Aladine Without a Magic Lamp

Chapter 111: Aladdin Without a Magic Lamp

Fish-Man Island is known as the "Underwater Paradise" and is a necessary stopover on the way to the "New World" from the "Paradise."

Individuals with legitimate status like the Marines and merchants can apply to take the safe route through Mary Geoise to the New World, albeit leaving their ships behind in the first half of the journey. This inconvenience is acceptable to them.

For pirates without legitimate status, their only option is to rely on coating their ships and then entering the dangerous and mysterious depths of the sea to pass through Fish-Man Island and reach the New World.

Entering Fish-Man Island through the official route, because Rodney did not hide his identity, Fish-Man Island provided him with a designated mooring location. 

Additionally, they had specialized coating craftsmen to inspect the ship's coating to ensure it could withstand the journey from a depth of 10,000 meters into the New World.

If the ship's coating strength was inadequate for the journey through the deep sea, the coating craftsmen here could reinforce it. The coating industry on Fish-Man Island was highly advanced, and the double-layered semi-spherical bubble membrane shield around the island was the pinnacle of this industry.

Due to his status as one of the Shichibukai, a group of Fish-Men came to receive him after disembarking, with a member of the Fish-Man Pirates leading the way.

The leading Fish-Man was a Longarm Tribe Fish-Man, the ship's doctor of the Fish-Man Pirates. His hair was tied up into a high ponytail, and he had the tattoo "1TC" on his left arm. He wore a long vest bearing the Sun Pirates' emblem, with a tattoo of the Sun Pirates on his left side abdomen.

His name was Aladine. However, he didn't possess a magic lamp that could summon genies, nor was he a thief from a desert kingdom. But his wife could be considered a princess. Well, they weren't married yet, but they would be in the future...

Among the Fish-Man Pirates, his status was second only to their captain, Jinbei.

He had come to receive Rodney, which also showed the respect that the Fish-Man Pirates and Fish-Man Island had for him.

"Hello, Mr. Rodney. I am Aladine, the ship's doctor of the Fish-Man Pirates. I heard about your arrival and came to welcome you," Aladdin greeted Rodney with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Aladine. I apologize for making you come all this way in your busy schedule," Rodney replied politely. 

He noticed curiosity in the eyes of the Fish-Men, except for Perona and Leicester, who hadn't seen Fish-Men before.

Many humans either feared, despised, or rejected Fish-Men. People who were as accepting as Rodney's group were quite rare.

Rodney himself didn't have any particular feelings towards Fish-Men. He knew that many of them were honest individuals. Robin was more interested in the historical texts and wasn't bothered by the Fish-Men's appearance. As for Brook, he was now a living skeleton and held no prejudice against Fish-Men. Like Leicester, he was mostly curious.

In summary, the crew had no biases against Fish-Men.

"It's like this. Since Captain Jinbei is currently in the Ryugu Palace discussing matters with King Neptune, we came to welcome you on his behalf. He'll join you as soon as he's done," Aladine explained. Since Jinbei was busy, Aladine, as the second-in-command of the Fish-Man Pirates, had come to meet Rodney. This might not be sufficient for a new Warlord.

Aladine felt a bit nervous. Information about Rodney was scarce on Fish-Man Island, and they didn't know what kind of person he was. But anyone who became one of the Seven Warlords couldn't be a pushover. They had to be careful in their reception.

Rodney didn't mind and smiled, saying, "No problem. I don't have any urgent matters with Mr. Jinbe. I'm heading to the New World, but before that, I plan to spend a few days here on Fish-Man Island, and take a look around. Could you kindly help us find accommodation, Mr. Aladine?"

"That's not a problem. Please follow me," Aladine said, relieved that Rodney was so easy to deal with. 

He had initially thought a Shichibukai might be difficult to handle, given their strength. He didn't detect any hostility or resentment towards Fish-Men among them. Only Perona and Leicester appeared curious since they hadn't seen Fish-Men before.

Humans typically had a sense of aversion towards those different from them. But Rodney's group...

Rodney didn't have any strong feelings towards Fish-Men. Robin was more interested in historical texts and didn't care about their appearance. 

Reiju can't even consider herself a true human anymore; she is a cyborg, so she didn't feel any particular way about Fish-Men. Brook, being a living skeleton, had no prejudices, and Lester and Perona were just curious.

In general, this crew harbored no bias against Fish-Men.

"By the way, I heard there are beautiful mermaids here. Is that true, Mr. Aladine?" Brook asked, looking around and noticing many humans and Fish-Men, but no mermaids, so he wondered.

Aladine raised an eyebrow in surprise. This guy is just bones, and he's still full of wild thoughts. Can he even perform those things?

However, out of politeness, he nodded and replied, "Yes, that's correct. Mermaids usually gather at Mermaid Cove. There's a mermaid cafe there that caters to passing humans. But you should avoid Fish-Man Street; it can be a bit chaotic, and you might run into trouble."

Fish-Man Street had appeared due to the ineptitude of the previous governing body, which led to a large number of orphans. Fish-Man Street was meant to house these orphans, but due to poor management, it had become a lawless area. Some of its residents even included the likes of the Arlong Pirates.

Aladine's warning was not meant to protect Rodney; he was more concerned about the well-being of the Fish-Men. 

While Rodney appeared easygoing, everyone had their limits. If they angered this Warlord, it might be challenging to mediate, even with Jinbei's intervention. If it deepened the hatred between Fish-Men and humans, it would be even more troublesome.

The enmity between Fish-Men and humans had deep historical roots. Even after Fish-Man Island joined the World Government two centuries ago and was allowed to participate in the Levely, the issue of discrimination had not improved; in fact, it had worsened. Many humans continued to discriminate against Fish-Men, and Fish-Men, in turn, harbored resentment toward humans.

Mermaids, because of their beauty, were highly sought after on the black market and fetched high prices. Before Whitebeard's Pirates offered them protection, humans frequently kidnapped mermaids. 

Although the situation improved after Whitebeard's Pirates announced their protection of Fish-Man Island, mermaids and Fish-Men outside the island were still captured and sold at auctions.

Human greed was bound to consume itself eventually.

"Oh, I see. I understand. Please don't worry. We won't cause any trouble, and we won't pick fights with the residents here. Also, Brook, Leicester, let's go visit the Mermaid Cafe later. I heard there's a very talented mermaid fortune-teller there. It'll be an eye-opener."

"Understood, Mr. Rodney! Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho! I'll finally get to see beautiful mermaids. I wonder what kind of panties they wear... Ah, that hurts!" Rodney gave Brook a quick jab, creating a bump on his white bones.

"Don't say such things here, and besides, don't mermaids go without...?"

"Oh, right."

Brook suddenly realized his mistake, and Aladine's face turned dark. He was delighted that Rodney was easy to deal with, but he couldn't have people discussing such things openly in public.

He cleared his throat and said, "First, let us arrange accommodations for you and your crew. Afterward, I will take you to the Mermaid Cafe."

"Sure thing, Mr. Aladine. By the way, is Arlong one of yours?" Rodney asked, mentioning Arlong after a pause.

Aladine hesitated for a moment when he heard Rodney mention Arlong's name. Many Fish-Men turned their attention to them. Arlong was a well-known figure on Fish-Man Island.

"Yes, he was once our comrade," Aladine admitted. 

But it was in the past. After Jinbei became one of the Shichibukai, Arlong left Fish-Man Island with a group of Fish-Men who despised humans and went elsewhere. They didn't know where he had gone specifically.

"Do you know Arlong, or..."

No, there was no need to say more. Besides being a Shichibukai, Rodney was also a pirate hunter. For someone like Arlong, who harbored a strong hatred for humans, there was only one possible outcome from their prolonged interaction.

Rodney smiled and said, "He became a local tyrant in one area. That guy tried to rule that sea, but after I found him and had a chat, I took care of him. I noticed the mark on your abdomen, which is similar to his, so I was just curious."

"I see," Aladine sighed inwardly. 

He didn't feel any pity for Arlong. When you roamed the Grand Line, death was always a possibility.