"Jinbe, are you sure you want to submit to Big Mom?"
Oguro asked seriously.
"As far as I know, once you join the Big Mom Pirates, there's no leaving. And you're required to pay lifespan as a protection fee!"
In Totto Land, residents had to hand over one month of their lifespan every six months.
Fail to do so, and they'd be expelled.
Jinbe sighed helplessly.
"There's no other choice. After Whitebeard's death, Fish-Man Island needs protection."
"Although joining the Big Mom Pirates means we can't withdraw later, Big Mom agreed to let us offer sweets as tribute instead."
"As long as we provide enough sweets every month, she'll protect us."
"For Fish-Man Island, that price is… acceptable."
Oguro blinked, then calmly changed the subject.
"But if you do that, how do you plan to return to the surface?"
"Once you're under Big Mom, the World Government will have every excuse to target you."
Jinbe froze.
His expression darkened instantly.
After a long silence, he clenched his teeth.
"There's no choice. What Fish-Man Island needs right now… is to survive."
Survive first.
Only then could they think about the future.
Oguro nodded, then suddenly smiled at Jinbe in a slightly mysterious way.
"Actually… you still have another option."
Jinbe stiffened.
"Another option?"
"Fish-Man Island can join my banner and become an affiliated nation of the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire."
"I'll help you return to the surface."
"And anyone who dares to oppose you… I'll deal with them."
Jinbe and Shyarly were completely stunned.
They never expected Oguro to be willing to take Fish-Man Island under his protection.
To outsiders, Fish-Man Island might seem like a dreamy, fairy-tale land.
Who wouldn't want it?
But this was the world of pirates.
Strange races were everywhere.
From a national standpoint, Fish-Man Island was a burning hot potato.
Located between Paradise and the New World.
Ten thousand meters under the sea.
Any pirate capable of reaching it had real strength.
Diplomatically, the World Government despised it.
No nation truly valued it.
Slave traders constantly eyed it as a source of profit.
To most people, Fish-Man Island was a massive trap.
The risks far outweighed the benefits.
Only figures on the level of Whitebeard or Big Mom dared to openly protect it.
Of course, Oguro clearly had that kind of power as well.
Water 7 was already under his banner, and the World Government didn't dare stir trouble there.
"…Then what would we need to give in return?"
Jinbe wasn't the hotheaded youth he once was.
He knew nothing came without a price.
Oguro scratched his head.
Honestly, there wasn't much Fish-Man Island could offer him.
If anything, their most valuable asset was Princess Shirahoshi… Poseidon herself.
But then Oguro had another thought.
Fish-Men had ten times the physical strength of humans.
That alone was an extraordinary racial advantage.
If he trained a force of Fish-Men who mastered both Armament and Observation Haki…
They'd be terrifying in naval warfare.
Hundreds of Fish-Men emerging from the sea at once, smashing warships apart…
Just imagining it was exhilarating.
Humans trying to fight Fish-Men underwater?
Nearly impossible.
Racial talent made that clear.
"Give me a few hundred strong fighters," Oguro said.
"I'll form a military unit."
Jinbe's eyes lit up instantly.
Why had Fish-Man Island never produced top-tier powerhouses?
Because they lacked Haki training methods.
Fish-Man Karate was powerful, but its upper limit was too low.
Only Haki represented the true ceiling of combat power in this world.
But due to Fish-Man Island's isolation from human society, their knowledge of Haki was nearly nonexistent.
If Oguro trained a unit…
That would be Fish-Man Island's future.
"T-this… I'll need to report to King Neptune," Jinbe said haltingly.
It felt like a massive windfall had fallen straight onto his head.
"Mm. In that case, we'll probably need to head to the port."
Oguro suddenly said calmly.
"The Big Mom Pirates have already arrived."
...
At the port, a massive ship flying the Big Mom Pirates' flag slowly passed through the bubble coating and docked.
A towering man with orange hair styled into three fan-shaped segments stepped forward.
Charlotte Oven.
Big Mom's fourth son.
A top-tier combatant outside the Sweet Commanders.
"Lord Oven, welcome."
Neptune spoke respectfully.
A king lowering his head to an outsider filled everyone present with humiliation.
But there was no choice.
Fish-Man Island needed help.
Oven nodded solemnly.
He was a man who valued efficiency and spoke bluntly.
"According to the agreement, you are to provide sweets. Are they prepared?"
"Of course."
Neptune waved his hand.
Soldiers pushed forward dozens of large crates filled with sweets.
Oven carefully inspected them.
After confirming the quantity was correct, a faint smile finally appeared.
"The Big Mom Pirates acknowledge Fish-Man Island's sincerity."
"Then let us begin replacing the flag."
At Oven's signal, several pirates dragged out an enormous Big Mom Pirates flag.
Neptune nodded.
His eldest son, Fukaboshi, floated upward inside a bubble and took down Whitebeard's flag.
Holding it in his hands, Fukaboshi's expression darkened.
An era had ended.
After returning to the ground, he handed the flag to the guards for safekeeping.
Whitebeard was gone, but basic respect still mattered.
"All right, hurry up and put the new flag up," Oven said impatiently.
Whitebeard?
He was just a dead man.
Only Mother could become Pirate King.
Fukaboshi sighed and reached for the Big Mom Pirates flag—
"Hahaha! I think replacing the flag… can wait."
A commanding voice echoed down from above.
Everyone was startled and looked up.
Oguro and his group stood high in the sky, gazing down coldly at Oven and the others.
They had arrived using Shunpo, rushing in to stop the flag replacement.
Jinbe and Shyarly were still hurrying back.
"Sith Oguro! What are you doing here?!"
Oven's expression changed drastically.
This was a man who had rampaged through Marineford.
And that petite woman beside him had fought Admiral Akainu head-on without losing ground.
Oven was confident—but not arrogant enough to believe he could rival an Admiral.
Oguro smiled faintly.
"My reason for coming is the same as yours."
"The Sacred Holy Spirit Empire also wishes to take Fish-Man Island under its banner."
Oven's heart sank.
His face darkened instantly.
Stealing territory?
This Oguro had grown arrogant from bullying the first half of the Grand Line and thought he could snatch land from Mother herself?
What an overconfident bastard.
"Sith Oguro."
Oven's voice was icy, heat beginning to radiate from his body.
"Are you trying to become an enemy of the Big Mom Pirates?"