"Continue."
Davy Jones did not give an opinion, merely gestured for Madam Shyarly to go on.
Revealing that the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy Headquarters were fated to clash was not, in itself, so surprising.
Newspapers had already all but declared that such a war could no longer be avoided.
Shyarly, almost unconsciously, reached into her pocket and drew out her pipe, holding it between her lips as she spoke:
"I saw the death of Edward Newgate, the 'Whitebeard,' one of the Four Emperors.
And I also saw the death of Portgas D. Ace, son of the Pirate King, Roger."
At the words Whitebeard's death, the crew's faces shifted slightly—they had already suspected as much.
But when she mentioned Ace, Roger's son, their expressions turned to utter shock.
Especially Buggy—he nearly choked on his own breath.
"Ace is Roger's son?" Crocodile leaned in, his expression drastically changed. "What kind of joke is this?"
"I'm not joking," Madam Shyarly replied earnestly. "I'm simply repeating what I saw in my prophecy. I saw Fleet Admiral Sengoku of the Navy Headquarters declare him to be the 'sinful bloodline,' the son of Roger. Though it wasn't entirely clear, I believe it was Admiral Akainu himself who executed him."
The crew fell into a heavy silence, words failing them.
Only after a long pause did Crocodile mutter, as if suddenly enlightened:
"No wonder Whitebeard values Ace so highly. The boy's barely twenty years old, yet… now Whitebeard has one more reason why this war must be fought, no matter the cost."
Shyarly herself had little interest in the futures she could already see clearly. What she wanted was to know the parts that remained hidden.
"Captain Davy Jones," she said quietly, "I've already told you everything I know. So… what do you intend to do with me?"
To her surprise, Davy Jones did not hesitate at all:
"You may return to Fishman Island. I have no need to keep you here against your will—unless you choose to come back on your own."
Thank the heavens. I'll never set foot here again. Shyarly sighed inwardly, though she kept her expression composed. "Thank you for your mercy. Then, I'll take my leave."
"Wait," Davy Jones suddenly said.
Her heart sank. She hadn't even turned around yet, and already the so-called "Demon Sea King of Hell" had changed his mind—unpredictable as the sea itself, fickle and impossible to grasp.
Resigned, she bowed slightly and asked, "What else would you have of me?"
"If you're returning to Fishman Island, take my crew along with you," Davy Jones said with a smile. "My Fanged City is still empty. They can purchase tables, chairs, beds, food, and the like. You'll travel there aboard the Terror Ghost."
General Seahorse curled his long, orange body in on itself like an ancient ammonite as he scanned the intelligence reports compiled by his subordinates. His eyes widened in disbelief. Wasting no time, he hurried through the corridors of Ryugu Palace until he reached King Neptune himself.
He found Prince Fukaboshi and Scholar Catfish already present—perfect. No need to summon them separately; he could deliver the full report at once.
Fukaboshi, thanks to Scholar Catfish's persuasion, had regained his composure. He even apologized to his father for his earlier rashness.
King Neptune, a man once hailed in his youth as the "Great Knight of the Sea," cared little for formalities. What pleased him was that his son, even in the face of grief, could restrain his impulses. After all, the future of Ryugu Kingdom would rest in Fukaboshi's hands.
The king shared his own suspicions with them: that Hody Jones was the true culprit behind Queen Otohime's murder and the deaths of his two sons.
Only now did Fukaboshi realize how close he had come to being manipulated. But this time, he kept his calm and refrained from rushing off to exact vengeance on Hody.
"Your Majesty," General Seahorse said breathlessly after saluting, "the conflict between the Davy Jones Pirates and the New Fishman Pirates—it's over."
"So soon?" Scholar Catfish adjusted his monocle, his brows arching in surprise. "We were still debating whether or not we ought to support the New Fishman Pirates."
His stance had been firmly against it. Better to let those two cancers destroy each other; then Fishman Island could wipe out the remnants in one sweep. Especially since Hody was almost certainly Queen Otohime's murderer, the royal court held no sympathy for him.
The scholar allowed himself a wry smile. "In that case, so much the better. Under the cover of night, before dawn arrives, we can sweep up the remnants of both pirate crews."
But Fukaboshi cared about something else entirely: "Who won? Or rather… who came out on top?"
King Neptune, more sober than the others, remained silent, listening.
Sure enough, the news General Seahorse delivered was neither wholly good nor wholly bad:
"The New Fishman Pirates were utterly routed. It was nearly a one-sided slaughter. Hody is dead, and the remnants have fled back to Fishman District, looted what treasure they could, and scattered."
"What?!"
Hody—the schemer, the murderer, their sworn enemy—was just… dead?
Fukaboshi and Scholar Catfish both froze in shock, staring at General Seahorse as though they couldn't quite process his words.
King Neptune furrowed his brows. He had anticipated this, to some degree. After all, Davy Jones had once defeated the Warlord Crocodile himself. Neptune knew Jinbe's strength well enough to understand what that implied about Davy Jones.
He asked, "It was Davy Jones and Crocodile together who crushed the New Fishman Pirates, wasn't it?"
General Seahorse's expression turned strange. He shook his head.
"Not exactly… Crocodile did indeed take Hody's head. But Davy Jones never once lifted a hand."
Even King Neptune was astonished at that.
"His crew alone," the general continued, "slaughtered nearly half of Hody's army—tens of thousands of fishmen and sea beasts. The survivors fled instantly. Dosun, Zeo, and the other officers were all killed. Vander Decken and Wadatsumi as well."
At the mention of Hody and Vander Decken's deaths, Neptune, Fukaboshi, and Scholar Catfish all felt a flicker of satisfaction.
Hody's death meant vengeance for their queen and princes.
Vander Decken's death meant Princess Shirahoshi would no longer be harassed—she could finally leave Hard-Shell Tower and live freely.
But in their place had arisen someone even more terrifying than Hody and Vander Decken. Was this a blessing… or a curse?
The two advisors could find no answer. Neptune only sighed for Otohime, for his lost sons, and for the suffering his daughter had endured, before asking:
"How did the Davy Jones Pirates accomplish this?"
So General Seahorse recounted everything from the beginning: the Fanged City within the Waterless Wastes, the duel where Hatchan defeated Zeo, Hody's order for a full assault, and then the sudden collapse of the New Fishman Pirates' forces.
Tens of thousands of fishmen and sea beasts—wiped out without their enemy captain even lifting a finger.
Neptune could scarcely believe it. And then he asked, "So Madam Shyarly is in their hands now?"
"Yes," the general said gravely. "According to the civilians present, she offered herself up to protect the others… I fear the worst."
Neptune stroked his beard with a heavy sigh. "She may not be in immediate danger. Most likely, they'll seek to use her… though doubtless she'll suffer hardship."
Scholar Catfish nodded grimly. He had seen far too much of this dark reality: fishmen and merfolk trafficked as mere "goods" to the humans of the surface, their fates always grim.
Adjusting his monocle, he asked, "Your Majesty, the situation has changed more than we imagined. Hody was utterly outmatched—we underestimated the strength of Davy Jones' crew. And now, with that bizarre fortress they've raised in the Dry Wastes…"
King Neptune understood his meaning. "For now, we must wait and see. If they come to attack Fishman Island, we'll fight them—even if it means mutual destruction. If they don't… we wait."
"Wait for what?" Fukaboshi asked.
"Wait for Whitebeard," said King Neptune.
"Though Madam Shyarly's prophecies have never erred, I still cannot believe Newgate will fall at Marineford. Once he rallies again, he will surely drive out the Davy Jones Pirates."
But Fukaboshi's face was shadowed with worry. "Even if Whitebeard does return, he'll be gravely weakened. He may no longer have the strength to protect us… Father, perhaps we should turn to Big Mom for aid instead."
Note: In the manga, Madam Shyarly did not foresee Ace's death. This version includes a slight modification.
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL