Chapter 349: "Knight of the Sea " Jinbeii
Badly injured and weak from falling into the water, Vander Decken was brought back onto the ship by Jinbeii, while the unconscious MiinKing was tied at the ship's tail.
"Puha!" Vander Decken coughed up seawater from his stomach, trembling as he stretched out his left hand, trying to touch the enemy beside him.
"Chik!" His ungloved left hand was pinned to the deck by a western sword.
"Still not giving up at this point," Esdeath twisted the sword's handle, and the sounds of screaming and wailing echoed across the deck. His four malformed legs, like four drumsticks, trembled and struck the deck rapidly, intertwining to form a grim symphony.
Jinbeii's expression turned displeased. It was one thing to be ruthless during a fight, but another to torture a captive after the battle. "Since we've caught Vander Decken, let's return to Fish-Man Island and lock him up in the prison tower."
"Lock him up in prison?" Esdeath retorted. "What about him after that?"
"Huh?" Jinbeii paused, then answered, "We'll imprison him for life in the prison tower."
Akame also frowned. "This guy has been trying to abduct the mermaid princess, even threatening her life with weapons. You still want to let such a person live?"
Jinbeii replied in a low voice, "Yes."
"Hah..." Eric sighed, "What good is Vander Decken other than being a nuisance? Does he have any other use?"
"..." Jinbeii wasn't keen on starting a fight with the Dawn Pirates over this matter. "Then leave Vander Decken to you guys."
"Very well." Eric tried to pat Jinbeii on the shoulder, but due to the height difference, he ended up patting his back instead.
"..."
"What's wrong?" Jinbeii looked at Eric, who had suddenly become silent.
"Nothing." Eric pointed behind him. "What about this big guy?"
"…Just leave him to you guys." Jinbeii pushed the troublesome matter onto the Dawn Pirates.
Upon hearing this, Akame and Akame began drooling over the giant redfin, multi-spiked fish-man.
Esdeath was slightly speechless. "You don't want to eat that thing, do you?"
Akame and Akame nodded silently, while Artoria seriously considered, "I wonder how fried fish tastes. Really makes me look forward to it."
The members around them took a step back in unison.
"It's a giant fish-man, after all." Eric stopped the trio from indulging. "Let him become our subordinate."
Akame was a bit skeptical. "Will he listen? He doesn't look too smart."
"That's where Esdeath will show her true skills."
"Leave it to me," Esdeath said with a sadistic smile, flexing her wrist.
In the northeast of Fish-Man Street, the underwater forest grew countless beautiful corals. The refracted light from the sea illuminated the area in a mesmerizing, otherworldly way, making it look like a fairytale landscape.
However, this beautiful sight was marred by the wreckage of sunken ships.
"So many sunken ships... What happened here?" Robin carefully stepped over broken wood fragments on the ground.
Fukaboshi explained, "This place is like a graveyard for ships. The sunken ships get carried here by the currents."
Ryuboshi added, "Only this place is blessed by the Yggdrasil Eve, and whales and fish gather here too."
Manboshi pointed to the giant coral forest. "The historical stone tablet is deep in the forest."
The dense canopy blocked the sunlight, but scattered rays of light shone on Robin's pale face, casting light spots on her.
The four of them walked through moss-covered trees, with only Robin's footsteps echoing with soft rustling sounds.
After pushing through several layers of obstructing leaves, the scene ahead suddenly opened up. Robin's eyes widened. "Found it..."
Robin carefully touched the stone tablet. Strange characters silently told their story. "This is the historical text of Fish-Man Island."
"Correct." Fukaboshi nodded. "Can you understand the characters on the stone?"
"Mm..." Robin nodded, then began reading the text. "Sorry, could you wait while I finish reading the historical text on this stone?"
Fukaboshi tapped his chest. "No problem."
Ryuboshi and Manboshi both agreed, "We're fine with it too!"
"By the way, Jinbeii," Eric looked not far off, where Esdeath was taming MiinKing with a calm tone. "I killed the Arlong Pirates in East Blue."
"…!" Jinbeii's eyes widened, and the peaceful atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense.
"Why did you kill them?!" Jinbeii suppressed his anger. "With their weak strength, they shouldn't have posed any threat to you!"
"Don't get worked up."
"I'm not worked up!" Eric's calm words ignited Jinbeii's emotions, and Jinbeii stood up suddenly, his heartbeat loud in his chest.
"…" The members of the Dawn Pirates around them furrowed their brows, turning their attention to the situation.
"…" Jinbeii ignored the gazes falling on him, his massive frame and fierce glare intimidating to ordinary people.
Unfortunately, it was ineffective against Eric, who was used to dealing with monsters.
"Sit down," Eric pointed to the ground in front of him. "This isn't how we're going to talk. Communication between people is important."
"…" In silence, Jinbeii sat cross-legged in front of Eric.
"Now, that's better," Eric nodded. "Now we can have an equal conversation."
Calming himself, Jinbeii slowly spoke, "Why did you take action against them?"
"Before I answer your question, can I ask you one?" Eric didn't answer Jinbeii directly. "Do you agree with Otohime's ideal of peaceful coexistence between fish-men and humans?"
Jinbeii was confused. "You've shared so many ideas with Otohime, yet you still have doubts?"
"Don't worry about it, answer my question."
"…" Jinbeii closed his eyes, recalling the last words of his brother Tiger:
"I've always lived freely, but it severely hindered Otohime. Otohime was right. Everyone craves peace."
"But the ones who can truly change the island are the next generation, who knows nothing, like Kella. So please, don't tell the fish-men on the island anything! Don't speak of the tragedies we endured, nor of our hatred for humans!"
"Ah, of course…" Jinbeii's eyelids fluttered, his eyes showing a determined gaze.
"That's great."
"Eric, it's your turn to answer my question," Jinbeii asked again. "Why did you take action against Arlong and his group?"
"I only kill those who deserve to die," Eric stared directly into Jinbeii's eyes. "That's it."
"You said wh—!" Jinbeii was about to stand again but stopped himself. "What did Arlong do?"
"You should know," Eric started, "I only go after pirates who kill civilians recklessly and nobles who suck the life out of ordinary people." He explained, "A year ago, Arlong went to a village in East Blue called Cocoa West, where he terrorized the area. If the villagers couldn't pay for their lives, he'd kill them..."
"!" Jinbeii's eyes widened in shock, unable to speak.
"His actions not only impacted Tiger's and Otohime's ideals but also spread hatred and disgust for fish-men among other humans," Eric smiled faintly. "What do you think? Should he have died?"
"…" Jinbeii silently lowered his head. His strong head could not be bent by force, but Eric's words struck at his conscience, and his mind became a muddled mess.
"Honestly, you're partly responsible for his crimes," Eric's words struck like a sword to Jinbeii's conscience. "Because you couldn't bear to strike down your former subordinate, you let him lead the Sun Pirates and left, causing irreparable harm to innocent humans..."
Jinbeii slowly spoke, "…What happened to them?"
"Huh?"
"The humans that Arlong hurt, what happened to them?"
"…" Eric turned his head and glanced away. "They should be living happily now, at least without worrying about Arlong stealing their money and lives."
"Don't go looking for them… Oh, right." Eric patted his head. "There was one person I didn't kill, an octopus fish-man named Hachi . Years later, when he returns to Fish-Man Island, you can hear about the atrocities they committed."
"…I understand." Jinbeii nodded slowly. "But you can't kill all of Arlong's group. That approach will harm you."
"Huh?" Eric blinked. "Harm us?"
"Arlong is an idol to all the fish-men on Fish-Man Street. Many fish-men admire him, and if they find out you killed Arlong…"
"Hahahaha…!" Eric laughed and shook his head.
"Admiring a criminal? Are they out of their minds? Not wanting a good life, but expecting to live in a cesspool?"
Eric asked, "You wouldn't also agree that those evil scoundrels should be locked up in prison, not executed publicly, would you?"
"…" Jinbeii hesitated, unable to answer, as he was a pirate himself.
"Did the civilians killed by pirates die, while the criminals who caused the harm live comfortably in prison?" Eric gave his answer. "I don't agree with that. I treat both fish-men and humans equally. Anyone who commits evil should bear the corresponding punishment!"
"…"
Eric half-closed his eyes. "Jinbeii, your reason for being a Warlord is different from the others. You represent the reconciliation between races."
Jinbeii furrowed his brows, silent in thought.
"Humans have good and bad, fish-men have good and bad," Eric continued. "You don't want the ideals you've fought for and the fish-men walking freely in the sun to be ruined by a bunch of scum, right?"
"What should I do?" Jinbeii braced himself, looking down in consultation. "How can I fulfill Otohime's and Tiger's ideals?"
"…" Eric almost couldn't hide his expression.
'How should I know?!' Eric's mind screamed. 'Why are they all asking me? I can only give some motivational quotes from the internet, share my opinions, but what should they do? What can I do?!'
Eric forced a faint smile and composed himself. "Since you have a great reputation on Fish-Man Island, just keep those who harbor hatred for humans in check. If it doesn't work, lock them up."
"Lock them up?" Jinbeii hesitated. "That doesn't seem right."
"What's wrong with that?" Eric said. "If they go to human society and commit crimes like raiding towns and slaughtering villages, I'll deal with them. At least under your control, they'll have a chance to live."
"…"
"Think about Otohime and Tiger, who are fighting for this ideal, and think about the next generation of fish-men walking freely in the sunlight," Eric encouraged. "At the very least, let the fish-man criminals be handled by you, reducing conflict and hatred between the two races."
"Good!" After deep thought, Jinbeii nodded decisively. "I'll keep an eye on those guys."
"That's what a 'Merman' is!" Eric gave a thumbs-up. "A true hero, fighting for the country and its people!"
"A hero for the country and its people?" Jinbeii repeated the phrase twice. "What a great idea!"
Jinbeii clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Eric, for your guidance. I can now contribute to Otohime's and Fish-Man Island's cause!"
"…Mm." Eric nodded stiffly.
Eric watched Jinbeii leave, taking a deep breath, the weight in his heart finally lifting. 'At least this motivational speech was worth a 60, right?'
Akame tilted her head. "Eric, after saying all that nonsense, you don't seem nervous anymore."
"Ahem," Eric choked on his saliva.
Fukaboshi asked, "Robin, have you finished reading the historical text?"
"Mm." Robin packed up her bag. "This is an apology letter written by Joy Boy."
"An apology letter?"
"Yes." Robin turned to the three princes accompanying her. "He said he could not fulfill the agreement made with Fish-Man Island."
"…" The three princes fell silent.
"Do you know what that agreement was?"
"…Noah." Fukaboshi slowly spoke the name, then said no more.
Robin didn't press for further answers. She only wanted to understand history. Since the historical text had been deciphered, there was no point in staying in the Sea Forest any longer, so she said, "Let's go back."
"Okay."
On their way back, they met a male fish-man and a merman.
The chubby fish-man spoke. "Yo, is this the devil's child, Nico Robin?"
"You are...?!" Robin trembled and immediately shrank back, preparing to flee.
"No, no." The chubby fish-man waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm not here to capture you."
Fukaboshi stepped forward. "Aren't you 'World's Number One Shipwright' Tom and the researcher from the Sea Forest, Dan? Are you here to see Robin? She's a guest of Ryugu Palace."
"Oh, Prince Fukaboshi ." Dan greeted. "My brother is here to see his benefactor."
"Is that so?"
"We didn't properly thank the Dawn Pirates in Water 7." Tom puffed out his fat belly. "This time, since they're here on Fish-Man Island, I'll give them a proper welcome!"
(END CHAPTER)
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