"Neptune, we have a distinguished guest~" Queen Otohime, who was meditating with her eyes closed, suddenly opened her beautiful eyes and gently shook Neptune beside her, who was lazily lying on the shell bed catching up on sleep.
She was a one-in-a-million user of innate Observation Haki. After Sakazuki guided her onto the correct cultivation path, her Observation Haki skills improved by leaps and bounds daily.
But undeniably, Otohime's achievements today were inseparable from Kuzan's long-term guidance. Although her Observation Haki, which could barely cover the range of Ryugu Palace, wasn't earth-shattering, it could still be considered having entered the hall of mastery.
"Mmph?" Neptune, being used as a soft mattress by several little cubs, barely managed to prop open one eyelid. "Distinguished guest? Who?"
Otohime looked smilingly at the sleepy Coelacanth Merman: "It's our great adventurer! I wonder what kind of adventure story he brings this time."
"Oh! Is it Tiger? Excellent! The changes on Fish-Man Island these past few years will definitely surprise him greatly." Neptune recalled how Tiger, on each previous voyage, brought back numerous insights into human society for the enclosed Fish-Man Island, allowing the island, almost ignorant of the outside world, to gain much precious and useful information.
In Neptune's heart, he was quite grateful to this pioneer who broadened the horizons of Fish-Man Island's residents.
He carefully moved the several soundly sleeping little ones off his broad chest and pulled the blanket up for Shirahoshi, who had just turned two.
Only then did Neptune stretch out his massive body and leap up from the giant shell bed. His enormous figure moved nimbly within the room: "Where's my crown? How come such a big thing is gone?"
Otohime, with an indulgent smile, gently picked up the crown he had left by the pillow: "Silly big fish, it's here~"
Neptune let out bursts of cheerful laughter: "Kishishishi, with you by my side, what does it matter if I'm a little sillier?" He bent down considerately to let his beloved wife place the crown, symbolizing the lordship of Ryugu Kingdom, on his head.
He then conveniently lifted Otohime onto his shoulder and walked out the door. That posture didn't resemble a steady and dignified king at all, but rather a mountain bandit king returning with his captured wife.
"Your Majesty, Queen Otohime, it's been a long time." Tiger, already waiting before the hall, was no stranger to their public displays of affection and calmly bowed to them.
Neptune pointed at Tiger and chuckled lightly: "Haven't seen you in these few years, you've lost quite a bit of weight. Must have suffered a lot during your travels, right?"
Tiger, unintentionally struck at a sore spot by the ruler of Fish-Man Island, just smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Your Majesty, on this trip, I precisely want to discuss my recent [journey] with you in detail."
"Oh? Good, good, good. I wonder what kind of exciting story you'll bring this time." Neptune didn't catch the underlying meaning in Tiger's words, still wearing an expression full of anticipation.
"My journey this time was spent in what humans call 'resettlement centers' and the Holy Land Mary Geoise." Tiger's tone seemed very understated, but the content of his words was exceptionally heavy.
What resettlement centers were, Neptune knew clearly. Previously, those trafficked Fish-Men and Merfolk were all auctioned off through various 'resettlement centers'.
Tiger's expression instantly darkened. Only then did he carefully re-examine their great adventurer.
Besides his much thinner frame, a closer look revealed fine scars all over his exposed deep-red skin. The Great Knight of the Sea lowered his voice: "My friend, I need you to tell me, word for word, exactly what you experienced these past years?"
"Experienced hell on earth, my Majesty." Tiger sighed deeply. "I don't even know how I escaped from that demonic den."
A silent, heavy atmosphere spread through the empty palace. Neptune didn't speak, his eyes just grew increasingly obscure. And Otohime, with her gentler nature, had already covered her mouth, preventing herself from crying out over Tiger's ordeal.
This great adventurer, however, didn't complain much about the suffering and torture endured during his slave life. He raised his head, looking intently at the tall ruler of Fish-Man Island: "My personal experience counts for little, but in that hell, there are still countless compatriots enduring inhuman torture every day..."
"I know, I've always known, Tiger, but I am powerless." While listening to Fisher's ordeal, Neptune clenched his fists, so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged, but ultimately, those clenched fists loosened helplessly.
He certainly knew that most of the abducted Fish-Man Island citizens were in the hands of the Celestial Dragons. But as the king protecting his realm, Neptune couldn't possibly abandon the vast majority of other Fish-Man Island subjects.
Because once Neptune, as king, exposed this damned unspoken rule, the unreasonable World Nobles would very likely fly into a rage out of shame and mobilize the Navy to attack Fish-Man Island.
"Your Majesty, my visit this time is precisely to inform you, my mind is made up. I want to bring those enslaved people home." Tiger took a deep breath, looking Neptune straight in the eye, his tone slow but resolute.
The Great Knight of the Sea's eyelids twitched heavily. He stared fixedly at Tiger Fisher: "Do you know the consequences of doing this?"
"Of course. Tiger alone, death is insignificant."
"Even after seeing the prosperity Fish-Man Island has finally welcomed, you still insist?" Neptune's tone, for some reason, held a hint of anger.
Tiger remained completely unaffected, his tone becoming even calmer: "If this prosperity is predicated on sacrificing those residents enslaved by the World Nobles, then, yes, I insist."
Neptune stared blankly at Tiger. After a long moment, he finally let out a sigh, as if exhaling decades of accumulated depression: "Go ahead boldly. Fish-Man Island is behind you."
But unexpectedly, Fisher shook his head: "Your Majesty Neptune, you really don't need to do this. Once I succeed, those Celestial Dragons will inevitably dispatch the Navy to pursue. But as long as Fish-Man Island remains neutral in this incident, then the relationship between us and the Navy can still be preserved."
"And if Your Majesty Neptune, as the monarch of a nation, declares your stance on Mr. Tiger's side, then Fish-Man Island will be completely at odds with the Navy, like fire and water!" A strange voice lazily interjected into the conversation.
Tiger nodded: "Exactly... like that." He was just about to turn his head to see who had guessed his thoughts, but saw Neptune and Otohime's expressions change drastically, looking rather awkwardly behind him.
"Ara ara, I got lost on the path of life again. Sorry, sorry, late for your lesson again, Otohime." Kuzan slowly stepped through the palace gate. He really hadn't expected to hear such explosive news right upon arrival.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!"
"Master... Uncle Kuzan"
Neptune and Otohime's slightly alarmed voices made Tiger realize who the newcomer was: the supreme commander of the current Navy forces stationed on Fish-Man Island, leader of the Navy and Fish-Man Island allied forces—Admiral of the Deep Sea Fleet: Kuzan.
"Kuzan..." Tiger muttered to himself. He turned his head to look directly at this highly respected Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral on Fish-Man Island. "Are you planning to stop me now?"
"Stop?" Kuzan had a bewildered expression. "From beginning to end, all I heard was you wanting to take them home. How come I don't remember sending people home constituting a crime?"
"Is that so... Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Kuzan." Even if Tiger were any stupider, he knew this Navy officer before him was playing dumb while fully understanding.
"There's no kindness between us." Kuzan flatly denied, shrugging his shoulders. "First time meeting, I just want to ask one thing. You take them home, then what are your plans? Become a pirate?"
Tiger was taken aback by this question. After causing trouble, he was destined not to reconcile with the World Government. If not a pirate, what else could he be? He tentatively probed: "Something like that. Do you have any good suggestions?"
"Ah, yare yare, something like that? Just based on that sentence, if Senior Brother Sakazuki were standing here, you'd be in trouble, Mr. Great Adventurer Tiger." Kuzan expressionlessly told a cold joke that wasn't funny at all.
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