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Princess kept her thoughts to herself. As Hikaru's bedmate, she had no reason to object to his actions—especially since she didn't even know who Namur was.
"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Jinbe?" Hikaru's condescending tone made Jinbe visibly uncomfortable.
"You're acting like this—do you want to feel the wrath of thunder and lightning too?" Hikaru said coldly. "Think carefully. Behind you stands Fishman Island. If you can't even decide which side to stand on, then maybe you don't deserve to stay there."
Jinbe hesitated, then slowly dropped his guard. He understood what Hikaru was implying—either side with Whitebeard, or become a loyal citizen of Fishman Island.
Seeing Jinbe remain silent, Hikaru remained composed and asked flatly, "Why did you bring this foolish, thick-headed fishman to see me? Do you share his goals? Do you dare question my decisions?"
"Ah…" Jinbe glanced at Namur with concern and responded, "I heard you're working to fulfill the long-cherished dream of merfolk and fishmen. I came to see for myself if you're truly someone worthy of serving."
"Oh? And what if I am? What if I'm not?" Hikaru scoffed. "With your strength, what exactly do you think you can stop?"
"The future of Fishman Island will be decided by King Neptune," Jinbe replied firmly. "As a former commander of the Neptune Army and now one of the Seven Warlords, I have no right to twist his will."
Jinbe fell silent. As a subject of the Ryugu Kingdom, unless he intended to rebel, his only duty was to follow the king's orders.
Namur groaned in pain, interrupting the tense exchange: "Enough talking, Boss Jinbe! Please save me! I'm not beyond help!"
Hikaru snorted coldly. "If you don't want to follow Fishman Island's future, then take your Sun Pirates and get out!"
Fishman Island was Jinbe's home—he had protected it for years. Leaving it behind was unthinkable.
He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. Hikaru's methods were too ruthless. If provoked, he wouldn't hesitate to kill.
"…Forget it. I understand," Jinbe said with a sigh, turning his attention to Namur's injuries.
He leapt over to Namur's mangled body, but the wounds were so severe he didn't know where to begin. One wrong move could make things worse.
Hikaru glanced over and said coldly, "You don't really want to save him, do you? Haha~ Anyone who dares defy a god is already dead."
"Your actions are too cruel," Jinbe said with a frown. "You should know that Namur is Whitebeard's son. Aren't you afraid of provoking him?"
"Whitebeard?" Hikaru sneered. "He's a dying old man. Why should I be afraid?"
What arrogance… he's actually threatening to kill Whitebeard?!
Jinbe couldn't help but stare at Hikaru. He thought this man truly intended to head to the New World and challenge Whitebeard. It sounded ridiculous. After all, Whitebeard had been the world's strongest man for decades—how could someone like Hikaru compare?
"Jinbe, if you don't leave Fishman Island with your Sun Pirates by tomorrow, then you'll work under my command. If you try to escape… be ready to be annihilated."
Hikaru's message was clear: obey him or be destroyed. If Jinbe chose to leave, the Sun Pirates would be hunted down without mercy. Hikaru wouldn't allow potential threats to live.
"Boss Jinbe, please… don't leave Fishman Island," Shirahoshi pleaded tearfully. "My husband is a good man!"
Her words made Jinbe's expression twitch involuntarily. Her evaluation of Hikaru… was hard to digest.
Princess Shirahoshi… do you really not understand how terrifying Hikaru is? Jinbe thought to himself, but he didn't dare say it aloud.
With just a few words, Namur had been pushed to the brink of death. And with no doctor currently on Fishman Island, Namur's chances of survival were slim—unless Princess Mansherry of the Tontatta Tribe was present. Only her Heal-Heal Fruit could possibly bring him back from the edge.
Hikaru no longer paid attention to them. He urged the flying carpet forward, ready to leave.
"Buru Buru~! Buru Buru~!"
Suddenly, a rapid Den Den Mushi ringing broke through the silence.
Following the sound, Jinbe realized it was coming from Namur's coat. He quickly reached in and pulled out a Den Den Mushi with Whitebeard's face on its shell.
The shrill buru buru continued to echo. Jinbe instinctively looked to Hikaru, silently asking what he should do.
Whitebeard?
"Answer it," Hikaru ordered coolly, his expression unchanged.
"Boga~"
"Whitebeard—Edward Newgate, is that you?" Hikaru said, his voice laced with mockery. "Calling so urgently… are you here to beg for your useless and brainless son?"
He remained expressionless, but in truth, Hikaru didn't dislike Whitebeard. Still, this wasn't the real world.
If his favorite character ever stood in his way… Hikaru wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
Besides, Whitebeard had a glaring flaw—he'd once traveled with Kozuki Oden, a clown in Hikaru's eyes. Oden was reckless, disloyal, naive, and a terrible father. Yet Whitebeard didn't adopt him as a son… he treated him like a brother!
"Gurararara~ What a young voice. Are you the one who attacked my son Namur?""Where did you crawl out from, brat?!"
Whitebeard's commanding, thunderous voice boomed from the Den Den Mushi, and Jinbe's heart sank at the sound of it.
Namur's Vivre Card must have burned up completely, alerting Marco.
As Whitebeard's first division commander, ship doctor, and caretaker of his captains' Vivre Cards, Marco had likely noticed the moment Namur's life force disappeared.
"Want to know who I am?" Hikaru chuckled. "You'll find out soon. Don't worry—we'll meet face to face."
With a snap of his fingers, the Den Den Mushi shaped like Whitebeard exploded in his palm. It had only been a bit of fun—a teaser before the main course.
He gave Jinbe a passing glance but said nothing more. Then, with a flick of his will, the flying carpet soared off toward Shirahoshi's private estate.
The 8th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—Namur—was dead.
Meanwhile, far across the sea in the New World, the Whitebeard Pirates were stationed on an island base.
As the Den Den Mushi went dead with a hollow tone, silence fell over the crew. No one dared speak. No one wanted to ignite Whitebeard's fury.
"Cough… cough…"
Whitebeard's deep, ragged coughing made everyone tense. The nurses rushed forward to assist, easing his pain.
Once the fit passed, he growled, "Marco… find out who attacked Namur."
"Yes, Pops!" Marco responded immediately.
But his brows remained tightly furrowed.
Over the past few months, too many strange incidents had occurred… and an ominous feeling had taken root in Marco's heart.