Chapter 241: Unexpected Visitors
The fish-man rebellion instigated by Hody Jones was swiftly suppressed without causing any significant disturbance.
When King Neptune arrived at the scene with the Neptune Army, he found an ocean of fish-men kneeling on the ground.
All the fish-men had their heads bowed deeply, like children who had committed grave wrongs, awaiting punishment.
"What... what's going on here?"
Neptune was a coelacanth fish-man of enormous stature, with distinctive orange-red hair and a flowing beard.
Where was Hody Jones?
And why were all these rebels kneeling submissively on the ground?
Neptune was completely bewildered by the scene before him.
Fortunately, Jinbe approached and briefly explained everything that had just transpired.
"Shirley's prophecy?"
"You were completely defeated?"
"The rebellion was suppressed by the Dragon Slayer Swordsman single-handedly?"
Neptune was genuinely surprised, not expecting so much to have occurred in such a brief span of time.
His thoughts were complicated, and he finally let out a long, heavy sigh.
No matter what had happened, as long as the outcome was favorable and it didn't harm the innocent residents of Fish-Man Island, that was acceptable.
Neptune looked at Jinbe thoughtfully, pondered for a moment, and asked carefully,
"What is your honest opinion?"
Jinbe understood exactly what he meant and responded calmly but firmly,
"Both Madam Shirley and I believe that the Dragon Slayer Swordsman is worth pledging our loyalty to."
"Perhaps he doesn't yet match Charlotte Linlin and the other Yonko currently, but his future potential is extraordinary."
"I see..."
Neptune pondered seriously for a moment, but still refrained from agreeing rashly, deciding to observe the situation further.
He was the king and bore responsibility for every single resident of Fish-Man Island.
After that, Neptune left the Neptune Army to handle the disarmed fish-man soldiers, then personally invited Rhodes to Ryugu Palace for a proper discussion.
Rhodes readily agreed—after all, he needed to show proper respect to the King of Fish-Man Island.
Moreover, it would be an excellent opportunity to meet the legendary mermaid princess, Shirahoshi, who was also the Ancient Weapon Poseidon with world-destroying power.
Robin was equally interested, and the group immediately boarded the enormous whale that Neptune rode and headed toward Ryugu Palace.
At the same time,
outside Fish-Man Island's entry barrier, a group of unexpected visitors suddenly arrived.
"Please state your identity and purpose, or you will be denied entry—"
But before the guard could finish speaking, the fish-man captain beside him suddenly covered his subordinate's mouth, his expression filled with terror.
"We will connect the passage immediately! Please wait just a moment, honorable guests!"
Soon, this group of unexpected visitors entered Fish-Man Island through the connected passage.
"Captain, who were those people? They didn't even need to identify themselves."
At this moment, the fish-man guard whose mouth had been covered asked weakly.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
The fish-man captain glared at him furiously, refusing to answer directly. Instead, he immediately gave urgent orders:
"Quickly inform King Neptune that the Big Mom Pirates have arrived!"
"The leader appears to be Charlotte Oven, the Minister of Browned Food!"
"WHAT?!"
This announcement caused massive uproar. The fish-men in the entry corridor were all shocked and hurriedly contacted Neptune's palace.
They had dared to hesitate momentarily when facing the Dragon Slayer Swordsman, but they absolutely didn't dare show even a second's hesitation when facing the crew of a Yonko who reigned supreme over the New World. That's precisely why the captain had immediately granted them passage without requiring formal identification.
This was the absolute authority of the Four Emperors—none dared disobey.
Those who did... all perished.
To rise above countless pirates and become Emperors of the Sea, each Yonko had carved their path through rivers of blood and mountains of corpses.
Meanwhile, Rhodes and Robin, escorted by King Neptune, had arrived at Ryugu Palace—the magnificent pride of Fish-Man Island.
"Rhodes-sama, please take this. Ryugu Palace is currently filled with seawater throughout—this coral can generate protective bubbles."
Neptune handed Rhodes a pink, somewhat translucent coral.
Rhodes accepted it, pressed the top of the coral, and bubbles immediately began forming around it.
The bubble grew larger and larger, quickly enveloping both Rhodes and Robin in a protective sphere.
"Excellent. Now let us enter Ryugu Palace properly."
The group passed through a seawater-filled passage and finally arrived within Ryugu Palace itself.
Fish-Man Island itself was a treasure of the seas, and Ryugu Palace, as the crown jewel of Fish-Man Island, was naturally even more magnificent.
Even the normally composed Robin couldn't help but marvel in wonder.
The entire palace was built within the ocean depths, surrounded by vibrant colorful corals and leisurely swimming tropical fish.
Because of the sunlight transmitted by the massive roots of the Sunlight Tree Eve above, many exotic plants thrived in these deep-sea waters ten thousand meters below the surface—it was truly extraordinary.
"Rhodes-sama, welcome to Ryugu Palace."
With the opening of the massive golden gates, Rhodes and his party entered the interior of the palace proper.
The interior of Ryugu Palace was also filled with seawater initially.
But Neptune quickly had attendants bring an enormous coral to create a protective bubble and displace all the seawater from the reception hall.
"Rhodes-sama, since you have honored us with your presence at Ryugu Palace, please allow me to host a proper banquet in your honor."
"Excellent! I haven't eaten nearly enough yet."
Rhodes' eyes lit up with anticipation. Perhaps due to its unique geographical location, Fish-Man Island possessed very distinctive cuisine.
The Coral Burger he'd sampled earlier had left a lasting impression. He wondered what the royal court cuisine of Fish-Man Island would be like. It surely wouldn't disappoint.
Robin, meanwhile, wandered around the great hall, gently touching the ancient murals and intricate carvings, her eyes filled with scholarly excitement.
The historical heritage of Fish-Man Island was beyond question.
In Rhodes' estimation, Fish-Man Island, like the Ancient Weapons, had likely originated from that distant and mysterious Ancient Kingdom.
After all, Fish-Man Island clearly wasn't naturally formed.
The feast was quickly served—an elaborate spread reminiscent of the finest royal banquets, everything meticulously prepared.
"I must apologize, Rhodes-sama. We merfolk traditionally don't consume fish or meat, so we've only prepared local specialties. I hope you'll forgive this cultural limitation."
Rhodes casually waved his hand dismissively—when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Besides, these local specialties were often even more delicious than conventional fare.
He sampled each dish one by one, temporarily setting aside his intention to discuss conquering Fish-Man Island.
Meanwhile, Madam Shirley, Jinbe, and Neptune huddled together at a side table, discussing their strategic options.
In a sense, these three individuals represented Fish-Man Island's leadership—their collective agreement would essentially determine the island's future direction.
"Rhodes-sama's strength is certainly sufficient, and his potential is undeniable, but he appears to operate entirely alone..."
Neptune didn't finish his thought, but both Jinbe and Shirley understood his concern perfectly.
Rhodes always presented himself as a lone wolf to the outside world.
Such an individual might be prestigious personally, but his deterrent power couldn't compare to an established major organization—insufficient to truly protect Fish-Man Island from all threats.
"As far as I'm aware, Rhodes-sama should actually command considerable forces behind the scenes," Jinbe said, mentioning the existence of the Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi user. He continued,
"Furthermore, Rhodes-sama possesses Haoshoku Haki. If he establishes his reputation throughout the New World, as the strongest rookie of this entire generation, he will undoubtedly attract numerous powerful followers and might even become one of the new Yonko. He's absolutely worth our loyalty."
Jinbe, drawing on his perspective as a former Shichibukai, made his professional assessment, and Madam Shirley nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Of the three leaders, Jinbe was the least politically minded, but he possessed the broadest worldview and most accurate judgment of power dynamics.
"I see. Then that is acceptable."
Neptune nodded slightly in agreement.
In truth, his willingness to accept Rhodes wasn't based solely on these strategic factors.
He also trusted his own personal observations.
During their conversations, he had unexpectedly discovered that this strongest and most brilliant rookie of the era, the Dragon Slayer Swordsman, was surprisingly peaceful in demeanor—showing no signs of evil intent, but rather radiating a sense of holiness and natural authority.
Although it seemed strange for a human to possess such divine qualities, he couldn't deny what he sensed.
Neptune was extremely confident in his perceptive judgment.
Merfolk were naturally sensitive and perceptive to the nature of good and evil in others.
Neptune's late wife, Queen Otohime, had been even more extraordinarily gifted at sensing the emotions and intentions of others.
After the three leaders finished their discussion, they turned to observe Rhodes—and were genuinely surprised to discover that the entire elaborate feast laid out across the massive table had been completely consumed.
Rhodes wiped his mouth with satisfaction, though he still seemed somewhat unsatisfied.
(End of Chapter)
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