"Welcome, Jinbe!"
Nami lifted her glass high, laughing brightly as she joined the toast.
Sanji stood beside the table with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. He raised his glass toward Jinbe and smiled warmly.
"Welcome aboard, Jinbe. From now on, we're family. And thank you for taking care of Luffy during the Marineford War."
Jinbe slowly lifted his own cup toward Luffy. A quiet sigh escaped him before he spoke.
"To be honest, my joining your pirate crew at this moment might seem like I am relying on your influence, and Shirogai's as well. In truth, that is exactly the case."
He paused briefly, his tone calm but sincere.
"Over the past few months I have traveled across many seas and observed the state of the world. The global situation is changing rapidly."
"If Fish-Man Island were to rely only on the strength of our old generation, we would likely be unable to suppress the increasingly restless pirates who roam these waters."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"In the future, the Sky Island Alliance founded by Shirogai will certainly guide the world into a new era."
"As a Fish-Man, I will never allow my entire race to be abandoned at the threshold of that era."
Jinbe spoke with complete honesty about why he had volunteered to join the Straw Hat Pirates. He showed no hesitation in expressing the deep respect he held for both Shirogai and Luffy.
The hall filled with laughter and music, yet someone at the head of the banquet table remained silent.
King Neptune watched Jinbe quietly.
The old king's eyes lingered on the Fish-Man warrior, who sat in a yukata and wooden geta, a cape draped loosely over his shoulders.
Neptune understood Jinbe's intentions clearly.
This decision was made for the future of Fish-Man Island.
Jinbe had willingly placed himself in the center of the board as a political bridge, perhaps even a hostage, between Shirogai and the Ryugu Kingdom.
By publicly joining the Straw Hat Pirates as the former captain of the Sun Pirates, Jinbe had ensured that the God King would no longer doubt Fish-Man Island's loyalty.
After all, the balance between the two sides was overwhelmingly unequal.
Compared to the power commanded by Shirogai, Fish-Man Island's influence was almost insignificant.
The man now known throughout the world as the God King stood at the top of the Sky Island Alliance and commanded the Air Force.
If he desired cooperation, countless forces across the seas would rush forward to align themselves with him.
Even the Four Emperors could not ignore such a figure.
Many believed the World Government despised the Sky Island Alliance.
But Neptune knew the truth was more complicated.
If Shirogai ever declared that he was willing to cooperate with the World Government to unify the seas, the Celestial Dragons at the very top would likely agree immediately.
They would never allow such an opportunity to slip away.
Later, once the world was firmly under control, they would surely attempt to eliminate the Sky Island Alliance's leadership in secret.
Even so, the Celestial Dragons no longer dared to underestimate the pirate they themselves had titled God King.
Ironically, the people in the world who understood Shirogai's threat most clearly were the very leaders of the World Government.
They had been the first to notice him.
When Shirogai had only just begun to make a name for himself, the World Government attempted to recruit him as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, hoping to turn him into a weapon that could be used against other pirates.
Instead, they watched helplessly as that unknown pirate rose like a storm.
In a short period of time, he had grown into a pirate of Four Emperor level, a force powerful enough to shake the world itself.
Then came the Marineford War.
A war the World Government had not expected to unfold the way it did.
During that conflict, they witnessed something that truly terrified them.
Shirogai was no longer simply an overwhelmingly powerful individual.
He had suddenly gained control of an entire military force, one equipped with advanced Sky Island technology that far surpassed the current era.
The Air Force.
In an instant, he had transformed into a superpower capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the World Government.
Trust built only through words would never be enough when dealing with such a figure.
After the Marineford War ended, Jinbe had returned to the Ryugu Kingdom and spoken with King Neptune about Shirogai.
Their first meeting had taken place inside the great prison of Impel Down, and Jinbe had also learned much about him through Portgas D. Ace.
Jinbe had even felt uncomfortable addressing him directly as Shirogai.
Instead, he had respectfully called him Brother Shirogai.
In the world Jinbe grew up in, strength commanded respect.
The elder was called brother.
The capable were honored as brother.
And those who ignored strength were considered foolish.
For someone like Jinbe, a man with deep loyalty to his homeland and strong martial values, Shirogai's life and achievements naturally earned his sincere admiration.
"The world that had long been ruled and eroded by the World Government fractured the moment a military force called the Air Force appeared."
Jinbe had spoken those exact words during a private conversation with King Neptune shortly after the Marineford War.
At that time, the Sky Island Alliance had not yet expanded across the world as it had now.
Its advanced technology from the Sky Islands had already become famous, however.
Many nations dreamed of obtaining those technologies, hoping they could use them to secure a place in the skies.
But Jinbe had already seen something far greater.
He believed the balance of the world had already shifted.
From that moment onward, the future would become a struggle between two colossal forces.
The World Government.
And the Sky Island Alliance.
All other powers would eventually be swallowed by the conflict between these giants.
The global order would no longer belong solely to the World Government.
Instead, it would become a world divided between two competing forces.
During that conversation, Jinbe had made a serious proposal.
"King Neptune, I suggest sending an envoy to establish contact with the force created by Brother Shirogai."
"Perhaps the Ryugu Kingdom may benefit greatly from such cooperation in the future."
"If you trust me, I am willing to serve as the envoy myself and travel to the Sky Island ten thousand meters above the sea."
At that time, Neptune had been skeptical.
"Hmm? You believe this newly formed force can rival the World Government?"
"Jinbe, that seems like an exaggeration."
The old king had shaken his head.
"Making contact with Sky Island would anger the World Government. Our people are already treated poorly as Fish-Men and Merfolk. We should not provoke further hostility."
Neptune believed Jinbe was simply overestimating the so called Arrogant Emperor Shirogai.
Although he acknowledged that Shirogai's personal strength was extraordinary, the organization he had built seemed insignificant compared to the World Government, which had ruled the world for centuries.
There appeared to be no real comparison.
Yet reality proved him wrong.
Within only two months, something astonishing happened.
One after another, nations that had once been allied with the World Government withdrew their allegiance.
The very same countries Neptune had long hoped Fish-Man Island could someday join.
Instead, those nations turned toward the Sky Island Alliance.
They joined it willingly and began supporting its policies with surprising enthusiasm.
Watching these events unfold left King Neptune stunned.
Only then did he realize how far-sighted Jinbe's earlier proposal had been.
If the Ryugu Kingdom had established ties with the Sky Island Alliance earlier, the future of their race might have taken a very different path.
Jinbe had likely foreseen all of this long ago.
Meanwhile, Neptune, a king who had spent most of his life deep beneath the sea and far removed from world affairs, had foolishly allowed a rare opportunity to slip away.
And now Jinbe had gone even further.
He had willingly placed himself on the board as a bargaining chip in order to secure a better future for the Fish-Men and Merfolk.
Compared to Jinbe's selfless determination, Neptune suddenly felt ashamed.
As the king of their people, he felt he had failed to live up to that same level of responsibility.
Perhaps Shirogai had been correct.
Perhaps he truly had grown old.
His gaze slowly shifted toward his eldest son.
Prince Fukaboshi laughed loudly while drinking alongside Luffy and the others.
The younger generation was lively, fearless, and full of energy.
Neptune exhaled quietly.
"The future of the Fish-Men and Merfolk..."
"It belongs to the new generation."