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"Shichibukai, the crew of the Sea Restaurant from the seas, please come with us."
Before they could fully appreciate the graceful figures of the mermaid ladies, palace guards suddenly appeared, surrounding Zyhark and his companions.
"Seriously, couldn't you have come out a little later?" Zyhark quipped, unsurprised by the interruption.
Over on the side, both Meowth and King were already being cuddled by the mermaids, and it would have been Zyhark's turn soon!
"This is an order from the king, so we must comply," the captain of the guards said with a grave expression, instinctively keeping a safe distance from Zyhark.
Even though they were 10,000 meters under the sea, the frequent visits from pirates and marines meant they received news from the surface quite quickly.
The captain didn't dare let his guard down around this man, who shared the same title as Jinbei and was known to be extremely dangerous, even though Zyhark maintained a friendly demeanor the entire time.
"No problem, let's go. After all, I was planning to visit your King Neptune anyway," Zyhark said after a brief pause. "Could you tell me, how did you know we were coming to Fish-Man Island?"
With his Observation Haki, Zyhark was aware that these soldiers hadn't arrived because of any message but had been stationed at the Fish-Man Island harbor, almost as if they were waiting for them!
"I'm very sorry, but I can't explain that to you," the guard captain replied sincerely.
"If I'm not mistaken, it was probably Madam Shyarly's prophecy, wasn't it?" Zyhark guessed after a moment of thought.
Hearing this, the captain was visibly startled—this human even knew about Madam Shyarly's existence?
The look of shock on his face confirmed Zyhark's suspicion.
"Lead the way," Zyhark said with a smile, waving his hand.
No wonder Madam Shyarly had accurately predicted Roger's death and the Marineford War. Her prophecies were indeed impressive.
Come to think of it, isn't she Arlong's half-sister?
As for the prophecy, Zyhark wasn't too concerned, as long as it didn't involve something like the Goddess of Water destroying Fish-Man Island. It wouldn't affect their visit too much.
"Thank you very much for your cooperation."
The captain signaled his subordinates to make way. "Please follow me, and that includes those behind you."
After bidding farewell to Isha and her fellow mermaids, Zyhark and his companions, escorted by the guards, walked through the bustling streets of Fish-Man Island.
The residents, both fish-men and mermaids, watched them cautiously from their homes, trying to get a good look at these special guests.
Though they had seen many land dwellers before, such a grand escort was a rare sight.
Everyone on Fish-Man Island engaged in lively discussions about Zyhark's crew.
At the same time, Madam Shyarly, who ran the mermaid cafe, also caught sight of the figures she had seen in her crystal ball.
"So, they are the ones who will one day raise the entire Fish-Man Island to the surface…"
With her full figure, Madam Shyarly held a long smoking pipe, staring intently at the gradually disappearing figures of Zyhark's crew, sighing deeply with a serious expression.
She could only foresee the image of Fish-Man Island emerging from the sea but could not clearly see the specific process.
Because of this, she felt deeply concerned about the island's future.
After walking some distance through the streets of Fish-Man Island, they arrived at the Shark Submarine, specially dispatched by King Neptune.
Boarding the Shark Submarine and crossing the sky above Fish-Man Island, Zyhark and his group soon reached the splendid Ryugu Castle.
This was the central castle where King Neptune and Queen Otohime lived!
"Welcome, Mr. Zyhark, and all the members of the Sea Restaurant."
Crowned and accompanied by his ministers, King Neptune had received word early and was already at the entrance to greet them.
Perhaps worried about any unexpected situations, he even held a golden trident in his arms.
—Although this posed no threat to Zyhark.
"Sorry for the unannounced visit, King Neptune," Zyhark greeted him with a smile.
His gaze swept over the ministers behind Neptune, finally landing on a blue-skinned man standing in an inconspicuous corner.
It was none other than the whale shark fish-man, Jinbei, another Shichibukai!
"It's nothing at all; having such distinguished guests visit Fish-Man Island is an honor for us."
Feeling no hostility from Zyhark, Neptune smiled and waved, deliberately lowering his stance.
As he spoke, he also observed Zyhark's crew.
The others, including Zyhark, were relatively normal, but the wise-looking Aqua attracted most of his attention.
'Even though she's human, why do I feel so close to her, as if I'm in the ocean?' Neptune frowned slightly.
As the king of Fish-Man Island, this was his first time feeling such an affinity toward a human!
"Just as the rumors say, you are indeed a formidable newcomer, Zyhark the Thunder..."
Jinbei, wearing wooden sandals, approached slowly, his expression serious.
His perception and Haki were clearly superior to Neptune's; he could gauge Zyhark's strength just by looking into his eyes.
"This must be our first meeting, Jinbei," Zyhark said, looking at the casually dressed Jinbei.
"You know me?" Jinbei was a bit surprised.
"It would be strange if I didn't," Zyhark replied matter-of-factly.
Seeing that the two had exchanged pleasantries, Neptune stepped forward and said, "This isn't the place to talk; let's move to the main hall. I've prepared a small banquet."
With that, he turned and led the way.
His wobbly gait looked quite comical.
"Hey, old man, why do you walk so weirdly?" Aqua couldn't help but ask as she followed behind.
"...This is a unique walking style of the merfolk. My apologies if it looks strange to you," Neptune said, keeping a straight face.
"But the mermaids don't walk like that. It looks more like you threw your back out," Meowth pointed out bluntly.
Meowth didn't care that Neptune was the king of Fish-Man Island; they had met plenty of kings on their travels, and the title didn't carry much weight for him.
"Ahem."
Neptune found it hard to maintain his composure after being so bluntly exposed.
"You're such a useless king," Aqua said, even more straightforwardly.
Sharing a similar feeling to Jinbei, the foolish goddess felt a natural closeness to these ocean-dwelling merfolk and wished they could be a bit stronger.
It was as if a mother was disappointed in her child's lack of success.
The ministers around them all looked angry, ready to scold the talking cat and the blue-haired woman for their disrespect, but Neptune himself broke the tension with a laugh.
"Hahaha, well, considering my age, it's only natural to throw out my back occasionally, isn't it?"
The awkward atmosphere dissipated just like that.
In the grand hall of Ryugu Castle, the spacious and luxurious dining table was already filled with various rare delicacies from the sea.
The array of deep-sea delicacies on display gave off a tantalizing aroma, constantly tempting the taste buds of those who had endured the deep-sea journey.
Kanna, ever the foodie, was the first to act. After a quick exchange of glances with Zyhark, she dove into the pile of food like a dragon, devouring it with gusto.
Zyhark and the others followed suit, taking their seats.
King Neptune sat at the head of the table opposite them, smiling as he watched Kanna enjoy her meal.
Compared to adults, the harmless-looking Kanna put him at ease.
Aside from Jinbei, who sat at the table with Neptune, the other ministers remained quietly observing from a distance.
In a more secluded corner, three mermaid children of varying sizes peeked out, their big, curious eyes fixed on Zyhark's group.
The most noticeable among them was the adorable mermaid princess, Shirahoshi.
Though still a child, her massive form was already taking shape, making her look quite cute and endearing.
At this time, the timid Shirahoshi had not yet been harassed by Vander Decken IX, the wielder of the Mato Mato no Mi, and could move freely within Ryugu Castle.
After a few pleasantries, King Neptune finally voiced the question on his mind.
"Mr. Zyhark, may I ask if your visit to Fish-Man Island is just a stopover, or do you have some specific business?"
Naturally, he had heard of Shyarly's prophetic vision and, combined with Queen Otohime's efforts to promote peaceful coexistence between humans and fish-men, he couldn't help but be concerned about Zyhark's intentions.
Seeing Neptune's directness, Zyhark didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "I've heard that Fish-Man Island houses a red Poneglyph?"
Upon hearing this, both Neptune and Jinbei were taken aback.
This was far from any of the possibilities they had considered.
Jinbei, fully aware of the importance of the red Poneglyphs, could clearly sense the ambition of the young man before him.
That thing wasn't something just anyone dared to touch!
"There was indeed a red Poneglyph here, but..."
Neptune hesitated for a moment, glancing at King, who was sitting sternly, then at the food-obsessed Kanna and Meowth, before finally settling his gaze on the ever-amiable Aqua.
"You're a bit late; the red Poneglyph was stolen by the Buggy Pirates' Captain Buggy."
In the end, he chose to trust Zyhark's group and revealed the truth.
"What did you say? Buggy?" Zyhark's eyes widened in surprise.
Of all the possible culprits, he hadn't expected it to be that guy!
Buggy, you truly are something else!
"That's right. But Whitebeard is currently pursuing them and should recover it soon," Jinbei added.
He cleverly linked the Whitebeard Pirates with Fish-Man Island to deter Zyhark's group from doing anything too extreme.
This wasn't just waving Whitebeard's flag around; after all, Whitebeard had previously declared that Fish-Man Island was under his protection to keep pirates from targeting the fish-men and mermaids.
"I see." Zyhark nodded lightly as he picked up a deep-sea lobster.
Thinking back, Whitebeard's flag should have been placed on Fish-Man Island after Queen Otohime's coexistence plan had failed.
In other words, the red Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island hadn't fallen into Whitebeard's hands yet.
The possibility of retrieving it from Buggy before Whitebeard did was high.
—Though it could mean encountering the Whitebeard Pirates.
This was the key information he gathered from Jinbei's words.
"While walking through the streets of Fish-Man Island earlier, I saw many people holding forms. What are they for?" Zyhark asked, pretending not to know.
His Observation Haki had already covered the entire Fish-Man Island, easily detecting a plaza filled with a large number of life forms.
It was either a coincidence of a protagonist's fate or a butterfly effect caused by his presence, but at that very moment, Queen Otohime was in the plaza collecting signatures from the residents!
Hearing this, Neptune thought for a moment before candidly answering, "It's a petition for the peaceful coexistence of fish-men and humans. My wife, Queen Otohime, successfully obtained the necessary documents from the World Government to recognize Fish-Man Island as a legal island."
This issue had caused quite a stir on Fish-Man Island recently, so there was no point in trying to hide it.
"I see. Queen Otohime is quite remarkable," Zyhark commented.
Seeing that his companions had finished eating, he was the first to stand up, taking the unfinished deep-sea lobster with him.
"Since the thing we're looking for isn't here, we won't stay long. We'll just take a quick stroll around Fish-Man Island to buy some supplies before leaving."
"I'll accompany you. I'm very familiar with Fish-Man Island," Jinbei offered as he stood up.
Although he hadn't sensed any malicious intent from them, Zyhark's crew was still a powerful group of Shichibukai, requiring constant vigilance.
As a fish-man, it was his responsibility to keep an eye on them, and as a fellow Shichibukai, he was the most suitable for the task.
"Thanks, I'll leave it to you then, Jinbei-san," Zyhark replied casually.
He had no particular interest in Fish-Man Island and didn't dislike Jinbei, so this arrangement would put Neptune at ease and save them a lot of trouble.
And so, under Jinbei's guidance, Zyhark and his companions bid farewell to Neptune and left the grand Ryugu Castle, returning to the bustling streets.
After a leisurely stroll, they finally reached the plaza at the end of the street.
At that moment, the open space was filled with residents who had come to submit their signed petitions.
In the center of the crowd stood a slender and delicate figure on the podium.
Queen Otohime's face was radiant with joy as she held a box of letters, bowing repeatedly to thank her fellow fish-men for their support.
The efforts to coexist with the outside world had reached their final stage.
Once this last batch of letters was collected and submitted to the World Government, the day when Fish-Man Island would bask in the sunlight wouldn't be far off!
Thinking of the island's children no longer needing to risk their lives sneaking to the surface at night to glimpse the outside world, Otohime's heart swelled with joy.
Seeing the neatly stacked boxes of letters beside her, her weary eyes couldn't help but reveal a smile of satisfaction.
All the hard work and sacrifices had been worth it!
However, just as she was basking in the vision of a bright future, a sharp, piercing scream shattered her mood.
"No! No! It's on fire! The boxes suddenly caught fire!!"
(End of Chapter)