After signing their contracts with Davy Jones, both Bege and Apoo were finally freed from the seawater, pulling themselves back into the protection of the bubble membrane.
Apoo let out a series of gleeful shouts, his long braids swinging wildly as he started rapping improvised lyrics on the spot.
Bege, on the other hand, wore a stony expression — as if he didn't want anyone to associate him with the noisy musician beside him.
Meanwhile, Killer, using brute strength, dragged along the group of pirates bound to him and made his way over to Kid's side, urgently explaining the situation.
Kid's browless eyes remained fixed on the ground. He didn't speak, but the tension in his silence made it clear that he was caught between pride and despair.
Killer sighed softly. He had done all he could. He didn't fear death — only regretted that he might die before ever reaching the "New World."
Quietly, he said:
"Kid, this started because of me. I shouldn't have attacked Prince Fukaboshi. As pirates, dying for our actions… that's the fate we've chosen. Make your decision. I'll live or die with you."
Kid finally raised his head to look at Killer. After a long silence, he muttered:
"It wasn't your fault."
But even as he said it, the words felt hollow — powerless against the weight of the doom hanging over them.
He thought back to this friend who had always watched over him — cleaning up his messes after every reckless stunt, stepping in before things went too far.
That was why, despite his arrogance and violent temper, Eustass Kid had survived so long without disaster… until now.
Until the humiliations at Sabaody Archipelago, and again here at Fishman Island.
Both defeats had changed the course of the Kid Pirates' future.
"Borsalino — Admiral Kizaru," Kid thought bitterly, "and now Davy Jones… this so-called 'Deep Sea King' really is worthy of that 1.45-billion bounty."
As captain, he was supposed to protect his crew — but when Killer acted recklessly, he couldn't even shield him. What kind of captain was that?
A spoiled boy pretending to play pirate on the high seas — that's all I've been, he thought grimly.
Killer's words — "live or die together" — echoed in his head. He'd once believed firmly in never bowing, never yielding… but now, he hesitated.
Davy Jones wasn't Kizaru. He wasn't one of the Four Emperors, nor one of the Warlords of the Sea.
He didn't imprison enemies to slowly torture or recruit them.
He offered only two choices: contract or death.
And death here wasn't a poetic, glorious one — Urouge's final scream had already made that clear.
Kid didn't fear dying, and neither did Killer. But their crew — those who followed them — feared it deeply, even though they would die for him without hesitation.
Was it worth it?
To let them all be slaughtered in the depths for the sake of his pride?
They had endured countless trials, defeated Marines and pirates alike, even escaped from an Admiral's clutches alive.
The New World was so close — could they really just die here?
Kid's silence stretched on too long. Davy Jones's patience was wearing thin.
Seeing neither Kid nor Killer speak, Davy Jones took their silence as refusal. He said nothing further — only gave a small gesture to the Kraken.
Losing one "Supernova" meant little to him. If he could so easily dispose of Urouge, then sending Kid and Killer to the same fate wouldn't trouble him in the least.
At his command, the Kraken stirred. Its massive tentacles whipped through the murky seawater like enormous serpents, churning up the silt as one coiled toward Kid's submerged legs.
At that moment, Kid suddenly slammed his forehead into the sand, bowing his head so low that no one could see his face.
Everyone stared in shock.
His face flushed red with shame as he finally spoke, his voice trembling with fury and surrender:
"P… Please… let us… become your crew…"
The arrogant, prideful captain — Eustass Kid — had bowed his head.
But none of them mocked him.
After all, most had already made the same choice.
The Kraken's tentacle had nearly reached Kid's legs before Davy Jones raised his hand, stopping it just half a meter away. Slowly, the monstrous limb receded into the dark waters.
Killer had closed his eyes, ready for death. When he heard Kid's words, his body shuddered. He opened his eyes and looked at his captain with quiet sorrow.
Kid's exterior might be all steel and rage, but in the end, he couldn't bear to watch his crew die for his pride.
And so, the final two "Supernovas" also lowered their heads to Davy Jones.
After signing contracts with Kid and Killer, Davy Jones addressed the entire group of "Supernovas":
"Those who serve with sincerity and those who harbor deceit — the difference between the two will decide your fates."
The Supernovas stiffened, chills running down their spines — especially those still harboring secret intentions.
Two weeks after the "Paramount War," in the waters near a springtime island in the "Paradise" half of the Grand Line—
The blue-skinned "Sea Knight" Jinbe, his triangular build resembling that of a sumo wrestler, glided swiftly through the ocean currents.
Having already parted ways with Ace, Marco, and the others, he was on his return journey. But instead of heading straight for Fishman Island, Jinbe first detoured to a small island in Paradise.
Climbing ashore, he wrung the seawater from his kimono, letting it splash across the rocky ground before walking toward the island's interior — where a small encampment awaited.
There, Jinbe found his subordinates — the remaining members of the Sun Pirates.
Their vice-captain, the merman Aladine, came personally to greet him. The other fishmen and merfolk erupted in excitement upon seeing their captain's return.
Back when Jinbe had gone alone to Marineford, intending to negotiate with the Navy and prevent the war, he had already prepared for the worst — imprisonment in Impel Down, loss of his Warlord title, and the Sun Pirates once again being branded as criminals.
To protect his crew from annihilation during his absence, he had ordered Aladdin to hide the Sun Pirates here on this island.
If Jinbe never returned, Aladine was to take command — though it meant never again setting foot on Fishman Island.
Jinbe's last instructions had been clear: if forced, they should align with one of the Four Emperors or another Warlord to survive.
But Jinbe had returned — and with him, his captain's authority was restored.
"Captain Jinbe, thank goodness you're back," Aladdin said, stroking his long black beard as he sat on a translucent bubble ring. With a teasing grin, he added, "I was just about ready to lead the brothers to join Big Mom."
"Hahahaha!" Jinbe laughed heartily. "That wouldn't have been so bad. I hear if you marry one of her daughters, you can get right into her inner circle. Perhaps you should've taken a Big Mom daughter for yourself, Aladine — it might've restored the Sun Pirates' former glory!"
The camp burst into laughter.
After the joyful reunion, Jinbe motioned for the others to leave, keeping only Aladine by his side on the quiet edge of the island.
Aladine placed a firm hand on Jinbe's shoulder, his tone earnest.
"It's a miracle you made it back — escaping from Impel Down, surviving that inferno of a war…"
"Pure luck," Jinbe said, sitting formally on a rock. "Sabo, Luffy, Ivankov, Whitebeard, Rayleigh, Davy Jones… without each of them, I'd never have returned alive."
At the last name, Aladine's expression changed subtly. His lips moved, hesitating to speak.
Jinbe knew him too well. One glance, and he understood.
"Something's happened… about Fishman Island, hasn't it?" he asked.
"You really can't be fooled," Aladine sighed. "Yes — I've been keeping tabs through our merchant contacts. And recently… I've heard some alarming things."
"Alarming things?" Jinbe's brow furrowed.
"First, Hody Jones and Vander Decken — they and their crews have been wiped out," Aladine said bluntly. "That's no loss; those two were cancers that needed cutting out anyway. But after that… eight 'Supernova' pirates — each with bounties over 100 million — were all defeated on Fishman Island."
Jinbe's eyes widened in shock.
"Who did it?"
He knew the strength of Ryugu Kingdom. Even together, they couldn't have handled Hody and Decken, much less the "Supernovas."
It could only mean one thing — someone else was behind it.
Aladine's voice dropped low.
"It was Davy Jones."
He continued gravely:
"All of it — Davy Jones's doing. Even Ryugu Castle has pledged allegiance to him now. Fishman Island has fallen under his control, and his flag… already flies there."
Jinbe's jaw dropped in disbelief.
He had been gone barely over a month — and in that short time, Davy Jones had stolen his home.
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