Gawain came back to himself and murmured with a hint of worry, "Gareth… be careful."
He let out a soft sigh. He knew exactly what his little sister was thinking. Toward his younger siblings, Gawain was fiercely protective—maybe it didn't show most of the time, but to him, his brothers and sisters mattered more than anything.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Max stepped inside. He said solemnly, "Lord Gawain, there are more and more outsiders on Fish-Man Island. The numbers are starting to become a real problem."
Gawain replied seriously, "I understand, Max. Keep everyone on high alert. Watch every one of them closely, and also keep eyes on outside movements—no mistakes."
Max nodded. "Rest assured, Lord Gawain. I know exactly what must be done."
"Good."
"This is an opportunity."
"As long as we hold—no… no."
Gawain shook his head. "Not 'hold.' We crush them. Make them understand our strength. Only by utterly breaking them will they truly grasp the price of opposing us."
"If we can't show enough force, Fish-Man Island will never have real peace in the future."
"I understand," Max said.
He understood perfectly. This time, they had to show their muscle. Even the slightest slackness would bring a price too horrifying to accept. No matter what, they had to possess enough strength—enough power—to sweep everything aside and force those restless opportunists to behave.
"Lord Gawain," Max said, "I'll take my leave."
"Mm."
Watching Max go, Gawain's expression remained grave as he whispered, "Gareth… I hope you stay safe. But my sister must grow too. Children growing up is only natural."
A faint smile surfaced. He knew Gareth had to mature; he couldn't shield her forever. Standing with his hands behind his back, he understood that better than anyone.
In truth, everyone had to grow. For Gareth, this was the best opportunity—worrying as it was.
"Hah…"
Gawain exhaled slowly, steadying himself. Then his eyes sharpened.
"Next comes Fish-Man Island. The King entrusted everything to me—I will not disappoint him."
"Come on, then."
"Let me see what you're really planning."
There would be no mercy. If they chose to come knocking, they had no right to complain about Gawain's coldness.
Step. Step.
He left the room, preparing in earnest.
At the same time…
"Teacher!"
Tiger bowed respectfully when Max arrived at the training grounds.
Max nodded. "Tiger. How is the training?"
After this period of time, Tiger had become a squad leader. His talent and strength spoke for themselves, and his reputation was more than enough. Aside from Gawain and Max, he was the one overseeing the Fish-Man Knight Corps.
"Teacher," Tiger replied respectfully, "everything is proceeding normally. Everyone's strength is rising quickly—Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Fish-Man Karate, Fish-Man Jujutsu, and…"
Tiger reported with seriousness. Everything had to be mastered as quickly as possible. There was no room for laxness—not now.
Max nodded repeatedly. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Also, set more people on alert. No accidents."
"Remember this, Tiger."
"For the next month—maybe even the next few months, Fish-Man Island will be at its most dangerous. If we endure this period, the future will be bright. If we fail…"
He didn't finish, because he knew Tiger understood.
Tiger struck his chest with one fist, signaling he understood. He would not relax. This was Fish-Man Island's future. Why had Tiger grown this strong, if not to change Fish-Man Island? How could he possibly slack off at a moment like this?
The King had already solved the hardest problems and left them enough power. If disaster happened because of their carelessness, Tiger would never forgive himself.
Never. Never. Never.
He had to protect Fish-Man Island.
"Mm." Max nodded. "Tiger, make the arrangements carefully. I still need to speak with King Neptune."
"Yes."
Tiger nodded, and Max departed.
Ryugu Kingdom.
Ryugu Palace.
"Mr. Max?" Neptune asked gravely. "Has something happened?"
Queen Otohime added gently, "Mr. Max… I can feel it. Fish-Man Island has become tense—heavy."
Max answered seriously, "King Neptune, Queen Otohime—yes, something is happening. After the King left, those lurking in the shadows are preparing to move again. They've been waiting for an opening. They say the treasure from Hachinosu… that King Arthur, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion split it between the three of them."
"Which means," Max said, "they'll likely attack Fish-Man Island soon."
Now was the best time—because they couldn't delay any longer.
If they dragged it out and Arthur's reputation grew to a level like Whitebeard's in the future, no one would dare touch Fish-Man Island then. Pirates were madmen, but they weren't suicidal. They would gamble on a sliver of hope, even if that hope was thin as a thread.
But if there was no hope at all—if it was certain death, then even pirates wouldn't charge in.
A gamble and a death wish were two different things.
Neptune nodded heavily. "Mr. Max, what do you need me to do?"
Max said, "King Neptune, mobilize all Fish-Man soldiers for defense. Every position—no exceptions. Ensure all intelligence is relayed back immediately. Only then can we end the battle as quickly as possible."
"Understood," Neptune said, nodding.
Then he hesitated, and lowered his voice.
"Max… we found E.S. in the backstreets."
"What?"
Max's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected E.S. to actually surface.
He immediately turned grave. "King Neptune—this must remain secret. The side effects of E.S. are terrifying, but if it's used on a battlefield…"
If Edward Newgate had taken E.S. at Marineford—he might still have died in the end, but the outcome of that war could have been completely different. Restoring him to peak condition—or even pushing him beyond it—would have overturned the entire battlefield.
That was exactly why E.S. couldn't be brought into the open lightly.
"Agreed," Neptune said seriously. "Once this is over, we'll hand the E.S. formula to His Majesty Arthur."
Max nodded. "That's for the best. Giving it to the King is the safest choice."
In Arthur's hands—especially with Morgan le Fay's expertise, if its effects could be refined into something better… the result would be unimaginable.
Even if not, Arthur could proceed more cautiously.
"Mr. Max," Queen Otohime said, bowing slightly, "Fish-Man Island… will be in your hands."
Max shook his head. "Queen Otohime, King Neptune—this is what I must do. The King carved out hope for Fish-Man Island, and I will protect that hope. And we have Lord Gawain, and this ten-thousand-strong elite knight corps trained under Sir Galahad—there will be no problem."
Neptune and Otohime both nodded. This was crucial—absolutely crucial.
The next day—
Slash!
A terrifying flash of cold light tore through the air. The pirate didn't even have time to react before his chest was pierced clean through.
Tiger's killing intent was savage as he roared, "Knights! They're attacking Fish-Man Island—this is our home!"
"And what is our order?!"
"What is the King's command?!"
"Protect Fish-Man Island!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
With Tiger's furious shout, a thousand Fish-Man knights charged behind him. In an instant, the momentum of their assault became something monstrous.
A few hundred defenders couldn't withstand a single charge—dead and wounded fell everywhere. Even the pirate captain was nearly killed in an instant.
Slash! Slash!
Another charge, and they swept everything away.
"Next!" Tiger bellowed.
And across Fish-Man Island, scenes like this erupted one after another.
Time waited for no one. Those opportunists had realized that if they kept waiting, they wouldn't see Britannia weaken—only grow stronger.
So they chose to strike now.
If they could take Fish-Man Island, what they gained would be worth it. Even if Arthur came after them later, so what? They'd already profited enough—then they could simply flee. That was their thinking.
And Gawain saw through it from the start.
So he led the knights against these madmen—these vermin. If they could be exterminated, then everything else would be simple.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Under Tiger's command—and the commands of the other newly appointed squad leaders, the battle fully ignited. How long would it last?
No one knew.
No one could.
Because everyone understood—this war would not end so easily.
What came next might be truly terrifying.
They didn't know who would be attacking Fish-Man Island.
It might be dreadful.
It might be monstrous.
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