Chapter 81: The Whitebeard Pirates

Who could it be? Who could possibly inflict such grave wounds upon Tiger, placing him on the brink of death? Undoubtedly, within these waters, aside from a handful of top-tier fighters, none could force Tiger into such dire straits.

The undercurrents surged.

The place once thought safe by Chu Yi, Tiger, and the others—Fishman Island—had suddenly become fraught with peril. Yet, even as Tiger, gravely injured, continued his struggle against formidable foes, Chu Yi, gasping for breath, failed to recognize the danger befalling Tiger. At this moment, he was descending slowly from the sky, returning to the side of Jinbei and the others, quietly beginning to restore the stamina he had previously expended.

"One must never underestimate the power of nature," he mused. "If, one day, I could conquer even nature itself, then perhaps there would be no one in the pirate world capable of standing against me. For now..."

He exhaled deeply. "It's enough to barely protect Fishman Island."

Sitting on the ground, Chu Yi maintained the power of his Frost Fruit. With his unfathomable stamina, this exertion was insignificant. Rather, it was the previous effort—sustaining the 'Shinra Tensei' to withstand the crushing pressure of the deep sea—that had drained him considerably. Now, he needed to recover.

As Chu Yi silently recuperated...

A sudden swoosh sounded. Jinbei, his face dark with anger, appeared before Chu Yi.

"Hmm?" Chu Yi raised his brows slightly, regarding Jinbei with a smile. "Judging by your aura, you bear no hostility, but your expression..."

"Jinbei, do you want to hit me?"

"Yes. I very much want to hit you!" Jinbei’s forehead was marked with throbbing veins as he struggled to contain his fury. He spoke through gritted teeth: "If it weren't for you, Fishman Island wouldn't be facing the crisis of seawater invasion! You and your companions are nothing but troublemakers, calamities! But to resolve Fishman Island's peril, I must admit, it was thanks to you. Otherwise, Fishman Island—otherwise, tens of thousands of its residents..."

"In short!"

"Thank you!"

With that, Jinbei bowed deeply to Chu Yi.

Just as Jinbei had said, Chu Yi, who had saved Fishman Island and its tens of thousands of inhabitants, could face Jinbei's gratitude with calm composure.

However...

With Mihawk’s mishap nearly placing Fishman Island and its people in jeopardy, Chu Yi couldn’t fault Jinbei for interfering with his prisoner, Smoker. Besides, Jinbei and Tiger shared a close bond, and out of consideration for Tiger, Chu Yi could not bear to treat Jinbei coldly.

So, with a faint smile curving his lips, Chu Yi was about to speak and restore their relationship from its chilly nadir to normalcy. But just as he was about to utter a word of goodwill, several powerful auras abruptly appeared within the range of Chu Yi’s Kenbunshoku Haki.

Immediately...

Before Chu Yi could even use his Kenbunshoku Haki to thoroughly assess the strength of these formidable presences, three figures appeared beside Jinbei and stood before Chu Yi!

"They are..."

"The Whitebeard Pirates!"

Chu Yi’s pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze fell upon three somewhat familiar figures. His eye twitched, and in an instant, he recognized them: the future elite of the Whitebeard Pirates!

The one in the center bore the iconic tattoo of the Whitebeard Pirates on his chest. Though his attire differed from what was depicted in the original pirate tales—he wore a black jacket above and fitted white pants below—his signature golden punk hairstyle and the awakening material collection task echoing in Chu Yi’s mind confirmed his identity: the future First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!

A rare Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, possessor of the mythical Phoenix Fruit!

"Phoenix" Marco!

To Marco’s left stood a burly, imposing figure. Merely looking at his robust physique, Chu Yi needed no system prompt to recognize him as the future Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, "Diamond" Jozu!

As for the man on Marco’s right, though he was not a Devil Fruit user, aside from the top hat he wore, there seemed nothing particularly remarkable about him. Yet, as he appeared...

A sudden gust swept by!

Mihawk, who had been immersed in the art of swordsmanship, rose abruptly and moved to Chu Yi’s side, fixing his gaze intently on the man to Marco’s right!

"Chu Yi, let me handle that great swordsman," Mihawk said hurriedly, then flashed forward, pointing his broken wooden sword at the man in the top hat. He said coolly, "Dracule Mihawk! Please, let us duel!"

"Hey, hey! I’m just here with Marco to see what’s happening—not to fight!" the man replied. "But since you’re a fellow master swordsman..."

"Heh!"

"A duel it shall be!"

He grinned, a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth. As his words faded, he drew two sharp swords from his waist and immediately blocked Mihawk’s descending wooden blade before him.

No one could have anticipated that Mihawk, standing by Chu Yi’s side, would engage the Whitebeard Pirates with barely a word exchanged.

But Chu Yi’s focus was not on Mihawk’s sudden challenge.

After all, Mihawk's knack for causing trouble far surpassed even Chu Yi himself! Yet, as the Whitebeard Pirates’ master swordsman clashed with Mihawk, Chu Yi noticed that with every parry of Mihawk’s strike, petals fell from the blade gripped by the swordsman...

In a flash, Chu Yi understood the man’s identity: the future Fifth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!

"Flower Sword" Vista!

"First Division Commander Marco, Third Division Commander Jozu, Fifth Division Commander Vista—truly an impressive lineup for the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"I wonder..."

"What exactly are they here for?"

Chu Yi pondered silently, choosing not to concern himself with Mihawk’s duel with Vista, and instead stepped forward, quietly observing Marco and Jozu.

"I’ve long heard the name of the Whitebeard Pirates," he said. "To meet you all today... how shall I put it? It feels quite good. Though, I wonder what impression you have of me?"

"Yes, to borrow your words... how shall I put it?" Marco smiled casually at Chu Yi, crouching down without a care for appearances. He spoke calmly: "My impression of you isn’t great. You caused trouble as soon as you arrived on Fishman Island. Though you resolved it smoothly, did you not know? Fishman Island belongs to the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"Stirring up trouble here—are you not planning to show some respect to the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Marco began speaking gently, with the air of a friendly older brother next door. But as he came to the end, his tone suddenly sharpened!

Along with it came a powerful aura, though compared to Shanks’ intimidating presence, it was worlds apart.

So, Marco’s attempt to assert dominance before Chu Yi amounted to nothing.

It was Jozu, instead, who drew attention.

Judging by his appearance, one could tell he was a simple and straightforward man. As Marco finished speaking, Jozu, ignoring Marco’s probing aura entirely, stepped forward, tightly clenched his fists, and spoke in a booming voice:

"Marco, since his companion is already fighting Vista, then we..."

"Let’s not waste any more words!"