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I only charged him for one ship, and now he wants to raise taxes on all the coaters on the island.
If people find out, how am I supposed to do business? What will my peers think of me?
Rayleigh stared intensely at Byakuya as if he could see through his body and discover a pitch-black heart.
Sensing that it was time to leave, Byakuya bid farewell to Rayleigh, saying, "See you next time, old man Rayleigh."
Rayleigh looked at Byakuya seriously and said, "To be honest, with your personality, I wouldn't be surprised if you provoked all of the Four Emperors to gang up on you."
"I'd advise you to keep a low profile in the New World."
Byakuya squinted and laughed, "Hahaha, you might be right about that. But what's life without a bit of thrill?"
With that, Byakuya boarded the Eternal Day, and the entire ship submerged into the sea, disappearing beneath the surface.
Rayleigh watched Byakuya vanish and muttered, "What a reckless brat! Still, it's surprising that someone so wild and unruly would become a Marine."
"It's truly unexpected!"
'Or maybe he has his agenda,' Rayleigh thought before suddenly laughing out loud.
'Whatever. I'm just a sixty-something-year-old coater. Why bother thinking so much?'
Byakuya was heading to the Marine G5 branch this time, bringing Ain, Tashigi, and the "Butler" Fergus.
This made it easier for Byakuya to finish work once they arrived and allowed him to slack off.
For most of them, it was their first time travelling underwater, so everything around them was fascinating.
Whether it was the swaying aquatic plants or the gigantic Sea Kings passing by the ship, everything elicited gasps of wonder.
Looking out at the water, Ain felt an inexplicable anxiety and asked worriedly, "Brother Byakuya, this membrane won't break, right?"
"Don't worry. This membrane is very sturdy. Even if you poke it hard like this,"
Byakuya pressed his finger against the membrane, causing a small bulge, "it won't break."
It looked like his finger was equipped with some safety gear.
Ain's concern was understandable, given that she was a Devil Fruit user.
If the bubble were to burst and seawater flooded the ship, she would be completely powerless.
Hearing Ain's concern, Tashigi immediately hugged her and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you if anything happens!"
Byakuya couldn't help but swallow as he watched Tashigi's chest deform under her enthusiastic patting.
Wow, could they get that big from being patted like that?
Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters below the surface, was getting closer as the ship descended.
Once they passed 1,000 meters, sunlight could no longer reach the depths, plunging the Eternal Day into total darkness.
The other senses heightened in the absence of light, making everyone on board more jumpy at even the slightest noise.
However, Byakuya had anticipated this. "Fergus, lights on!" Byakuya ordered.
Ferguson sighed but followed Byakuya's command, activating his Devil Fruit ability.
A bright light suddenly burst from his index finger, illuminating the entire interior of the bubble membrane as if it were daylight.
Up close, you could even see the air around Ferguson's fingertip rippling due to the intense heat. Byakuya was a bit surprised by Ferguson's progress.
Not only had Ferguson handled the matters at Sabaody Archipelago well, but his strength had also significantly improved.
It was clear that he had been diligently developing his Devil Fruit ability, and it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually reached the stage of awakening.
On reflection, this was only natural. After all, Ferguson had ranked second alongside Quake in their Elite Training Camp.
As one of the Navy's elite elites, his talent was certainly not lacking.
Ferguson carefully controlled the light to keep it within a fixed range, avoiding making it too bright and attracting the attention of deep-sea Sea Kings.
Given Sea Kings' enormous size, even a slight brush against the membrane could break it, putting them in a life-or-death situation.
In reality, Ferguson's caution was somewhat unnecessary from Byakuya's perspective.
If a Sea King did attack, Byakuya could easily kill it with a single-finger gun imbued with Armament Haki.
No matter how many came, they would all meet the same fate.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, an invisible force shot out from the bubble membrane, shattering the head of a Sea King several hundred meters away.
The Sea King's corpse disappeared into the endless darkness as if it had never existed, and no one on board noticed Byakuya's silent action.
Everyone marvelled at their luck as they neared Fish-Man Island, remembering how they hadn't encountered a single Sea King.
Soon, their attention shifted to the breathtaking architecture of Fish-Man Island, which was entirely different from the buildings on the surface.
The island was adorned with colourful structures resembling waves across the landscape.
A flag fluttered in the wind at the highest point of Fish-Man Island, atop the Ryugu Palace.
The flag bore the emblem of a skull with a slightly elongated face and a moustache that curved like crescent moons.
This symbolised the Whitebeard Pirates, a powerful group that even the Marines and the World Government hesitated to provoke.
It represented "The Strongest Man in the World," Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard.
The flag indicated that Fish-Man Island was under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Anyone who committed crimes on the island would face relentless pursuit by the Whitebeard Pirates.
Since Fish-Man Island hoisted Whitebeard's flag, incidents of mermaid abductions had significantly decreased.
Only a few slave traders dared to sneak onto the island and trick a few unsuspecting mermaid girls.
In many ways, the Whitebeard Pirates provided better protection for Fish-Man Island than the Marines ever did.
It was ironic but understandable, given that the Celestial Dragons were the biggest buyers of mermaids.
The Marines had to turn a blind eye to the situation and dared not intervene.
As the Eternal Day docked at the entrance of Fish-Man Island, it was immediately surrounded by thirty to forty Fish-Men armed with bone spears and tridents.
The leader, a strong Fishman, shouted sternly, "We don't welcome Marines here! Leave at once."
"If you don't leave, don't blame us for attacking you!"
Since the death of Queen Otohime, the residents of Fish-Man Island generally harboured hatred towards humans from the surface.
Moreover, thanks to the Whitebeard Pirates, they were more tolerant of pirates than Marines.
Nikko had the Marine's peace dove flag hoisted, so Byakuya and his crew were immediately targeted as soon as they arrived.
The Fish-Men relayed the news of the Marines' arrival to King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom while they armed up to block the Marines from entering the island.
Facing the armed and hostile Fish-Men, Byakuya frowned.
Honestly, his purpose in coming to Fish-Man Island was to see the sights, alter the course of events, and find a way to obtain a substantial World Source.
But now, he found it amusing and somewhat pitiful that dozens of Fish-Men were surrounding him and couldn't even get past the gate to the island.
Didn't they realize that they should keep a low profile without sufficient strength? The anger of the weak was nothing but a joke to the strong.
Furthermore, since Fish-Man Island was under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates and not a member of the World Government.
Even if Byakuya decided to slaughter everyone on the island today, he would only offend the Whitebeard Pirates. His status as a Marine would remain unaffected.
After all, Marines and pirates were natural enemies, so Byakuya had no reason to worry about consequences.
With a cruel smile, Byakuya coldly declared, "I'll give you ten minutes to reconsider.
If you refuse to let us in, then Fish-Man Island will no longer have any reason to exist!"
Meanwhile, in Mermaid Cove, inside the Mermaid Cafe, a woman with short black hair and striking blue eyes, her skin pale and her nails painted in a dark purple hue, was dressed in a deep purple hooded top.
As she smoked from a pipe, she suddenly felt an intense pain, as if her heart had been crushed. The pain was so excruciating it reached deep into her soul.
"Ah!" The woman dropped her pipe, letting out a piercing scream.
The mermaid customers in the cafe, who had been enjoying their coffee, immediately grew concerned and asked, "Madame Shyarly, are you alright?"
"Are you feeling unwell?" "Do you need help getting back to your room to rest?" The pain gradually subsided.
Shyarly clutched her chest. Her already pale skin was now completely drained of color, making her look almost terrifying.
She muttered repeatedly, "This is a sign that something big is about to happen. It wouldn't hurt like this otherwise."
As a fortune teller, she could keenly sense impending events. Suddenly frantic, she shouted, "Cammy, bring me my crystal ball quickly!"
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