Pirates: Check In From Mariejo

"Captain, there are many pirate groups following us sneakily. Do you want to sink them all?" reported Laki Lu from the watchtower.

"Looks like a lot of people want your head!" Levi joked with Shanks.

"A head worth four billion is, of course, valuable!" the red-haired man said matter-of-factly.

After the battle between Shanks and Whitebeard, many pirates were eyeing Shanks' head.

Shanks' successful challenge against Whitebeard indicates that Whitebeard has acknowledged Shanks' strength as one of the Four Emperors. Upon Shanks' return to his territory, he can recruit troops and strengthen his power.

Shanks is now the weakest among the Four Emperors. If someone were to claim Shanks' head now, they could become famous all over the world.

Levi and Shanks also defeated dozens of pirate groups along the way, finally bringing this group of rogue pirates under control.

"Captain, Shanks is right in front of us. Why haven't we attacked yet? We must seize the opportunity!" a seaman urged his captain.

"Back off, or leave me out of it. Do you know who owns the ship next to the Red Hair Pirates?" The pirate captain pointed and said, "That belongs to the great pirate Levi, who has a bounty of 5 billion Baileys."

"What? The one who stole the heavenly gold and caused a commotion in Malevando?" The pirate seemed embarrassed as he spoke. Being from the Grand Line, he naturally knew of Levi.

"Retreat! Levi is here, just like two of the Four Emperors. We stand no chance." The pirate captain glanced bitterly at Levi's golden ship and withdrew his crew.

Although pirates are ruthless, they are also adept at adapting to changing circumstances. In the New World, pirates without wit are quickly eliminated, in addition to requiring immense strength.

Watching the pirate ships depart one by one, Shanks smiled and joked, "It seems your name, Levi, still holds a lot of weight."

Levi chuckled in response.

"Ding! A new check-in task has been released. Please, Host, stay at The Fish Men Island for a full day. The task reward is the top Observation Haki."

Damn it, Levi cursed inwardly. He had passed by The Fish Men Island several times and never received a reward from the system. Now, in the New World, it asked him to check in at The Fish Men Island.

"Shanks, your territory is just ahead. I'll drop you off here. I have an urgent matter to attend to," Levi said, standing up.

Seeing that Levi looked troubled, Shanks didn't press him further, and Levi returned to his ship.

"Enel, set sail for The Fish Men Island!" Levi commanded.

Monet, who had been playing with Sugar nearby, stood up upon hearing this. She hesitated before saying to Levi, "Boss, it may not be convenient to access The Fish Men Island recently."

"What happened?" Levi asked, frowning.

Levi recalled that despite being underwater, The Fish Men Island's port trade had always been bustling. The current inconvenience indicated that something serious had occurred.

"Princess Otohime of The Fish Men Island has been killed," Monet said.

"What? How is that possible?"

Levi was shocked. He remembered the delicate woman with golden wavy hair and her impassioned speeches.

Levi had warned Jinbei before departing, but it seemed Jinbei hadn't heeded his advice.

Leveraging his ship's capabilities, Levi soon reached The Fish Men Island. The situation was tumultuous; fish-men were attacking human merchant ships.

After Otohime's death, her efforts seemed futile, and the fish-men's animosity toward humans deepened.

"Jinbei, I warned you when I left. Why has this happened again?" Levi questioned Jinbei.

Jinbei, filled with anguish, blamed himself, "I've been vigilant, but during a change of defense, Princess Otohime was struck by a slave-catching fork falling from the sky. I'm certain there was nowhere for an assassin to hide nearby."

"Any leads?" Levi inquired.

"Princess Shirahoshi claimed she saw the assassin enveloped in bubbles. Only humans on The Fish Men Island use bubbles, so..." Jinbei trailed off.

Levi sneered, "So you immediately assumed it was a human perpetrator. Couldn't it have been a fish-man with esper abilities who consumed a Devil Fruit?"

Jinbei was stunned, realizing he had fallen into a common misconception.

"Take me to King Neptune!"

Jinbei proved competent; under his guidance, Levi met King Neptune without obstacles.

"Ding! Task detected as complete. Rewards will be distributed now."

Upon entering the palace hall, Levi's Observation Haki reached its zenith.

"Jinbei, you said someone knew the whereabouts of the murderer. Why then did you bring a human here?" Neptune angrily confronted Jinbei upon seeing him escorting Levi.

"Human, leave The Fish Men Island!" a great white shark guard bellowed at Levi.

"Get out!"

The murlocs in the hall grew incensed. Levi's Conqueror's Haki swept through; except for Jinbei, Neptune, and the white shark man, all other fish-men collapsed.

"Master Levi, why are you here?" Neptune trembled, realizing Levi, a notorious pirate with a bounty of 5 billion, could easily devastate The Fish Men Island. "I'm here to apprehend Princess Otohime's murderer," Levi softened his expression.

"Really? Can you truly find my mother's killer?" an oversized fish-man girl with pink hair, Shirahoshi, interjected.

"Shirahoshi, this is Master Levi. Please mind your manners," Neptune said, shielding her. "She's young. Forgive her ignorance."

"Shirahoshi, stay here. You'll witness if the person I captured is the culprit," Levi reassured the large girl before apprehending the shark-man. "Where is the user of the Target-Target Fruit, Vander Daken IX?"