Gyoncorde Plaza.
Crowds of fish-men poured in, along with pirates and mermaid traffickers hiding among them.
"Hey, look! That really is Tiger-san..."
"Tiger-san is back!!"
"When did he return?"
"I heard Tiger-san is now the navigator of a human pirate crew, and his bounty is as high as 680 million Belly!?"
"No way... is that true?"
"Of course it's true. Didn't that human say it? They're from the Sky Pirates. Of course they're pirates."
"Sky Pirates... that name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it somewhere."
"You idiot! They're the monsters who killed a Celestial Dragon. Even the Marines and the World Government couldn't do anything to them!"
"I heard their captain has a bounty of 940 million Belly. The entire crew's total bounty reaches 2.5 billion Belly."
"Hey, seriously? That's terrifying... But why would they help us? They're humans..."
"Idiot, didn't you hear? Tiger-san is their navigator. It must be because of his request."
"That's amazing... Tiger-san is incredible! He's our savior!"
"Those hateful humans... can they finally be punished now?"
"Wait, don't tell me... those monsters have already reached Fish-Man Island?"
"Are they interfering in Fish-Man Island's affairs too?"
"We're finished..."
...
Voices overlapped, filling the air with heated discussion.
At the center of the massive circular stage, Tiger and Queen Otohime stood side by side, looking out at the crowd.
Around them, soldiers of the Kingdom Army maintained order while handing out freshly printed sheets to the arriving residents.
Printed on them were the newly enacted laws targeting pirates and mermaid traffickers.
The title was simple: Fish-Man Island Human Trafficking Management Law.
"Everyone, please take a copy and have a look. This is the latest law issued by Fish-Man Island. To protect our island, if you witness anyone violating these regulations, whether human or fish-man, you can report it to us. We have Kingdom Army police offices set up in every district and at the end of every street."
The crowd began reading out of curiosity, and their expressions slowly shifted to shock.
"Hey... is this real? What's gotten into King Neptune? His attitude toward humans has changed so much..."
Many fish-men stared at the paper in disbelief.
They paid little attention to the other clauses. What truly caught their eyes was Article Eight:
Any criminal who engages in human trafficking, including but not limited to merfolk, humans, giants, and other races, regardless of race, shall, upon confirmed interrogation, be sentenced to death and executed immediately.
"This... this is real?"
The fish-men stared at that line, stunned.
They had despised human traffickers for years. Yet because those criminals were human, the final punishment had always been expulsion from Fish-Man Island.
Now, the bold words "death penalty, immediate execution" were the outcome they had long wished for.
"Of course it's real."
Tiger was the one who answered.
As his voice fell, the giant screen in the center of the plaza lit up. A massive execution platform appeared, with twelve condemned prisoners bound tightly upon it.
The fish-men immediately recognized them, though some looked confused.
"Why are there fish-men among them? Is this some kind of mistake?"
It was no mistake.
The Minister of the Left of the Neptune Kingdom, who was in charge of the sentencing, began reading their crimes aloud one by one.
The fish-men who had been confused moments ago now burned with even greater fury.
If human trafficking of fish-men could be dismissed as human cruelty, then fish-men colluding with humans to sell their own kind was something they found utterly unforgivable.
"All confessions above have been admitted by the criminals themselves and signed and sealed..."
"The sentencing is concluded. The execution will now begin..."
As the Minister of the Left's indifferent voice faded, the condemned realized their end had come and began begging frantically for mercy.
But no one felt the slightest sympathy. The crimes they had just confessed were enough to make everyone despise them from the bottom of their hearts.
At that moment, two figures stepped forward, each holding a blade.
"That's Jinbe-san… And that human is…"
But that hardly mattered anymore.
What the people of Fish-Man Island wanted to see was vengeance for their blood-soaked hatred.
…
That human was, of course, Erik.
Nothing should be rushed. At the beginning, it was best for humans to deal with human matters.
As the execution unfolded in a spray of blood, twelve heads fell to the ground. Cheers erupted across the square, spreading throughout all of Fish-Man Island.
"Wonderful…"
"Those humans have finally been executed…"
"Long live Tiger-san! Long live King Neptune! Long live Queen Otohime…"
Queen Otohime watched the scene before her, listening to the thunderous cheers, her heart filled with conflicting emotions.
She did not approve of such a bloody form of revenge.
Crimson blood streamed down from the execution platform.
Whether fishman or human, the blood that flowed in death was the same shade of red.
That alone proved they were the same race, or at least shared the same origin.
So why couldn't they understand one another?
Why did humans insist on treating fishmen as monsters, as aberrations, even capturing and selling them as slaves, while fishmen responded with such deep hatred toward humans?
It had to be wrong.
And yet, hearing the joy in the hearts of everyone on the island, she felt lost.
Just then, an unusual voice suddenly rang out from within the cheering crowd.
"Hey, is it really okay to kill humans like this? Won't the humans retaliate? What if this brings disaster to Fish-Man Island?"
In an instant, the lively atmosphere froze. Unease crept into people's eyes.
There was nothing surprising about it. The captain had already anticipated this. Still, Tiger turned toward the source of the voice and looked at the hooded figure as he spoke coldly.
"Retaliate? Why would they retaliate? Our laws are formulated based on the laws of the human world. Even among humans, those who traffic in people are sentenced to death."
This time, the hooded man truly had nothing to say.
In the human world, those engaged in human trafficking often had Nobles backing them, shielding them from legal consequences. But such things obviously couldn't be said here.
The fishmen in the square immediately relaxed, letting out quiet sighs of relief.
But then the hooded man spoke again.
"What if a human trafficker is extremely powerful? Over the past few months, we've seen plenty of strong humans on Fish-Man Island. If those humans violate the laws written above, can you really arrest them and put them on trial? If you can't, then what's the point of these laws?"
"Hmph."
Tiger let out a cold snort.
"Do not underestimate the strength of Fish-Man Island. And do not underestimate the power of us fishmen."
He then turned to the gathered islanders.
"Our homeland must be protected by our own hands. That is why the Queen and I stand here today. Not only to announce our changes, but to call on all of you to take part. Whether by joining the Royal Army or volunteering for patrol duty, it is all for the sake of defending our homeland and protecting our families…"