One Piece: Adopting Sakazuki and Taking Douglas Bullet as My Godson

Chapter 26: Little Jinbe

"Huh... a strange ceiling?"

Jinbe slowly sat up, his head still muddled and spinning.

Looking around, he realized he was in a human-made building—more specifically, what looked like a hospital room.

Had he... been rescued by humans? But his fellow fishmen always said that humans were an inherently evil race. So why...?

He shook his head, trying to clear it as memories from before he blacked out surged back.

He remembered that he and a few friends had accidentally stumbled upon a mermaid trafficking operation. They split into two teams to rescue the victims—one group went to Fishman District to seek help from Boss Tiger, while the other followed the slavers to keep an eye on them and leave tracking markers.

In the end, the mermaids were saved, and most of the slavers were dealt with. But Jinbe had been swept away by a powerful current—and somewhere along the way, his head struck a rock.

"Tch—!"

A sharp pain jolted through his skull at the memory. He instinctively reached for his head—only to find thick bandages tightly wrapped around it.

Click—

"Whoa! You're awake!"

The door swung open, and in stepped Alisan, holding a lunch box. His eyes lit up with surprise and delight when he saw Jinbe sitting up on the bed, clutching his head.

He quickly walked over and handed Jinbe the food, speaking in a cheerful, familiar tone:

"Hi there! I'm Nasdaq Alisan! I'm the one who rescued you! You were really hurt—covered in wounds and barely breathing. This is the first time I've seen a real live fishman. What's your name?"

Jinbe looked at the black-haired... girl?

He wasn't quite sure—this was his first time seeing a human child in person. Up until now, the only humans he'd ever encountered were slave traders or pirates terrorizing Fishman Island.

But this kid radiated kindness. And there was no denying—it was this child who had saved him.

Boss Tiger had said once: "A life-saving favor is one of the greatest debts in this world. To a warrior, it's the highest form of honor."

Taking the food, Jinbe's stomach growled, but he didn't open it immediately. Instead, he bowed his head slightly and said:

"Thank you. I'm Jinbe, from Fishman Island... I'm sorry I can't bow properly to express my gratitude, but I'm truly thankful you saved me."

Just as he tried to bend forward for a deeper bow, a sharp pain shot through his chest. His ribs were broken, and his spine had suffered injuries—he physically couldn't bend over.

Biting back the pain, Jinbe looked apologetically at Alisan.

Though a mighty whale shark fishman, Jinbe had always been fascinated by Boss Tiger's tales of "chivalry" and justice. That was why he didn't hesitate to rush in and stop the trafficking, even if others might have turned a blind eye.

He truly hated that he couldn't properly express thanks to his savior.

"It's fine! No need to bow," Alisan waved it off with a grin. "If you want to thank me, just tell me stories about Fishman Island later, okay?"

He was curious—no, obsessed—with the mysterious undersea island. According to his father, it was a natural wonder located 10,000 meters beneath the ocean, rivaling even Sky Island.

For a boy who dreamed of becoming a world-class adventurer, Fishman Island was one of the ultimate destinations.

Jinbe didn't expect such interest in his home. But if the boy knew about Fishman Island, could this place be somewhere in the first half of the Grand Line?

After all, barely anyone in the Four Seas even knew of Fishman Island's existence.

"Alright," Jinbe agreed and finally opened the lunch box.

It was huge—30 cm long, 6 cm high—packed with blood-enriching vegetables and powerful Sea King meat.

This wasn't just a meal. It was a feast specially prepared by Ross, who had considered Jinbe's condition and arranged a high-nutrient diet.

"Th-This...!"

Jinbe stared in awe. Even during celebrations on Fishman Street, he never had meals this luxurious. There were even vegetables inside!

Vegetables were one of the rarest and most expensive staples at sea—often as costly as meat. On Fishman Island, only a small percentage of nobles or mermaids could afford them. Most fishmen lived off regular sea fish or Sea King meat.

Jinbe was on the verge of tears.

So there were kind humans out there...

Just as there were noble fishmen like Boss Tiger, and scumbags on Fishman Street, humans, too, weren't all the same.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Jinbe devoured the food, tears nearly falling as his shark teeth easily crushed the tender meat and vegetables, mixing with the rice and filling his mouth with rich flavor.

Alisan watched awkwardly from the side. To him, this was just an everyday meal—he couldn't imagine someone being so moved by it.

Then he suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering what his father had told him to do.

"Oh right! Jinbe—my dad wanted me to tell you about your injuries."

He quickly took out a folded medical report and placed it on the bedside table.

Alisan had snuck a peek at the report earlier, and frankly, he had no idea how Jinbe had survived.

A fifth of the bones in his body were shattered, several internal organs damaged, and his head had suffered serious trauma. Any of those would've been fatal to a normal person—yet this guy survived. And now he was even sitting up and eating!

No wonder Dad said whale shark fishmen were among the strongest of their kind.

Despite being around the same age, Jinbe's physical resilience was astounding.

And according to his dad, fishmen had ten times the arm strength of humans!

What a powerful race! It only fueled Alisan's dream of becoming an adventurer. If the ocean held beings like this, then he had every reason to explore it.

With that thought, he pulled out a treasured book he always carried: "The Adventures of the Great Liar Norland." a classic sea tale.

It was a birthday gift from his father when he turned six. His siblings also had their own personalized books—his brother received titles like "Global Commerce", "North Sea Finance", and "World Government Laws", while his sister had books like "Gunpowder Encyclopedia" and "The History of Explosives."

Ross, their father, valued education deeply. Every child in the Nasdaq family owned at least one book and a dictionary. He never forced them to read—but he insisted they have access, even if just to skim through sometimes.

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