"These guys…"
King Neptune's gaze swept over the Fish-Man Street tribesmen surging from the distance, their expressions fierce and furious. Anxiety crept into his face. He feared that their anger might provoke the God King in his palm.
Yet he knew Shirogai was not the type to lose temper over mere insults.
"No need to worry. I won't casually kill anyone. If I get truly angry, I'll simply beat them up," Shirogai said, waving a hand with a calm smile, teasing the king.
"After all, as long as they're not beaten to death, they can be revived. King, you should understand that better than they do."
"Cough, cough…"
King Neptune awkwardly touched his face, still feeling the faint throbbing where it had been restored by Shirogai.
To face this God King, even the concept of suicide seemed meaningless. Imagine attempting it, only to open your eyes and see him holding a knife, smiling.
"Suicide is too bloody. How about I help you instead?"
Terrifying. Bone-chilling despair. In front of Shirogai, the weak could not even command their own life and death.
"You don't have to demonize me that much, do you?" Shirogai remarked lightly, turning his gaze toward Neptune, aware of the king's reverent thoughts.
Neptune quickly checked himself, shouting at the approaching Fish-Men, "Stop! What do you intend to do?!"
The Fish-Men, weapons raised, snarled with hatred.
"King! These humans broke into Fish-Man Street! They harmed our tribesmen!"
"And they kidnapped one of our children!"
"Exactly! They stole our property! My pickled vegetable jar is missing!"
Voices overlapped, each complaint more absurd and furious than the last.
Fish-Man Street had long been a legacy of mismanagement. Once a refuge for orphans victimized by human atrocities, it had grown into a den of resentment and defiance.
Here, those who had survived human oppression banded together, forming a force that destabilized Fish-Man Island itself. Even the royal family struggled to control this area.
The scars of history ran deep: the late Fisher Tiger, founder of the Sun Pirates, had originated here, as had former Shichibukai allies. Disturbing Fish-Man Street could unleash chaos across the island.
If the hatred bottled within these Fish-Men erupted, the Ryugu Kingdom could be consumed. And in such a conflict, they would be crushed by humans far stronger than any Fish-Man, even those like Jinbe.
Coexistence with humans had only temporarily contained this fury. Suppressed anger, if mismanaged, could destroy everything.
King Neptune took a deep breath and addressed his tribesmen.
"My fellow tribesmen, perhaps you have misunderstood," he said, holding Shirogai gently in his palm.
"This one is not a despicable human who seeks to deceive or harm our people. This is the recently renowned Omnipotent God King Qin Lang, a pirate whose name surpasses even the Four Emperors. How could he commit such vile acts? To be honest, even I deeply respect and fear him."
"Ah?!"
The Fish-Men froze. Seeing the smiling face clearly, they instinctively took a step back, trembling.
"It… it's really him! The God King with a bounty of ten billion Berries!"
"A genuine God King!"
"Oh my… We're lucky we didn't strike…"
Even underwater, the Fish-Men had access to world news. They knew the God King's true power: a combatant stronger than an Admiral, feared even by the Celestial Dragons and respected by the Four Emperors. Fighting him was inconceivable.
Neptune continued in a deep, commanding voice, "I know your anger at humans who have plundered and harmed our people. My royal family has always sought peaceful coexistence, which may have felt like betrayal to you."
The Fish-Men paused, weapons drooping as they absorbed the king's words. Blood-red light glimmered in their eyes, faces still fierce but tears beginning to flow.
They remembered the pain of lost family, the abduction of loved ones, and the torment of helpless rage. Their fury had been suppressed, yet festering for years.
Past groups like Arlong's and Hody Jones' only manifested this hatred more concretely. The legacy of Fish-Man Street had been ignored too long.
But today, King Neptune decided: the seal of restraint would be lifted.
Since the anger could not be suppressed, it would be channeled to strengthen the kingdom, with the guidance of the God King.
Through the Whisper-Whisper Fruit, Shirogai's voice echoed silently in Neptune's mind:
"King Neptune, the tide of the era is rising. Since you wish to embrace it, I will guarantee your success. I will allow you to join the Sky Island Alliance and teach you technologies beyond this era."
Trembling, King Neptune felt renewed.
"I, the royal family, will no longer humbly beg to join the World Government," he declared. Placing Shirogai carefully on the ocean currents, he raised his trident high.
"We will dedicate ourselves to developing our country, military strength, and cooperation with the Sky Island Alliance! They will teach us to build underwater Sky Islands and artificial suns, allowing life underwater to rival that on land!"
A glint of lethal resolve flashed in Neptune's aged eyes as he roared:
"All pirate crews and slave ships infringing upon our waters, without exception…"
Boom!
The trident struck, churning the water violently.
"Kill without mercy!"