King Neptune rested his great fishtail against the floor beneath his throne, stroking his massive beard with one hand as he asked, troubled:
"How have things been these past few days?"
The catfish scholar instantly knew what his king was referring to and replied:
"Fish-Man Island has been restless of late. Without Whitebeard's deterrence, the pirates have grown increasingly reckless…"
"'Reckless' is far too mild!" the seahorse general snapped indignantly. "They've been looting, smashing, burning at will—especially those so-called Supernovas!"
The catfish scholar added:
"Your Majesty, our forces are no match for these pirates. Ordinary ones we could handle—but each Supernova carries a bounty exceeding one hundred million."
"Father!" declared Prince Fukaboshi, striding forth to stand tall. "Allow me to lead the army of Ryugu Palace to sweep these villains aside!"
"Don't be foolish." Neptune straightened, thumping his fist against the throne's armrest as he admonished him. "Resolve and courage are virtues, but our strength is nowhere near enough to defeat them."
"Then are we to simply let them ravage Fish-Man Island? Do you know, Father, that many nobles and commoners alike have already gone to Shirahoshi, pleading for help?"
Neptune let out a weary sigh. The thought of his daughter's face—the pity and sorrow in her eyes—shattered his heart.
How he longed to march forth with an army, crush these pirates in all his might, and display his glory before her.
But reality slapped him coldly across the face, reminding him not to dream.
Each Supernova was monstrously fierce. The only way Ryugu Palace could hope for a decisive victory would be to rupture the island's protective bubble.
With the sea flooding in, Devil Fruit users would be helpless, while merfolk and fish-men could unleash their full might.
Yet that would also mean destroying Fish-Man Island itself—reconstruction would take months, perhaps longer. And even then, it was not foolproof; pirates could fight on within special protective bubbles.
"Bear it. Just bear it a little longer," Neptune sighed. "These Supernovas aren't here for Fish-Man Island. In a day or two, they'll be gone."
Once they departed, the smaller fry left behind could be dealt with by Ryugu Palace's forces.
Neptune then asked:
"And what of the Davy Jones Pirates? What are their recent movements?"
"Alvida and Hachi are gathering the remnants of the New Fish-Man Pirates," the catfish scholar answered. "They're making no attempt to hide their intentions."
The seahorse general added:
"Most of their crew has boarded a ship and left Fish-Man Island. Only Davy Jones himself has remained."
Fukaboshi blinked in surprise.
"They split up? Have they fallen into infighting?"
"Impossible," Neptune shook his head firmly. "If our intelligence is correct, Davy Jones's fury alone would consume any traitor."
"Then what are they doing?"
"What else? Whitebeard's legacy isn't fully carved up yet. Their vanguard has gone into the New World to seize territory."
The catfish scholar adjusted his monocle, hesitated, and asked:
"Your Majesty, Davy Jones has made no secret of his intent to claim Fish-Man Island. His City of Fangs sits right beside us… is he not forcing you to declare a stance, while also winning over the people's hearts?"
Neptune sighed once more.
"That's precisely it."
"Your Majesty," the scholar urged, "the Whitebeard Pirates' remnants are too busy fending for themselves. They can no longer protect us. Should we not look forward?"
"You think I don't know this?" Neptune fell into silence before confessing his burden. "Kaido wants Fish-Man Island. Charlotte Linlin wants Fish-Man Island. And now Davy Jones wants it too. But there is only one Fish-Man Island—how do we divide it three ways?"
The hall fell into a chill.
"Davy Jones is indeed formidable," Neptune admitted. "But if I hand the island to him, can he defend it with the forces he has now?"
He gestured beyond the palace.
"Kaido is one matter. But Charlotte Linlin has had her eyes on this place for a long time. If she clashes with Davy Jones here, who will suffer the most? Fish-Man Island."
Everyone understood at once the source of Neptune's hesitation.
Fish-Man Island was simply too weak. Its fate was not in Ryugu Palace's hands, but in those of the New World's monsters.
No matter how one saw it, surrendering to Charlotte Linlin was the safest course.
But would she ever allow Davy Jones to remain entrenched right beside her domain?
Neptune could think of no perfect solution—only to delay, and delay again.
Yet the chaos on Fish-Man Island itself seemed unwilling to let him stall any longer.
One of the Supernovas, Scratchmen Apoo, caused a massive uproar on Fish-Man Island.
He had crossed paths with fellow Supernova Eustass Kid, and their old grudge reignited.
The two had clashed briefly at Sabaody, but the Navy Admirals' looming presence forced restraint.
Here, in the deep sea, with no great powers standing watch and Whitebeard gone, they could finally fight without restraint.
Kid, with his Magnet-Magnet Fruit powers. Apoo, with his Sound-Sound Fruit. One wielded magnetism, the other sonic blasts. Their battle left Fish-Man Island's streets shattered.
Kid's ally Killer and several other Supernovas stood nearby, watching.
On Fish-Man Island, pirate battles had become a daily routine.
At last, the fight reached its conclusion.
Kid hurled Apoo bodily into a café, smashing tables and chairs to splinters.
Laughing thunderously, he jeered:
"How about it, Apoo? Want to go another round?"
Apoo, blood streaming down his head, crawled from the rubble and spat out a tooth.
With a toss of his braids, he raised a middle finger, still defiant.
Kid's grin turned savage.
"Looks like you won't cry till you see the coffin. I don't think you need to bother with the New World—you can just die here."
At that moment, a squad appeared, drawing gasps from the islanders.
"Stop!"
Kid turned—and found Fukaboshi, the seahorse general, and a detachment of guards.
They had received word of more Supernova trouble and had finally lost patience.
"In the name of Ryugu Palace, I—"
But before Fukaboshi could finish, a flash of steel swept past. Blood sprayed from his body.
His eyes widened in shock, unbelieving.
Masked Killer stood silently, flicking blood from his scythe.
The crowd screamed. Islanders stared in terror as their prince collapsed.
The general and guards rushed to his side, shouting "Prince Fukaboshi!" and checking his wounds.
Thankfully, he yet lived—but gravely injured.
They glared daggers at Kid and Killer, fury burning in their eyes, but Shark Star's condition demanded their priority.
So they carried him away in haste.
The citizens were horrified. Never before had they seen their valiant prince defeated—so quickly, so brutally.
They shrank back, unwilling to approach the pirates again.
"The prince of Ryugu Palace is that weak?" Kid laughed, his voice booming down the ruined street. "Killer, if that's the best they've got, we could take Fish-Man Island for ourselves!"
"Yeah," Killer sneered coldly.
Just then, the owner of the café Kid had wrecked emerged.
It was Madame Shyarly, seated upon a bubble with her fish tail dangling beneath. Wearing her blue hood, she puffed on her pipe, her cold eyes fixed on them.
"Strutting just because you beat Prince Fukaboshi?" she said, blowing a smoke ring. "Try beating the strongest one here first."
"The strongest one?" Kid's interest piqued. He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Woman, who's the strongest here? Your king, Neptune?"
"No." Shyarly smirked. "If I spoke his name aloud… I wonder if you'd even dare to face him."
"Who?" Kid demanded, eyes gleaming with menace.
Shyarly exhaled another puff of smoke.
"The 'Deep Sea King of Hell,' Davy Jones," she said, pointing with her pipe. "He's in the Waterless Cavern, just outside Fish-Man Island. Go on—if you have the guts."
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