allendalepharm Chapter 103 Leaving Fishman Island
Chapter 103 Leaving Fishman Island
Chapter 103 Leaving Fishman Island
Norton followed Neptune through the layers of coral reefs.
The deeper you swim, the softer the surrounding light becomes.
Sunlight pierces through the sea overhead, filtered through nearly 10,000 meters of seawater, and by the time it reaches here, it has lost its intense heat, leaving only a faint blue-green halo, like countless soft ribbons drifting in the ocean current.
To be honest, this forest truly deserves the name "forest".
Those corals have been growing for countless years. Some are so thick that it takes more than a dozen people to hug them, stretching high towards the sea surface; others are as soft as weeping willows, swaying gently in the ocean currents.
The corals come in all colors—deep red, light pink, bright yellow, and deep purple—layered together, with occasional schools of colorful little fish darting through the gaps, creating a shimmering spectacle.
Neptune remained silent, simply leading the way in quietude.
His already large size made him appear somewhat small as he moved through the ancient coral forest.
Norton noticed that the king of Fishman Island swam very slowly, as if expressing his awe of the land.
After swimming for a few more minutes, the coral in front suddenly moved aside, revealing a circular open space.
In the very center of the open space stood several huge stone tablets.
Norton stopped in his tracks.
"Historical text"
Neptune's voice came from the side, deep and resonant.
"The secret that Fishman Island has guarded for eight hundred years."
He swam to the green stone tablet, stretched out his enormous hand, and gently stroked its surface. The ancient characters slept silently beneath his fingertips.
Norton didn't rush forward; he simply stood there and watched quietly.
"By the way, do you know why fish-men are discriminated against by humans?"
Neptune did not turn around; the voice came from the direction of the stone tablet, carrying a heavy weight that had been suppressed for a long time.
Norton remained silent.
"Because of my appearance."
Neptune asked and answered his own question.
"Because they look like fish, they are not human. Because they are not human, they can be captured and enslaved at will, beaten and abused at will, and killed at will."
He turned to look at Norton. His enormous face was expressionless, but there was something indescribable swirling in his eyes.
"For eight hundred years, the fish-men and mermaids have lived on the seabed. Not because we like it here, but because we can't go to the surface."
"Every time someone tries to go up, they only end up getting hurt even more."
Neptune paused for a moment, then continued.
"About four hundred years ago, Fishman Island and humans established a brief trade relationship. At that time, the two sides were relatively peaceful, and humans exchanged land resources for our deep-sea pearls and coral products. But not long after, people discovered that mermaids could be sold for a high price."
"From then on, the humans who came to Fishman Island were no longer merchants, but slave traders."
His voice was calm, but that calmness itself was like a taut drumhead, with too much pressure underneath.
"The inhabitants of Fishman Island began to be captured. Mermaids, in particular, were the most valuable in the slave market because of their resemblance to humans. At the height of the frenzy, groups of slave traders would even camp out near Fishman Island, waiting to capture any lone merfolk."
Upon hearing this, Norton suddenly recalled the merman slaves he had encountered in the Sabaody Archipelago.
If I hadn't happened to be at the human trafficking center that day, they would probably be sold to nobles all over the world and living a life worse than death.
"This situation lasted for many years," Neptune continued, "until about thirty years ago, when a fish-man named Fisher Tiger appeared."
When he mentioned this name, there was a hint of complex emotion in his tone.
"Tiger climbed the Red Line with his bare hands and freed thousands of slaves in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. That battle shocked the entire world and gave all fish-men and mermaids hope—that we could also resist, that those high and mighty Celestial Dragons were not invincible."
"but----"
Norton picked up the conversation.
"But he still died in the end."
Neptune paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Tiger refused to accept human blood and eventually died from blood loss. His last words were, 'I freed the slaves, but I still cannot forgive humanity.'"
The words echoed in the silent forest by the sea, lingering for a long time.
"Tiger's death made those in Fishman Street who already hated humans even more desperate."
Neptune's voice became even lower.
"They think that if even a hero like Tiger can't forgive humanity, why should they try to understand? Why should they try to coexist peacefully?"
He paused, then looked up at Norton.
"Queen Otohime doesn't think so."
"Otohime?"
"The Queen of Fishman Island, my wife."
Neptune's eyes softened when the name was mentioned.
"She was born with Observation Haki, which allows her to sense other people's emotions. Because she can hear the voices in people's hearts, she understands better than anyone else—that those humans who discriminate against fish-people also have fear in their hearts; and that those fish-people who hate humans also have pain in their hearts."
"Otohime believes that as long as humans understand us and we understand humans, one day we can truly coexist peacefully. She collects signatures everywhere, wanting to take them to the Holy Land of Maria Joet to meet the Celestial Dragons and ask them to accept the Fish-Men as a member of the World Government."
Upon hearing this, Norton had a vague idea of what was going to happen next.
"She was killed."
It's not a question, it's a statement.
Neptune nodded.
"Assassinated by a human. An extreme anthropocentric who believed that allowing fish-men, such inferior beings, to be on equal footing with humans was an insult to humanity."
His voice remained calm as he spoke, but something was clearly churning in his eyes.
"After Otohime died, Fishman Town completely spiraled out of control."
"And so, Fishman Island lived in hatred and fear for another ten years."
Neptune then turned around and faced Norton.
Then he bent down and bowed deeply.
Norton was slightly taken aback.
"Admiral Norton."
Neptune's voice was deep and solemn. "What happened yesterday was the fault of the people of Fishman Island. Your crew members died innocently; it's the fault of Fishman Island."
"Jinbe has already promised to make those people apologize, and the compensation will be delivered to you in full. But I still want to apologize to you personally—as the king of Fishman Island, I failed to control my people, allowing them to harm innocent humans."
He remained bowing, his massive body motionless in the seawater.
"sorry."
The forest by the sea was completely silent.
Only sunlight filters through the seawater, casting dappled shadows on those ancient stone tablets.
Norton finally spoke after a long silence.
Get up.
His voice was flat.
"Those who should apologize for yesterday's events will do so in the square tomorrow. As king, you don't need to bow down to those scoundrels."
Neptune straightened up and looked at Norton. His enormous face was expressionless, but there was an indescribable gratitude in his eyes.
"Thanks."
Norton didn't reply, but simply turned to look at the green stone tablet.
"What happened to that guy named Joey Boy?"
Neptune followed his gaze and remained silent for a moment.
"I don't know. After that apology, there was no news of him. Some say he died, some say he went somewhere else, and some say he was waiting for someone who could fulfill his promise."
"promise?"
"The promise to bring the fish-men to the surface of the sea."
Neptune said, "Eight hundred years ago, Joey Boy came to Fishman Island and made a promise to the mermaid princess at the time—that he would build a huge ark and bring all the fishmen to the world on the surface of the sea so that they could truly live in the sunlight."
"But that promise was ultimately not kept."
Norton looked at the stone tablet without saying a word.
"After leaving this apology, he never appeared again," Neptune said. "And the fish-men continued to live in the sea for eight hundred years."
Silence fell once again in the Sea Forest.
The sunlight still streamed down from above, falling on the ancient stone tablets, on the layers of coral, and on Neptune's weathered face.
Norton suddenly noticed that the king of Fishman Island looked much older than he had just seen.
That kind of aging wasn't due to appearance, but rather to the look in his eyes.
That's the look in someone who has carried the heavy weight of eight hundred years of history.
the next day.
Kuala Lumpur Koh Place.
As the sun rises high in the sky, sunlight streams through the seawater, and the intense rays, filtered through the bubble membrane, transform into a warm golden hue, illuminating the entire square.
The square was already packed with people.
No, it should be said that it was crowded with fishmen and mermaids.
To be honest, this was the first time Norton had ever seen so many merfolk and mermaids gathered together.
Looking around, there was a dark mass of creatures, including shark-like fishmen with deep blue skin, whale-like fishmen with muscular builds, octopus-like fishmen with spots on their bodies, and all sorts of other mermaids.
Norton's gaze swept past the crowd and landed on the open space in the very center of the square.
The thugs from Fishman Street were standing there.
They all hung their heads, their faces displaying a complex mix of emotions: resentment, anger, humiliation, and a deep-seated fear.
A few hot-blooded young men would occasionally glare at Norton, but they would be pulled back down by the people next to them.
Jinbe stood in front of them, expressionless.
His gaze swept over the thugs, then he turned and nodded in Norton's direction.
Norton did not respond, but simply leaned against the coral pillar behind him and watched quietly.
Behind him stood Gin and the other pirates whose comrades had died. Nami stood a little further away, with Steel Hand.
Her gaze swept over the thugs from time to time, then fell on Norton, as if trying to glean something from his expressionless face.
But she couldn't see anything.
The crowd in the square began to stir.
"Do you really want to apologize?"
"Did those guys from Fishman Street apologize to humans?"
"I heard they killed someone yesterday, and that person killed their people in return. It's a life for a life, so why do they still have to apologize?"
"You don't know, the admiral of that pirate crew said that if they didn't apologize, they would start a war. Even Jinbe couldn't stop them."
"Go to war? Go to war with whom? With us?"
"Are you stupid to fight with those guys from Fishman Street? I heard that admiral can create a vacuum zone on the seabed with one punch. If a fight really breaks out, Fishman Street will probably sink."
"Hiss—is it that terrifying?"
"What do you think? He even defeated Garp."
The buzzing of voices rose up like countless bees hovering over the square.
Hearing these comments, the thugs' expressions grew even uglier. Several of them clenched their fists so tightly that their knuckles turned white.
But no one moved.
Jinbe is still standing in front.
Time passed by, second by second.
As the sun slowly moved, the light and shadow on the square changed accordingly.
Finally, Jinbe spoke.
"Let's begin."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power.
The thugs looked at each other, and finally, a fishman who looked a little older stepped forward.
He took a deep breath and bent down toward Norton.
"sorry."
The voice was muffled, as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.
Once the first person did it, others followed suit.
"sorry."
"sorry."
"sorry."
One by one, the thugs of Fishman Street bent down and uttered those three words.
The voices were uneven; some were loud, some were low, and some were simply muffled and inaudible. But regardless, they spoke.
Jinbe didn't speak, he just watched quietly.
Norton didn't say anything, but leaned against the coral pillar, his gaze sweeping over the bent-over thugs.
Finally, he straightened up and glanced at the companions of the dead.
Are you satisfied now?
The pirates looked at each other and then nodded.
Norton withdrew his gaze and turned to walk out of the square.
Behind them, the thugs were still bent over, and it was unclear when they would straighten up.
Jinbe watched Norton's departing figure, remained silent for a moment, then turned around and said something to the thugs.
"Remember everything that happened today."
He didn't say what he remembered, but everyone understood what he meant.
Remember why you bent over today.
Remember not to do this again.
Remember—on this vast ocean, there are some people who deserve respect.
The sun in the square was still blazing, falling on the fish-men and mermaids, on the bent-over thugs, and on Jinbe's expressionless face.
In the distance, Norton's figure gradually disappeared around the street corner.
Behind me, the noise from Kuala Lumpur Kaut Square took a long time to subside.
a few days later.
At the port of Fishman Island, a large number of people had gathered at the dock.
There were Neptune's soldiers who came to see them off, fish-man residents who came to watch the excitement, and several beautiful mermaid ladies standing at the front of the crowd, waving to the ship.
Speaking of which, the Norton Pirates have been having a rather pleasant time on Fishman Island these past few days.
Apart from that conflict, no one else came looking for trouble.
Jinbe kept his word. After the thugs apologized, they were given a severe beating, and Fishman Town has become much quieter these past few days.
Norton stood at the bow of the White Pearl, watching Crowe take one last inventory of supplies.
"Fresh water, food, and spare medicines, everything is ready."
Chloe closed the ledger in her hand, adjusted her glasses, and said, "The coating has been checked and is fine. We can leave anytime."
Norton nodded.
"Notify all ships to prepare for departure."
The orders were passed down through the ranks, and soon, horns blared throughout the port.
More than fifty ships began to move slowly, one after another passing through the bubble membrane of Fishman Island and entering the deep sea.
As the fleet sailed further away, the outline of Fishman Island became increasingly blurred, eventually disappearing completely into the deep blue sea.
The voyage from Fishman Island went much more smoothly than I had imagined.
Perhaps because Big Black was leading the way, they didn't encounter any decent Sea Kings harassing them along the way.
Occasionally, a few foolish giant fish would come close, but after being swatted away by Big Black's tail, none of them dared to approach again.
But Nami's complexion never looked good.
She stood at the bow of the ship, holding a special recording pointer in her hand—a disc-shaped device with three pointers inserted side by side, which were now trembling slightly and pointing in three different directions.
"What's wrong?" Norton walked over.
"I studied the sea charts I bought from Fishman Island yesterday," Nami said. "You should know how the first half of the Grand Line is navigated—each island releases a unique magnetic force, and the Log Pose records this magnetic force, guiding us to the next island. The whole process is like stringing beads, one after another, and the route is fixed."
"But the new world is different."
She held up the record pointer in her hand, letting Norton see the three slightly trembling pointers.
"In the latter part of the ocean, the magnetic properties of some islands change. In other words, the only thing you can rely on becomes unreliable. Some islands even lose their magnetism completely while ships are sailing, turning the log pointer into a pile of scrap metal."
Norton stared at the three hands, lost in thought.
"So you need three?"
"Yes." Nami nodded. "The three pointers record the magnetic force emitted by different islands. In other words, we have to rely on our intuition to choose a route from the three options."
"Moreover, the route we choose determines what we will encounter. It's like choosing our own life or death."
Norton was silent for a moment.
"So, what's your choice?"
"It's not a matter of how I chose." Nami held up the Log Pose, letting Norton see the swing amplitude of the three pointers. "Look, these three pointers are swinging at different amplitudes. The more they swing, the more dangerous the island they are pointing to."
Why?
"The higher the degree of anomaly in the pointer, the more it indicates the presence of something on that island causing drastic fluctuations in the magnetic field. The stronger that thing is, the more dangerous the island is."
Norton looked at the three pointers.
Which one is the most stable?
"To the right," Nami pointed to the relatively stable pointer, "following it should be the safest way."
.
Norton nodded.
"Then the right side."
"Are you sure?" Nami asked, somewhat surprised. "Don't you want to hear what other people think?"
Norton smiled.
"You're the navigator, you're in charge."
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