Chapter 207
Chapter 207
"I didn’t expect you to leave Fish-Man Island so suddenly. Everything was fine just a few days ago."
Jinbe asked with a confused expression.
He had come to see them off and also wanted to know why Rorschach was in such a hurry to leave.
"There are some matters I need to take care of. They’re not big issues though. If I get the chance in the future, I’ll come back to visit."
Rorschach replied casually, not mentioning anything about Doflamingo. If Jinbe knew, he would definitely want to help, but Rorschach preferred to handle it himself.
"I see..."
Jinbe nodded and didn’t press further. Since Rorschach didn’t want to talk about it, asking more would be tactless.
"By the way, isn’t King Neptune coming to see Shirahoshi off?"
Rorschach looked around but didn’t see Neptune or the three princes, so he asked curiously.
No matter what, Shirahoshi was his daughter setting out to sea. Neptune should at least come to see her off.
"Father..."
Shirahoshi spoke up, her expression turning slightly worried as she touched her cheek.
Inside the palace.
Neptune was lying on the floor, biting a silk cloth with both hands while tears streamed down his face.
"Wuuu wuuu wuuu... My little Shirahoshi..."
Neptune sobbed.
The ministers and the three princes were trying their best to comfort him.
"Father, you don’t have to worry so much. With Lord Rorschach here, Shirahoshi will be safe."
Fukaboshi spoke in a gentle tone.
However, Neptune remained unmoved and continued crying while calling Shirahoshi’s name.
"This is getting troublesome..."
Fukaboshi wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking helpless.
The other two princes had the same helpless expressions.
"Father, aren’t you going to see Shirahoshi off?"
Fukaboshi tried changing the subject to bring Neptune back to normal.
"Wuuu wuuu... Forget it. If I go there, I’ll be even more reluctant to let her leave. This is fine."
Neptune spat out the silk cloth he was biting and gently wiped the corners of his eyes.
Fukaboshi and the others were truly at a loss. Even bringing up Shirahoshi didn’t work. They had no idea how long Neptune would stay in this state.
...
Shirahoshi slowly explained what was happening with Neptune.
Everyone had black lines on their foreheads. They never expected the king of an island to have this kind of side.
"Cough cough... King Neptune is just being an overprotective father."
Jinbe coughed lightly to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"No matter how you look at it, this is clearly a daughter-con," Nami said weakly.
"Well, isn’t it a good thing? It shows that Neptune really cares about Shirahoshi," Rorschach said with a light smile.
"Oh right, Jinbe. Take this. You might need it someday."
As if suddenly remembering something, Rorschach took out a box and handed it to Jinbe.
"This is...?"
Jinbe accepted it with a puzzled expression and opened the box.
"Rorschach-kun, this... doesn’t seem appropriate."
After seeing what was inside, Jinbe’s pupils shrank in shock.
What was inside was completely unexpected. He thought Rorschach wanted him to keep something, but instead... it was a flag.
It was Rorschach’s pirate crew flag.
Right now, this island was still under Whitebeard’s protection. What did giving this flag mean?
Was he trying to protect Fish-Man Island? This action was no different from provoking Whitebeard.
Whitebeard would definitely not let this slide. It would definitely spark a war between the two crews!
That was why Jinbe was so shocked that Rorschach suddenly gave him his flag at a time like this.
"Don’t misunderstand. This flag is for you. It symbolizes our ’friendship’."
"But if the day ever comes when you need to use this flag, don’t notify me. Just use it whenever you need to."
Rorschach walked forward and patted Jinbe on the shoulder with a smile.
Rorschach knew very well what would happen to Fish-Man Island after Whitebeard died. Since Shirahoshi was now his crew member, he naturally needed to leave something behind just in case.
This way, Jinbe wouldn’t have to join Big Mom’s crew for the sake of Fish-Man Island.
"I understand. Thank you very much, Lord Rorschach!"
Jinbe looked deeply moved, and his way of addressing Rorschach became more formal.
Through Rorschach’s explanation, Jinbe naturally understood the meaning behind the flag.
Whitebeard was already old and would die sooner or later. When that time came, Fish-Man Island would fall into chaos once again.
Rorschach was still young, so giving this flag meant he was willing to protect Fish-Man Island in the future. Whether to use it or not would be up to Jinbe.
Rorschach said the flag symbolized his "friendship," but once this "friendship" was used, it would no longer be simple.
It would mean Fish-Man Island would come under his banner.
Jinbe understood this, but Rorschach still gave him the choice.
Seeing this, Rorschach nodded, then turned around and walked toward the Ryūyū.
The girls followed him onto the ship.
The mermaid girls carried large and small bags of luggage, all of which Rorschach placed on the deck using his Float-Float Fruit ability.
Surprisingly, Madam Shyarly had the most luggage — giving off the vibe of a certain red-haired female knight from a neighboring series.
Shirahoshi and the other mermaid girls curiously looked around at everything on the ship.
They couldn’t help but want to touch things. Nami’s tangerine trees especially caught their interest. After getting permission, they picked some and tasted them.
The novel sweet-and-sour flavor made them like it very much.
"Well then... this is goodbye. I’ll let you know the next time I come to Fish-Man Island."
Rorschach waved at Jinbe on the port below.
"May fortune favor you in battle."
Jinbe nodded and spoke softly.
"Bye bye~~ Big Brother Jinbe! We’ll miss you!"
"Big Brother Jinbe, please take care of Father!"
The mermaid girls and Shirahoshi waved goodbye to Jinbe one after another.
"You all have to listen to Rorschach-kun properly! Don’t go playing around and get captured!"
"Princess Shirahoshi, I’ll take care of King Neptune on this side!"
Jinbe also smiled and waved his arm in farewell.
The moment the ship sailed away from the island, a system notification rang in Rorschach’s mind.
[Ding. Recruited crew member: Shirahoshi. Reward obtained: Intelligent Nano-Titanium Alloy.]
Rorschach’s expression froze slightly.
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