Shirogai watched King Neptune hesitate at the cabin entrance and chuckled, "Do you think I'm a lunatic?"
King Neptune stiffened, then quickly shook his head, "No, no, don't speak nonsense!"
"Really? Then come closer, and I'll show you another treasure," Shirogai teased, his words sending a chill through the King's spine.
"Admiral Silver Serpent," King Neptune said bluntly, his composure strained, "what exactly do you want? Speak plainly!"
Neptune drew a deep breath. "Is it the pirates from Fish‑Man Street, under the jurisdiction of our Ryugu Kingdom, who angered you? I'll return immediately and reform Fish‑Man Street!"
Shirogai smiled and shook his head. "No. I simply don't like your royal family. Send your royals to Fish‑Man Street, and let the Fish‑Men from Fish‑Man Street live in your Ryugu Palace."
King Neptune froze. "What? How could that be? What right do the ruffians of Fish‑Man Street have to live in Ryugu Palace…?"
Have the royal family dwell in the dark, sunless slums of Fish‑Man Street? And let those lawless residents of Fish‑Man Street live in the palace instead?
He was utterly bewildered.
He had assumed this Admiral was enraged at the Fish‑Man Street ruffians. But now… it seemed to be something far stranger.
"Wuwuwu!!!"
Little Akiue Hoshi, her cheeks already chubby, puffed up with anger. "Y‑you're the ruffian! Your whole family are ruffians!"
Shirogai gently patted the little girl's head and stood, facing the usually revered King of Fish‑Man Island with narrowed eyes.
"King Neptune, what do you think of your late Queen Otohime's lifelong mission of coexistence with humans?"
"Queen Otohime…" King Neptune's expression sank at the mention of his deceased wife, and his voice lowered. "She was a great mermaid, devoted to this kingdom. She wanted to change the fate of Fish‑Men, who could only live at the bottom of the sea, unable to see sunlight or land. She dreamed of a future where children of this kingdom could live happily on land."
Although Neptune didn't yet understand Shirogai's intentions, he genuinely missed his beloved wife. "If the accident hadn't happened and she were still alive, Fish‑Man Island might have already joined the World Government. Then the children could see the sun… feel the land…"
Shirogai yawned and interrupted him. "Nonsense! She was simply a fool trying to cure her illness by any means."
"Bang!"
King Neptune's expression instantly twisted with fury. He seized Shirogai by the neck, lifting him and slamming him against the wall behind them.
Crack!
Large fissures spidered across the wall from Shirogai's impact.
"You are not allowed to insult Otohime like that!" King Neptune roared, his voice shaking with rage. Until now he had endured slaps and being thrown around without reacting, but this one comment had shattered his restraint.
"Oh? So you know anger?" Shirogai said with a mocking smile as he met the King's glare. "Then why were you so tolerant when I attacked you earlier? Were you worried that fighting back would bring disaster to your kingdom, so you yielded instead of resisting?"
"You…!" King Neptune's breath was ragged, his face flushed with fury. For a moment he clutched Shirogai's collar tighter, but then released him.
He was a King of a small country — he could not afford to enrage an Admiral.
Thud!
King Neptune knelt before Shirogai, his voice hoarse and deferential. "I apologize for my momentary outburst that offended Admiral Silver Serpent. I beg your mercy; please do not implicate the Ryugu Kingdom of Fish‑Man Island."
"Heh, King, keep your life to yourself," Shirogai replied, looking down at the kneeling monarch. "It's hard for me to respect a King who has no dignity and kneels at every turn."
"As long as Admiral Silver Serpent does not vent his anger on my country, my dignity is of no use!" Neptune answered in muffled desperation.
Shirogai's smile faded as he regarded the kneeling King coldly. "That's precisely the problem. A King without dignity cannot rule with dignity."
He spoke plainly.
"When Fish‑Men face foes far superior in population, environment, or global influence, you retreat. You ignore the Fish‑Men being kidnapped by humans. You ignore the chaos in Fish‑Man Street. You ignore the truth that the Celestial Dragons — the World Government's highest officials whom you serve — are the ones who most enjoy capturing Merfolk and Fish‑Men as slaves."
Shirogai's gaze sharpened as he walked through the seawater beside King Neptune.
"You believe that pleasing the World Government will bring protection and prestige, that their power will intimidate slave traders. But have you ever considered what this means? Compromising with the World Government means abandoning Fish‑Man dignity. It means betraying those Fish‑Men sold into slavery."
Shirogai gestured to the thin sashimi‑like remains floating in the water‑filled cabin, his expression contemptuous.
"You may have guessed who these slices belong to. Do you know who made them?"
"Are the ruffians of Fish‑Man Street truly just products of hatred? From where did their hatred originate? Was it not born from a royal family that refused to acknowledge that Fish‑Men were being, have been, and will continue to be plundered by human slave traders?"
Shirogai stepped to the King's side, eyes blazing.
"Is your plight self‑inflicted? Oh, ridiculous Fish‑Man King! The organization you so desperately want to join is the very force that declared Fish‑Men are fish, not people. After that arrogant institution crushed you time and again, you sought to overthrow it by discarding resistance, begging for mercy?"
"'Stupid' doesn't even begin to describe your actions. Be thankful for Fisher Tiger's existence. Without him, Fish‑Men might already be extinct. Be thankful for the Sun Pirates — pirates who stood against humans and made many human friends. They are your true hope for survival in this world."
Shirogai shifted his weight and delivered a sharp kick.
Thud!
Neptune collapsed. Before he could rise, Shirogai pressed his foot onto his face. The pressure pinned the King down immovably.
Shirogai leaned forward, staring into Neptune's terrified eyes with a sneer.
"Fool, if not for Fish‑Men who once resisted humans, forcing the World Government to hesitate out of fear of a powerful rebellion… what if your weak, spineless Fish‑Man pirate crews were deep underwater right now? The Celestial Dragons would have already captured you all to be their playthings. They'd keep you in special tanks, starve you, and make you fight each other for sport. Or they'd fish for Fish‑Men as entertainment."
Nearby, Akiue Hoshi stood silently, eyes wide as she watched Shirogai pin the monarch's head in place. Hearing words no one had ever dared speak before — that humanity, not Fish‑Men, bore responsibility for their tragedy — stirred something painful within her heart.
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