One of the Four Emperors who once ruled over the New World and shook the seas with his might.

Though Kaido, Big Mom, and Red-Haired Shanks shared that title, Whitebeard's standing had always been uniquely exalted.

And Fisher Tiger—who was he?

A hero among fishmen who scaled the Red Line with his bare hands, broke into the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, and freed countless slaves from the clutches of the Celestial Dragons, returning safely afterward.

For anyone who had endured the hellish life of slavery under the Celestial Dragons—bearing the "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon"—Fisher Tiger was their one and only light in the darkness.

And now Jinbe was placing Davy Jones in the same breath as Whitebeard and Fisher Tiger. That was far beyond Aladdin's expectations.

To him, Davy Jones was at most a Warlord-level figure—roughly on par with Jinbe himself.

Yet Jinbe was speaking of him as someone greater.

What did that mean? Aladine pondered deeply, and realization dawned on him.

The difference in perception came down to perspective. Aladine only knew Davy Jones through newspapers, gossip, and word of mouth—secondhand stories that could only ever paint part of the picture.

Jinbe, however, had seen him in action—had watched, with his own eyes, during the Paramount War, as Davy Jones broke through the Navy's encirclement and calmly rescued the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and the escapees from Impel Down right under Marineford's nose.

Hearing about someone was nothing compared to witnessing them yourself.

Jinbe's respect for Davy Jones came from firsthand experience—something Aladine's rumors could never match.

Especially after later discussing the war with Ace, Marco, and the others, Jinbe understood just how pivotal Davy Jones had been during that battle.

Without him, many more of them might have fallen to the Navy's three Admirals—or perished in Blackbeard's treachery.

In that sense, Davy Jones was truly their benefactor.

"Aladine," Jinbe said decisively, rising to his feet. His large, blue, broad-shouldered form gleamed under the sunlight. "Tell the brothers to prepare. We're setting sail from here."

"To where?" Aladine asked, though in his heart, he already knew the answer.

"To return to Fishman Island," Jinbe replied—just as Aladdin had expected.

Aladine looked at him in astonishment. "Do you believe Davy Jones has an unimaginable future ahead of him?"

"Not an unimaginable future," Jinbe said solemnly, hands tucked into his sleeves. "One that's already becoming reality. Whitebeard is gone. Ace and Marco can no longer hold things together. The seas are ripe for the rise of a new pirate power."

"You think that'll be Davy Jones? You think he might become the next Emperor of the Sea?"

After all, many others were vying for that title—Donquixote Doflamingo, Blackbeard Teach, the remnants of Whitebeard's crew, Shanks, and more.

But Jinbe was placing Davy Jones above them all.

"Perhaps," Jinbe said calmly. "Who can say for certain? But Fishman Island must catch this fastest-rising ship. Maybe—just maybe—the dreams of Queen Otohime and Captain Fisher Tiger are about to come true."

"If we miss this ship," he said gravely, "who knows how long Fishman Island will have to wait again."

Meanwhile—

In the seas of the New World near the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, strange phenomena often occurred.

One part of the sea was a raging storm of roaring waves and howling winds; another, right beside it, lay calm and tranquil, as if they belonged to entirely different worlds.

Two massive ships cut through the turbulent waters like shuttles, flying black flags marked with white skulls—each skull painted with a smear of red lipstick.

Anyone who saw that symbol from afar would instantly recognize it: the flag of the Big Mom Pirates—and flee without hesitation.

Big Mom—one of the Four Emperors herself!

Even her subordinates were infamous for their power and cruelty.

But these two ships of the Big Mom Pirates weren't here for plunder. In fact, they had bypassed countless islands and were sailing straight toward Fishman Island, their destination clear.

With Whitebeard's death, Fishman Island had lost its protector. The Big Mom Pirates were coming to seize it as their own territory.

It wasn't expected to be difficult. King Neptune stood alone, Jinbe was nowhere to be found—without Big Mom's protection, who could Fishman Island possibly rely on? The remnants of Whitebeard's crew?

The leader of the expedition was none other than the lowest-ranked of Big Mom's "Sweet Commanders," the "Minister of Fried Food," Charlotte Snack—her twenty-fifth son.

Bloodline was always a key factor in Big Mom's appointments within Totto Land, but raw strength could elevate anyone.

Though Snack was weaker than the top three Sweet Commanders, he was still far stronger than most of his siblings—enough to earn his title.

Big Mom clearly took the conquest of Fishman Island seriously—sending a Commander spoke volumes.

The other three Commanders were busy contesting territory against Kaido, Red-Hair, and the Whitebeard remnants, so this task fell to Snack.

Accompanying him were Baron Tamago and Pekoms—both unrelated to Big Mom by blood but highly ranked within Totto Land, especially Tamago.

Along with them came a sizable detachment of Big Mom Pirates and several coating craftsmen—together forming the invasion force.

They had sailed for days, and Snack was already growing impatient.

Standing at the bow, his

lower face hidden behind a thick scarf, he asked in a low voice:

"Baron Tamago, are we not there yet? How much farther until Fishman Island?"

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