Fishman Island’s office on the Sabaody Archipelago was not difficult to find. The direction signs at the side marked the way forward in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.
Unless one was born with the attribute of being directionally challenged and could not successfully reach their destination no matter what, even a slightly clever animal could follow the arrows and find this place.
From the beginning of its construction, the average cultural level of pirates had been taken into consideration here, so it was filled with a large number of illustrated sections, vividly and clearly indicating what place lay ahead, as well as all kinds of prohibited matters.
At this moment, cannon fire thundered around the outskirts of the Sabaody Archipelago. Mihawk was not aware that this was an operation launched against him, the Marine Hunter.
Ever since he entered the area under Fishman Island’s jurisdiction, he had not noticed any trace of Marines again.
“I heard there’s a method here that lets people quickly go straight to Fishman Island.”
Pirates who actively came here to apply for passes might have ill intentions, but even if it was only an act, they would still follow the rules here. The line could be considered orderly.
Finding a relatively idle window, Mihawk stated his question directly.
“Quick direct access? Are you referring to solo sightseeing? This service is a little more expensive. Here is the specific list of services, as well as the rules and precautions that must be followed.”
That pirate captain had only been casually deceiving him, hoping to find a reason for Mihawk to leave quickly, but he had not expected that Fishman Island really did have such a service.
Compared to coating a ship and diving down, this route involved an escort by the Neptune Army. While being swift, its safety factor was also higher.
It could also avoid the risks during the descent as much as possible and ensure safety when accidents occurred. Only Fish-Men and Merfolk could do something like this.
However, this service was mainly aimed at tourists who wanted to travel to Fishman Island. Travelers who could cross the vast ocean to reach the Sabaody Archipelago and attempt to explore the deep sea were not people short on money in the first place, so the fee was naturally more expensive as well.
Mihawk glanced over those precautions, then took out a stack of Berries.
Slave trading, smuggling—he was not interested in any of those things. These prohibited matters were irrelevant to him.
“When can we depart?”
“In three hours.”
“That’s fine.”
Although he still had to wait, compared to the coating time that easily took several days, this was already much faster.
After taking a pass, Mihawk walked directly toward the commercial street not far away. There were still three hours before departure, so he wanted to find a place to pass the time.
Mihawk was merely wandering aimlessly. After a long while, the three words “Rip-Off Bar” entered his eyes.
However, what Mihawk noticed was not the name of the bar, but the old man sitting in the rocking chair at the entrance, smoking.
His hair already looked grayish-white, but between his brows, he was full of vigor and spirit.
“Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh. I didn’t expect to meet the Pirate King’s ‘right hand’ here.”
“You’ve got the wrong person, young man. I’m no Dark King, just a retired old man.”
It had not been many years since Roger’s execution, but many people’s appearances had undergone earth-shaking changes. Rayleigh’s originally blond hair had already turned entirely grayish-white.
Gloriosa had even become a hunched old woman. No one would have been able to tell that she was the Empress of Kuja from more than ten years ago.
Roger’s death had caused a shift in many people’s mindsets.
Seeing the other party deny his identity, Mihawk did not leave, nor did he forcibly make a move. He simply stood in front of Rayleigh and looked at him.
“Young man, you’re blocking my sunlight. Please move aside.”
Only after the angle of the sun shifted was the silent stalemate broken, and Mihawk did not force him into a fight either. He merely chose to leave in silence.
He could not sense any desire to fight from Rayleigh. He knew clearly that with a sword that had hidden all of its sharpness like this, he could not force the other party to swing it.
Since he could not obtain what he wanted, he naturally left.
“What? You just stared at that little guy for half a day?”
“A pretty decent young man. This era is far livelier than ours was. But this kid always keeps a straight face. He doesn’t seem like he likes to smile very much. “
“Roger probably wasn’t waiting for someone like this.”
……
At this time, Mihawk had already begun descending under the protection of the bubble membrane. There was another reason he had left just now: the “departure time” on this side was almost here.
There were several others traveling with him, but they were all carrying large and small bags and were dressed in bright, elegant clothes. At a glance, they were clearly out traveling.
The soldiers accompanying them outside introduced some of the underwater conditions like tour guides and would also answer some of the tourists’ questions.
These people were not all inside one large bubble. Instead, each of them had a single-person compartment, and even the guides were individually assigned. After all, they had spent a good amount of money, so some services were only normal.
“There is no need to panic. Those are pirates who refuse to follow the rules and want to enter illegally. Since all of you have chosen this service, we will naturally bring everyone safely to Fishman Island.”
Halfway there, several Sea Beasts jointly destroyed a pirate ship. This scene frightened some people, while the Neptune Army soldier beside them soothed them.
“What about the Marines?”
Mihawk, who had remained silent the entire way, only now asked the soldier beside him his first question.
“Marines? Marines won’t take this route. Usually, we coexist peacefully, but if those guys really want to look for trouble, we aren’t afraid of them either.”
Mihawk could clearly sense that the other party’s tone was similarly full of disgust toward the Marines, but within that disgust, there was also a great deal of disdain.
“I heard that your king was once wanted as well?”
“Oh? This guest is rather well-informed. But that was a very long time ago. It was all caused by those Marines committing ugly deeds themselves and being unwilling to admit it.
“The World Government clarified it long ago. His Majesty Nereus is a warm and friendly ‘wise king.’”
Mihawk very much agreed with the point about committing ugly deeds and then refusing to admit it. Those Marines were exactly like that. No matter what they did, they could shout about justice, and going against them was evil.
Even when those Marines were obviously committing evil deeds, after killing such Marines, one would still be wanted by other Marines, who would then endlessly disturb a life that had long since settled into peace.
It was normal for the Marines not to dive underwater, but while waiting outside, Mihawk had already noticed that those Marines would not enter Fishman Island’s jurisdiction at all.
Even if someone they were pursuing ran in, those people would immediately stop in their tracks, as if they were afraid of something.
Even the dignified first mate of the Pirate King could run a bar peacefully within this region.
And this… was exactly what he wanted.
The Shichibukai invitation issued by the World Government was proof of his strength. Ordinary Marines could not do much to him at all.
“Accepting this invitation doesn’t seem unacceptable. At the very least, it’ll keep those annoying flies far away…”
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