An Invitation

Jinbe's guess about Sig was that he was the product of a union between an aquatic furry fetishist and a Fish-Man. After all, it was common knowledge that humans had all kinds of fetishes, and there was no guarantee that Fish-Men wouldn't have their share of weirdos... Arlong was left speechless by this.

There were few examples of Fish-Men and humans having children together. Mermaids were the point where the aesthetics of Fish-Men and most humans overlapped. This was especially true after a mermaid came of age, when her tail could turn into legs, making her indistinguishable from a human on land.

By comparison, Fish-Men and humans found each other repulsive.

Of course, that was true of "most" Fish-Men and humans.

"Also, watch your words. Boss Fisher Tiger wouldn't like hearing that." Jinbe stared sternly at Arlong, displeased by his use of the phrase "filthy half-breed."

Sig could tell that Jinbe wasn't particularly fond of humans either. He'd only sternly reminded Arlong because "Fisher Tiger wouldn't like it."

"Are we still sending him out of Fish-Man District?" Hachi asked.

Jinbe frowned at this, then looked at Sig to confirm, "Have you ever been to Fish-Man Island before?"

"No, this is my first time." Sig shook his head.

That wasn't unexpected to Jinbe.

After a brief moment of thought, Jinbe asked, "Do the Celestial Dragons know you... can turn into a human?"

"They don't. I only discovered it about two years ago. Until that Fish-Man hero showed up and I escaped the Celestial Dragons' clutches, I'd never shown it in public, and I hardly ever got into fights." Sig looked perfectly honest.

Jinbe seemed relieved to hear this. He nodded and said, "If that's the case, things were so chaotic back then that no one probably paid you much attention. Even if they saw you turn back into a Fish-Man, they probably didn't notice that you could turn into a human."

It was clear that although Jinbe harbored some reservations about humans, he considered Sig one of his own. He kept saying things like "turn into a human" and "turn back into a Fish-Man."

By contrast, Arlong had been glaring at Sig the whole time. He clearly didn't like him, and seemed very unhappy about his "half-breed" heritage.

"Since we're brothers, I'll speak frankly..." Jinbe cleared his throat.

By Fish-Man standards, Jinbe was no more than a young adult in his prime. But as the second "boss" of Fish-Man District after Fisher Tiger, he usually spoke in such a pompous, old-fashioned way, referring to himself as "yours truly" and "this old man."

"This time, Boss Fisher Tiger caused quite a stir in Mary Geoise and rescued many of our brothers. The World Government will definitely be keeping an eye on us now... Although the famous Captain Whitebeard has raised his flag over Fish-Man Island, we're the ones who caused all this trouble. We absolutely can't stay on Fish-Man Island for long, or the Ryugu Kingdom will be dragged into it too."

Jinbe had charged into the fray himself, but he wasn't trying to shirk responsibility. He firmly bound himself to the rescued Fish-Men, giving Sig a sense that he was someone dependable.

"So Boss Fisher Tiger's idea is that we set sail as a pirate crew and leave Fish-Man Island. Of course, if you don't want to, you can always stop at some island along the way..." Jinbe got to the point.

The Fish-Men and mermaids who had rushed in to rescue Fisher Tiger later, but hadn't really shown their faces, didn't have to leave. But those like Fisher Tiger and Jinbe, who had already been recognized, as well as the slaves bearing the Celestial Dragon Hoof Mark, had to leave Fish-Man Island.

The World Government would definitely come looking for them...

Whitebeard's influence was a deterrent, but it wouldn't make the World Government disregard the Celestial Dragons' pride. Of course, given Whitebeard's flag, the Ryugu Kingdom's status as an Affiliated Nation in name, and most importantly... Fish-Man Island's damned location, if they were allowed to search the island, the World Government wouldn't easily launch a war of annihilation.

"I'm in!" Sig agreed at once. After a pause, he added, "Actually, ever since I escaped, I've wanted to become a pirate!"

Though it had all happened by chance, Sig felt that the Fish-Man Pirates... or rather, the Sun Pirates, were a perfect fit for what he needed.

Every crew member could dive ten thousand meters and swim freely beneath the sea. There was no need to mention their stealth or mobility.

And there were plenty of strong fighters among them. Fisher Tiger and Jinbe were both renowned powers in the first half of the Grand Line.

There were several minor leaders like Arlong, and even the most ordinary crew members had the Fish-Man Race's natural advantages. Any of them who could be considered a fighter wouldn't be at much of a disadvantage against any pirate crew in the first half of the Grand Line.

Most importantly, the Sun Pirates had a strong sense of unity and belonging, and Fisher Tiger's character was worthy of trust. All in all, they offered a good deal of safety!

Of course, there were downsides too. From the outside, the World Government would pay special attention to the Sun Pirates for having injured the Celestial Dragons' pride. From the inside, Sig could tell that Arlong didn't like him.

And there were plenty of Fish-Men who weren't fond of mixed-bloods. Among the Donquixote Family's officers, there was even an orphan who'd been abandoned because he was a Half Fish-Man.

But when Sig thought of Fisher Tiger's figure as he blocked cannonballs at the harbor and stood against a Marine Vice Admiral aboard a warship, he didn't weigh the pros and cons for long before agreeing.

Sig could tell that his frankness had earned him some admiration from Jinbe, easing some of Jinbe's wariness and distance.

"Can you stand?" Jinbe held out a hand to Sig.

Given the difference in their heights, Jinbe only had to lift his hand a little to pull Sig upright!

"No problem!" The wound at Sig's waist was still wrapped in bandages, but the bleeding had stopped.

"That's impressive recovery... even for a Fish-Man." Jinbe glanced at Sig's wound and commented.

It had only been two days since they'd rescued Sig.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to your future crewmates!" Jinbe said, helping Sig out of the room.

The room was rather shabby. Fish-Man District wasn't yet the lawless no-man's-land it would become more than ten years later, but it still wasn't a respectable place. It was basically governed by the orphans led by Jinbe.

Outside, a crowd of Fish-Men and mermaids surrounded Fisher Tiger, who sat on a rock and told stories of his adventures.

When Jinbe emerged with Sig, quite a few Fish-Men smirked. Most of them, of course, were laughing at Hachi.

"So this is the kid Hachi mistook for one of us?"

"Hahaha, has Hachi got so many arms that he's gone cross-eyed?"

Quite a few Fish-Men started making fun of Hachi.

Among the "wild boys" of Fish-Man District, Fish-Men made up the vast majority. The Fish-Man Race had far more male Fish-Men than male mermaids, while among females the proportions were the opposite.

"Jinbe." Fisher Tiger looked at him in confusion, unsure why he'd brought Sig over.