Neptune looked at Jinbe. Although he felt that Ryu was exaggerating a bit, he still wanted to hear Jinbe's thoughts. Seeing the serious expression on Jinbe's face, Neptune asked, "Jinbe, do you really think things could turn out this way?"
"Yes, if Ace really gets captured, Whitebeard definitely won't just stand by. But fighting against the Marines, who will have made full preparations, would put the Whitebeard Pirates at a disadvantage. Moreover..." Jinbe hesitated before continuing.
"Moreover, Whitebeard is getting old. Although he's still incredibly strong, he's no longer the invincible force he once was, right?" Ryu completed Jinbe's unfinished thought.
Jinbe looked at Ryu with a somewhat grim expression. Although he wanted to argue, he knew Ryu was speaking the truth.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly fell silent. After a while, Ryu continued, "And I suspect that Whitebeard knows Ace's true identity."
(TL: Dude is addicted to revealing family secrets.)
"Huh?" Jinbe and the others looked at Ryu, confused.
"Never mind, that's not important right now. The issue is that we need to find Ace before he clashes with Blackbeard. It's best if we can convince Ace to leave, and if that doesn't work, we must have someone of Jinbe's caliber around to help, just in case! As for me, my position is a bit special, so I can't fully assist Ace. That's why I came to Fish-Man Island," Ryu said earnestly.
"No matter what happens in the end, even though your initial intention wasn't to help Fish-Man Island, we, Fish-Man Island, will remember this favor," Neptune nodded and said.
"Once again, I thank you, Ryu. If you ever need help, please feel free to ask. As for Ace, I'll have people search for any information. Once I get news, I'll go personally to be with him," Jinbe nodded as well, showing his approval of Ryu.
"Once you have news about Ace, please let me know. I still have some things to say to him. Also, regarding Ace's background, you should avoid announcing it to the public. The fewer people who know, the less risk there is!" Ryu nodded in response.
"Understood. Is there anything else you need, Your Excellency?" Neptune nodded and asked.
"Yes, I have two other purposes for coming here. One is to ask about Whitebeard's current location. Just in case, I need to have a proper conversation with him about this. The other matter is something I can only discuss privately with you, Your Majesty," Ryu replied, nodding.
After hesitating for a moment, Jinbe told Ryu Whitebeard's ship coordinates. He didn't believe Ryu would bring any trouble to Whitebeard, even though he was Garp's disciple! Afterward, Jinbe and Prince Fukoboshi exchanged glances and stood up to leave. After the events that had transpired, they had established a basic level of trust in Ryu.
Half a day passed, and Ryu, with an excited expression, left the Ryugu Palace and returned to the Huaxia ship. Based on the coordinates Jinbe provided, he headed toward the waters where Whitebeard was located.
"Jinbe, what do you think of this young man?" After Ryu left, Neptune sought out Jinbe to ask.
"An interesting young man. He sees things from a long-term perspective, and his strength seems considerable. Your Majesty, why do you ask?" Jinbe turned to Neptune and inquired.
"He just talked to me about his ideals and the future of Fish-Man Island!" Neptune gazed out at the distant sea and spoke softly.
"His ideals?" Jinbe was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Ryu to discuss such things with King Neptune.
Neptune nodded and said, "Yes, a beautiful, great, and distant dream—so distant that I think it's beyond his reach!"
Jinbe fell silent. He wanted to ask more, but felt it might be too forward, so he chose to remain quiet.
"Let's see. Even if he can't achieve it, there's no loss for our Fish-Man people," Neptune said with a smile, as though trying to reassure himself.
"Your Majesty, do you hope for his success?" Jinbe asked.
"Yes, his dream is truly great—so great that no one in this world has ever thought like this!" Neptune nodded in agreement.
Jinbe was even more curious, but he knew that King Neptune probably wouldn't reveal more now; otherwise, he would have told him earlier.
"Lena, take down the Marine flag!" Ryu's ship, now visible on the surface, had entered the New World.
"Why, sir?" Lena asked, surprised.
"Although I want to capture more pirates, it doesn't help our purpose here. I'm worried that before we even meet Whitebeard, we might be attacked by other pirates and be forced to turn back!" Ryu shook his head and explained.
Lena, still surprised, responded, "But, sir, we are Marines!"
"Yes, we are Marines, but the New World belongs to the Four Emperors. Go ahead!" Ryu smiled and shook his head.
Although Lena was reluctant, she obeyed Ryu's orders and took down the Marine flags and insignias from the sails.
A few days later, Lena, although unwilling to admit it, couldn't help but admire Ryu's foresight. Along the way, they had encountered at least ten pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million, and even came across one of the Four Emperors, the Big Mom Pirates. Though it was just one of their supply ships, it forced them to change course and take a detour. This was a blow to Lena, who had always upheld the justice of the Marines.
"Don't worry, I'll clear all these pirates eventually!"
Ryu patted Lena on the shoulder and said.
"Yes, sir!" Lena responded earnestly.
Over these days, Ryu had noticed that she had been training even harder than usual, which was a pleasant surprise.
"Report, sir! We are very close to the target sea area. We should arrive by afternoon!" A Marine soldier came to report.
Ryu nodded, signaling for the ship to continue forward.
Looking at the enthusiasm for training that had arisen among the crew, Ryu was confident.
Although no one currently believed that he could achieve the changes he spoke of, once he had the power to change the world, many would support him. This could already be seen in the attitudes of King Cobra of Alabasta and King Neptune of the Fish-Man Tribe.
Over the past few days, Ryu had been observing. Although the New World was known as the "Pirate Graveyard," he noticed that the civilians here were living better than in other areas, especially on the small islands that flew the flags of the Four Emperors. This only strengthened Ryu's resolve to end the chaotic pirate era and create a new one—a new era that would belong to him!
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