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After hearing Jason's words, Fisher Tiger was momentarily stunned. He hadn't spent much time with Jason, but from their conversation, he noticed no signs of dislike or discrimination in Jason's tone, eyes, or even subtle movements.
It seemed... Jason truly didn't care about his race or his past as a slave and genuinely considered him a friend.
"Brother Jason, I have a question!"
Jason: "(๑•̌.•̑๑)ˀ̣ˀ̣ What is it?"
"What do you think about different races? Like humans and Fish-Men, or other races? And what about slaves?"
Fisher Tiger was visibly nervous as he asked this question. Even Rayleigh, Shakky, and Hancock's three sisters were eagerly awaiting Jason's response.
"How else should I see it? I look at the beautiful ones, and I ignore the ugly ones!"
Rayleigh: ...
Shakky: ...
Fisher Tiger: ...
Hancock's Three Sisters: ...
"Hahaha, Brother Jason, you're quite the character!" Shakky was briefly stunned before bursting into laughter.
"Just kidding! To be honest, I don't have a shred of discrimination against anyone, no matter their race. Fish-Men, giants, minks, or any other race—I see them all the same. In my eyes, we're all human beings, so how can anyone claim to be superior? Those who do are just foolish.
And as for slaves, they didn't choose that life. How does the saying go? It's not them that's wrong, it's the world!"
"It's not us that's wrong, it's the world!"
Jason's words struck Fisher Tiger deeply. He stared at Jason with a profound look, even Rayleigh and the others were taken aback.
Everyone was shocked—how could Jason, at only seventeen, understand the world so thoroughly?
"Of course, the key is still beauty. I'll dislike ugly people no matter what race they are!" Jason added, making everyone's faces darken once more. Rayleigh, who was about to praise him, choked back his words.
Hancock and her sisters gritted their teeth. This guy really doesn't seem like a good person!
"Hahaha, I don't like ugly ones either! Brother Jason, you must come visit Fish-Man Island. King Neptune and Princess Otohime will surely like you!" Fisher Tiger laughed.
"Well, I do want to go! I've heard Fish-Man Island is full of beautiful mermaid ladies! I was already planning to visit before returning to my wife."
Hancock: I'm certain now—this guy is definitely not a good person!
"By the way, Brother Jason, you've mentioned your wife a few times, and there's talk of a 'Devils guardian' in the wanted posters. Could it be...?"
"Yes, the wife I'm talking about is Nico Robin, the Devil Child! Although we're not married yet, she will definitely marry me in the future!" Jason's face softened as he spoke of Robin, his beloved partner for more than ten years.
(Hancock: Ugh! Scumbag!)
"Well, that's really something!" Shakky didn't press any further.
"Alright, I'll be on my way now!" Fisher Tiger said as he walked to the door, bidding farewell to everyone in the bar.
"Mr. Tiger, can you leave like this? Don't you need a coated ship?"
"No need! Fish-Man Island is 10,000 meters deep under the Sabaody Archipelago. While ordinary people need a coated ship to get there, we Fish-Men can swim that distance in just a few minutes!" Fisher Tiger walked to the edge of Island 13, jumped into the water, and waved to Jason.
"Brother Jason! If you can't make it down with me, I'll be waiting for you on Fish-Man Island!"
"Okay, I'll head down in a few days!" Jason waved back and, after seeing Fisher Tiger disappear, returned inside to finish his meal. He wasn't full yet.
Half an hour later, with his stomach finally satisfied, Jason sat at the bar.
"Brother Jason, what's in that bag? Is it treasure from Mariejois?" Shakky asked, curious about the bag Jason had brought back. He had only taken a sword when he left, but returned with a large bag.
Hancock, her sisters, and Rayleigh were also curious, as Jason had been very protective of it on the way back. With Jason's strength, it wasn't likely he was short on money, so why would he bring back something from Mariejois?
"Oh! I almost forgot! This is something good!" Jason exclaimed.
"Oh? If you say it's good, it must be quite valuable!" Shakky responded.
Jason stood up, took the bag from Shakky, and slowly opened it, revealing four Devil Fruits—two large and two small.
"Ta-da! Here they are!"
"Devil Fruits?" they all said in unison.
"Yes! I found them on a table in a Celestial Dragon's room. If I didn't take them, someone else would!"
"That's quite a haul. Brother Jason, do you plan to eat one?" Shakky asked, puzzled.
"Why would I eat something when I don't even know what it does? I don't want to end up being a landlubber!" Jason scoffed, clearly disgusted by the idea. He was interested in only one fruit, and it hadn't even appeared yet.
"Yeah, Brother Jason, I wouldn't recommend eating a Devil Fruit either," Rayleigh said, his tone serious.
"Huh? Why not?" Jason was surprised. During his fight with Aokiji, he had been annoyed by the Logia ability, as it allowed Aokiji to avoid attacks through partial elementalization. The idea of eating a Logia fruit had been tempting.
"The main reason is that once you eat it, you'll lose the ability to swim and will be weakened by seawater. It's a fatal flaw for Devil Fruit users.
Additionally, many of the top fighters in this world aren't Devil Fruit users, like the Pirate King or Hero Garp! If you eat a fruit, you'll have to spend time developing its abilities, which could distract you from honing your Haki and swordsmanship. If you don't develop it, you're just adding a weakness to yourself without any benefit. Understand?"
Jason considered Rayleigh's words carefully. It made sense, but would he still want to search for a Logia fruit in the future?
"Of course, if you reach the level of a great swordsman or master Haki to its highest level, eating a fruit could still be beneficial," Rayleigh added, seeing Jason deep in thought.
"Mr. Rayleigh, next time, please say everything at once. I thought I couldn't eat any fruit at all!" Jason sighed in relief, realizing he still had options.
"Hahaha, of course not. There are many strong Devil Fruit users in the world. Training Haki is tough, but developing a fruit just requires you to keep using its abilities in battle. So, Brother Jason, do you want to eat one?"
"No! Not these ones, at least. Eating a fruit without knowing its effects would just cause trouble."
"Then what will you do with these Devil Fruits?"
"I'll sell them or give them to someone else! Hehe!"
"That's a good idea. They're very valuable! Each one can sell for at least 100 million Berries at an auction!"
Jason: (Cha-ching!)
"Mai! This is Mai! Where can I sell them?"
"There's an auction house on Island 1, but it might take a few days. The weather's been rough."
"Okay, I'll leave them here and sell them after I return from Fish-Man Island."
...
For the next two days, Jason didn't go out much. On the morning of the fourth day, he returned to Shakky's bar.
"What? You want me to escort them back?" Jason asked in disbelief, pointing at the three Hancock sisters.
"Ah, yes! But not immediately. News hasn't spread much these past two days. Since you have to pass through the Calm Belt to reach Fish-Man Island, you could drop them off on Amazon Lily along the way. With someone as strong as you, we'd feel safer."
"Is that so? Haha! No way! Uncle Rayleigh, you're stronger than me—why don't you do it?"
"Ah, I'm exhausted from the other day. I need some rest!" Rayleigh replied, sounding tired.
Jason's face darkened. You're tired?! But he didn't argue—after all, it was just a favor.
"Wait until I return. I'm heading to Fish-Man Island first!" Jason's attitude was less than enthusiastic. He drank a few glasses of juice, then left to find a ship heading to Fish-Man Island.
The three Hancock sisters asked cautiously, "Sister Shakky, do we really have to let him escort us?"
"Ah, Brother Jason may have a rough demeanor, but he's a good person and as strong as an Admiral. He's the best choice to escort you. Rayleigh's status is special, and many are watching him. If he escorts you, it'll attract attention."
Hancock and her sisters were puzzled. Even though Jason had saved them, they didn't expect someone with such a bad attitude and lecherous tendencies to be so powerful.
(Jason: What? I just want to see beautiful mermaid girls—is that so wrong? My wife doesn't mind!)
Due to the recent incident at Mariejois, the Sabaody Archipelago was in a state of panic. Ordinary people were afraid to go out, and Marines and World Government agents were patrolling the islands, arresting anyone suspicious. The main targets were pirates preparing to enter the New World, as they were the perfect scapegoats to appease the anger of the Celestial Dragons.
As a result, these pirate crews were eager to set sail and enter the second half of the Grand Line. While wandering around, Jason encountered a pirate crew whose ship was already coated. He approached them and asked, "Hey! I want to take your ship to Fish-Man Island. Is that okay?"
Jason's words stunned the pirates, who were still busy with preparations. Then, they burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Where did you come from, kid? Do you know who we are? We're the Wind Chaser Pirates! And you think you can just hitch a ride?"
A handsome pirate stepped forward, drawing his sword and licking the blade.
"You brat! Do you even know how to spell 'death'?"
"I can pay you, and if you encounter any powerful sea monsters on the way, I can handle them," Jason replied.
His words only made the pirates laugh harder.
"Hahahaha, brothers! This kid doesn't know what he's in for! We're not some tourist boat! We're vicious pirates!"
The pirate raised his sword to strike Jason, but suddenly realized the person in front of him was gone.
"Huh? Where'd he go?"
"Behind you!" another pirate shouted. Just as the pirate turned, he felt a massive force slam into his waist. He bent backward at an unnatural angle and was sent flying, crashing into the nearby dock and smashing it to pieces.
"Dolai! Damn brat! How dare you hurt our first mate! Get him, boys!" The remaining pirates charged at Jason.
"Such a hassle!" Jason muttered. He drew his sword, Zhenheng, and slashed, splitting the pirates in front of him and the coated pirate ship behind them clean in half. The sea was left with a huge gash that took a few seconds to refill with water.
"Ho...ho..."
"Wh-what kind of monster have we provoked? This is too scary! I'm done being a pirate!"
The surviving pirates were stunned, their hands trembling, and some even dropped their weapons and ran.
Jason sighed and turned to walk away. With the captain, first mate, and ship of the Wind Chaser Pirates destroyed, he needed to find another ship.
"Can I take your ship to Fish-Man Island?" he asked the next group of pirates he found.
"Y-yes, you can! The Big Wave Pirates welcome you!" the captain stammered, having witnessed the earlier scene.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not a man-eating demon. I just want to hitch a ride," Jason said.
"Y-yes!" the captain replied, standing at attention and even saluting.
Jason: ...
Forget it, do whatever you want.
"But our ship will take about an hour to finish coating. Please wait a moment."
"An hour?"
"N-no! Not an hour, just half an hour! Please don't be angry!" the captain stammered, terrified.
"Okay, I'll wait on the side," Jason replied, trying to be patient.
The captain of the Big Wave Pirates took a deep breath and ordered his crew to move quickly. With efficient teamwork, the coating was completed in just half an hour.
Finally, Jason boarded the ship to Fish-Man Island.
The underwater journey was not much different from what was shown in the original story, except there was no Kraken or any particularly dangerous sea monsters. As long as they were careful not to crash into any large deep-sea fish, there was no real danger.
According to the original story, most of the hazards would only appear after Hody Jones and his gang rose to power.
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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