"Yes," Jinbei said with a nod to King Neptune, his voice a low, thoughtful rumble.
"I heard pops was here. I came straight back, didn't even bother with the World Government's summons."
He then turned to Whitebeard, his eyes filled with a deep, unwavering respect.
The man before him wasn't just a great pirate; he was the reason Fish-Man Island still existed.
"Old man," he said, his voice full of respect. "What brings you to Fish-Man Island?"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard's thunderous laugh boomed through the hall.
He clapped a massive hand on Jinbei's shoulder.
"Jinbei. I've come this time to change Fish-Man Island's protector."
"WHAT?"
The words hit Jinbei like a physical blow.
"Change the protector?" His expression shifted instantly to one of shock and alarm.
"No, old man!"
He knew the history.
He'd lived it.
When the Great Pirate Era began, Fish-Man Island had become a lawless nightmare.
Pirates on their way to the New World had treated it like their personal playground, and countless fish-men and merfolk had been captured and sold into slavery.
It was Whitebeard who had put a stop to it all.
"You are our protector, old man," Jinbei said, his voice firm, his eyes brimming with emotion.
"If you won't protect us, then who can?"
Cough—cough—
A soft, wet cough escaped Whitebeard's lips, and the weariness in his eyes was impossible to miss.
He looked at the people he had sheltered for so many years, his heart was heavy.
His booming laughter faded, replaced by a deep sigh.
If his body wasn't failing him, if he wasn't truly at the end of his rope, he would never so easily hand over this island.
But his time was running out.
Fish-Man Island, and his own pirate crew, needed a secure future.
"Jinbei..." King Neptune's voice broke the silence.
He slowly recounted everything Whitebeard had already told him.
"What?" Jinbei was stunned.
"The new protector is… a Marine? A captain named Mike? Endorsed by two Admirals?"
Each new piece of information was like a lightning strike.
He had assumed if Whitebeard was stepping down, another Emperor would take his place.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine it would be a Marine—and a mere captain at that.
"Jinbei, don't worry," Whitebeard said, seeing the doubt on his face.
A spark of his old confidence flashed in his eyes.
"Are you doubting my judgment, boy?" He patted Jinbei's shoulder again, a gesture that was both an encouragement and a final command.
"That kid, Mike, absolutely has what it takes to protect Fish-Man Island."
"…Very well."
After a long, heavy silence, Jinbei finally lowered his head in acceptance, though his heart was still filled with a storm of emotions.
He sat down, and together, they waited for the arrival of this young Marine captain.
*****
Mock Town.
The air was thick with a crushing pressure.
Mike's Conqueror's Haki surged out like a storm cloud, crashing down on Doflamingo.
—Crack—
With a sharp, shattering sound, Doflamingo's iconic sunglasses exploded into a thousand tiny fragments.
The moment they broke, his eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock.
His breath caught in his throat.
"How… how is this possible?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
His own powerful Conqueror's Haki had just been crushed, completely snuffed out without any effort at all.
Is this still a....… Conqueror's Haki?
"You…" Doflamingo struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily.
He forced his eyes to focus on the source of that overwhelming power—a young man in an impeccable suit, a "Justice" cloak draped over his shoulders.
The pride and confidence that had defined Doflamingo his entire life were utterly shattered in that single instant.
Kuzan's gaze shifted from the broken Warlord to Mike.
"Mike," he said calmly, "what should we do with this guy?"
Mike's eyes settled on Doflamingo with a hint of amusement in his gaze.
To think he'd run into the "Newspaper King" here.
He remembered that Bellamy, the fool Kuzan had turned into an ice sculpture, was one of Doflamingo's men.
It was all just one big coincidence.
"Should we send him to Impel Down to read newspapers?" Mike mused out loud.
Doflamingo's mind raced.
Kuzan had already attacked him, and now this impossibly powerful young Marine was deciding his fate.
He was in deep, deep trouble.
A flash of memory—the burning rage he felt when the other Celestial Dragons had rejected him, even after he brought them his own father's severed head.
He had sworn that day to bring their whole rotten world crashing down.
'If I get captured here and sent to Impel Down,' he thought frantically.
'I'll become a complete laughingstock! My dream of revenge will be over!'
He had to find a way out, a chance to survive.
He looked at Mike, who held all the cards, and decided to play his last, most valuable one.
"I can offer you information in exchange for my life," Doflamingo said, forcing his voice to remain steady.
"Information about the 'Great Treasure' of Mariejois."
He was sure no one on these seas could resist an offer like that.
"You mean…" Mike said, his voice unhurried and as calm as a gentle breeze.
"Uranus?"
"???"
"!!!"
Doflamingo's expression completely changed.
His eyes went wide, his heart hammered against his ribs, and pure, cold panic seized him.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"