Long lines stretched before the entrances of Fish-Man Island.
Inside the transparent tunnels, countless coated ships of every size floated, packed with humans, mermaids, and fish-men—all shouting and quarreling in a cacophony that echoed through the sea.
Yet even in such chaos, the guards of the Ryugu Kingdom refused to be lax. They checked every document, every seal, with meticulous precision.
Several massive sea beasts—once the war mounts of the New Fish-Man Pirates—now stood watch at the exits, repurposed as part of the Ryugu Palace's defense. Their knights held their reins tightly, ensuring no creature went to waste.
A few hundred meters away, on a flat stretch of seabed near the island's exit, three coated pirate ships lay anchored.
Each belonged to a "Supernova." None of their captains had any intention of joining the swarming fools in the crowded tunnels.
The air there was noisy, murky—and far from safe.
"Why the hell have those guards gotten so uptight all of a sudden?"
Captain Eustass Kid, wrapped in his dark red fur coat, leaned against the hull of his ship, his tone dripping with irritation. "This is taking forever."
His masked right-hand man, Killer, replied evenly,
"Kid, I think it's probably connected to all those new bounty posters that flooded the island yesterday."
Kid narrowed his browless eyes.
"You mean Ryugu Palace tightened security because they're preparing for Davy Jones? They're afraid he'll invade?"
"If that's the reason, that'd actually be the better case."
Killer shook his head. "What worries me more is the other possibility."
"The other possibility?"
"That Ryugu Palace has struck a deal with Davy Jones—just like they once did with Whitebeard. Maybe the bargain is simple: our heads, in exchange for their loyalty."
Kid's lips curved into a jagged grin.
"I like that possibility better. Let Davy Jones come. I want to see for myself what a 1.45 billion bounty monster looks like."
The shock he'd felt seeing that bounty yesterday had now turned into raw excitement.
"Kid," Killer said firmly, "we should be leaving this place. We don't know what Davy Jones's powers are, how strong he really is, or whether that 1.45 billion is exaggerated."
He gestured toward their crewmates gathered nearby.
"They followed you all the way here—just one step from the New World. If we pick a fight with Davy Jones now, most of them won't survive it."
Kid looked at his crew. His crimson lips tightened slightly.
To feed his thirst for battle would mean feeding it with the lives of his men.
"We could just break through the checkpoint," Killer suggested quietly, stepping closer. "Those guards wouldn't stand a chance against us. For safety, though, we could join forces—with them."
He tilted his chin toward the other two ships not far away.
Kid followed his gaze.
One belonged to Basil Hawkins, the Magician; the other, to X Drake, the Red Flag.
As if in silent agreement, Hawkins and Drake both looked up at that exact moment, their eyes meeting Kid's and Killer's. For an instant, the four Supernovas exchanged wordless understanding.
"They don't seem opposed to the idea," Killer said, turning back to Kid. "Captain, what's your call?"
Killer almost always addressed Kid by name. Calling him Captain now was his way of showing complete respect for his decision.
Kid didn't hesitate long. His voice was cold as steel.
"Let's go talk to them."
"Understood." Killer nodded. He went to speak briefly with their crew, then returned to walk beside Kid.
Hawkins and Drake, seeing them approach, also stepped forward. The four met by a large boulder in the middle of the seabed plain.
Killer spoke first, his position perfectly suited to mediate between captains.
"You all see the situation. Our captain proposes that the three of our crews form a temporary alliance."
"Until we escape Fish-Man Island?" Drake asked, arms crossed, his tone cautious.
"Until we reach the surface," Killer clarified from behind his mask.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you? Something's off. If we don't move soon, we'll lose every advantage we have."
Hawkins said nothing. Instead, he drew a deck of cards from his coat.
He shuffled them several times, then let them float one by one in the air, held aloft by thin strands of straw.
"The chance of us escaping safely," Hawkins said in his hollow, corpse-like voice, "is one percent."
He paused.
"The chance of us escaping at all… is ten percent."
Kid snorted, smirking.
"Hawkins, with a mouth like that, you missed your calling. You should've been a fortune-teller instead of a pirate."
Hawkins lifted his lifeless eyes from the cards and stared directly at Kid.
"My readings rarely fail. At Sabaody, at Marineford—both times, my predictions were accurate."
"So what then?" Kid sneered. "If your cards tell you we die today, you'd have us just drop our weapons, kneel down, and wait for it?"
Hawkins's expression didn't change.
"There are no signs of death upon us today," he said flatly.
"But… you're welcome to test that."
Kid frowned, ready to retort, but Killer grabbed his arm and cut him off.
"Alright, alright," Killer interjected smoothly. "At least we all agree we need to get out of here fast. Let's drop the posturing and figure out how to break through the checkpoint—without damaging the coating."
Drake said nothing, but nodded in agreement.
Hawkins, however, spoke again, his tone as calm and still as a bottomless well.
"There's nothing to discuss. Whether we leave this island or not—it isn't up to us."
Kid turned sharply toward him, annoyed.
"Then stay here and wait, for all I care. Killer, we're done here. Talking to them is a waste of time."
Drake frowned. He almost called out to stop Kid. He wanted this pirate alliance to succeed—after all, the deeper he got into the pirate world, the better for his mission.
And yet, with the Navy having suddenly raised Davy Jones's bounty to such heights—and with Tsuru's personal warning still echoing in his mind—Drake's unease only grew.
If his undercover identity were exposed, deep beneath the sea, not even the Navy could save him.
But before Drake could speak, it wasn't him—or Killer—who stopped Kid.
It was Hawkins.
He raised a pale hand and pointed into the distance.
"Don't you see it?"
The other three Supernovas turned, confused.
In the direction Hawkins pointed stood only a line of trees—nothing more.
Kid's irritation flared. He felt mocked, toyed with.
Now he truly wanted to stay—if only to punch the smug magician's face, just like he'd done to Apoo the day before.
But Killer stopped him again.
"Wait, Kid," he said quietly, pointing toward the branches. "There is something there."
Kid looked again—and finally saw it.
Perched on one of the branches was a crow.
The bird sidestepped along the branch, cocked its head, and fixed one beady eye on them.
"What now?" Kid scoffed. "You bounty-hunters worth over a hundred million are scared of a bird? Want me to catch it and roast it for you?"
He sounded disappointed—because even Killer seemed tense.
But Killer's voice was certain.
"Kid, this is the deep sea. There shouldn't be any crows here."
"I haven't seen a single one these past days either," Drake added. "And that's not a crow—it's a flock."
At his words, Kid finally saw them.
Beneath the shadows of the branches, more shapes moved—dozens of crows.
Then they began to shriek, all at once, their cries harsh and grating.
"We're being watched," Hawkins murmured. "The next decision we make will determine whether we leave here at all—and at what cost."
The crows burst into flight, wings flapping wildly as they rose and swirled together, forming a single writhing black cloud.
Then, before the pirates' eyes, the cloud descended—
and took shape.
Out of it stepped a tall, black-cloaked figure, tentacles writhing beneath the folds of his robe, a tricorne hat casting his face in shadow.
He walked toward them slowly, calmly—
straight into the middle of the three pirate crews.
"Davy Jones…"
Kid's voice was low, but his grin was wide, almost ecstatic.
"One billion, four hundred and fifty million berries…"
He flexed his metal arm, his eyes gleaming with hunger.
"Let's see if you and I are really as far apart as they say."
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