An allied nation?
No.
Absolutely not.
Arthur had never intended for Britannia to become a member state of the World Government. There was no need. He didn't require that so-called "protection" in the first place.
A joke, really.
Protection? Did he need theirs?
Just look at Fish-Man Island—they paid tribute year after year in exchange for "protection," yet when disaster struck, what did the World Government actually do? The money was taken, but no one showed up.
Arthur had never held the World Government in high regard. Now that Fish-Man Island had been brought under his control, the Heavenly Tribute could naturally be reduced—of course, this would ultimately depend on Britannia's strength.
What Arthur wanted to see was how Neptune would respond.
"Hm?"
Neptune was a clever man. After a brief moment of thought, realization dawned on him. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded firmly.
"Lord Arthur. In that case… let it be decided so."
To put it plainly—
Between choosing Britannia or choosing the World Government, Neptune chose Britannia.
"Heh…"
Arthur smiled lightly.
"Neptune, these are matters for the future. There's no need to rush. As long as the decision is made, that's enough for now."
"Of course! Of course!"
Neptune nodded eagerly, then smiled.
"Lord Arthur, this is a gift prepared by the Ryugu Kingdom for you. Please take a look."
At his command, soldiers carried in massive treasure chests one by one. Arthur looked at them with interest.
A gift? What kind of gift…?
Creak.
Creak.
As the chests were opened one after another—
Good grief.
Devil Fruits.
One after another, they came into view.
Arthur froze for a moment.
The number was staggering—at least a hundred.
Neptune chuckled softly.
"Lord Arthur, what do you think? There are 167 Devil Fruits here in total. They are treasures the Ryugu Kingdom has accumulated over many years. Since you need Devil Fruits, we are offering all of them to you."
Arthur looked genuinely surprised.
"Neptune… regardless of whether these include top-tier Devil Fruits, with this many, you could easily raise an entire group of powerful fighters."
Neptune hesitated slightly.
At that moment, Queen Otohime spoke gently:
"Lord Arthur, you may not know this—but for Fish-men and Merfolk, Devil Fruits are almost never consumed. To eat one is to abandon one's identity on Fish-Man Island entirely."
"I see."
Arthur immediately understood.
Devil Fruits curse their users, robbing them of the sea.
Fish-men and Merfolk were known as children of the sea—how could they willingly consume such fruits?
Of course, Neptune wasn't foolish. Every king of the Ryugu Kingdom understood this well. These Devil Fruits couldn't simply be discarded or traded lightly.
And so, over generations, they accumulated—until their number became this overwhelming.
Arthur smiled and nodded.
"Then I will accept this gift."
"Good."
The negotiation ended with both sides deeply satisfied.
Arthur had just acquired 167 Devil Fruits—combined with the three he already possessed, that made 170 in total.
To be honest, Arthur had gone to great lengths to gather Devil Fruits in such quantities before—whether to summon Morgan le Fay or further awaken his Red Dragon bloodline.
And now Fish-Man Island simply… had this many?
Even he found it astonishing.
---
Walking through the palace corridor, Gareth spoke thoughtfully:
"My king… from my perspective, the Ryugu Kingdom's actions may seem foolish—yet they are deeply admirable."
Arthur smiled and nodded.
For the Knights of the Round Table, unwavering faith and conviction mattered greatly. He understood exactly what Gareth meant.
After a moment, Arthur said:
"Of course, there are still matters we must consider carefully."
"Fish-Man Island is now under our control… but some things require caution."
Gareth asked solemnly,
"My king—are there dangers?"
Arthur replied calmly:
"Gawain will be stationed here. For now, his strength is sufficient, but he is the strongest among you. If we can maintain stability for two years—until the Fish-man Knight Order is fully formed—there will be no issue."
Arthur was confident.
With Gawain and a 10,000-strong elite Fish-man knight corps, Fish-Man Island's safety would be unquestionable.
But all of that required time.
And during that time, any unexpected incident could become troublesome.
Gareth pondered, then sighed.
"My king… this is beyond my ability to resolve."
Arthur smiled.
"It's nothing urgent. We'll handle it gradually. In the short term, there won't be problems. And if Britannia's name grows loud enough, Fish-Man Island will remain safe."
Reputation mattered.
As long as one's name was powerful enough, it was everything in this world.
Just look at Edward Newgate—Whitebeard barely ever set foot on Fish-Man Island, yet no one dared cause trouble there. That was the weight of his name.
If Britannia's reputation reached that level—if the world understood the price of provoking Britannia—then it would be enough.
"Alright," Arthur said.
"We've been busy long enough. Get some rest today."
"Yes."
Their figures slowly disappeared down the corridor.
---
"Careful there!"
"Over here!"
"Slowly!"
Fish-men bustled about the central plaza of Fish-Man Island, where a massive flagpole was being raised.
At its peak—
Britannia's banner.
A crimson dragon emblazoned upon it, gleaming brilliantly as it fluttered in the sea breeze.
"Woah!"
"Ahhh!"
"This is amazing!"
Cheers erupted from the Fish-men.
To them, this banner meant protection.
It meant safety.
"Hm?"
"So Britannia has chosen to protect Fish-Man Island?"
"Heh… interesting."
In the shadows, several figures watched with amused expressions.
They were merchants—big ones.
Fish-Man Island was one of the two gateways between the Grand Line and the New World. Trade here was enormous, largely untaxed, and long dominated by powerful underground players.
From all corners of the world, monsters gathered here.
"Well then… looks like we'll have to behave from now on."
"Hah. Does Britannia really dare touch us?"
"…Do you really think they won't?"
The arrogant man stiffened.
Shiki had been repelled.
Ochoku crushed.
Silver Axe forced back—by one woman alone.
That was proof enough.
Britannia was a newborn Red Dragon—anyone foolish enough to provoke it would be torn apart.
No—they would definitely be killed.
"Troublesome… but unavoidable."
"It's just a bit more money. Not a big deal."
"What matters is what happens between Britannia and the World Government."
"That's the interesting part."
They watched purely for entertainment.
Money meant little—as long as business continued.
And so—
As the banner was fully raised, Britannia's protection over Fish-Man Island was officially declared.
Under Gawain, Galahad, and Gareth, Britannian knights swept through the island.
Business? Pay fees.
Pirates docking? Pay fees.
Marines docking? Pay fees.
Cause trouble?
Absolutely not.
And if anyone dared lay a hand on Fish-men or Merfolk—
They only needed to look at the slave traders' corpses hanging at the entrance.
Dried husks.
A warning written in blood.
Within half a month, Fish-Man Island entered a state of peace it had never known.
For the Fish-men, who had endured suffering for generations, this was nothing short of a miracle.
As for the slave traders?
Those who resisted were either still hanging—or had vanished entirely.
That alone showed how terrifying Arthur and his forces truly were.
---
Neptune watched everything unfold, eyes narrowing as tears slipped down his face.
"This is… wonderful. After all these years…"
He didn't care how much money it cost.
As long as Fish-Man Island had peace—that was all that mattered.
Such a simple thing…
Yet no one before had ever been willing to do it.
Until now.
Under Arthur's influence, everything had changed.
---
Elsewhere—
Arthur reclined on a sofa, speaking into a Den Den Mushi.
"Agravain. How are things in Britannia lately?"
The Iron Knight — Agravain.
One of the Knights of the Round Table summoned alongside Morgan le Fay.
A man of terrifying strength—and astonishing administrative ability.
In truth, Agravain's overall combat power was monstrous. Fighting to the death, he could even take Lancelot with him.
But more importantly—
Arthur could leave Britannia only because Agravain was there.
Without him, even three days away would throw the entire nation into chaos.
That was how vital Agravain was.
--------------------------------///
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