Hody Jones

Carrying the still-dazed Shyarly over one shoulder and supporting Hatchan, who could walk on his own, with his other hand, Mobius leisurely headed toward Ryugu Palace.

At this moment, under the pacification efforts of the three forces, Fish-Man Island had finally returned to temporary peace.

The blue flames of the phoenix burned, giants propped up shattered buildings, and merfolk moved among the wounded with all manner of medical supplies...

Everything had become vibrant once more.

"Mobius, what exactly happened earlier?"

Hatchan's headache was nearly unbearable, but he still forced himself to stay alert, wanting to uncover the truth.

"Very simple. Tiger's affair attracted quite a few people to Fish-Man Island."

"Kaido of the Beasts Pirates, Edward Newgate of the Whitebeard Pirates, and Harald, King of the Giants..."

"There may be more in the future, but these people alone are already enough for now."

Mobius automatically omitted the Charlotte Family members. Even if they had not come alone and surely had many subordinates, the truth could not be hidden forever. Still, he would conceal it for as long as he could.

"Kaido's Conqueror's Haki should have come first. Then Whitebeard arrived, and finally Harald came. The two of them fought for an entire day and night."

"Under the Haki tremors, Fish-Man Island practically lost a full day. Fortunately, they have stopped fighting now. Neither the King of the Giants nor Whitebeard is an enemy."

This was probably part of the original story that had never been brought to light.

Whitebeard's protection of Fish-Man Island had begun with the major incident caused by Tiger. Everyone had been drawn here and fought Kaido, Harald, and others in succession before Whitebeard finally planted his flag.

Kaido had probably been beaten away, though Mobius had interfered as well.

Speaking of which, Neptune's network was incredibly formidable: the Roger Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, as well as Elbaf and the King of the Giants.

Even if Whitebeard died in the future, Fish-Man Island could continue under the Charlotte Family's flag.

It was truly a pity that Neptune had failed to fully make use of such an excellent network.

Mobius already had an idea. If Fish-Man Island could become the center of a triangular region linking Elbaf and the Whitebeard Pirates...

It was worth trying!

If it succeeded, it would absolutely become a massive force no weaker than the Navy.

"The Beasts Pirates, Whitebeard, the King of the Giants..."

Hatchan murmured those names, his tone growing more bitter with each one.

Were these the true powerhouses of the sea? He did not even have the strength to stand before them. Just the aftershocks had been enough to knock him down.

"So, Mobius, was it you who defeated them and saved Fish-Man Island?"

Shyarly hung from Mobius's shoulder like a sack, struggling to raise her head as she asked.

She knew it. She had divined it—Mobius would be Fish-Man Island's great benefactor!

"Strictly speaking, I only defeated Kaido, and even that was not a fair victory. Whitebeard held back the King of the Giants. They are both Neptune's friends."

Harald had likely come on behalf of the World Government. Even if Tiger had little to do with Fish-Man Island, they still needed to issue a warning and make inquiries.

Fortunately, Whitebeard's arrival had given Harald sufficient room to explain himself.

Mobius spoke calmly. He had taken advantage of circumstances to defeat Kaido; his own foundation was still lacking.

Thinking of this, Mobius patted Shyarly on the head and said seriously, "I have done what I promised to do for Fish-Man Island. You need to come with me."

Having already witnessed Shyarly's divination ability, Mobius would absolutely not let her go.

"Mm."

Shyarly softly hummed in agreement. For some reason, a faint flush appeared on her cold, pale skin. She did not mind at all...

Hatchan glanced at Mobius, but ultimately said nothing.

It was a matter of mutual consent. There was nothing for him to judge.

Before long, Mobius brought the two of them to Ryugu Palace. Jinbe was not there, and the guards at the entrance had been replaced by a new batch.

However, the instant she saw the soldiers standing guard, Shyarly's expression turned ugly.

"Shyarly. Is that human beside you?"

Hody Jones asked coldly, gripping a trident as he looked at Mobius with open disgust.

"Does your brother know about this?"

"Do not call my name. We are not close. He is Mobius, the state preceptor recognized by Lord Neptune. What, do you have a problem with that?"

Jones, round-bellied and thick-waisted, wearing a flat cap and sporting long black curls, stared at Mobius for a long while. In the end, he grinned, exposing his fangs.

"No, no problem. Please enter, State Preceptor."

"But I will still tell your brother about this, Shyarly. He probably does not know yet, does he?"

Jones spoke with malice. A human—a lowly human—how could he get close to a mermaid? How could he become Ryugu Palace's state preceptor?

Having been knocked unconscious by Kaido's Haki, Jones had no idea what had actually happened.

"You disgust me."

Shyarly spat the words out, then directly pulled Mobius inside, ignoring that hateful bastard.

Hatchan looked at Jones several times before slowly saying, "Mobius is Fish-Man Island's savior, Jones. Do not judge him by your old notions."

"Fish-Man Island's savior? A human?"

"How ridiculous, Master Hatchan!"

Jones continued to sneer, his exaggerated expression nauseating.

Hatchan fell silent, then stepped inside as well, no longer paying him any mind.

Mobius turned back and looked at Jones's long black curls, suddenly understanding what his original form was.

"You hate humans that much?"

"Of course. Did you think we fish-men would forget what you humans have done to us?"

Jones did not hide his emotions in the slightest. The vicious gleam in his eyes had almost accumulated into red.

Mobius nodded, suddenly feeling the same irritation he felt whenever he saw an advertisement telling people not to eat shark fin.

"Neptune and I have a plan. We may need your help in the future. I hope you will work properly."

I have already found you a factory. In the future, get ready to work 996.

"Hm?"

Jones was confused. This was not a situation he had expected, but before he could ask anything, Mobius had already turned and left.

After staring at Mobius's back for a while, Jones finally let out a cold laugh. A mere human...

With a flick of his weapon, Jones prepared to leave for the Fish-Man District.

"Jones, we are on duty!"

One of the guards beside him hurriedly reminded him.

"Shut up. Aren't you here?"

Jones barked, frightening the guard into shrinking his neck. Their sizes differed by nearly a full head, and their strength gap was just as great.

Jones swaggered away, dumping everything directly onto his colleague.

The other guard dared not voice his anger and could only endure in silence, cursing inwardly about why trash like Hody Jones was allowed to join Neptune's Army.

Hody Jones was merely a minor character. Mobius neither remembered nor cared to remember him.

But Shyarly beside him seemed hesitant, her face filled with uncertainty.

"Um, Mobius, my brother..."

"Since I intend to take you with me, I will definitely meet your family."

"What does your brother like? Do I need to bring a gift for our first meeting?"

"No."

Shyarly shook her head.

"My brother is just a bastard. You do not need to bring anything. If he comes looking for you, just beat him away."

Seeing how lovingly Shyarly and her brother treated each other, Mobius shrugged. It seemed their relationship was truly terrible.

"I will listen to you."

He happened to dislike Arlong as well. Should he find a factory for him to work at too?