"This is madness!"
"Even the Whitebeard Pirates are joining in. Every major power across the sea is getting involved."
"I think it's disgraceful. Kuke just died, and they're already doing this. It's shameless."
"Yeah, all this talk about protection—it's just a cover. They just want the Ope Ope no Mi or something else from the Sun and Moon Pirates."
"Pirates pretending to be heroes... who are they fooling?"
"Poor Kuke. Not only did he suffer humiliation from the Navy after death, but now everyone's trying to grab his wealth."
Many pirates felt indignant. They didn't have the strength to join the battle, but that only made them despise those who did even more.
...
Kuke was currently on Fish-Man Island.
At ten thousand meters below the sea, Fish-Man Island lacked information from the surface. The fish-men had no idea that rumors of Kuke's death were spreading across the ocean.
So, when Kuke arrived on Fish-Man Island, there was no fear or shock at seeing a man supposedly returned from the dead—only pure admiration for their hero.
Kuke had once joined forces with Fisher Tiger to rescue all the fish-men slaves from Mariejois, earning the deep respect of Fish-Man Island. On top of that, upon arriving, he dealt swiftly with pirates who had been running wild on the island, deepening their respect for him even further.
King Neptune himself extended an invitation to Kuke to visit the Ryugu Palace. There, Kuke met the kindhearted Queen Otohime, and finally, he met the person he had been eager to see—a very young Shirahoshi.
"Ship... ship..." Shirahoshi murmured.
Kuke brought Shirahoshi aboard the Radiant Eclipse. At just three years old, Shirahoshi was already as big as Kuke. Her "smallness" referred only to her age, and her voice still carried the babyish tone of a child.
"Shirahoshi, do you want to see the ocean? There are bright stars and a beautiful moon out there," Kuke said.
"Stars? Moon?" Shirahoshi sucked on her finger, her bright, innocent eyes lighting up with the joy of a child. "Are they like the stars and moon in the stories? Heehee... I want to go! I want to go!"
"Yes, little one."
"Heehee?"
Kuke sighed and gently patted Shirahoshi's soft, beautiful hair. She was too young. Just three years old—far too young and innocent.
"Alright, when you grow up, I'll take you to see it," Kuke said, knowing she was too young to leave now.
"Liar!" Shirahoshi pouted and squatted sadly in a corner.
Kuke: "..."
"Let's make a promise. You're already part of my crew, and I'll come back for you," Kuke said, extending his finger for a pinky promise.
Shirahoshi was instantly cheered up, happily hooking her pinky with Kuke's.
Kuke kept an eye on the system:
"Provisional Crew Member: Shirahoshi, the Mermaid Princess [Non-Devil Fruit User, Combat Power: 108]."
It was evident that even at her young age, Shirahoshi's natural talent as a mermaid gave her some combat capability, but it was far from what Kuke had imagined. After all, Shirahoshi was the Ancient Weapon Poseidon.
"Perhaps it's because she hasn't awakened yet?" Kuke thought. Fortunately, she was now considered a half-crew member. He would just have to wait until she grew up a bit more. He could monitor her progress and pick her up when she was ready.
Kuke spent quite some time playing with Shirahoshi. He found her soft and innocent demeanor quite endearing.
Later, Hancock bit her finger, muttering, "So Kuke likes children..."
Her eyes glimmered with understanding.
They stayed on Fish-Man Island for only three days. When it was time to leave, Radiant Eclipse was ready to set sail.
"Kuke, I have an unreasonable request. Could you take Fish-Man Island under the protection of the Sun and Moon Pirates?" King Neptune asked earnestly.
The location of Fish-Man Island meant it was always at risk from pirates passing through. The value of mermaids made them a constant target. With Fisher Tiger gone, and Jinbe unable to protect the island alone, their situation was dire, with mermaids being captured from time to time.
"Give me three months. Three months from now, I will personally plant the flag of the Sun and Moon Pirates at the entrance of Fish-Man Island," Kuke replied.
To raise the flag now would only expose their position, potentially bringing disaster rather than protection. But three months later, Kuke believed the Sun and Moon Pirates' prestige would rival that of the other emperors of the sea.
"Very well!" King Neptune was overjoyed and held no grudge against Kuke for winning over his daughter Shirahoshi.
"Let's go!" Kuke shouted.
He left Fish-Man Island without causing much of a stir. Most of the merfolk had no idea he had even been there.
They were now heading toward the New World.
"The New World… full of monsters, far more dangerous than anything in the first half," said the crew, a mix of tension and excitement in their voices.
"Monsters? Those monsters in the New World should be the ones worrying about us coming," Shakky said with a smile.
She looked forward to seeing Kuke—seeing her captain—crush the monsters of the sea, those who once sailed in the same crew as him and were now emperors of the ocean.
"Oh, by the way, Captain, the sea is in chaos right now. All those monsters are going crazy over your so-called 'wealth.' They all want it," Shakky informed Kuke.
Kuke asked, "Oh? Who are they, and what do they want?"
"Kaido publicly declared that he wants Gion to surrender and join the Beasts Pirates, and she should bring the Ope Ope no Mi with her."
Kuke's face turned cold. He hadn't even begun raiding Kaido's Beasts Pirates yet, and here was Kaido already making moves on the Sun and Moon Pirates.
"Then don't blame me for being even less polite," Kuke said.
"Big Mom wants Gion too. She also demanded Stussy come to Totto Land to apologize and bring the Ope Ope no Mi with her," Shakky continued.
"Big Mom is even greedier," Kuke noted. He made a mental note to remember Big Mom—her greed surpassed even Kaido's.
"I wonder, Big Mom... do you have enough daughters to pay the price?"
"They're asking for death," Gion and Belo Betty said, their expressions dark.
"The Whitebeard Pirates publicly stated that they are willing to protect the remnants of the Sun and Moon Pirates."
"Hahaha, even Whitebeard is getting involved," Kuke laughed, surprised. It seemed Whitebeard had big ambitions too—he wanted everything.
"The Whitebeard Pirates... they're worthless. No female powerhouses, yet they want to join the fun." Kuke sneered. At least other crews had some powerful women, but the only notable female pirate among Whitebeard's crew wasn't particularly impressive to Kuke.
"But Whitebeard does have a good reputation. The strongest man in the world... I'll take that title," Kuke said, turning to Shakky. "Go on, who else is involved?"
"Red-Haired Shanks also publicly stated that he will protect the Sun and Moon Pirates, specifically naming Makino. He warned the world that anyone who harms her will be considered an enemy of the Red-Haired Pirates, with no chance of reconciliation."
Kuke narrowed his eyes. "That damn redhead… still won't give up. It seems the last lesson wasn't enough."
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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