Chapter 292: The Mermaid Cafe and Jack the Brute
In the quiet afternoon of Coral Hill, the sunlight channeled down by the Sunlight Tree Eve was doubly refracted by the ocean water and the island's massive bubble coating, casting a warm, shimmering glow over the Ryugu Kingdom.
Due to the frequent, aggressive expansion of the auxiliary islands in recent years, the distribution of sunlight and shadows constantly shifted, painting a unique, ever-changing portrait across the deep-sea nation.
Shyarly stood in the bustling heart of Coral Hill, holding a freshly stamped property deed.
The document was printed on Fish-Man Island's standard waterproof parchment, and the ink had been specially treated to prevent fading, ensuring the text remained crisp and legible.
Now fifteen years old, she had officially moved out of the royal orphanage. Having completed her advanced educational curriculum and graduated from the academy, she had purchased her very own commercial property in Coral Hill.
The first floor was a spacious commercial storefront, while the upper floor served as her private residence. A beautifully carved wooden sign reading Mermaid Cafe already hung proudly above the door, looking as though it had been open for quite some time.
"When... exactly did you buy this place?"
"A few months ago, while you were deployed on an external mission."
Shyarly spoke calmly to the massive sawshark Fish-Man standing beside her, but to Arlong, her words hit like a physical blow.
Arlong had just returned from a long deployment in the first half of the Grand Line. As a recognized officer of the Neptune Army, this was his standard, accumulated shore leave.
Although being constantly referred to across the kingdom simply as "Shyarly's older brother" deeply aggravated him, he still genuinely cared for his blood sister.
He had rushed over specifically to check on her, wanting to make sure she was doing well and that no one was bullying her.
Even though the Ryugu Kingdom's overall societal environment was rapidly improving, one could never entirely eradicate the occasional scum born with rotten nature. Environment shapes a person, but two people raised in the exact same environment could easily turn into two fundamentally different individuals.
"Do you still have enough money?" Arlong asked gruffly, reaching into his pocket. "I've got about 470,000 Berries right here if you need it."
Four hundred and seventy thousand Berries wasn't a massive fortune. Unless someone lived in a sea with absurdly deflated currency, an ordinary citizen could realistically save up that much in a few months after deducting living expenses.
Compared to a Neptune Army officer's generous salary, it was actually quite a pitiful amount of savings. But Arlong had never been good at saving money.
Hosting massive banquets for his subordinates, buying endless barrels of high-end booze, financially supporting struggling Fish-Men across the sea, and aggressively spending at various amusement parks on his days off ensured he lived almost entirely paycheck to paycheck.
Shyarly didn't even turn around. Her gaze remained fixed on the signature line at the bottom of the deed, her fingertip gently tracing the freshly stamped royal seal of the Ryugu Kingdom.
"Four hundred and seventy thousand Berries is basically pocket change," Shyarly stated flatly. "That wouldn't even cover the cost of renovating the cafe's bathroom."
"..."
Arlong's mouth twitched violently. He occasionally tried to establish some semblance of dignified "older brother authority," but he always managed to forget that—aside from raw physical combat power—Shyarly absolutely, effortlessly crushed him in every conceivable metric.
Relying entirely on her terrifyingly accurate divinations, Shyarly had already amassed a staggering fortune that vastly exceeded Arlong's wildest imagination.
Shyarly wasn't a little kid who stared into a crystal ball to ask trivial questions like "Will it be sunny tomorrow?"
Her divination wasn't some cheap parlor trick or vague superstition. It was a terrifying, absolute intelligence channel capable of projecting highly specific fragments of the actual future.
"Speaking of which... why are you opening a cafe?" Arlong asked, crossing his arms. "If you just did a few divinations a day for rich clients, that would easily cover all your expenses, right?"
"Because I don't really want to do divinations anymore."
"Huh?"
Hearing Shyarly say that caught Arlong completely off guard.
"You used to use divination for literally everything! What to eat, where to go, even before buying a random seashell you'd consult that crystal ball of yours!"
"I was practicing back then," Shyarly replied softly, her gaze darkening. "Divination doesn't just show you beautiful, happy futures. It also shows you unavoidable, horrific tragedies. Seeing too much of that... it makes you feel sick."
Sometimes, Shyarly didn't even know if her divinations were actually helping.
If she foresaw a tragedy, warned someone, and they actively tried to change it—did their actions accidentally cause the tragedy she had foreseen? Or did the tragedy happen anyway simply because they lacked the power to change it? She could never be certain.
Because she could no longer bear the agonizing psychological weight of witnessing inescapable horrors, she had decided to hang up her crystal ball.
"I no longer provide divinations to the public," Shyarly declared firmly. "I only perform divinations for highly classified, official Ryugu Kingdom matters now."
Arlong had joined the Neptune Army to actively fight for Fish-Man Island's future with his own two hands. Shyarly's divination was her unique contribution to that same goal—predicting the movements of slaver syndicates, foreseeing military threats, and safeguarding their compatriots.
"Is it difficult?" Arlong asked quietly.
"No. Actually, doing it for the Kingdom is far easier on my mind," Shyarly smiled faintly. "Even if I foresee a terrible outcome, His Majesty Nereus possesses the absolute power to shatter that destined future. In fact, the only times my divinations have ever 'failed' was when His Majesty personally intervened.
"He forcibly altered fate, allowing compatriots who were destined to never return to safely come back home..."
"Shahahaha! Of course!" Arlong laughed proudly, his chest puffing out. "He's His Majesty Nereus! The absolute, unprecedented King of Fish-Man Island! Shattering fate is just another Tuesday for him!"
"Yes... it is..."
Puff...
"Who the hell taught you how to smoke?!"
Watching Shyarly casually blow a perfect smoke ring from a long, elegant pipe, Arlong felt the fragile string of logic in his brain violently snap.
"I was stressed a while ago and decided to try it. Turns out, it's pretty relaxing," Shyarly shrugged, taking another drag. "Plenty of your colleagues in the military smoke like chimneys. Why is it so weird?"
"You—"
Arlong desperately wanted to scold her, but he couldn't formulate a logical reason. After all, smoking wasn't exactly a heinous crime.
"Forget it. Just... smoke less," Arlong sighed in defeat, rubbing his temples. "Anyway, I'm being deployed to the East Blue soon. I probably won't be back for two or three years."
"Oh? Congratulations," Shyarly raised an eyebrow. "You finally secured an external garrison command?"
Although it meant leaving their homeland, securing a garrison command in one of the Four Blues was considered a highly prestigious promotion within the Ryugu Kingdom. Veterans like Fisher Tiger, Otohime, and Jinbe all had impressive external garrison service records on their resumes.
"But why the East Blue?" Shyarly asked, curious. "Shouldn't you be heading to the North Blue?"
"The Ryugu Kingdom is rapidly expanding its global influence. Establishing diplomatic and military footholds across all Four Blues is one of His Majesty's core national policies," Arlong explained proudly. "I guess you don't really pay attention to the military briefings, huh?"
"I suppose I don't."
"Well, since you're officially retired from public divinations... how about you do one last reading for your dear older brother?" Arlong grinned, striking a pose. "Tell me about my glorious future in the East Blue!"
Technically, if someone possessed enough high-level political connections within the Kingdom, they could still petition Shyarly for a reading. Seeing Arlong practically begging, she sighed and pulled out her crystal ball.
"Your future..." Shyarly murmured, her eyes turning cloudy as she stared into the mist swirling within the orb. "...is heavily intertwined with massive amounts of wealth. As long as you maintain your rationality and proceed with caution, you won't encounter any fatal danger. In fact, you'll stumble upon incredibly lucrative opportunities."
Hearing the word "wealth" instantly made Arlong's eyes light up with dollar signs.
"Does Princess Nanamo get involved?!"
"Why would you ask that? I didn't see Princess Nanamo anywhere in the vision."
"Because the Princess's two absolute favorite things in the world are music and money!" Arlong explained excitedly. "You know about that human, Gild Tesoro, right?
"That guy doesn't possess a single drop of Fish-Man blood. But purely because he can sing and possesses an ungodly talent for making money, he is currently Princess Nanamo's absolute favorite subordinate! He can even speak directly with His Majesty Nereus whenever he wants!"
Arlong's personality wasn't fundamentally unredeemable. The time he had spent interacting with young Koala during Tiger's rescue operation had already begun to slightly shift his worldview. If Fisher Tiger hadn't tragically died at Foolshout Island in the original timeline, Arlong's future would have likely been vastly different.
Currently, when discussing Tesoro, Arlong didn't exhibit any blinding, racial hatred toward humans; he merely displayed profound, jealous envy regarding Tesoro's incredible career opportunities.
In Arlong's eyes, Tesoro undeniably possessed skill, but more importantly, he had successfully hitched his wagon to Nanamo's rising star. Without that connection, he never would have achieved such staggering success.
"I can't say for certain. The future is inherently fluid," Shyarly shrugged. "Perhaps Princess Nanamo will decide to visit the East Blue in the future?"
"Now that sounds like a fantastic opportunity," Arlong grinned fiercely.
Regardless of the exact details of Shyarly's divination, Arlong was currently filled with absolute, unwavering confidence regarding his upcoming deployment.
The overall combat threat level in the East Blue was currently as pitifully low as ever.
To be precise, ever since Garp realized he had a grandson and began taking mandatory annual vacations back to his hometown, the average pirate strength in the East Blue had been violently suppressed to an abysmal floor.
No matter how inherently talented a rookie pirate might be, they couldn't possibly survive a bored, vacationing Marine Hero deciding to "plow the fields" with their ship for exercise.
Consequently, the Neptune Army detachment being sent to the East Blue wasn't absurdly overpowered. Arlong's innate talent wasn't considered peerless, but having survived the Ryugu Kingdom's elite training camps, he had successfully mastered the basics of Armament Haki.
While his Observation Haki was still practically non-existent, his current strength was more than enough to completely dominate the East Blue.
Since this was a long-term deployment, Arlong naturally selected trusted subordinates he had worked with for years, such as Hatchan and Kuroobi.
However, right before their scheduled departure, a highly unexpected individual marched up to Arlong holding official transfer orders.
Staring at the towering, hulking behemoth standing before him—who was practically the size of a two-story building—Arlong felt as though the world had once again ceased to make any logical sense.
"How tall are you?!" Arlong demanded.
"A little over six meters," the behemoth grunted.
"And you're... fourteen years old this year?!"
"Yep," the behemoth nodded slowly, his voice deep and muffled. "It's all written on the paper."
Arlong was absolutely certain: the kid standing in front of him was an unprecedented, terrifying genetic freak. He possessed absurd, bulging muscles, a massive braid running down his back, two thick braids hanging over his chest, and dull blonde hair that looked as though it hadn't been cut in a decade.
Arlong recognized this fellow Fish-Man. His name was Jack, and he was universally hailed as the absolute, undisputed "Genius" of the younger generation.
"His Majesty Nereus said you are exceptionally 'smooth' when dealing with people," Jack mumbled, handing over the transfer orders. "He told me to study under you for a while so I don't end up acting like a brainless, stubborn idiot like my master, Biku Panda. So, I've been temporarily assigned to your squad."
With official orders directly from Nereus, Arlong naturally couldn't refuse. Furthermore, Arlong was fiercely loyal to his compatriots and would unconditionally help any fellow Fish-Man. However, he was deeply curious to see exactly how "brainless" this supposedly terrifying genius really was.
"Alright, look," Arlong said, crossing his arms. "Even though His Majesty officially assigned you to my squad, there's a massive age gap between us. The rest of the crew doesn't know you, which makes assigning tactical roles difficult.
"How about this? Let's have a quick sparring session. I want to personally test your strength."
In the military, the size of your fists dictated your authority. Aside from Otohime—who was a pure diplomat—every single regional commander the Ryugu Kingdom deployed possessed the absolute martial might to completely dominate their respective seas.
Arlong wanted to see if this "Genius" actually lived up to the hype.
"Is that really a good idea?" Jack asked, scratching his head and looking incredibly conflicted.
"It's fine! Just do it right here," Arlong smirked, dropping into a relaxed stance. "Come at me with whatever you've got. I'll test—"
BAM!
Before Arlong could even finish his sentence, Jack threw a punch.
Despite his massive, seemingly clumsy frame, the sheer speed of his fist was blindingly fast. By the time the rest of the crew reacted to the sound of the impact, Arlong was already flying backward through the air. He crashed heavily into the ground several meters away, completely laid out.
"Nyu! Arlong-aniki!!"
Hatchan frantically scrambled over, using all six of his arms to yank Arlong off the dirt. Arlong instantly shoved him away, his face flushing with furious embarrassment.
"I'm fine! Did you seriously think I'd be defeated by a rookie in one hit?! I just wasn't ready!
"But now I definitely understand why His Majesty Nereus wants you to learn how to deal with people..."
After hastily explaining away his humiliation to the staring crew, Arlong turned his furious gaze back to Jack.
"I didn't tell you to attack yet! This is a spar, not a deathmatch! You only attack when I explicitly say 'Begin'! Do you understand?!"
"Oh."
Jack nodded heavily, his expression completely blank, as if he had just processed an incredibly complex instruction.
"Alright. I'm ready. BEGIN!"
BOOM!
This time, Arlong was fully prepared. He had solidly braced his legs and crossed his arms in a heavy defensive guard.
However, the moment the word "Begin" left his lips, the result remained completely unchanged.
If there was any discernible difference this time... it was that Arlong flew significantly further before crashing into the dirt.
Arlong had assumed Jack had used a considerable amount of force in the first punch. He completely failed to realize that the first strike had been an incredibly gentle, microscopic "test."
Even though Arlong was fully braced this time, Jack still hadn't thrown the punch with any real malicious intent.
"Arlong-senpai," Jack muttered slowly, standing exactly where he was. "Big Bro Jinbe is way stronger than you. I didn't even use my full strength."
As Arlong lay on the ground, his head spinning violently, Jack's blunt assessment pierced his soul.
Arlong had known for years that Jinbe was leagues stronger than him. Having trained alongside him for so long, Arlong had never managed to win a single spar against Jinbe. Whether it was their mastery of Fish-Man Karate or Haki, the more they learned, the wider the terrifying gap between them became. Arlong had long since accepted this reality.
In Arlong's eyes, Jinbe was an insurmountable monster. And now, it was abundantly clear that this kid, Jack, was another monster blessed with a similarly terrifying, heaven-defying talent.
However, the next words out of Jack's mouth were infinitely more horrifying than any physical blow.
"The older guys in the Neptune Army told me that calling you 'Shyarly's older brother' is the absolute best way to quickly build a friendly relationship with you. If you don't mind, from now on, I can call you—"
"SHUT UP!!!"
At that exact moment, Arlong profoundly understood the true depth of Jack's "brainless" nature. This hulking behemoth was so incredibly straightforward that he blindly believed absolutely anything told to him by someone he considered an ally.
It had taken Arlong years of bloody effort to finally reclaim his own name from that humiliating shadow. He absolutely refused to let this rookie use that cursed moniker!
"Those bastards were screwing with you!" Arlong roared, staggering to his feet. "Just call me Arlong! You can call me Senpai, Boss, Aniki, whatever you want! Just NEVER call me 'Shyarly's older brother'!!"
"Oh."
Seeing Arlong still capable of yelling with such vigor after taking a solid punch, Jack actually raised his internal evaluation of his new commander slightly. At least he's somewhat durable.
However, Arlong had purely been running on the adrenaline of absolute rage triggered by that cursed nickname. Even though Jack hadn't used lethal force, Arlong felt as though every single bone in his body was on the verge of shattering.
"Alright... I completely understand what kind of remedial education you need now..." Arlong groaned, rubbing his bruised chest. "Since we'll be working together for a long time, tell me... do you have a dream?"
"A dream?" Jack thought for a moment. "I want to find a Devil Fruit."
"Huh? You want to be an ability user?" Arlong raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "That's incredibly rare for a Fish-Man."
The vast majority of Fish-Men violently despised Devil Fruits. After all, for a race whose absolute supremacy lay in the water, consuming a Devil Fruit meant permanently sealing away their greatest biological advantage.
"I don't hate them," Jack replied bluntly. "They give you absolute power. Ideally... I want a Devil Fruit that gives me wings, exactly like His Majesty Nereus."
In the original timeline, Jack believed the mammoth was the absolute strongest creature on land, which naturally led him to consume the Mammoth-Mammoth Fruit—perhaps guided by the inherent will of the Zoan fruit itself.
However, in this timeline, Jack's fundamental understanding of "absolute strength" had been radically altered. Naturally, his ultimate ambition had shifted as well.
Nereus himself was the undisputed, absolute symbol of invincible power on Fish-Man Island. And since Nereus and almost all of his direct relatives possessed wings and the terrifying ability to dominate the skies... Jack had developed a profound, obsessive yearning to conquer the heavens.
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