New World, Totto Land.
"You're saying... Fish-Man Island is currently under the protection of the Straw Hat Pirates?"
A loud, thunderous female voice rang out, causing the two men standing below to flinch. They immediately replied:
"Yes, Mama! And we even met Xia Chen the Sovereign!"
That's right, these two are Baron Tamago and Pekoms, who just returned from Fish-Man Island.
They rushed here as soon as they left Fish-Man Island, since negotiating a cooperation with Fish-Man Island was something the Big Mom valued highly.
If it succeeds, that's fine; we can take it slow. But if it doesn't succeed, we definitely need to come back and report as soon as possible!
"Your Majesty... Xia Chen!"
The Big Mom muttered something to herself, then remained silent for a long while before letting out a cold snort.
"Emperor? Those people really dare to give him that title! One Emperor Four Emperors!"
"Doesn't this blatantly say he's superior to us? Humph! A mere brat, yet he's so arrogant!"
"Besides, Whitebeard is already dead, so where would the Four Emperors come from!"
After the Big Mom said this, the group of people standing below remained silent, even though a large portion of them were Big Mom children.
But they dared not say anything to upset the Big Mom, after all, no one knew Big Mom temper better than they, her children, and once she got angry, it was something they couldn't handle.
However, although most people dared not speak, some did. For example, a tall, slender man wearing a scarf, after thinking for a moment, looked at the Big Mom and said:
" Mama, since Xia Chen has made the Marine Headquarters so wary of him, and based on the intelligence we've gathered, he certainly possesses strength that's hard for ordinary people to imagine, we'd better not underestimate him!"
"Of course I know that, Katakuri!"
"I just don't like that kid. As for whether he's as strong as the legends say, I'll have to wait and see for myself!"
"Anyway, they're about to arrive in the New World, so the chances of us running into each other are pretty high!"
"Alright, let's not talk about them anymore. Since Fish-Man Island Fish-Man Island now under their control, we don't need to worry about it!"
"Now tell me, how much of Whitebeard's territory have we taken?"
Upon hearing the Big Mom's question, a middle-aged man with a long nose and a tongue that reached his chest stepped forward and respectfully addressed Big Mom:
" Mama, we've probably taken back about 20% of Whitebeard's former territory!"
"What?! Only 20%?"
Upon hearing this, the Big Mom shouted loudly, her tone filled with dissatisfaction.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man, Perospero, looked troubled and said, " Mama, there's no other way! We not only have to fight for territory with Whitebeard's remnants, but also with Kaido, which is why we only managed to seize 20% of the territory!"
"And the situation is basically settled now. Whitebeard's remnants held about 50% of the territory, Kaido took 30%, and the remaining 20% is with us!"
"Huh? Kaido actually took 30%?" Big Mom was displeased again upon hearing this.
Doesn't this mean she's no match for Kaido in this aspect? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she unleashed a torrent of abuse on her subordinates:
"A bunch of useless trash! They made me lose to that brat Kaido!"
"But what's done is done, so let it be. Next time... I don't want to hear the sound of us losing to that guy Kaido again, you hear me?"
"Yes, Mama!" a chorus of voices responded from below.
The Big Mom gave a faint "hmm," then slightly raised her head, her gaze deep and thoughtful, and murmured something softly.
" Xia Chen..."
--
On the other side, in some sea area of New World.
"Hey! Xia Chen, come fishing!" Usopp shouted at Xia Chen, who was wearing sunglasses and lying on the lion's head.
Upon hearing this, Xia Chen subtly moved his sunglasses aside, glanced at the group, and said disdainfully, "Then let's forget it. I'm afraid going there will discourage you!"
"Besides, is fishing as enjoyable as sunbathing?"
"Tch~ I wonder who got so frustrated when they couldn't catch a single fish before~" Usopp retorted, then ignored Xia Chen and started fishing with Luffy and the others.
Xia Chen ignored what Usopp said and continued to bask comfortably in the sun.
Unlike the Straw Hat Pirates in the original story, who encountered a broken sea surface and then a hailstorm of enormous size after emerging from the sea, this time, their journey from the ocean floor was different.
Instead, they emerged to bright sunshine, completely unaware of the terrors of the New World seas that people had described.
Just as Xia Chen was comfortably sunbathing, Chopper, who was fishing, suddenly shouted, "Hey! Look over there, isn't there someone floating on the sea?"
"Hmm? Where? Let me see!"
Usopp took out his binoculars and looked in the direction Chopper pointed. Sure enough, a figure was floating on the sea.
"It's true! There's someone adrift at sea, and... they seem to be seriously injured. I wonder if they're dead!"
As soon as Usopp said this, everyone curiously gathered around. Xia Chen, who was sunbathing, also sat up and looked out to sea.
For Usopp and his crew, it might take a telescope to see things in the distance, but for him, with his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, it was incredibly easy!
However... when he saw the person's face clearly, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he murmured, "It's him..."
--
Half a day later, in the medical room on the Thousand Sunny.
An old man with purple hair slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the completely unfamiliar environment, he was still a little confused.
Suddenly, a raccoon dog appeared in his field of vision, startling him instantly. What surprised him even more was that the raccoon dog actually spoke.
"Everyone come quick, the person's awake!!"
Upon hearing this, a commotion erupted on the ship, followed by a group of people rushing in. Luffy looked at the man on the bed and asked curiously, "Sir, who are you? Why are you floating at sea covered in injuries?"
Hearing this, Sanji looked at Luffy and said irritably, "How can you ask someone how they got injured right away like that!"
The old man didn't answer the question, but looked at the crowd and asked, "Did you save me?"
"Yes! It was our ship's doctor who saved you. Look, this is him!" Nami said with a smile, lifting Chopper up as she did so.
After Chopper was lifted up, a shy look appeared on his face, and he touched his head sheepishly.
"It's really nothing. Saving lives is a doctor's most basic responsibility!"
As the raccoon in front of him spoke again, a thought flashed through the old man's mind.
" Devil Fruit User?"
Shaking off his thoughts, the old man looked at Chopper and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Dr. Tanuki!"
Upon hearing this Chopper's face lit up with an extremely happy smile, and he wiggled his body, saying, "No need to be so polite!"
But the next second Chopper's expression changed, and he glared at him angrily.
"It's a reindeer, a reindeer! It has antlers, okay? It's not a raccoon!" Chopper said, picking up his hat and showing off his antlers.
"Hahaha..."
This performance immediately drew laughter from everyone present, including the old man in purple.
When the laughter subsided, Xia Chen slowly leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the purple-haired old man before him, and asked in a low voice:
"Should I call you Z now, or... former Marine Admiral Zephyr?"
"!!!"