They were all pirates, so what gave Roy the right to be this domineering?
Even Whitebeard had never charged a toll before!
Because of that, every pirate crew that entered Fish-Man Island expressed dissatisfaction.
Some even planned to rush straight out or rebel.
Unfortunately for them, under Kasta and Chalcis's combined efforts, every pirate who dared resist became a soul beneath their blades.
If an especially powerful pirate appeared, then Rakshasa or Frenzy would be sent over to suppress them.
As for escaping or sneaking through?
Sorry, but there were plenty of thugs in Fish-Man District who hated humans. Roy made full use of them and specially organized them into an inspection squad.
The inspection squad had only one function: to watch for pirates who planned to sneak through or poach Fish-Men.
Once they found any, they would immediately report it to Kasta and the others.
Just like that, after Fish-Man Island went through its initial period of resistance and chaos, all pirates obediently paid the toll under the Thunder God Pirates' forceful suppression.
Devil Fruits were, after all, treasures of the sea. On top of that, Roy and the World Government had already collected quite a lot of them, so most pirates could only honestly pay Belly.
This was not fifteen years later. At this point in time, Belly was still relatively valuable.
Because of that, most pirates felt their hearts bleed after paying.
Incidentally, after the Punk Hazard incident, Roy's bounty had already risen to two billion Belly!
Aside from him, the others' bounties had also seen explosive growth.
Right now, the Thunder God Pirates were at the height of their momentum. Figures from every side of the New World had heard their famous name and began competing to join them.
Roy handed all of these matters to Laffitte.
When it came to screening people, Laffitte, who knew hypnosis, had quite the skill for it.
Roy was now considering how to fulfill the promise he had made to Queen Otohime before: to move the Fish-Men on Fish-Man Island who were willing to accept the fresh sunlight of the surface onto an island.
Roy had already decided which island he would move those Fish-Men to.
It would be the previous Punk Hazard.
It was also close to Raijin Island. Aside from some of the World Government's original scientific research facilities, there were no residents on the island.
The criminals and other remaining things left on the island had all been cleaned out by Roy.
The island's environment was quite good. It was perfectly suitable for Fish-Men to live on.
Roy felt at ease handing the migration work on Fish-Man Island to Jinbe.
After Roy and Jinbe finished arranging everything, Laffitte arrived.
"Chameleone the Lizard-Man? A former Whitebeard Pirates crewmember?"
The news Laffitte brought made Roy a little surprised. A traitor who had fled from Whitebeard's ship had actually come to Raijin Island to seek refuge under Roy.
"Do you know why he fled from the Whitebeard Pirates?" Roy asked.
"He says it was because his personality and ideals did not suit Whitebeard's, so he ran away," Laffitte replied from the side.
These past few days, as the Thunder God Pirates' reputation resounded across the sea and they became one of the undisputed overlord pirate crews of the New World, Laffitte's own status had also risen with them. He was doing extremely well.
Right now, he felt incomparably glad that choosing to follow Roy out to sea had been the correct choice.
This was what life was supposed to be!
Compared to his former work as a sheriff, it was better by far!
"Are you sure it wasn't because he killed a crewmate?" Roy asked.
As everyone knew, there was an unwritten rule on the sea: do not kill Whitebeard's sons.
Chameleone's betrayal might have involved that factor.
Of course, Roy was not afraid of Whitebeard. It was just that they had shared a drink before, and he had rarely felt the sense of having a friend despite the age difference.
Whitebeard was also a man with truly powerful personal charisma.
Otherwise, so many sons would not have gathered around him. Even in the original story, Teach had been influenced by him and joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
"That is indeed not the case. If he had really killed his own crewmates, Whitebeard would have issued orders in fury long ago."
Laffitte analyzed the matter.
"Moreover, according to the information, this Chameleone is the Paramecia-type Copy-Copy Fruit user. He can copy other people's appearances and skills."
"The Copy-Copy Fruit?"
Roy's eyes immediately lit up slightly.
Copy all the Devil Fruit Radars once, and then they could search for Devil Fruits on a large scale.
Of course, he still needed to find trustworthy people to handle this matter.
Roy made a prompt decision and picked up the Transponder Snail to call Whitebeard.
Incidentally, Roy had already sent a clone to find Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
Judging from its appearance, it looked like a dragon fruit shaped like a soaring dragon riding the clouds and mist, covered in blue-green patterns.
Whitebeard's answer was that Roy could handle the matter however he wanted. The other party was no longer a member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Since Whitebeard was unwilling to pursue the matter, Roy accepted this Copy-Copy Fruit user.
When Laffitte brought Chameleone, who was still marveling at the golden palace, before Roy, Roy looked him up and down.
Yes. On Raijin Island, Roy had used the City of Gold from Sky Island to build himself a golden palace.
Grand, magnificent, and resplendent—no matter what adjective one used, it would not be excessive. If Android 18 came here, she would probably be so happy she could die.
The man before Roy wore a gaudy red-and-green flame-patterned cloak, had pink goggles on, and had a long tongue sticking out of his mouth. He was none other than Chameleone, nicknamed the Lizard-Man, whose bounty in the original story was three hundred million Belly.
"Roy-sama."
Chameleone leaned forward and bowed slightly toward Roy, who was seated in the main position, expressing his respect.
"You want to seek my protection?"
Roy raised his hand slightly and asked.
"That's right. Just as you understand, I am now a traitor of the Whitebeard Pirates. After hearing of your great strength, I came here because of your reputation."
Chameleone remained bent forward and answered cautiously.
"No problem. Since you sincerely want to join under my command, I will naturally protect you. Go down with Laffitte. He will tell you the rules of my Thunder God Pirates."
(End of Chapter)
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