Queen Otohime didn't get to finish her sentence, because King Neptune cut her off in a panic.
With a placating smile on his face, Neptune half-covered his mouth and whispered into her ear.
"Hey, wait, Otohime… we agreed… we just need to send them off…"
Only then did Otohime bite down in frustration and stop, sinking back into her seat.
This time, Tiger's brow tightened.
Leaving aside the fact that he was from Fish-Man Island to begin with, it was Otohime's words that bothered him.
If she had said that to other pirates, or in a different situation, Tiger wouldn't have had any issue with it.
But saying something like that right now, in the banquet hall while entertaining the crew he belonged to?
That was a provocation against his crew, against his companions, and against Yemu as captain.
So Tiger didn't hide his anger. He slammed his fist down on the table.
"Queen Otohime, I can't just pretend I didn't hear that."
In an instant, the banquet hall's fake cheer shattered, and the tension spiked.
"Tiger-aniki!"
Jinbe called out anxiously, while Arlong looked like he was enjoying the show.
King Neptune hurriedly stretched out an arm, shielding his wife as he explained in a rush.
"I'm sorry… Otohime didn't mean it that way… It's just that there have been far too many pirates showing up on Fish-Man Island lately… She's been resentful toward pirates, that's all…"
That clearly wasn't the real reason.
The truth was, even though Fish-Man Island lay ten thousand meters beneath the sea, news still reached them through the pirates who came and went. They knew what was happening up on the surface.
Fish-Man Island was a member nation of the World Government, and it wanted reconciliation with the human governments above. Under those circumstances, it would be stranger if they did welcome pirates like this.
If Tiger and Yemu hadn't saved the fish-men on the island, this banquet might not have happened at all.
Even so, the explanation wasn't exactly satisfying. But when Tiger glanced back and saw that Yemu didn't look angry, he forced his temper down.
"When I came back, Jinbe told me already. Things are really that bad now?"
"Yeah."
Neptune nodded, anger flashing across his face.
"I've already moved the Royal Army to Fish-Man Island to protect the mermaids and fish-men there, and Jinbe has been helping too. Even so, we still can't stop those greedy humans."
Yemu still didn't speak, focused on eating. Instead, it was Enel—happily chewing on a strange-looking fruit—who spoke up.
"Something doesn't add up."
That made everyone look his way.
With a chunk of pineapple in his mouth, Enel narrowed his eyes.
"There may be a lot of pirates around, but you fish-men should have even more people than they do. And…"
As if he were sensing something, he started counting on his fingers.
"Doesn't seem like there are any real heavy hitters either. Forget comparing them to Tiger-san. Even compared to Jinbe here, Tiger-san's little brother, there aren't many worth talking about. And you're telling me you still can't deal with them?"
"Huh?!"
Everyone was stunned.
Neptune looked as if he'd suddenly realized something, and blurted out in surprise.
"Enel-san can tell what's happening across the entire island? Such powerful Observation Haki… unbelievable…"
Enel didn't answer. He just stared at King Neptune with a strange look.
Neptune immediately felt awkward.
"Well…"
At that moment, Arlong—who had only been tagging along as a guest and hadn't said a word until now—let out a snickering laugh.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because of our Queen. Always going on about how fish-men should live in peace with humans, how killing only creates hatred…"
The moment he said it, the mood in the room changed.
Jinbe, furious, roared at Arlong.
"Arlong, shut up!!!"
Arlong looked completely unconcerned.
"Got it, big brother."
Then he obediently closed his mouth.
But it didn't matter anymore. The answer was already clear.
At this point, everyone seemed to understand what was going on. As for who was right or wrong… perhaps no one truly knew.
"I'm sorry…"
King Neptune looked lost. He glanced at his wife, then clenched his fists tightly.
"To be honest, I hate those humans as well. But I also understand that if we want to fulfill the dream of every mermen and fish-man on Fish-Man Island—to one day live on that land beneath the sunlight—and if we want to properly handle our relationship with humanity, then slaughter is not the best solution."
Tiger's expression grew complicated as he listened.
How could he not understand that reasoning?
And yet, the darkness he had endured, the hatred carved into him by human cruelty…
If he hadn't met Yemu, he might still be drowning in that pain.
Even so…
At that moment, Yemu's voice finally rang out, cutting through the silence.
"Too weak!!!"
…
In the grand banquet hall of Ryugu Palace, only Yemu's voice echoed.
The fish-men and mermen didn't dare speak. They stared at him. He hadn't done anything, yet an overwhelming pressure filled the room.
Of course, Tiger was not included.
"Captain, what do you mean?"
Yemu leaned back slightly, as if recalling something. Tilting his head, he let out a quiet sigh.
"I was wondering about that. Fish-Man Island's fish-men have such powerful bodies, and you have the ocean itself as your natural advantage. Yet you're being pushed around by a bunch of weak pirates. It didn't make sense to me. But now I see. The root of it all is that you're too soft. Right now, you're not even like a tiger with its fangs pulled—you're more like house cats."
In an instant, every fish-man and mermen in the hall glared at Yemu in fury.
"Damn human…"
"Even if you're Tiger's captain…"
Only Tiger knew Yemu wasn't insulting them for no reason.
"Captain, please explain."
Yemu rested his chin on his hand and looked toward the woman seated on the throne.
"Hey. Queen of Fish-Man Island. Your name is Otohime, right? I've heard your Observation Haki is strong enough to hear what's in people's hearts."
Queen Otohime froze when she heard her name called. Her brows tightened, but her presence didn't waver.
"That's right, human."
"Good."
Yemu nodded and pointed at Tiger.
"Then listen to the pain in Tiger's heart. After that, tell me whether killing truly only breeds hatred."
Everyone was stunned, unable to understand what Yemu was trying to do.
But Tiger seemed to understand.
Though confused, Otohime held firm to her beliefs. She closed her eyes and activated her Observation Haki, reaching into Tiger's heart.
In the next instant, she froze.
Her eyes flew open. Both hands covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
The pain she felt was something her innocent heart had never imagined.
It was like falling into an endless abyss of darkness, with no light anywhere.
Her strength drained away all at once.
She collapsed to the ground.