Sea Knight, Jinbe.
The man had made his decision.
Or rather, under the terms of compensation Aleus had offered, this Whale Shark Fishman, who had devoted his entire life to Fish-Man Island, had no room to refuse. He had accepted the World Government's invitation to become a Shichibukai for Fish-Man Island.
And now he was preparing to give up the title of Shichibukai for Fish-Man Island, too.
"Pops, I'm truly, terribly sorry..."
Jinbe knelt on the deck of the Moby Dick, right before Whitebeard. Tears poured from his eyes like a waterfall.
He had promised Aleus, in front of Whitebeard, that after Whitebeard's death, Fish-Man Island would accept the Black Prince's protection. The shame of doing something so disloyal nearly crushed Jinbe.
But—
There was no other way!
Humans were now the rulers of this world. If Fish-Man Island wanted to keep existing, it had no choice but to rely on some powerful human faction. Whitebeard's health had always been a source of worry for Jinbe. For the sake of Pops' health, Jinbe had secretly helped the Whitebeard Pirates, repeatedly driving off the Pirate Supernovas who wanted to challenge Whitebeard.
But that was only treating the symptoms, not the cause.
How much longer could Pops hold on?
When Pops couldn't hold on any longer, what would become of Fish-Man Island?
Would it have to rely on another Pirate Emperor?
These questions had troubled him for a long time.
Aleus's arrival was like a ray of light piercing the darkness. If a young ruler, not even twenty years old, could truly maintain peace and stability on Fish-Man Island... Jinbe had no way to refuse! Even if doing so was no different from betraying Pops.
He couldn't—and didn't dare—turn down the olive branch being offered to him.
After all, Aleus was an