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The image displayed on the big screen shows the office of the Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
Akira, seated in the center, rests his chin on his folded hands, staring at everyone with sharp eyes.
From the report given by the soldier, he already knew the specific situation.
Even though Tokikake is also a student of Zephyr, he lacks basic morals.
Despite harboring some complaints about Akira during this time, he still carried out his duties faithfully.
He neither shows disrespect to his superiors nor abuses his status and strength to bully others.
During the day, he monitored the arrival of pirates, and at night, he would relax after work, always paying his dues properly.
In Akira's eyes, Tokikake had two major shortcomings:
1. When witnessing the kidnapping of mermaids by Marine colleagues and slave traders, he did nothing to stop it. Although the Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau hadn't been established back then, Fish-Man Island was already a member nation.
2. After a battle with pirates in the second half of the Grand Line, he failed to immediately rescue the distressed mermaids whose homes had been destroyed, nor did he offer help in rebuilding their homes.
After all, we are Marines, not pirates.
There are clear regulations in the department regarding compensating for property damage caused during arrests.
In addition to these two failings, he made one grave mistake:
Kidnapping a mermaid!
Since Tokikake knew it was just a joke at the time, he shouldn't have escalated the situation.
He unnecessarily provoked the desperate people of Fish-Man Street, leading to the current crisis.
The era of the Great Pirates has swept across not only the lands but also Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters deep under the sea.
They have been continually harassed, plundered, and kidnapped by pirates, pushing them to their breaking point.
Fish-Man Island at this moment is like a powder keg ready to explode, needing just a small spark to ignite.
And Tokikake's kidnapping incident was precisely that spark.
As for him openly making discriminatory remarks against all Fish-Men, Akira didn't believe he did anything wrong.
When lives are on the line, is it really appropriate to smile and praise them?
In such situations, stern reprimands are necessary.
Scold them as harshly as needed; it's best if the scolding stops them entirely.
"Bastard, who are you, Marine?" a Fish-Man shouted angrily.
Akira, on the other side of the screen, clearly heard the Fish-Man's words but couldn't be bothered to respond to such a small fry.
Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters deep in the sea, is isolated from the human world.
There are no newspaper delivery birds here; even newspapers have to be brought in by pirates.
So it's not surprising that some Fish-Men don't recognize his identity.
And this Fish-Man seemed like a thug from Fish-Man District.
If he concerned himself with such people, it would only hurt his reputation.
"Akira!" Tokikake, who was on the brink of a noble death, suddenly had his eyes light up.
There was hope.
A chance to survive!
For some reason, this thought suddenly struck him at that moment.
So, Tokikake quickly explained Akira's identity to everyone.
"He is the new Fleet Admiral of our Marines."
"Hahahaha, what? Are you planning to kill a Vice Admiral of Marine headquarters right in front of the Fleet Admiral?"
"You should understand what that means, right?"
At this critical moment, how could he be concerned about any grievances between them?
To make the Fish-Men wary, Tokikake quickly exaggerated Akira's various accomplishments, turning into the Fleet Admiral's loyal lackey.
After all, if you can live, who wants to die?
As expected.
When they heard that the young man on the screen was the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, the tension in the crowd felt like it was doused with cold water.
"Fleet Admiral of the Marines..."
The residents of Fish-Man Island gasped and looked at Akira on the screen with awe.
Though the Marines are just one branch of the World Government, their strength is undeniable.
Even residents who have never left Fish-Man Island know who rules the seas.
And now, the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, who commands that power, is watching them execute one of his subordinates in real-time.
Akira shot Tokikake a meaningful look.
But even if Tokikake hadn't been promoting him, Akira wouldn't allow a Vice Admiral to be executed just like that.
A man without boundaries is nothing.
As the Fleet Admiral, one must maintain a large-scale authority.
Not to mention, after establishing his authority over Tokikake, Akira had long since overlooked the latter's flaws.
"Having insulted my Vice Admiral, are you Fish-Men declaring war on the Marines?" Akira narrowed his eyes and asked in a low, threatening tone.
Everyone in the square felt a wave of suffocating pressure.
Declaring all-out war with the Marines?
Who would dare?
Even the most fearless Fish-Men quickly holstered their pistols.
Silence fell over the area, and no one responded.
"Neptune! As the king of Fish-Man Island, come out and explain yourself!" Akira commanded, his gaze landing on the tall merman surrounded by guards.
It's easy to distinguish Fish-Men from mermaids.
Fish-Men have obvious fish-like characteristics; they can't walk upright like humans and they resemble bizarre fish. Most of them are aggressive and hot-tempered.
On the other hand, mermans have a human upper body and a fishtail lower body. They are generally gentle, calm, and possess higher intelligence than Fish-Men.
Thus, for centuries, the king of Fish-Man Island has always been a merman.
"Your Mightiness!"
Neptune, who had just ascended to the throne a year ago, couldn't ignore Akira's direct call.
Under the watchful eyes of his people, he stepped forward.
"This incident didn't happen without cause.
"We've faced more injustice than ever since the Great Pirate Era began."
"Pirates have robbed us, the royal families on land have sent people to kidnap our citizens, and even the Marines, who are supposed to protect us, have engaged in human trafficking.
"Before, we had no evidence, but last night..."
Neptune pointed to the wooden plank, his voice filled with anger: "Your subordinate went to Fish-Man District late at night and kidnapped our people, and he was caught red-handed.
"And two days ago, during the battle with pirates, the entire Fish-Man Island was nearly destroyed—all caused by the Marines."
"Shouldn't you provide us with an explanation?"
Though Fish-Man Island is a member of the World Government, its status is not high.
The World Government was established by powerful countries and strong individuals from the land, 99% of whom are human.
It was already challenging enough for Fish-Man Island to join as a member nation given their status as a non-human race.
How much influence could they possibly hope to wield in this situation?
Therefore, when facing the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Neptune had to lower his posture and speak in a tone filled with grievance.
There was no shame in that.
After all, only the Celestial Dragons, Five Elders, and their CP organization could stand tall and face the Marines without fear.
Even the King of Alabasta, with a population of over 10 million, had to treat the Fleet Admiral of the Marines with respect.
The Fish-Men began to recall their recent hardships, tears forming in the corners of their eyes.
One by one, they expressed their fear and dissatisfaction:
"It's your conflict; why should we suffer because of it?"
"Every night, I'm terrified that humans will suddenly break in while I sleep."
"We just want to hide in our homes and live peacefully. Why can't we even have that small hope?"
"My sister was kidnapped by humans; what did she do wrong?"
Akira listened quietly, and once the square fell silent, he sat up straight and said:
"First of all, as a human, I want to apologize for what you have endured during this time."
"But you must also understand that the beginning of the Great Pirate Era wasn't something most humans wanted either.
"This disaster isn't specifically targeting Fish-Men, nor is it intentionally sparing humans."
"If there's one thing it's consistent in, it's that it plunders and kills across all races with equal ruthlessness."
"Furthermore, many Fish-Men have gone to sea, and with your natural advantages, the damage you cause is even greater than that of ordinary humans."
Akira adjusted his glasses as he spoke, laying out the facts that the Fish-Men were ignoring.
Your community is not entirely innocent.
There are good and bad individuals in every group. The bad humans are plundering, and the bad Fish-Men among you are just as guilty.
You, who are ten times stronger than ordinary humans, have also been tyrannical at sea, causing harm to innocent civilians.
Humans haven't targeted you yet, so why are you crying instead?
These words left the square in stunned silence.
The main reason was that what Akira said was logical and true.
Disasters strike without regard for race, and all are equal in suffering.
While their community was enduring hardships, the situation for other humans on the surface was even worse.
And it's true that many violent Fish-Men had taken to the seas.
"Fine, let's not talk about the pain human pirates have caused us. What about you Marines? Don't you claim to uphold absolute justice?"
"Then why are you kidnapping us? Don't try to deny it—if you refuse to acknowledge the past, that's one thing.
"But your subordinate kidnapped my sister, and that's a fact."
A young Fish-Man stepped forward angrily, raising his voice in defiance.
Akira frowned slightly and, instead of answering, asked, "You look familiar, what's your name?"
"Arlong."
Akira's eyes darkened.
No wonder he recognized this guy—Arlong was the same Fish-Man who would one day terrorize Nami's hometown.
Wait a minute.
Aaron's sister?
That mermaid who can predict the future?
Akira suddenly felt relieved; if this was the case, he knew how to handle the situation.
Even though, as Fleet Admiral, he could have simply ordered them to release the mermaid by force, now that he had a good reason, there was no need to escalate the situation unnecessarily.
Fish-Men are excellent swimmers and invaluable in the ocean.
If they all began to despise the Marines because of this incident, the consequences would be severe.
"Ah, I see what this is about."
"So, what are you going to say to us?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't plan to offer any explanation. Because I personally ordered Vice Admiral Tokikake to arrest your sister."
Arlong: "..."
Neptune: "..."
Residents of Fish-Man Island: "..."
Everyone was stunned by Akira's blunt admission.
The dignified Fleet Admiral of the Marines personally ordered the kidnapping of a mermaid.
Even Tokikake, watching from the screen, was shocked.
He had assumed the blame for capturing the mermaid would fall squarely on his shoulders and was prepared to accept it if it meant survival.
But to his surprise, Akira took full responsibility.
As he let out a sigh of relief, Tokikake's view of Akira shifted entirely.
"Good fellow, I have to say, you're the sharpest Fleet Admiral."
"…"
"I didn't expect things to escalate this far, but let me explain why."
Akira raised his hand, cutting Arlong off before he could speak. He casually picked up a document filled with handwritten notes from the table and held it up in front of the Den Den Mushi.
"This is a report from a spy. It contains a lot of classified information, so I can't show it to you in detail."
"One of the items in the report mentions that before the Great Pirate Era began, a mermaid on Fish-Man Island accurately predicted this event."
"And that mermaid fortune teller's name is..."
Akira's lips curled into a slight smile, and under everyone's gaze, he slowly uttered the name.
"Shyarly."
Arlong's eyes widened in shock.
Even the mermaid Shyarly, standing behind him, was taken aback.
"Arlong, is this true?" Neptune asked, turning his head towards him.
Arlong swallowed hard. Although the incident was only rumored in small circles, it was something that couldn't be entirely concealed.
He could only nod in confirmation.
The square erupted into murmurs and whispers.
Akira continued, "Shyarly's fortune-telling abilities are extraordinary. If the Marines had been able to utilize her power at that time, the Great Pirate Era might never have happened.
"That's why I specifically ordered Vice Admiral Tokikake to find this legendary fortune-teller and bring her to work for the Marines while also helping to curb pirate activity on Fish-Man Island."
"As a result... this misunderstanding occurred."
Tokikake blinked in surprise.
Wait, is that true? How did I not know?
Even though Tokikake knew Akira was fabricating the story, he wasn't foolish enough to deny it now.
He was equally astonished to learn that the mermaid he had coincidentally captured was a fortune teller.
With that explanation, everyone began to realize there had been a massive misunderstanding.
The Marines hadn't intended to kidnap Shyarly to sell her, but rather to invite her back to headquarters to assist them with her abilities.
Given this, wouldn't their treatment of Vice Admiral Tokikake be unjustified?
No one doubted the truth of Akira's words—not even Arlong, Shyarly, or Neptune.
Everyone knew Shyarly's reputation as a fortune teller, and it made perfect sense that the Marines would want her on their side.
Though the method of bringing her in was a bit rough, the intent was vastly different from kidnapping her to sell as a slave.
"So, people of Fish-Man Island..." Akira crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and looked at them coldly.
"My Vice Admiral was ordered to risk his life to come to Fish-Man Island and help maintain order.
"During his time here, not only did he refrain from any misconduct, but he also fought tirelessly to protect the property and lives of your people from pirates.
"And yet, because of a mere misunderstanding, you didn't even give him a chance to explain and instead humiliated him like this.
"I have to wonder—are you, Fish-Man Island, deliberately targeting the Marines?"
"Do you think the Marines of this era are so weak that they can be insulted with impunity?"
"...
"You owe me an explanation."
This grave accusation made Neptune break out in a cold sweat.
He quickly stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Excellency Fleet Admiral, we absolutely had no such intentions."
Akira responded coldly, "Then how do you explain Vice Admiral Tokikake's current situation?"
"Even if he made a grave mistake, you should have notified headquarters to have him arrested and interrogated, not resorted to vigilante justice.
"If I hadn't intervened today, would he have been executed here on Fish-Man Island?"
Akira's voice was as cold as ice, and the murderous intent in his words was unmistakable, sending chills through everyone present.
No one doubted that if their response wasn't satisfactory, a great calamity could befall all of Fish-Man Island.
The square fell into a tense and oppressive silence.
Tokikake's eyes were wide with realization.
He finally understood—Akira had turned the situation around, going from defense to offense.
"But, but he discriminated against us," someone whispered timidly, barely able to speak in the tense atmosphere.
Akira just smiled.