As the banquet wound down, Aeridar prepared to take his leave, stepping out into the corridor for a stroll to aid his digestion.
At that moment, Gin hurried over and whispered into Aeridar's ear, "Captain, we just received word, the Big Mom Pirates' singing ship has arrived at the Fish-Man Port!"
Aeridar's brow arched. He immediately understood; they were here to collect the tribute snacks from Fish-Man Island.
If he recalled correctly, in the original story, the Fish-Man Island Candy Factory was sabotaged by the New Fish-Man Pirates during the internal conflict. The remaining snacks were then diverted by the Ryugu Kingdom to the celebration feast at Ryugu Castle for everyone to enjoy. This meant Fish-Man Island no longer had the ten tons of sweets required for the tribute to the Big Mom Pirates.
In the end, Luffy had compensated Big Mom with the treasure Neptune had given them and declared war on her, taking responsibility for the oversight on behalf of the island to earn Big Mom's "forgiveness."
"They must be here for the sweets meant for Big Mom. Who's leading them?" Aeridar asked, turning his head.
"Baron Tamago and Pekoms!" Gin replied.
"Two Ability Users coming to the deep sea? They really aren't afraid of trouble," Aeridar laughed, shaking his head. "The factory is destroyed, and the remaining sweets were just finished off at the banquet. Fish-Man Island has no way of producing more sweets in the short term."
"That's not good. Big Mom is a monster who would destroy an entire nation over sweets!" Gin said, startled.
"Exactly. So, let's go have a look. If we can, we'll help Fish-Man Island this once," Aeridar said with a smile.
"Why, Captain? Why risk offending Big Mom for Fish-Man Island?" Gin asked, puzzled.
To Gin, while the Chris Pirates were no less powerful than the Big Mom Pirates, there was no need to antagonize a monster of the same caliber over such a trivial matter.
"Because I've obtained a special 'weapon' from Fish-Man Island. In exchange, I need to protect the island from the shadows," Aeridar explained.
"A special weapon?!" Gin's brow furrowed as several theories crossed his mind.
"So, Fish-Man Island absolutely cannot fall... Hm?" Suddenly, Aeridar stopped mid-sentence. He had perceived an unfamiliar sound.
"Gin, I don't recall Neptune keeping any beasts or large Sea Kings as pets, do you?" Aeridar looked around, asking rhetorically.
"I don't think so," Gin replied, glancing toward the ceiling.
"Then we have... a 'thief'?" Aeridar smirked, striding toward the source of the strange sound.
…
Inside the Hard-Shell Tower.
"I never imagined having fun with everyone would be so wonderful!" Shirahoshi lay on her shell bed, a smile gracing her exquisite face as she closed her eyes in contentment.
Suddenly, a drop of mud fell onto her shoulder, startling her awake.
"Ahh!"
Confused, Shirahoshi looked up, only to see a massive surge of mud rushing toward her. Terrified, she fell off her bed with a scream.
"Kehihihi…"
Amid Shirahoshi's screams, the mud let out a creepy laugh as it began to envelop her.
"Help! Someone—!" Shirahoshi cried out in panic, only to have her mouth covered by a mass of mud, muffling her pleas.
Slowly, the mud took the shape of a tall, thin man with a beard who periodically flicked out a long tongue. It was Caribou.
He looked at Shirahoshi with a twisted grin. "Don't look at me with such hatred, Princess. Kehihihi…"
"Ahem~ You know, using a pile of mud to treat such a noble and beautiful Princess... you really are disgusting. Bounty: 210 million Berries, 'Wet-Haired' Caribou!"
Just as Caribou was about to continue, a calm voice interrupted him.
"What?" Caribou turned around and saw Aeridar and Gin at the door. He replied impatiently, "Aeridar! I'm right in the middle of something here, don't interfere!"
He turned back, tongue out, still looking at Shirahoshi with excitement. "Lick, lick, lick..."
"This guy…" Aeridar's lip twitched. He was speechless. This man's reaction time was so slow it almost felt like he was intentionally being disrespectful.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Caribou suddenly whipped his head back, screaming in pure terror: "GOLDEN RING AERIDAR!!!"
His face contorted in horror, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as he stared at the two men at the door in absolute dread.
Boom!
Aeridar stepped forward, rushing toward Caribou like a bolt of lightning and smashing a fist into his face.
CRASH!
Caribou couldn't react in time. His mind went blank as he was sent flying, crashing into the wall of the Hard-Shell Tower and leaving a perfect human-shaped indentation.
"Aeridar-sama! You scared me to death!" Shirahoshi burst into tears, her massive hand grasping Aeridar.
"Er... it's okay, you're safe now." Aeridar looked at the soft, giant hand, larger than his entire body, and reached out to pat Shirahoshi's smooth cheek, offering a few words of comfort.
"Captain, should I finish him off?" Gin walked over, dragging the semi-conscious Caribou by the collar.
"This guy is a Logia user, the Swamp-Swamp Fruit," Aeridar said, shaking his head while inspecting Caribou. "A Logia user is a rare find. If he's willing to join us, he could be a decent officer. If not..."
"Dr. Dalt would be very happy to have a Logia user as experimental material," Gin grinned, a rare moment of dark humor.
"Heh, exactly!" Aeridar chuckled.
"I'll send someone for the Seastone handcuffs," Gin said, returning to his serious expression as he moved to lead Caribou out.
"Ah! That guy—!"
Suddenly, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji appeared at the door of the Hard-Shell Tower, spotting the captured Caribou in Gin's hand.
"Is that the pirate we caught at sea? Come to think of it, we haven't seen him since we entered Fish-Man Island. We completely forgot about him!" Zoro said, his hand resting on his three swords, his one eye fixed on Caribou.
"Damn it! You lucky bastard!" Sanji saw Shirahoshi holding Aeridar and immediately fell to his knees, pounding the floor in regret. "I was just one step too late! If only I had been the one to save her! Dammit!"
"Even though I really don't like you, you saved Weak-hoshi, so thanks!" Luffy said, gnawing on a large bone of meat and speaking through a mouthful.
"You certainly know how to separate a grudge from a favor," Aeridar laughed. He waved his hand. "I made a promise to King Neptune, so naturally, I won't let Shirahoshi come to harm."
"You look so familiar... have we met before?" Luffy squinted at Gin, looking confused.
"Luffy-san, Zoro-san, Sanji-san... we meet again." Gin looked at Luffy and the others, forcing a small smile.
"You're... Gin! 'Man-Demon' Gin of the Krieg Pirates!" Sanji's eyes widened as he recognized him.
Gin's expression softened. He still remembered the debt of that single meal from years ago. "It's me, Sanji-san. It's been a long time."