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"No," Neptune answered firmly. Noticing the skeptical expressions of the two, he added:
"Don't worry, there's nothing to it. He came and left in a hurry, didn't even have time to leave his phone number."
This was true, but Neptune had already received Hikaru's phone number from Charlotte shortly after he left.
Seeing this, Jinbe made no further attempt to ask questions. He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, if that's the case, we'll go find Hikaru first. If he returns, please let me know."
"You..." Neptune sighed, knowing he couldn't change their minds. One was steadfast, and the other was driven by anger. All he could do was offer a warning.
"Whatever you do, just don't provoke Hikaru. You may not be able to withstand his wrath."
"I sense that he is tough, ruthless, and indifferent to life. He will do anything to achieve his goals and will kill anyone who stands in his way without hesitation."
"If you try to attack him or speak out of turn, be prepared for death."
"Hmph! You're just exaggerating. I've been a pirate for years, and I'm not afraid of anyone!" Namur scoffed and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Jinbe smiled apologetically at Neptune before following Namur.
As Jinbe approached, Namur couldn't help but speak, "Boss Jinbe, you can't stand that kid's attitude either, right?"
"Oh, yes, yes…" Jinbe, fearing that his thoughts would make Namur angrier, simply responded.
Namur, misunderstanding the comment, grew even more arrogant as he walked away.
Neptune stood silently for a long time. Once his Observation Haki confirmed that both had left, he reached into his pocket and dialed Hikaru's number.
This old man had lived a long life and was quite clever. After losing his daughter, he knew which side to take.
"Bulu Bulu~ Boga~"
"Hello, who is this?" Hikaru, riding a flying carpet with Shirahoshi on their way back to Fishman Island, answered.
"This is Neptune."
"(Shirahoshi: It's Father!) How did you get my number?"
When Neptune heard Shirahoshi's voice, a smile appeared on his face. He replied, "I got it from Madam Shirley… Captain Jinbe is back, along with the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' 8th Division, Namur."
"They know about the big event tomorrow. I tried to persuade them for a long time, but they wouldn't listen. They're already on their way to find you…"
Namur…
That big-headed fish man?
"Haha~ Let them find it. Neptune, you made the right choice," Hikaru chuckled, his smile fading as he handed the Den Den Mushi to Shirahoshi. "Here, Princess, talk to your father."
As he did, a strange feeling gnawed at him. Why did he feel like he'd kidnapped Neptune's daughter?
"Father… my lord father!"
Neptune's smile widened, unable to resist. Perhaps this was what being a "daughter slave" felt like.
After chatting for a while, Shirahoshi happily handed the Den Den Mushi back to Hikaru. The conversation had been about Neptune's concerns and his advice to Shirahoshi to listen carefully to Hikaru.
At the same time, they had arrived back at Fishman Island, where Hikaru's Observation Haki detected Jinbe just leaving Ryugu Kingdom.
"It's getting late. Time to put Princess to bed," Hikaru said as they flew towards Xia Li's private estate. After a while, Hikaru noticed that Jinbe and the other two were rapidly approaching him.
He wasn't surprised, as they weren't far off, and Shirahoshi's massive form was hard to miss. Anyone with even a basic grasp of Observation Haki could spot them from a distance.
"My dear husband, what's going on?" Princess asked instinctively when she saw the flying carpet slow down.
"There are two small issues that need to be dealt with. If we don't resolve them today, it could cause major trouble tomorrow," Hikaru replied.
He then began to assess the strength of Jinbe and Namur.
As the captain of the 8th Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Namur definitely possessed both types of Haki. He had killed an elite Navy officer in an instant during the Battle of Marineford, though his full strength remained unclear.
Still, judging from his performance, he hadn't displayed any remarkable combat abilities.
Jinbe's strength, on the other hand, was more unpredictable, with fans offering various opinions on his true power. But one thing was certain: Jinbe wasn't on the level of the Four Emperors, or else why would he need to rely on others to protect Fishman Island?
Jinbe had fought Ace for five days and nights with no clear victor, yet was instantly defeated by Hawkeye Mihawk. He'd been shot down to the bottom of the sea and severely injured by Akainu in just a few moves. Even when using the Fishman Karate ultimate move, [Takeru], he had barely managed to send Big Mom flying.
Lost in thought, Hikaru finally saw Jinbe and Namur catching up. He looked down at them, his expression cold.
"Electric boy! I heard you plan to take over Fishman Island. Don't you know this is the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Namur asked in a hostile tone as he approached.
Good grief, this shark guy really came up with an awful name for Hikaru right off the bat!
This immediately worried Jinbe. Why provoke Hikaru like this? Wasn't he pushing Fishman Island toward disaster? (At the time, he wasn't on the Moby Dick and had no idea Hikaru had attacked Ace's homeland.)
"Oh? So it seems you two are here with ill intentions…" Hikaru replied coldly, his arms crackling with blinding lightning.
"God's Judgment!"
A massive bolt of lightning shot toward Namur, the dazzling light making both of the deep-sea-dwelling fishmen squint. In the blink of an eye, the bolt struck Namur, its powerful energy exploding and tearing half of his body apart in a bloody mess.
As a seasoned fishman warrior, Namur had incredible vitality. Even with such a severe injury, he managed to let out faint groans. But without immediate treatment, he would likely bleed out and die within thirty minutes.
Hikaru vs. Namur — one move, and it was over.
Poor Namur. His arrogant attitude and bravado lasted only a few breaths before he collapsed, lifeless. The lesson? Never be so arrogant if you lack the power to back it up.
"Divine Emperor Hikaru!" Jinbe finally snapped out of his shock. He cried out, taking his battle stance, though he knew he was no match for Hikaru.
"Haha~ That's the title you should be using!" Hikaru taunted.
Jinbe was confused. Why hadn't he noticed Namur's reckless nature before? The man had always seemed honest, but now he was only cruel to enemies. If he had known this would be the outcome, he never would have let Namur come along.
After all, Jinbe wasn't a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. He always stood with Fishman Island, and couldn't fully empathize with Namur's actions.