The woman standing before them was Charlotte Amande, the third daughter of Charlotte Linlin, representing the Snakehead clan. She was the Minister of Nuts, the ruler of Nut Island. In her hands gleamed a massive sharp sword named "White Fish." Amande's strength was surpassed only by the four generals of dessert, even eclipsing the average lieutenant general of headquarters.
A man with a lion-like, thick mane resembling a member of the Mink tribe disembarked from the boat. He followed the woman's slender figure and grumbled, "Lady Amande is right. I get angry every time I see fish-men. My proud hair wilts when I come here."
This was Pekoms—formerly a member of the Mink pirates, now a fighter for Big Mom's pirates.
The conversation between the two leaders silenced the guards of Fish-Man Island. After Whitebeard's death, they had no protector, and offending Charlotte Linlin of the Four Emperors was dangerous. It would bring trouble to Fish-Man Island.
More than ten days had passed since Whitebeard's demise in battle. Fish-Man Island was closed off to prevent the arrival of unscrupulous pirates. Fish-men and mermaids had become coveted trophies for raiders. In two days, two mermaids and ten fish-men disappeared from the island.
In the ten days of isolation, possibly due to the blockade, external connections were severed. The latest reports indicated that Whitebeard's Remnants had fled, and the Pirate King Roger had reappeared in the Great War.
Fish-Man Island was unaware that Sal had become a new member of the Four Emperors and had taken over the protection of the territory Whitebeard once guarded.
As the two leaders conversed, a tall man stepped ashore, interrupting them. This was Charlotte Katakuri, the leader of the Four Generals.
The man was nearly five meters tall. He had short amaranth hair, strong muscles, and long legs.
"Alright, Amande, we're here to protect Fish-Man Island. Enough with the nonsense."
"Yes, brother Katakuri."
Following Katakuri was a girl who wrapped her arms around her brother's thigh and sarcastically dismissed her sister's words. This was Charlotte Flampe, the thirty-seventh daughter of Big Mom and the seventy-seventh child of Charlotte Linlin.
"Sister Amande, don't ruin brother Katakuri's mission."
Amande, with her blue hair and snake-like neck, instantly fixed her gaze on her so-called sister. The snakehead clans inherited the cold-blooded nature of snakes and did not value family ties.
"Alright, enough noise. The mission is more important."
In a gruff voice, Katakuri positioned himself between his sisters. The cold and melancholic beauty, Amande, obediently closed her mouth.
Flampe also complied with her brother's words. Her dream was to become Katakuri's sole "princess-sister" and the leader of his support group.
Katakuri was the most renowned among the many Charlotte siblings. He loved all his brothers and sisters, cared deeply for his relatives, and was their true protector. With his striking attire, Katakuri stood out from the rest, and the guards, who were on high alert, immediately recognized him.
"It's Katakuri, the deputy of the Four Emperors of Big Mom. He's here..."
The arrival of a member of the Four Emperors immediately alarmed King Neptune of Fish-Man Island. The twelve-meter-tall king, along with three princes of the same stature, approached the scene.
The future king, Prince Fukaboshi, Prince Manboshi, Prince Ryoboshi , and Princess Shirahoshi, who remained in the palace, are members of the Fish-Man Island royal family.
Interestingly, Princess Otohime, the goldfish mermaid, was notably short in stature—only two meters tall.
When Neptune approached the scene and saw Big Mom's pirates, especially with Katakuri present, he secretly sighed. What's meant to happen will happen. I hope Charlotte Linlin's terms won't be too harsh?
"Honored guests from afar, please come with me to a meeting to discuss all the details in depth."
"There's no need for concern, King Neptune."
Katakuri nodded in agreement. It seemed King Neptune understood their purpose. The group followed the fish-men and left. Many Fish-Man Island residents stared at them, whispering among themselves.
Most fish-men harbored hostility towards humans. Only a few, including the royal family, sought to improve relations between Fish-Man Island and humans.
A few fish-men watched the team heading to the palace from the shadows. Their eyes were fixed on the young girl, Charlotte Flampe.
A shorter fish-man spoke anxiously, "Brother Jones, are you really going to attack them? Attacking Big Mom's pirates is no joke."
The tallest fish-man replied firmly, "Otherwise, if Fish-Man Island is forced to submit to mere humans, where is the dignity of our great fish-people? Insignificant humans are not worthy of stepping onto the land of Fish-Man Island. And if their plan succeeds, it will be even harder for us to overthrow the corrupt royal family."
"Alright, brother, whatever you say, will be done."
"Yes, all royal families that bow before humans must perish."
"Kill… kill…"
Meanwhile, the warship carrying Sal was being coated with a special substance as it descended towards Fish-Man Island. The coating process was handled by Rayleigh, a master coater with decades of experience.
At this moment, Sal was lying on a deck chair, silently holding a newspaper given to him by Rayleigh.
The newspaper featured images of Ace and Luffy. Luffy even raised his hand to show the "X" symbol, intended as a message to his crew. But the most surprising part was the headline: "Let's Join Roger's Family, the Pirate King. The Descendant of the Pirate King Explains His Views on His Father."
Such a sensational headline made Sal wonder—had Morgans's standards dropped, or was this the work of an intern?
The newspaper laid out Ace's views on his father. It turned out he had hated Roger since childhood, and it contained many emotions that Sal had seen in the original work. To send Luffy's message, this guy really went to extremes.
"It seems I really need to talk to Ace."
Though Sal tried his best to avoid any contact with Ace in terms of family matters, he didn't ignore him entirely. After all, part of Roger's soul was in him too.
And the most valuable thing he received over the past couple of days was a system message that troubled him.
"[C-rank character Portgas D. Rouge harbors negative feelings towards the host, primarily anger, experience reward 1000]"
The system information plus the newspaper photo of a blonde turned away from everyone. Sal could never forget that familiar background.
"Rouge I really don't want to confront you..."
Casting aside these distracting thoughts, Sal focused all his attention on the system. After nearly three days, the experience gained from the events of the "Great War" was coming to an end.