The Days of Being the Richest Man in the Ninja World

[V3] - Chapter 31. Do You Know Who You Have Provoked?

---

Time shifts back a little.

On Fish-Man Island.

Here lies the Sea Forest, known as the "Ship Graveyard."

Because of the destruction of Vander Decken IX and the New Fish-Man Pirates, so many years had passed, and finally, Princess Shirahoshi was able to come here to "see" her mother.

Accompanying her were the three adorable daughters of Uncle Yuto, as well as Robin, who was looking after the children.

Only—

At first, everything was fine.

After finishing the memorial, Princess Shirahoshi, who had already become a big sister, led the three little cuties to play and frolic around!

However—

No one expected—

a group of people to suddenly appear and block their way?!

When she saw Hody Jones, who was supposed to be locked away in the prison tower, also appearing among a group of humans, even the innocent Shirahoshi knew… this group of people were bad guys!

Only— Why would Hody Jones, this extreme racist who deeply hated humans, be mixed up with humans?

What had happened over in the Ryugu Kingdom?

But without any hesitation from Shirahoshi… you have to know, right now she was still carrying Yumi and the others. As their big sister, she absolutely couldn't let anything happen to Yumi and the others. So, upon seeing people approaching… Shirahoshi hid the three little ones inside her body, then turned around directly, intending to leave with them.

But they were blocked.

"Hahaha~ So this is the mermaid princess you said can control the Sea Kings?!" A tall, brawny man with a ponytail and two braids, wearing a metal jaw over his mouth and sporting two ivory-like decorations on his head and shoulders, led a group of people to block Shirahoshi and the others. He stared at the gigantic mermaid with great interest and laughed wildly. "Come with us! Only the boss can help you unleash your true potential!"

"Y-you… who are you people?!" Shirahoshi stared fearfully at the brawny man blocking them, then looked at Hody Jones and said, "Hody Jones, why are you here?!"

"A mere prison tower thinks it can hold me?" Hody Jones sneered at the foolish Shirahoshi and coldly laughed. "That idiotic king of yours and that Jinbe are only bringing disaster to Fish-Man Island! Fish-men are the highest race! Since you dared to ruin my plans!" He spread his arms wide, his face twisted in a ferocious expression. "Then I'll destroy this place! And build a Fish-Man Kingdom of my own!"

"B-but…" Shirahoshi glanced at the humans surrounding her and hesitated a little, then softly said, "They're humans too…"

"To achieve our goal, to realize the fish-men's dream, some sacrifices are necessary! And this guy is a fish-man too!" Hody Jones burst into laughter and gave Princess Shirahoshi a cold look. "This is what your idiot mother used to talk about. Now it's your turn to be sacrificed!" Speaking of this, he glanced at the Beast Pirates' All-Star—the "Drought" Jack. "I've already brought you here! Get on with it! Then destroy this place and take your bunch of inferior humans and scram!"

"What a selfish bastard! I didn't think Fish-Man Island would produce someone like you!" Hearing Hody Jones, Jack shot him a cold glare, a terrifying aura crashing down over him. "It's you begging the Beast Pirates for help! Believe it or not, I'll kill you right here!"

"If I die here! Then Princess Shirahoshi's secret will instantly spread all over the entire wo—"

Before Hody Jones could finish—

Bang! A kick sent him flying.

"You're threatening the Beast Pirates? I have no idea why that Whitebeard who played house on the seas would ever look favorably upon you people!" Jack looked at him coolly with indifferent eyes. Once Hody lowered his head, Jack ignored him and simply turned to look at Shirahoshi. "I'm the Beast Pirates' All-Star—the 'Drought' Jack. Come with me! The Beast Pirates need your power, Princess Shirahoshi!"

[Damn Jack! Damn Neptune! Damn Jinbe! Damn humans!] Clutching his chest, Hody Jones now lowered his head and said nothing more, but unseen by others, his eyes were full of mad hatred. [I'll prove that I'm right! That fish-men are the noblest race of all!]

And Princess Shirahoshi… hearing Jack's words, froze for a moment, then continued softly, "I'm sorry, I don't like you! I can't go with you!"

"…"

Jack was stunned when he heard Princess Shirahoshi's words, then lifted an eyebrow and waved his hand impatiently at those behind him. "Take them away!"

You know—

Big Brother was still waiting for him to return!

He really wasn't interested in playing house with this group of kids any longer!

Just take them away directly. As for the rest… once they reached the Beast Pirates, there'd be people there to teach them how to behave.

And faced with a group of ferocious pirates, three little l*lis plus one big l*li were no match for them and quickly fell into a disadvantage.

Even though the three little l*lis had already learned a bit of ninjutsu, how could they possibly defeat crew members of the Beast Pirates under one of the Four Emperors of the Sea? Worse yet, they ended up exposing their abilities because of it.

"Interesting kids! Devil Fruit users?" Jack looked at the three little girls with interest, especially seeing how they could even create fire and such, which made him even more intrigued. "Bring them back for me!"

"Yes, Brother Jack!"

"No!" Shirahoshi quickly shielded the three little ones and said in a weak voice, "Can you let them go? I'll behave and do as you say!"

"Sister Shirahoshi!" ×3

The three little ones also huddled fearfully in Shirahoshi's arms, clutching Sister Shirahoshi's clothes. After all, they were still just three kids—it was only natural to be afraid in this kind of situation.

However—

Jack didn't pay Shirahoshi's words any mind at all. He simply waved his hand and ordered them to seize the group.

At this moment—

Time was extremely tight, and 9527, who was following close behind Yumi, was also nervously and secretly watching this group of people in front of him.

As someone who had already collected quite a bit of intelligence here, of course he understood exactly who this group of people was.

One of the Four Emperors of the Sea!

Top-tier powerhouses of this world!

Of course, in 9527's heart… he still believed that Boss Yumi and the others would definitely become even stronger in the future.

They're merely a bunch of pirates—one day, Boss Yumi alone would be able to defeat them!

It's just that right now, Boss Yumi and the others hadn't grown up yet, so how could they possibly be a match for this group of pirates? Just as he was about to rush out—

"Dos Fleur: Clutch!"

Suddenly, many hands sprouted from the pirates all around.

Crack!

A few small fry were dealt with, but these were crew members of the Beast Pirates—how could Robin possibly handle them at her current level?!

"Devil Child, Nico Robin!" Jack looked at the person who had appeared, then burst out laughing. "What an unexpected gain! Grab her too!"

"Beast Pirates?!"

Why are these guys here?

Robin stared warily at the Beast Pirates in front of her, nervously shielding Yumi and the others. Her heart gave a faint jolt—she knew very well just how terrifying these people were. She quickly lowered her voice and said, "In a moment, I'll hold them off. You take Yumi and the others and get away!"

Then she looked toward the [Drought] Jack standing in front of her and said warily, "This place is under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates…"

Before she could finish her sentence—

"Don't try to threaten me with that old man who's playing house!" Jack sneered disdainfully. "An old fossil who can barely walk—so what if our Beast Pirates are here? What can he do about it?" He waved his hand again. "Get them!"

"Run!"

Robin shouted quickly as well.

And upon hearing Robin's words, Shirahoshi, though terrified inside, still couldn't bring herself to abandon her companions.

But now that she was carrying Yumi and the others, how could she possibly not run?!

"I'll definitely send someone to save you, Miss Robin!" she whispered softly, then immediately turned around and swam away toward Ryugu Kingdom with her body twisting.

However—

Not long after—

Hody Jones and the crew members of the Beast Pirates had already caught up. Just as they were about to make a move—

A white figure suddenly leapt out, blocking Hody Jones, and roared fiercely, "You bunch of bastards! Do you know who you've provoked?! If you dare hurt them, every single person here will die—including those behind you! All of you will die!"

"White Zetsu~"

"It's okay! Boss Yumi, I'll protect all of you!"

"Interesting guy!"

Everyone stared in confusion at this person who had suddenly emerged from the body of a little girl.

Especially Jack… upon hearing someone threaten him, he burst into arrogant laughter. "How amusing! Even daring to threaten our Beast Pirates! I'd like to see exactly how you lot plan to make the Beast Pirates die!"

A bunch of people from the first half of the Grand Line might not even understand what the Beast Pirates represent!

"Could it be that so-called Yuto Group that fish-man mentioned? Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll definitely slaughter everyone behind you!"

"Bastard!" White Zetsu glared furiously at this guy. "You have no idea how terrifying that guy is! You're finished! If you dare harm them, you and your Beast Pirates will die a miserable death!"

"Ridiculous! Just a mere businessman—what could he possibly do? Why's everyone just standing there? Get them! Anyone who dares threaten the Beast Pirates deserves to be killed!"

Jack's arrogant, wild words had just fallen.

Right as everyone was about to make a move—

Suddenly—

"Though I also really dislike that guy… I have to admit, you sure are asking for a miserable death!"