"Oi! Jinbe!"
Jack called out, his tone tinged with mischief as he pointed toward Aladine and the others.
"As per the deal, these guys are now part of the Beasts Pirates, right?"
"Which means you're no longer their captain, isn't that so?"
"And I am their captain now, yeah?"
Jinbe's face grew serious. He couldn't quite grasp what Jack was getting at, so he shouted in reply:
"I gave my word, and I will not go back on it! From this moment on, you are their captain!"
"Oh..." Jack dragged out the syllable mockingly as he sauntered over to Jinbe. Lowering his head slightly, he spoke in a hushed voice:
"Then what do you think would happen if I ordered them to attack you right now? Care to guess if they'd follow my command?"
He sneered, adding, "If they don't, the punishment in the Beasts Pirates is severe."
"You...!" Jinbe's expression twisted in shock, but Jack suddenly erupted into boisterous laughter.
"I'm kidding! You should've seen your face! Hah! Priceless!"
"Oi, Finder! Take the crew to the ship and get them settled. Rim and the others can head to the island and gather supplies. We're throwing a banquet tonight!"
"Yes, sir!" Finder responded enthusiastically, gathering the Fish-Man crew and leading them toward the Mammoth.
Jack turned back to Jinbe, his tone softening.
"Come with me for a stroll. Let's have a proper chat."
Jinbe hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
As they walked, Jack glanced at Jinbe and smirked.
"Oi, Jinbe. Finder told me you used to be quite the troublemaker back in the Fish-Man District, huh? Hated humans with a passion, didn't you?"
"Later, you even joined Neptune's army?" Jack stopped walking and lowered his gaze, a trace of curiosity in his voice.
"What made you change so much? How did your attitude toward humans do a complete 180? When did you turn into such a bleeding heart?"
Though Jinbe didn't know what "bleeding heart" meant, the tone was enough for him to tell it wasn't a compliment. His voice turned firm as he replied:
"People change. Everyone has their ideals and dreams."
"If you're asking why my beliefs have shifted, I'll tell you—it's because of Queen Otohime and Brother Tiger."
Jack rolled his eyes, muttering internally, Ah, of course. Bleeding hearts seem to be contagious.
"After I joined Neptune's army, I met Queen Otohime. She showed me that there are pure, kind souls in this world."
"Even as a queen, she treated her subjects with unwavering compassion. She believed in winning people over with love—even ruthless human pirates."
Jinbe's voice softened, laced with nostalgia.
"And Tiger... As one of the greatest adventurers of our Fish-Man race, even after being enslaved by the Celestial Dragons, he chose to forgive humanity."
"Even when he founded the Sun Pirates, his principle was never to kill."
"His dream was to liberate slaves worldwide, granting them freedom."
Jack stifled a laugh, his inner thoughts running wild.
Liberate the world's slaves? Freedom? What a joke. Back in my previous life, weren't there still folks stuck in 9-to-9 or even 7-to-11 jobs? Weren't they just slaves with fancier names?
Free the slaves? I wouldn't even dare to dream that big in my wildest fantasies.
Oblivious to Jack's derision, Jinbe pressed on passionately:
"They fought for a world where our people wouldn't face discrimination anymore, where Fish-Men could walk on land with dignity and coexist with humans!"
"So, I—"
"And that's why you've turned into a naïve fool, huh? Jinbe, I get it now—your 'Jinbe' might be sturdy, but your brain is flat!"
Before Jinbe could explode in anger, Jack held up a finger to his lips, silencing him.
"Let me spell it out for you. If love and compassion could fix everything, we would have been living in peace 800 years ago."
"Think about it. We're the weaker side here. What do most of our people do when faced with human slavers? They cower. They beg. Rarely does anyone fight back."
"They're already groveling, and what does that get them?"
"Slavery. Humiliation. You know exactly what I mean."
Jack's voice grew sharper.
"Love and freedom? Bah! What a joke. Do you have any idea how much a Fish-Man slave is worth? Enough to make an ordinary human family live in luxury. And a mermaid? Her price can turn a beggar into a king."
"Faced with profits like that, you think love will stop them? They'd sell their own family for that kind of money. And you're here talking about love? What kind of idiot are you?"
"The only thing that can protect our people is power."
Jinbe's fists clenched tightly, his face betraying his inner turmoil.
"You've heard of the Donquixote Family, right? They're infamous in the underworld. Tons of our people used to be captured by their slavers."
"But in the last two years, have you heard of them touching any of us?"
"Why?" Jack smirked, tapping the spiked club at his side.
"Because I told their boss—if I ever hear about them selling our people again, I'll make sure his backside blooms like a flower, courtesy of this club."
"That's power. What's love ever accomplished? Tiger? Betrayed by humans and left to die. That's your answer."
Jinbe's body trembled with suppressed anger. But he couldn't find the words to refute Jack, and his fists slowly unclenched.
Seeing his hesitation, Jack pressed on.
"Let's say Aladine and the others are captured. You surround the slavers, but the World Government makes you a deal. Return them to the Celestial Dragons, and they'll promise to support Fish-Man Island's integration with humanity. What do you do?"
Jack's voice grew darker.
"Or worse—what if the Celestial Dragons set their sights on Neptune's family, including Queen Otohime? Oppose them, and Fish-Man Island is destroyed. Obey, and she becomes their plaything. What would you choose?"
"Stop it! None of this will happen!" Jinbe shouted, clutching his head as he collapsed to his knees.
"No! Stop talking!"
Jack fell silent, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
From this moment on, Jack knew he had planted the seeds of doubt in Jinbe's mind.
Love and compassion? Tch. That's a level of naïveté even I can't handle.
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg