Queue up like an ordinary traveler to be inspected by Fish-Men? Just thinking about it annoyed him.
So he chose a more conspicuous way to announce his arrival.
With the pirate at the helm trembling, the pirate ship slammed straight into the enormous bubble membrane surrounding Fish-Man Island.
With a soft pop, the coating around the ship touched Fish-Man Island's bubble membrane, and the two merged as naturally as melting wax. The ship passed smoothly through the first membrane and entered the space between the layers.
But Fish-Man Island had two protective membranes.
After passing through the first, the ship became trapped in the space between them.
There was no seawater here, only empty space. Without the buoyancy of the water, the ship immediately began to fall.
"Aaaaargh!"
The few pirate crewmen aboard screamed as they plunged along with the ship.
Saint Dio, Hancock, Stussy, Mumei, Sandersonia, and Marigold all used Geppo the instant the ship lost its support, stepping on invisible footholds in the air to hover steadily overhead.
Saint Dio glanced down at the falling ship and the screaming figures receding into the distance. His gaze was indifferent, as though he were watching a swarm of insignificant ants-which, indeed, they were.
Then he changed direction and walked unhurriedly toward the second membrane using Geppo.
After passing through the second bubble membrane, Saint Dio and his companions truly entered Fish-Man Island.
The sight before them was unlike any island on the surface.
Only upon entering Fish-Man Island did they discover that, unlike the surrounding seabed filled with seawater, it was filled with air.
They could breathe here without wearing bubble coatings.
Most of the buildings were built along enormous coral reefs, rising in neatly arranged tiers. Colorful shells and luminous pearls studded the walls, casting dreamlike halos in the soft light filtered through the bubble membrane overhead.
Undersea plants of all shapes lined both sides of the streets, presumably serving as landscaping.
A faint, fresh scent tinged with seawater filled the air. The entire city was clean and tidy, full of exotic charm, like an underwater kingdom from a fairy tale.
Saint Dio landed in the middle of the street and slowly surveyed his surroundings.
Two demi-human races existed in this world, Merfolk and Fish-Men, both of which lived on Fish-Man Island.
Merfolk had human upper bodies and fish tails below, and most were said to be beautiful. Fish-Men, on the other hand, had humanoid forms with arms and legs, but retained various fish traits, such as scales, fins, and gills. By human aesthetic standards, most Fish-Men's looks genuinely left something to be desired.
In fact, Saint Dio had always wondered whether extracting Devil Fruits from them would yield a Human-Human Fruit, Model: Fish-Man.
His thoughts had gone off track, and he hurriedly brought his attention back.
As Saint Dio watched the graceful Merfolk trailing their colorful tails along the street, a thought rose unbidden in his mind.
Should I take a mermaid back to Mary Geoise to keep? Keeping her in the mansion's pool to admire in my spare time wouldn't be bad.
But before he could put that thought into practice, the atmosphere around them had already changed.
"Humans?"
"They're humans...!"
The Fish-Men and Merfolk on the street stopped one after another, their gazes turning in unison toward Saint Dio's group.
Those gazes held obvious vigilance and wariness, even a trace of undisguised hostility.
Although relations between Fish-Man Island and humans had not yet deteriorated to the freezing point they would later reach.
After all, Fisher Tiger's death had yet to occur, the large-scale slave liberation movement had not yet begun, and the Ryugu Kingdom was still one of the World Government's affiliated nations.
But humanity's long history of discrimination and persecution against Fish-Men and Merfolk, capturing and selling them as slaves, had already planted deep seeds of hatred in both races' hearts.
Thus, when an unfamiliar group of humans suddenly appeared in the heart of Fish-Man Island, the residents' first reaction was certainly not welcome, but wariness, wondering whether these people were slave traders.
In the crowd, a burly Fish-Man gave Saint Dio a long look before turning and hurrying away toward Ryugu Palace, clearly going to notify the Neptune Army.
Chapter 51: Pursued by the Neptune Army-the Bigger the Trouble, the Better
In fact, before the pirate ship even reached Fish-Man Island, a Neptune Army patrol had already spotted it.
In the deep sea, no foreign vessel could escape the tight surveillance net laid by the Neptune Army.
Under normal procedure, they would intercept it in advance and conduct an entry inspection.
If it was a pirate ship, they would either forcibly drive it away or seize it outright.
However, Saint Dio had given them no time to react.
Under his orders, the pirate ship had hurtled straight toward Fish-Man Island's bubble membrane like a cannonball, moving so fast that the patrol had no chance to intercept it. They could only watch as it plunged into the gap between the two membranes.
However, dealing with precisely this situation was the original purpose of Fish-Man Island's double protective membranes.
The outer membrane provided cushioning and identification, while the inner membrane was the true barrier.
Any ship that forced its way in would become trapped in the air pocket between the membranes, just as this one had. Deprived of seawater's buoyancy, the ship would fall, leaving its invaders unable to advance or retreat.
By the time the Neptune Army patrol arrived, the pirate ship had already crashed at the bottom of the gap. Its hull lay tilted, its mast snapped, and several pirates lay sprawled across the deck, thoroughly dazed by the fall.
When the Fish-Man soldiers of the patrol saw the black sail bearing a skull, their eyes instantly turned cold.
Pirates.
To the residents of Fish-Man Island, the word "pirates" meant endless trouble and suffering.
Located in the deep sea, Fish-Man Island was one of the necessary routes to the New World. Almost every pirate seeking to enter the New World chose to pass through it.
Although many pirates ended up as fish food during their deep-sea voyage, those who reached Fish-Man Island alive were invariably powerful and ruthless.
After arriving on Fish-Man Island, these pirates often disregarded local rules. Robbery, assault, and abducting Merfolk to sell on land continued despite repeated bans.
The Neptune Army had spent years contending and fighting with these pirates, accumulating a deep hatred of them.
In their eyes, not a single pirate was any good.
Now, seeing another pirate ship intrude, the patrol's Fish-Man soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, anger burning in their eyes.
"Seize them!"
The Fish-Man soldiers of the Neptune Army rushed forward, working together to truss up the pirates, who were still unconscious after their dizzying fall.
The ropes were tightened and their weapons confiscated. Several soldiers carried them briskly toward the prison along a coral-paved passage.
Partway through the journey, one of the pirates slowly came around.
He shook his groggy head and discovered that he had been tied up like a parcel. He immediately began struggling, swearing and threatening them. "You damned Fish-Men! Do you know who I am? Let me go right now! Otherwise, you'll be sorry!"
A tall Merfolk soldier in the escort frowned and jabbed the pirate with the shaft of his trident, saying coldly, "Quiet. Make any more noise and I'll cut out your tongue."
Grimacing in pain, the pirate looked around, but could not find that white-clad figure among the group.
Where was that man from before? Where had he gone?
His eyes darted, and he immediately adopted a vicious expression, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Don't get so smug! My boss is already inside Fish-Man Island! If he finds out you've captured me, he won't spare your entire island!"
To these pirates, the way Saint Dio had casually slain that enormous fish in the deep sea had been nothing short of godlike.
Their former captain, Blamenco, had already seemed very powerful to them, but easily disposing of that enormous fish would have been completely beyond him.
These pirates thought they had found a powerful backer.
If he could easily deal with a deep-sea beast of that size, a mere Fish-Man Island would naturally be no problem.
Once the boss made his move, wouldn't these Fish-Men be beaten into submission in no time?
The Neptune Army soldiers immediately grew alert at the word "boss."
The Merfolk soldier in charge seized the pirate's collar and pressed the tip of his trident to his throat, demanding sharply, "You have accomplices on the island? Where?!"
With the cold trident tip against his throat, the pirate instantly broke into a cold sweat, but he truly had no idea where Saint Dio was now.
After all, they had been captured in the gap between the membranes and had never seen how Saint Dio and the others entered the inner layer.
He stammered for a long while without giving a coherent answer.
Fortunately, a nearby resident hurried over just then and reported to the Neptune Army that suspicious humans had been spotted around Coral Hill.
Once their location was confirmed, the Neptune Army immediately detached a group of elite soldiers, who swiftly converged on Coral Hill.
Meanwhile, Saint Dio still had no idea that those useless pirates had already sold him out.
But even if he had known, he would not have cared.
He had never expected those pirates to have any sense of loyalty.
Pirates were pirates. Seeking gain and avoiding harm was their instinct, and betraying companions was an everyday occurrence.
In any case, his original plan had been to find a pretext to dispose of those pirates after reaching Wano Country.
Now that they could still serve to "lure the snake out of its hole," at least he was getting some use out of trash.
Besides, Saint Dio had wanted to make a scene in the first place.
Only by causing enough of a stir to draw out Fish-Man Island's leaders would he have a chance to seize sufficient benefits on this island.
Since he rarely visited Fish-Man Island, Saint Dio had no intention of starting with bloodshed.
He decided to first take his time experiencing the customs and culture of this deep-sea kingdom.
The Neptune Army would need some time to find him anyway, so he might as well fill his stomach first.
On Coral Hill's busiest street, he found a restaurant that looked quite upscale.
Its storefront was decorated with exquisite coral carvings and pearl curtains. Through the clear glass windows, he could see the elegant interior. It was evidently a fine restaurant with a considerable local reputation.
The restaurant was run by an elderly mermaid. Merfolk did not eat meat or fish, so its dishes mainly consisted of shellfish, seaweed, and various undersea vegetables, which suited Saint Dio's desire to try something new.
Saint Dio entered without looking at the prices, ordered every dish on the menu, and specifically requested Fish-Man Island's specialty liquor.
The mermaid proprietress saw that this human guest was a lavish spender, and his appearance certainly fit the image of a wealthy man.
Although somewhat surprised, she had no reason to turn away business that had walked through her door, so she went off smiling to make preparations.
Chapter 52: Time to Make a Scene
Saint Dio entered without looking at the prices, ordered every dish on the menu, and specifically requested Fish-Man Island's specialty liquor.
Although the mermaid proprietress was somewhat surprised by this lavish-spending human guest, she had no reason to turn away business that had walked through her door, so she went off smiling to make preparations.
The dishes soon arrived one after another.
The mermaid proprietress personally introduced each dish's distinctive qualities and ingredients to Saint Dio.
One was the adductor muscle of a giant deep-sea clam stir-fried with coral grass, springy, fresh, and sweet. Another was a rich soup made from moonlight seaweed and pearl oysters, said to nourish beauty and improve the complexion. The liquor was fermented from rockweed growing in the cracks of underwater volcanic rock, giving it a unique, fresh mineral aroma.
Saint Dio tasted each in turn and nodded slightly.
The food was indeed good. The ingredients were fresh, and the cooking methods ingenious, producing a delicious freshness utterly different from anything on land.
He occupied a window-side table alone, with Stussy and Hancock attending on either side, one pouring his drinks and the other serving him food.
At another table, however, Sandersonia, Marigold, and Mumei presented a completely different scene.
They knew nothing of chewing slowly or savoring elegant dining.
Anything delicious went straight into their mouths, and whenever they finished a plate, they called for the proprietress to bring another.
The stack of empty plates had already risen above Mumei's head and was still growing.
Sandersonia and Marigold were from Amazon Lily, where the dining culture was hearty and unrestrained, and eating was all about enjoying oneself.
Under their influence, Mumei had completely let herself go as well. Holding a grilled shellfish in her left hand and a skewer of seaweed balls in her right, she ate with sauce smeared all around her mouth, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Just as Saint Dio leisurely sampled the final dessert, the restaurant door was shoved open.
A squad of Neptune Army soldiers wearing matching armor and carrying tridents and spears filed in.
The Merfolk officer in the lead swept his sharp gaze around the restaurant and instantly fixed on the human faces dining at the table beside the window.
All their faces were unfamiliar and absent from the entry inspection records.
Even if they were not the "boss" that pirate had mentioned, they were undoubtedly illegal entrants.
By the rules, arresting them first certainly could not be wrong.
The proprietress's expression shifted slightly the moment she saw the Neptune Army enter, but she immediately understood what was happening. She hurriedly ushered her staff into the kitchen, leaving the dining area entirely clear.
The Neptune Army did not move to arrest anyone immediately.
The Merfolk officer in charge first signaled his men to politely escort the other customers outside, then sealed off both the front and rear exits. Only then did he approach Saint Dio's table, clear his throat, and say, "Everyone, please come with us and cooperate with our investigation-"
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