"As a Marine, is it okay to say such a thing?" Neptune glanced at the Admiral, who still had his hands in his pockets.
"Otherwise? Should I go up and get myself killed?"
Kuzan remained silent, watching Nero, who was having the time of her life, playing wildly.
Neptune sighed and sat on the stairs, giving up.
As Kuzan said, Fish-Man Island had already been thoroughly messed up, and the other mermaids were all in Ryugu Palace, specifically avoided by Nero.
There were still some Fishmen and buildings left, but he couldn't do anything about it.
"Let her make a ruckus! She'll stop naturally once she gets tired."
"Want a smoke?" Neptune looked down. Kuzan also gave up and sat next to him.
"Ah, no… Actually, give me one." Kuzan waved his hand, originally wanting to refuse, but seeing Nero still frolicking, he felt a blockage in his heart.
"It's on the second floor, just inside the door, in the top drawer of the desk in the third office on the left." Neptune gestured with the trident in his hand, trying to clearly indicate the location to Kuzan… "You don't have any?"
Kuzan's face was full of black lines. Did that mean he wasn't offering him a cigarette, but asking him to run an errand?
This King of Fish-Man Island was also a rather eccentric fellow.
Neptune saw Kuzan's speechlessness and said in a muffled voice, "An Admiral just sitting there, it must feel pretty bad, right?"
Kuzan looked up in surprise at the rugged-faced man, who was unexpectedly gentle.
"Ah, was it seen through so easily? I guess I'm still an immature guy."
"Soga." Neptune patted Kuzan's back comfortingly. "However, I meant to say that I'm feeling pretty bad right now and want a cigarette…"
"…" Kuzan's emotions were a bit disjointed. "Can't you ask someone else for help?"
"But they just lost their homes. I thought you might need something to do."
"...Second floor, third office, right? You idiot king." Kuzan stood up and walked up the stairs.
"To the left! And while you're at it, grab the horn for me from the next room. It's on the desk."
"...Got it." Whenever he encountered Nero, Kuzan felt his time being speechless greatly increased.
Indeed, this King of Fish-Man Island was a bit eccentric.
And so, the catastrophe named Nero continued to rage on Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters deep in the sea, bringing unprecedented heavy losses to Fish-Man Island.
The mermaid and Fishman races officially separated and would become two completely opposite Marine races in the future… When Nicuss's troops arrived at Fish-Man Island a week later, they barely recognized the place.
Finally, it was only after seeing the iconic Ryugu Palace that everyone could confirm that this was indeed Fish-Man Island.
"Wow—it seems His Majesty really caused quite a ruckus!" Loerke stepped one foot on the bow of the ship. "It's even more disastrous than the report said, no wonder she told me to bring the engineering team."
"Yo, Loerke, long time no see!" Neptune waved from below, greeting him.
Loerke immediately stood straighter. His Majesty had just taken over someone else's country, especially since the other party was also his old friend. This occasion was indeed a bit awkward.
"Neptune… are you okay?" Loerke observed his reaction, wondering if he was too devastated… "Me? I'm fine!" Neptune pointed to himself. The incident had already happened, and he had actually accepted Nero's actions quite well.
The Fishmen who remained on Fish-Man Island and were killed by Nero were basically the unruly guys from Fishman Street, who had been lawless ever since Tiger died.
As king, Neptune had done his best. As a royal of the mermaids, he actually felt that being ruled by Nero seemed acceptable.
Especially after seeing Nero's full power, that transcendent, mythical form, the World Government would certainly not be her opponent.
Then the problem became simple: the strongest person in the world would protect your race, and the destroyed areas would be funded for reconstruction.
She saved his wife and eliminated the warmongers of Fish-Man Island.
In the New World, Nicuss's actions were not called invasion; internal personnel referred to it as poverty alleviation.
Given the Nicuss Empire's exclusivity, its citizens' status in the world was second only to the Celestial Dragons in preciousness, and the status of its nobles meant that even conflicts with Celestial Dragons would not be an issue.
Neptune, realizing this, held no resentment. In the past week, both slave owners and nobles had respectfully returned the captured mermaids.
After the news of Nero protecting mermaids spread, no force dared to risk selling mermaids anymore.
Especially due to the Red Calamity that rampaged through the First Half of the Grand Line this time, people's fear of Nero also reached an unprecedented peak.
Neptune could now freely resume his role as the Great Knight of the Sea. As for the Fishmen, they had never obeyed him anyway, and his own family was full of mermaids.
"Woohoo! Freedom! Takeoff!!!"
This was Neptune's current mindset. He had shed all his burdens. Few people could understand how happy a wealthy and leisurely middle-aged man could be.
Loerke's eye twitched, having understood Neptune's state of mind. "Ha~ it's good that you're okay. By the way, where is His Majesty?"
"His Majesty Nero? She's been designing the new Fish-Man Island city these past two days. Since everything was torn down anyway, it might as well incorporate some new elements."
Neptune led the way, calling her "His Majesty" with utmost naturalness.
Loerke truly admired this guy's big heart; he felt like he wasn't even as anxious as Neptune was.
With a glance, Loerke noticed Aokiji, a dejected old man wearing sunglasses, squatting in a corner by the entrance of Ryugu Palace, smoking.
"Aokiji… is that you?" After observing for a while, Loerke called out uncertainly.
"Ah? Loerke Granfield? I didn't expect to see such a big shot like you here." Kuzan didn't get up, greeting him directly.
Loerke, however, was a bit stuck, looking at the dejected Aokiji: "…How should I put it? You've had it rough."
He heard that Aokiji had been with His Majesty recently, and from his appearance, it wasn't hard to guess what he had gone through.
Hearing this, Kuzan's hand, holding the cigarette, paused, then he flicked the ash nonchalantly: "It's just a little bit of hardship~"
"Oh, Brother Kuzan? Want to grab a drink later?" Neptune gestured to Kuzan with a drinking motion.
"Ah, I'll wait for you at the usual place!" Kuzan also familiarized himself with an OK gesture in return… With both an Admiral and the King of Fish-Man Island looking like this, Loerke felt like his feet were about to dig out a three-bedroom apartment.
What kind of middle-aged crisis izakaya is this? Why do these two guys look like burnt-out old men?
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