“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Seeing Mandrell suddenly raise a hand to the side, Rusalka showed a puzzled look. This action seemed very strange at this moment.
“Ah? Sorry, my back was a bit itchy just now.”
Mandrell’s palm began to exert force, and the bullet he had just grabbed was directly crushed into powder. Then with a shake of his palm, the powder silently fell to the ground.
This was his wedding. Although he had already held a ceremony in his own territory, he did not want anything to go wrong with the wedding on Fishman Island. This was Rusalka’s home, and any accident would be humiliating, so he did not reveal it.
Hody guessed correctly. The gunshot that accompanied the sound of the ceremonial cannons did not attract anyone else’s attention. The sound was very faint, and ordinary people did not notice anything unusual, but Mandrell was different.
His former position as the captain of the Beasts Pirates’ scout team had cultivated his vigilance, and his current identity as No.1 of Numbers showcases his strength.
He did not have the habit of using Observation Haki for no reason, but he was exceptionally sensitive to crises. Even with the cover of the cannon sound, his intuition sensed something strange.
Then, relying on his muscle reflexes, he caught the bullet out of thin air. This was not difficult; just a bit of Haki and a bit of superhuman strength.
In the Grand Line, many people could do such things. Anyone with a bit of fame had ways to deal with bullets.
Unless the bullets were fired by those whose Haki was extremely powerful, the guns in the hands of ordinary people could not cause any harm.
【It should be from the rear side… Is the target Otohime? Damn it, why now of all times….】
Mandrell suddenly pulled Rusalka over, standing behind her, and then adjusted his angle to shield Otohime from his blind spot. At this angle, to hit Otohime, the bullet would have to go through his body first.
The opponent had taken advantage of the cannon fire to shoot, seeming to aim for an assassination. They probably would not take large-scale action, so he wanted to end the ceremony first and then slowly take care of the other party.
But it was foolish to leave such a hidden danger unchecked. If they really made a big move, it would be bad.
“Pierman! I suddenly remembered I forgot something. It’s a small gift for Queen Otohime. You and Jinbe go get it for me! There’s a purple circular symbol on the box! It’s over there.”
As he spoke, Mandrell pointed in a rough direction.
He was not alone. If he couldn’t leave the scene, he could have someone else do it. Pierman had been his Vice-Captain for ten years, and their tacit understanding was beyond doubt.
Within the Beasts Pirates, the purple circular symbol meant there was an enemy ambush. Hearing Mandrell’s words, Pierman knew something was wrong.
A Vice-Captain who could not understand his superior’s hint would usually be sent away. High-level officers expect Vice-Captains to have not just strength, but also brains.
Mandrell indicated that there was an enemy ambush and asked them to get the thing, meaning to capture the enemy alive. He specifically mentioned it was a gift for Otohime, indicating that their target was Otohime.
However, Pierman didn’t understand why Mandrell wanted him to take Jinbe along, but at this point, just executing the order was enough.
“Got it, boss, I’ll be right back!”
“Brother Jinbe, come with me. It should be quick.”
“Okay.”
“Wait, Arlong, take a few people and go with Jinbe. There should be quite a lot of things. Help them bring it back.”
Originally, Pierman only called Jinbe, but Tiger suddenly stopped them and had Arlong bring more people.
“Got it, boss. But this guy really is unreliable. How can he forget things at his own wedding?”
Arlong would not disobey Tiger’s orders, so he took a few people and followed.
Jinbe didn’t respond. He also sensed a slight anomaly just now. As one of the Shichibukai, the World Government selected Shichibukai for one reason only—strength.
Only those whose strength meets the standard would be specially recruited as Shichibukai. Arlong couldn’t sense it, but he could. Even the “Disgrace of the Shichibukai” couldn’t be dealt with by ordinary bullets, let alone Jinbei, whose strength was still growing.
Tiger was the same. He didn’t go himself because he was worried something might happen in the plaza if he left.
Originally, he was stronger than Jinbe. When he subdued the Fish-Man District, both Arlong and Jinbe were defeated by him. Although Jinbe was rapidly growing and gradually closing the small gap, Tiger was also growing.
Haki is the power of the heart, and there are rumors that the formation of Devil Fruits is also the manifestation of people’s wishes. This is a world greatly influenced by the power of the heart. Without having the heart of a strong person, one can never become a top powerhouse.
Originally, Tiger’s heart was dead, but after the preachings, he suddenly found a new direction. Especially after seeing that ideal utopia during his pilgrimage, his mindset underwent a transformation, and this also brought some progress in his strength.
……
From the corner of his eye, Mandrell saw Jinbe and Pierman leaving, which eased his mind considerably. He was 80% sure this incident was caused by a Fish-Man because humans wouldn’t target Otohime.
Whether they wanted equality with the Fish-Men and Merfolk or to continue enslaving them, a living Otohime was more in line with human interests. Besides, human pirates usually wanted living Merfolk, not dead ones.
He knew there were extremists among the Fish-Men, and Arlong was originally one of them. It was only through the restraint called Tiger and a combination of other factors that he had changed somewhat.
If he sent Pierman alone, and a conflict with the Fish-Men occurred, it would be difficult to explain many things. It was most suitable for the Fish-Men to handle the matters of the Fish-Men.
If it weren’t for the wedding, he would have resolved the matter himself. As long as there were witnesses, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take action. After all, he was considered the son-in-law of the Merfolks.
As for the possibility that the gunshot was a mistake, he found it impossible. If an assassin picked the wrong target at such a moment, they might as well hang themselves with a rope.
With Jinbe accompanying them, it was different. Jinbe and Tiger were highly respected among the Fish-Men. Their words could convince the Fish-Men, making it easier to clear any suspicion if something went wrong.
After they left, the wedding did not pause. Under Mandrell’s urging, it continued.
“Queen Otohime, shall we move on to the next step?”
“Ah, of course. This is the ring Neptune and I chose for you both. It’s one of the treasures of the Ryugu Kingdom. May you be together for a hundred years.”
Mandrell took the ring Otohime handed over, and now only this final step remained in the ceremony. However, not everything would go as smoothly as he thought. He had miscalculated one thing this time— the other party wasn’t acting alone but as part of a group.
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