_________________
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Chapter's Events:
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"There shouldn't be anywhere that is beyond our reach!!!"
"Why are we all coming up with empty reasons, convincing ourselves to give up on all that?!"
The 'drunk Queen Otohime continued speaking into the microphone from the heart, and the people continued listening bashfully.
"Why is it that our children swim up to sneak glimpses of Shabondy Park? There are so many more wonderful places in the world!!!" Every word she said changed the expressions of the crowd and made them bow their heads in shame.
"We should all have the courage to seek out what we truly want…!!!"
"If it's the humans that are stopping us, then we should go up there and face them!!!" The queen stated plainly that cowardice was not an option for the entire Fishman race; confrontation was the answer.
"Your majesty…" The Minister of the Right grew anxious.
"…if we do that… then the future that awaits the children of our land… might change a little for the better!!!" Tears were pouring down her face; everyone could feel the searing emotion she held for the race's welfare.
…
..
[Fishman Island, main entrance]
"Calling Ryuguu Palace! Calling Ryuguu Palace!"
"This is the border guard!! There is a gigantic, heavily damaged vessel requesting admission to the island!!" At that moment, King Neptune was startled by an emergency call from the border guards reporting a problem.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let them in immediately!" King Neptune gave his orders.
"There's just one problem …"
"There seem to be Tenryuubito on board!!!" said the border guard.
"!!?" Upon hearing this, the expressions of both Neptune and the Minister of the Left turned sharply.
"Allow them admission!! Dispatch an emergency squadron to the coast!!" The moment she heard that, Queen Otohime gave orders to the guards and sprinted like lightning.
"Understood!"
The Minister of the Left followed her, shouting. "Your majesty!!"
"I will be there at once!!!" She had to arrive as soon as possible to ensure the Celestial Dragon's safety.
"Your majestyyyy!!!"
— — — — — — — — — — — —
The first half of the chapter left Otohime so absent-minded that she didn't notice the gazes that fell upon her from every direction.
After all, this was the first time they had seen Otohime drunk; still, it's a scene from the manga, but...
Regardless of her cute appearance, her words—affecting the mentality of the entire race in the manga—had the same effect not only on the Fishmen "readers," but even on human readers and those of other races.
At that moment, Otohime represented the entire Fishman race in addressing humankind.
Her brave words made humankind feel tense, and made her own race, the Fishmen, feel ashamed.
"It seems the pent-up frustration from the people not believing in her was never small at all…"
Otohime sighed as she wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye. The impact of her drunk counterpart's speech weighed not only on the Fishmen but on her as well.
For the first time, she felt the same emotions as Fisher Tiger.
It felt as if she had abandoned her role in this life to live a luxurious life she had chosen out of selfish desire.
It felt as if she had forsaken her role just so she alone could live on the surface and under the sunlight…
At that exact moment, she felt a hand pat her shoulder… Those conflicted, tangled feelings did not escape Rob, whose Observation Haki was at the absolute pinnacle in this world.
"Otohime, you've already fulfilled your role through my manga. If there were no manga in this world, I would agree with your feelings. But since the manga exists, there's no need for you to do anything physically…"
"The current world is constantly mending itself; it only needs symbols—like you and Fisher Tiger and many other important figures, whether they've appeared in the manga before or will appear later."
"No one is obliged to do anything. This world is already on the path to complete reform and coexistence among all races and cultures. Be assured that after finishing this entire arc, everyone from Fishman Island will be able to move under the sunlight and live alongside humans."
As soon as she heard all that, the heaviness in Otohime's heart eased; the conflicting emotions vanished at once. The towering shadow of King Neptune scattered from her heart, and even the images of her children from the parallel reality faded… She no longer had any grievances over her true fate.
Otohime smiled at Rob, clasping his large hand with both of hers.
"Thank you, my dear, for untangling the turmoil in my heart."
"That is my duty as the author—and your husband." Rob smiled in reply.
Olivia, Gloriosa, and the other women also smiled happily for their sister Otohime.
…
In the Holy Land, the Domain of the Gods, the eyes of the Celestial Dragons widened—both those who supported humans and those who hated them. At this moment, they were all paying close attention to the manga's events.
"What!? What brought a vessel of 'one of us' to Fishman Island!?"
A 'neutral' Celestial Dragon's expression froze as he looked at the scene of the Celestial Dragon's arrival that had caused an uproar in the royal palace.
"I wonder which family the Celestial Dragon stranded on Fishman Island belongs to." A Celestial Dragon from the Donquixote family felt intense curiosity at that moment; he didn't yet realize that the Celestial Dragon who appeared on Fishman Island was himself.
"Oooh, another lucky Celestial Dragon appears in the manga! When will it be my turn, I wonder!"
"Aaah, I'm so jealous! I want to appear in the manga too! I hope to see Queen Otohime fawn over my counterpart and become his slave, hehe~"
A 'typical' Celestial Dragon was burning with the desire to see his counterpart as the one aboard the ship requesting entry to Fishman Island.
In his view, it would be a great honor for a bunch of mortal fish to receive him—the Celestial Dragon Saint Vanyard—and attend to him properly, especially by bringing him many mermaids from Mermaid Cove for his enjoyment.
Just imagining that turned Saint Vanyard's face red, and blood spilled from his nose like Sanji.
…
"Tsk, trash." Saint Garling felt a strong urge to draw his sword and execute these fools and scum who had turned the Celestial Dragons into a joke in this pivotal era.
He had always wondered why someone as strong and terrifying as Lord Imu would raise such pigs and grant them such exalted status. There was hardly any benefit to keeping them; their only role was to turn the lives of commoners into hell.
Shamrock shot a quick glance at those Celestial Dragons who had long annoyed his father with their foolish reactions, but he soon ignored them and went back to reading the manga.
He was also curious about how Queen Otohime would handle the heavy guest… any misstep posed a massive existential threat to the entire race, after all.
He was even more curious about her innate power in Observation Haki…
(It seems she can sense emotions directly…)
…
Back on Fishman Island, readers were shocked by the sudden escalation of events.
"A Celestial Dragon is coming to our island! Oh my god!"
"When will that happen!? It doesn't seem too far from our present time!! Oh my god, what will we do, what will we do!?!"
"Wait, you idiot. It's not guaranteed that a Celestial Dragon will come here—the future has already changed a lot!!"
"Aaah, his ship is completely wrecked—did the fast dragon current smash them!?"
"No, it looks like they were attacked by a Deep-sea creature…"
"Heh~ A Celestial Dragon's ship without a skilled helmsman to avoid the fast currents and a strong fighter to repel powerful beasts? How pathetic."
"Heh~ As expected from the trash; the moment he shows up, he points his gun at the very people who saved his life."
"After all, just letting him in means saving his life, doesn't it?"
The Fishmen mocked the Celestial Dragon, especially after he threatened the commoners with his weapon and ordered them to bring his mask because he was annoyed by the smell of fish in the place.
Fisher Tiger clenched his fist in hatred as he looked at the Celestial Dragon's ugly face.
"How can a world this beautiful contain creatures so ugly, in shape and in heart!?!"
Tiger had always wondered about that.
"Are scum like this the ones who enslaved my counterpart and turned his life into hell!?"
Even if he could understand Queen Otohime's desire to coexist with humans on the surface, he couldn't understand how she could sprint for the sake of an insect like this.
"Well, kings are diplomatic by nature; their perspective reaches farther than ours, the common folk… The presence of a Celestial Dragon in this country represents an enormous danger if it isn't handled properly."
Jimbei spoke in response; after all, he was still part of the Ryugu Kingdom's army. He had been taught a little about how to act in situations like this, which necessarily included how to deal with a Celestial Dragon.
"Well, in this era—where there is another name that rivals the Celestial Dragons in authority—those basic lessons no longer matter. The Celestial Dragons wouldn't dare appear in public."
_________________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
_________________
Chapter 945: Emotional Shift. Saint Mjosgard.
Chapter 946: The Shocking Appearance of the Huge Sea Kings! Fate Changes.
Chapter 947: A Lot of Signatures.
_________________
BlackStar_BH:
Join my Patreon at:
https://www.patreon.com/BlackStar_BH
To support me and unlock advanced chapters. Get ahead with up to 30 chapters in advance:
- 5 advanced chapters for $5
- 10 advanced chapters for $10
- 15 advanced chapters for $15
- 20 advanced chapters for $20
- 30 advanced chapters for $30
_________________