Chapter 131: Doesn't Belong to These Seas? (Patreon)

Chapter 131: Doesn't Belong to These Seas?

As Jimbei's figure disappeared behind the coral clusters, the cove erupted into a wave of excited commotion.

"Mr. Bahr!" Kailen was the first to dart forward, her orange curls nearly whipping Bahr in the face, her caudal fin splashing excitedly in the water. "You actually have a 6.5 Billion Berries bounty! That's even higher than the Four Emperors Boss Jimbei told us about!"

She grabbed Bahr's arm, her fingertips cool from the seawater, her eyes brimming with undisguised admiration.

Melo also swam closer, her pink-white tail fin brushing lightly against Bahr's calf, her cheeks flushed. "So Mr. Bahr not only saved me but is also such an incredible person... I used to think pirates bragging about a few hundred million Berries was terrifying, but 6.5 Billion is unimaginable!"

The surrounding mermaids crowded around, chattering animatedly. Initially, their enthusiasm had stemmed from Jimbei's connection and Bahr's heroic act, but now it was as if they had stumbled upon a hidden treasure in their midst.

"No wonder Madam Sharley treated you differently earlier!"

"Killing a Celestial Dragon! Mr. Bahr is so brave!"

"Those pirates who strut around the port would be too scared to come near if they knew you were here!"

Yixili glided up to Bahr, her knifejaw fish tail swaying gently near his feet, the black-and-white scales glinting. She reached up to brush the damp strands of hair from Bahr's forehead, her fingers accidentally grazing his cheek, her tone affectionate. "If I'd known you were this amazing, I would've asked you to show off earlier—let those boastful shark mermaids see what real strength looks like."

A young mermaid with a silver fish tail squeezed to the front, her cheeks rosy, her voice soft and timid. "Lord Bahr... will you really protect Fish-Man Island?"

She bit her lip, her eyes filled with apprehension. "Those pirates always steal our pearls and Seaweed Wine when they come... and they scare us. We're really afraid."

At her words, the surrounding chatter quieted, several mermaids lowering their heads, clearly struck by the truth in her words.

Seeing the unease in their eyes, the ripple of pride Bahr had felt over his bounty faded. He reached out and ruffled the silver-tailed mermaid's hair, his voice bold. "What are a few pirates?"

The sunlight illuminated his face, highlighting his defiance. "From now on, if anyone dares lay a finger on you, I'll chop them in half and feed them to the sharks!"

During his days in Mermaid Cove, he had enjoyed unparalleled hospitality—anyone who dared ruin that deserved to be flayed alive.

"Mr. Bahr is amazing!" Kailen immediately cheered, hugging his arm and shaking it, the seashell necklace around her chest tickling his skin.

Melo nodded eagerly, her tail fin splashing water onto Bahr's pants. "I knew Mr. Bahr was a good person!"

"Does that mean we won't have to be afraid of pirates when we go to the surface to gather coral?"

"Lord Bahr, would you like to try my Seagrass mead? It's much sweeter than Serra's!"

"I made a pearl bracelet—would you like to try it on, Mr. Bahr?"

The mermaids' enthusiasm surged like the tide, their invitations and praises overlapping. One pressed a plump Sea Grape into his hand, its purple flesh glistening in the sunlight, while another boldly...

She clung to his arm, trying to pull him to see the colorful seashells she had hidden; a few younger mermaids simply swam circles around his legs, their caudal fins tickling his ankles.

Yixili watched the lively scene and suddenly suggested with a smile, "How about we hold a party in the bay tonight? Let’s celebrate Mr. Bahr becoming our 'Guardian Deity'!"

"Great idea!" the mermaids chimed in immediately, their cheers nearly lifting the bubble dome overhead.

Surrounded by them, Bahr breathed in the crisp scent of seawater and flowers, his ears filled with bright laughter, and an unfamiliar caudal fin draped over his arm.

As he looked at the vibrant, radiant smiles around him, it suddenly struck him that the trouble brought by that 6.5 billion bounty wasn’t so hard to handle after all.

At least for now, being encircled by these mermaids, warm and bright as little suns—this feeling of being relied on, being admired—wasn’t half bad.

Sharley stood in the shadow of the coral reef, watching Bahr surrounded by mermaids in the bay, a flicker of something complicated passing through her cold eyes beneath her short black hair.

Her smoking pipe had long gone out, yet she unconsciously ran her fingers along its cold metal surface until the distant cheers reached her ears. Then, she turned and left.

Madam Sharley’s dwelling was hidden behind a forest of giant kelp, its stone walls covered in glowing coral. The gust from opening the door stirred the shell wind chimes hanging from the beams, their tinkling filling the air.

The interior was simple—a stone bed with seaweed cushions, a carved wooden table, and most notably, a crystal ball covered by a black cloth at the table’s edge.

It was her long-sealed divination tool.

Sharley pulled off her hoodie and tossed it onto the bed, her fingers tracing the edge of the table.

Bahr’s words—"Anyone who dares touch you, I’ll split them in half"—still echoed in her ears. That brute confidence left a deeper impression than Jimbei’s steady composure.

"Just a lucky pirate," she muttered under her breath. Yet, as if compelled, she walked to the table and stared at the black cloth.

Back then, she had foreseen Whitebeard’s fall, predicted the pirates’ invasion of Fish-Man Island—never once had she been wrong.

But this Bahr… He killed a Celestial Dragon, upended the world’s balance, carried an absurdly high bounty, and yet lived so carefreely on Fish-Man Island.

Suddenly, an inexplicable impulse surged within her.

With a flick of her finger, the black cloth slid away, revealing the crystal-clear orb beneath. It gleamed coldly under the light, reflecting the curiosity in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, pressed her pale palm against the sphere, and slowly closed her blue eyes.

Normally, fragments of the future would flood in like the tide—blurred images, scattered sounds, always piecing together some clue.

But this time, there was only void.

Not darkness, not chaos—just pure, absolute emptiness. As if Bahr had never existed. Or as if he stood outside the world’s path, an invisible barrier deflecting all divination.

Sharley’s eyes snapped open, her breath hitching.

How was this possible?

She had divined countless people—even legends like Roger and Whitebeard had yielded glimpses. But this Bahr… he had rendered her powers useless!

Refusing to believe it, she closed her eyes again. A faint glow shimmered across the crystal ball’s surface, yet no image coalesced. The energy—

The fragments of the future that should have appeared seemed to have been devoured by something, leaving not even a ripple behind.

"Tch." Sharley withdrew her hand, her palm trembling slightly as she stared at her own startled reflection in the crystal ball. For the first time, her blue eyes were tinged with unmistakable confusion.

"It's as if... he isn't within this world's trajectory," she murmured, her voice as light as a sigh.

The feeling was too strange. He was clearly alive and standing in Mermaid Cove, surrounded by a group of Fishmen laughing and playing, yet in the threads of the future, there was no trace of him.

Was he so powerful that he could block divination? Or... did he truly not belong to this sea?

Sharley draped the black cloth back over the crystal ball and turned to walk to the window, gazing at the distant lights shimmering from the cove. The cheerful voices of the Fishmen still carried faintly on the wind, along with occasional shouts of "Mr. Bahr."

For the first time, she felt that this man with a 6.5 billion bounty was utterly inscrutable.

"Interesting." Sharley picked up the smoking pipe from the table, relit it, and fixed her gaze on the direction of the cove. A faint, enigmatic smile played across her coldly beautiful face.

Perhaps this Bahr would prove far more intriguing than she had imagined.