Chapter 32 : Recruiting Jinbei

Fishman Island, Ryugu Castle.

"Your Majesty, King Neptune. Your Excellency, Muchen," Jinbei approached Neptune and Muchen, squatting down respectfully.

"Jinbei, please rise," Neptune said with a smile. There are important matters regarding the future of the fish-men clan that Neptune did not intend to hide from Jinbei.

This was also Muchen's request as he wanted to recruit Jinbei.

"Your Majesty, is there something you need from me?" Jinbei asked.

"Yes, it's regarding Mr. Muchen," Neptune nodded.

"Oh?" Jinbei turned his gaze towards Muchen, slightly confused.

Neptune then recounted the previous exchange he had with Muchen.

Jinbei's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No wonder Mr. Muchen is so powerful. It turns out you are the successor of whitebeard!"

"Do you really have your teacher's powers?"

Muchen smiled slightly and showcased his Devil Fruit ability by cracking the air with his fist. Jinbei looked excited at the sight.

It was true!

"Are you truly related to Dad?" Jinbei asked solemnly.

It was no surprise that Jinbei was serious about this matter. After all, Whitebeard had shown kindness to Fish-Man Island, and as a knight, Jinbei felt wants to repay that kindness.

Jinbei held Whitebeard in high regard.

During the war, he even gave up his position as a Warlord of the Sea to support Whitebeard's .

Now that Muchen claimed to be Whitebeard jr, Jinbei wanted to know the connection between Muchen and Whitebeard.

He didn't pay much attention to the other person who claimed to be Whitebeard's son, Weevil. After all, Weevil had spent the past two years hunting down Whitebeard's remnants and was not worthy of recognition.

"I can be considered half of Whitebeard's apprentice…" Muchen explained, referring to what he had told Zephyr earlier.

"I see," Jinbei nodded, agreeing with Muchen's words.

"Then, Jinbei, will you become my ally and help me?" Muchen looked at Jinbei with a serious expression.

Jinbei glanced at Neptune, who nodded in approval, and immediately agreed without hesitation.

According to Muchen's plans, he would help Fish-Man Island change its current situation and fulfill Jinbei's long-cherished wish. This touched Jinbei deeply.

He would follow Muchen throughout his journey, helping him along the way, and witnessing for himself whether Muchen could live up to his promises.

"Hahaha, excellent! We will surely succeed!" Muchen laughed confidently.

"Yes, we can definitely achieve it!" Jinbei added, sharing Muchen's optimism.

The three of them looked at each other and shared a moment of laughter.

"By the way,sir Muchen ,there's something I need to discuss," Jinbei interrupted the laughter and spoke with a serious tone.

Muchen waved his hand, "Don't call me sir anymore, just call me by name. You want to talk about leaving the Big Mom Pirates, right?"

Jinbei nodded, "Yes, I led the Sun Pirates to join the Big Mom Pirates two years ago. Now I want to go to Big Mom and inform her of my decision."

"That woman is difficult to reason with. If you go alone, you will be in great danger," Muchen shook his head.

"She's on my list of people to defeat. When the time comes, I will come with you. It's not a big deal," Muchen assured him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. She won't be able to take away anything she wants from me!" Jinbei chuckled. He trusted Muchen, but as a man of justice, he felt it was necessary to formally withdraw from the Big Mom Pirates.

He knew very well that Charlotte Linlin, aka Big Mom, was a madwoman. All the Yonko, except for Shanks, were like that. Joining their ranks was easy, but leaving? That was a different story.

"Okay, I believe in you!" Muchen smiled with confidence.

"But don't worry, I will accompany you. When the time comes, she will meet her end!" Muchen declared.

"Great!" Jinbei no longer refused. He looked at Muchen, whose charisma resembled that of Whitebeard, and felt a surge of confidence.

…

"Shirahoshi, until next time," Muchen said as he stood on her giant hand.

"Yes, until next time, Master Muchen. Thank you for your help. Shirahoshi will never forget your kindness," she said tearfully.

"Remember to interact with your fellow rulers more and try not to cry all the time."

"I will remember. I will miss you," Shirahoshi replied, her tears turning into a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll come back to you soon. Remember our agreement," Muchen extended his pinky finger towards her.

She widened her eyes, her tears replaced with a smile. She extended her own tiny pinky in response.

The size difference between their fingers was evident, but the gesture held great significance.

It wasn't the right time to take her with him. Muchen still had many enemies, and as powerful as he was, there would be times when he couldn't protect her.

He had formed an alliance with King Neptune and would return to Fish-Man Island when he needed the power of the White Star.

With that, Muchen jumped off Shirahoshi's hand and made his way to the NEO warship, accompanied by Ain and Jinbei.

She gripped Muchen's hook tightly, waving her other hand with a reluctant expression on her face.

Muchen had been in Dragon Palace City for two days and had spent that time keeping in touch with princess .

Of course, this was all in preparation for their future battle and not for any other strange reasons.

However, Ain had been giving him strange looks since then and even tried following him to the bathroom.

Muchen couldn't help but feel helpless about the situation.

But there were benefits as well—at least the two of them had been able to communicate more deeply with each other.

Ain glanced sidelong at Muchen, watching him wave back at Shirahoshi. She quickly pulled him away, not wanting to linger any longer.

Not hesitating, Muchen opened his arms and Ain rested her face against his chest, blushing.

"Jealous?" he teased.

"Humph, why would I be jealous of a little girl?" Ain snorted, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Ain felt a sense of competition, but she was also confident in her own charm.

Though Muchen had been chatting with Shirahoshi the past two days, they hadn't spent much time alone together.

Realizing this, Ain's face turned even redder.

Muchen chuckled and kissed on her cheek, causing her to scold him playfully.

"Let's hurry back to the warship," Ain suggested, rolling her eyes but clearly pleased.

Jinbei observed their interactions with a helpless smile.