Next Bonus, 100!!
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The Fish-Man District.
Gloomy and lightless.
Jinbe swam silently into the district. His gaze fell upon a scene of squalor and chaos, filled with Fish-Men whose eyes were either numb with despair or burning with violence.
'Pain, hardship, even hatred—none of it was truly terrifying... The real terror was a life devoid of hope.' he thought.
The Fish-Men here were the abandoned, the outcasts, born into a life of struggle. They were raised in a place steeped in hatred and violence. And after the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, with Marines, pirates, and slave traders pouring into Fish-Man Island to capture and sell Merfolk, their bitterness only grew. They had grown up witnessing or hearing of humanity's atrocities. Hatred was a natural, festering seed in their hearts.
"Hody Jones?"
Jinbe found an old acquaintance and learned the name of the Fish-Man District's new "shot-caller."
The name was familiar.
"The great white shark Fish-Man?" he recalled. "He was a fine soldier in Neptune's army. A few years ago, against my counsel, he publicly declared that a human had assassinated Queen Otohime. His words drove many Fish-Men and Merfolk to completely despair of humanity. After that incident, he left the Royal Army and vanished."
The old Fish-Man coughed, his body wracked with sickness. "That's him. Not long after the news of Arlong's death arrived, he came back. He's formed a 'New Fish-Man Pirates' and calls himself the man who inherited Arlong's will."
He told Jinbe the story of Hody Jones.
"He was born here, in the Fish-Man District. He's never been directly harmed by a human in his life. But from the moment he was born, he was indoctrinated with the belief that humans were an inferior, evil race. Over time, Jones became a radical supremacist. He idolizes Arlong, clinging to the belief that the Fish-Man race was sent from the heavens to rule the world. He despises humans."
Jinbe's brow furrowed. "Another Arlong?"
"No," the old Fish-Man said, shaking his head. "He's different from Arlong. Arlong was an extremist, yes, but he cared for his own people. He would never kill a fellow Fish-Man."
Jinbe's pupils contracted. "Are you saying Hody Jones would kill his own kind?"
"Yes. He preaches hatred not just for humans, but for any Fish-Man who helps them. He calls them scum, fit only for execution. They are more extreme than Arlong ever was—and far more ruthless. To achieve their goals, they will stop at nothing. They'll even use their own men as shields."
The old Fish-Man's voice grew grave. "Jinbe, he is not like you. He's a monster, born and bred from the collective hatred and rage of the Fish-Men."
A chill ran down Jinbe's spine.
"I understand."
Jinbe was no fool. He now suspected that Hody Jones and his crew were involved in Prince Fukaboshi's death.
"Where can I find him?" he asked. He had to stop them.
"At the old amusement park. But be careful, Jinbe. Their strength is not to be underestimated."
Jinbe nodded.
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That night.
With Shyarly's help, Jin and Robin coated their bodies with a special resin that would allow them to move freely in the deep sea, similar to the coating used for ships.
Together, they journeyed to the Sea Forest, located on the southeast side of Fish-Man Island.
The Sea Forest was also known as the Ship Graveyard.
Countless sunken vessels, carried by the ocean currents, had collected here over the centuries, piling up like mountains. Vibrantly colored coral, growing like ancient trees, had sprung up around them, creating a sprawling underwater forest.
Schools of fish darted through the eerie, silent gloom.
"Is this what you came for?" Shyarly asked, her voice filled with surprise as she watched Robin approach the massive stone. "The Poneglyph. Can you actually read it? Like that man... Kouzuki Oden!"
Kouzuki Oden? Robin was taken aback.
"He was a member of the Roger Pirates," Shyarly explained. "I saw them when I was three years old."
"I see," Robin said, a look of understanding on her face. "That explains why Roger's name was carved on the Poneglyph in Skypiea."
"The Poneglyphs were created by the ancestors of the Kouzuki clan of Wano during the Void Century," Jin explained. "They're indestructible stones, and they come in two main types."
"First, there are the four crimson Road Poneglyphs, which record the location of Laugh Tale."
"Second, there are twenty-six other Poneglyphs that record the history of the Void Century. When the information from these twenty-six stones is combined, it forms a single, complete text—the Rio Poneglyph."
"After they were created," he continued, "the Poneglyphs were scattered across the world. The World Government has made it a crime to even study them. Today, only the Kouzuki clan and the scholars of Ohara can decipher the text. Kouzuki Oden was a descendant of that clan."
Robin understood.
Shyarly was stunned. She looked at Robin, and a sudden realization dawned on her. "You... you're not..."
"The last scholar of Ohara," Robin said, her voice calm. "Nico Robin."
"It really is you," Shyarly breathed. "You look different from your wanted poster. You're much more beautiful."
Robin smiled faintly. "Thank you." She turned and began to decipher the stone.
After a few moments, she frowned. "This Poneglyph... it's a letter of apology, written by someone named Joy Boy."
"Joy Boy?" Shyarly gasped.
"You know of him?" Robin asked.
"Yes. There's a legend among our people. Eight hundred years ago, the Mermaid Princess who had awakened the power of the Ancient Weapon Poseidon made a promise with Joy Boy. He was to lead our entire race from the depths of the sea to the surface, to live in the sun like all the other races. He even built a colossal ship for that purpose—the Noah."
"But later..."
Fish-Man Island was still at the bottom of the sea.
Robin looked at the stone. "So he left an apology for being unable to fulfill his promise to the Mermaid Princess?"
A flicker of understanding passed through Shyarly's eyes. No wonder Roger had said they were "too early." This generation's Poseidon had been born ten years after Roger's death. She was only twelve years old now.
"Actually," Shyarly said, "there should be a red Poneglyph here as well. A Road Poneglyph."
"The one that points to Laugh Tale?" Robin asked.
"Yes. It vanished one night, not long after Roger's death. All we know is that there was a massive tsunami that night. Giant whirlpools surrounded the island. And then... it was gone."
'The man with the burn scar, Hinokizu?' Jin thought, his mind racing.
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They returned to their lodgings. Worried and wanting to hear news of Jinbe as soon as possible, Shyarly decided to stay with them. The apartment was small, with only one bedroom.
Now that their relationship was clear, Robin was less reserved and went into the room without a second thought.
Shyarly's curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't resist pressing an ear to the wall. She wasn't a little girl anymore, after all. She had her own... curiosities.
She didn't sleep well that night.
Jinbe didn't return.
The next morning, Shyarly left a note for Jin and Robin. She was going back to the Mermaid Cafe. They were to contact her if they heard anything about Jinbe.
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