Translator: PapaSmurf0700
No one could have predicted this. The notorious Straw Hat Pirates, a crew with a combined bounty approaching 9 billion Beri, brought to a complete standstill at the very entrance to Fish-Man Island.
They were mobbed. Dozens of merfolk, their faces alight with a mixture of excitement and near-fanatical adoration, swarmed them.
"What's going on?!" Luffy yelped, surrounded by a giggling group of mermaid girls. He was bewildered by the sheer number of hands poking and prodding him.
"Brother Luffy's body really can stretch forever! Hahaha, it's so strange!" a mermaid with long, dark hair chirped, clinging to his arm happily.
The other Straw Hats were enduring similar "attacks." Bai Ye found himself encircled by a group of slightly older mermaids. They weren't molesting him, but their approach was, in its own way, far more difficult to handle.
"Little Bai Ye is so handsome! You know, my daughter is a huge fan of yours."
"Molly, please. My daughter is clearly a much better match for him."
For the first time since coming to this world, Bai Ye truly understood the oppressive feeling of being set up for an arranged marriage by well-meaning aunts.
Master, you never taught me how to deal with this!
The rest of the crew fared slightly better, as only Luffy and Bai Ye had been so prominent during the Sabaody incident. Still, they were all surrounded. Zoro stood with his arms crossed, his intimidating presence keeping a small pocket of space around him. Sanji's eyes had transformed into hearts as he lavished praise on a particularly stunning and scantily clad mermaid. Nami and Robin, perfectly at ease, were already signing autographs.
Usopp, with hands on his hips, was in full bragging mode, declaring that "This was all part of my master plan." Merry and Chopper were the center of a circle of adoring children, basking in their hero worship. As for Franky and Brook, one was striking his signature "super" poses, while the other was asking his signature inappropriate questions.
"Hahahaha! This is the special welcome I prepared for all of you!" Jinbe laughed from the side, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Luffy was being completely submerged by his fan club.
Bai Ye shot him a look, the corner of his mouth twitching. This thick-eyebrowed fish-man… he pulls a prank before we're even on the ship. What's he going to be like as a crewmate? I'll remember this, Jinbe. Just you wait.
"JINBE! YOU ARE MY GREATEST BROTHER!"
Unlike Bai Ye, Sanji, with blood gushing from his nose, turned to Jinbe and gave him a heartfelt thumbs-up. "Compared to that bastard Bai Ye, you are a true benefactor! I can die happy now!"
"Just try not to, you idiot," Usopp sighed.
Zoro grunted. "Pervy cook."
Jinbe looked genuinely concerned. "Sanji-kun, that is a lot of blood! Are you alright?"
"Golden Light Curse: Vice-Captain's Sanction!"
Thwack!
Bai Ye retracted the golden staff he had formed and spoke calmly. "Don't worry, Jinbe. The bleeding has stopped."
Chopper stared, amazed. "So that's how you treat it!"
While everyone was distracted by Sanji's predicament, Luffy finally managed to squeeze his head out from the mermaid pile. "Jinbe! Did you bring these people here?! Get them away! I wanna eat meat!"
Eventually, with the combined efforts of Jinbe and the island guards, the crowd reluctantly dispersed.
"Ah... I'm saved," Luffy sighed, slumping to the ground in exhaustion. "Those women are scarier than Nami when she's angry."
Nami's head snapped in his direction. "Excuse me?"
"Hahaha, it can't be helped," Jinbe explained with a warm smile. "You are all great benefactors to the whole of Fish-Man Island."
He went on to detail why. First, Luffy's rampage at the Human Auctioning House had freed many merfolk slaves. Then, among the two thousand slaves Bai Ye had demanded the World Government release, many more were residents of this island. Finally, the World Economic Journal's broadcasts had turned them into legends.
"Every member state of the new Spark Alliance," Jinbe concluded, "holds the Straw Hat Pirates in the highest esteem. Because of you, the Alliance even exists."
"Is that so?" Nami said, perched on a large, bubble-coated fish. A soft smile touched her lips. "I guess we really did do a good thing."
"In a way," Robin added thoughtfully, "though Fish-Man Island is a member of the World Government, their situation is often worse than that of non-affiliated nations. They are the member kingdom closest to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, yet suffer the most severe discrimination because of it."
"Merfolk live in a constant state of yearning for the sun, but are taught to fear the humans who live under it," Jinbe elaborated, leading the crew toward the Ryugu Palace. "This has been their reality for a very long time."
Luffy, however, was less interested in the somber history and more captivated by the breathtaking scenery. "Wow, this place is amazing! After we eat, I'm gonna explore everywhere!"
"Of course," Jinbe chuckled. "I would be honored to be your guide."
"I can take you to the Mermaid Cafe!" Camie chimed in excitedly. "It's the most famous spot on the island!"
"And my clothing store is always open to you all!" Pappag added.
"Mermaid Cafe..." Sanji, now sporting a large bandage over his nose, exhaled a puff of smoke. "Is another of my dreams about to come true?"
Usopp started to protest, then just sighed. "You know what? Never mind. Go nuts."
"Yohohoho! I have a question, if I may," Brook said, pointing toward a family out for a stroll. "Is that child perhaps adopted?"
Everyone followed his gaze. The family consisted of an octopus fish-man father and a blue-tailed mermaid mother. The child in the stroller, however, was clearly a shark fish-man. It was an odd sight.
"It's not like that," Pappag answered before Jinbe could. "Human families on the surface often look very similar. But here on Fish-Man Island, we all carry ancient memories and diverse genes within us. That child is a shark fish-man because one of his ancestors, somewhere down the line, was a shark fish-man."
"So, on this island, it's not strange no matter what kind of child is born into a family."
Hearing this, Bai Ye forced himself to suppress the follow-up question that immediately sprang to his mind. It was, he decided, far too rude to ask.