The change in Makoto's expression from excitement at the beginning of the banquet to complete disinterest was observed by Neptune, seated at the head.
The future king of Fish-Man Island grew increasingly nervous.
He thought there was something wrong with the arrangements he had made.
'Was the wine not good?'
'Was the food not to his taste?'
'Or... were these mermaids not beautiful enough to catch his eye?'
Tiny beads of sweat formed on Neptune's forehead.
Just then, Makoto said to Beam, who was eating ravenously, "Go call Airi and the others."
Beam had a piece of meat stuffed in his mouth. He paused for a moment, then nodded, put down his fork, and ran outside.
"Um, Nishikawa-sama, is there a problem?"
Neptune asked nervously, his voice trembling slightly.
Makoto said calmly, "No, it's fine. I just thought I should let my girlfriends enjoy this too."
Neptune was stunned. A few seconds later, his expression shifted from nervousness to surprise, then from surprise to admiration.
He hadn't expected that although this lord possessed such terrifying power, he was so devoted… he didn't even touch the meat that was brought right to his mouth.
Neptune quickly waved his hand, signaling the mermaids under his command to withdraw.
He didn't want to cause any misunderstandings with the man's wives later.
To be honest, if Makoto had said the quality of these mermaids wasn't good enough, Neptune wouldn't have had a solution… these were already the most beautiful group currently on Fish-Man Island.
But Neptune was clearly overthinking it.
If he had his own daughter come to dance, Makoto's reaction would have been different.
After all, Shirahoshi was recognized by Oda as one of the three great beauties of the One Piece World.
Before long, led by Beam and a group of fish-man guards, the female players who had been shopping vigorously on the shopping street all arrived.
The women were still carrying large and small bags, with satisfied smiles on their faces, clearly having had a fruitful harvest at the Mermaid Shopping Mall.
After greeting Neptune, everyone took their seats one after another at his invitation.
Nayuta, as usual, curled up in Makoto's arms like a lazy kitten, holding Pochita, her eyes half-closed.
And Reze, the strongest, and Moeha, the most proactive, had grabbed the spots to his left and right.
"Makoto-kun, you don't seem very happy."
Reze noticed the look of disinterest on Makoto's face and asked curiously.
Beam, who had sat back down, stuffed a piece of meat in his mouth and said indistinctly, "The mermaid dance this big guy arranged just now was too lousy."
Clearly, Beam hadn't grasped the point either.
Hearing this, Reze immediately stood up. "Then I'll dance a bit for you."
Reze was very good at dancing.
Previously at a party in the Chainsaw Man World, she had performed a [Reze Dance] that had captivated the entire audience.
"No need."
Makoto pulled Reze back into his arms, leaned close to her ear, and lowered his voice.
"If you want to dance, you can dance on my belly tonight."
Reze immediately cast him a flirtatious glance, the corner of her mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
Good, she liked seeing her man covet her body.
Chika, who had just started to get up, saw this and sat back down.
She had actually been about to get up and dance for Makoto too… After all, she's also very good at dancing.
The fact that her [Chika Dance] had taken the internet by storm in Makoto's previous life was proof enough.
Neptune scratched his head, trying to find a topic to break the slight silence.
Just then, a fish-man minister rushed over in a panic, leaned close to Neptune's ear, and whispered a few words.
"Your Highness, the World Government just called, demanding that this year's Heavenly Tribute be tripled."
Neptune's expression changed instantly.
"What?!"
"Triple?!"
Neptune was extremely startled.
Although Fish-Man Island was very wealthy, after all, whenever ships sank into the sea due to shipwrecks or other accidents, the fish-men could often salvage the cargo, which was why Fish-Man Island had always been very prosperous…
But the problem was, demanding a triple increase all at once was simply too excessive.
"Heavenly Tribute?"
Upon hearing this, Makoto immediately understood what was happening.
But it wasn't surprising that the World Government was demanding an increase in the Heavenly Tribute tax. After all, Mary Geoise was now in that kind of state... reconstruction would surely consume a vast amount of money.
The other female players looked curious.
Makoto explained to them, "That's the protection money that all member states of the World Government must pay annually. Only by paying the Heavenly Tribute can a country become a government member state and enjoy the protection of the Marine."
Upon hearing this, the women were even more confused.
Fish-Man Island was located ten thousand meters under the sea. If something happened to them, could the Marine come to reinforce them in time?
Faced with the women's puzzled looks, Neptune braced himself and said, "No."
Although the Great Pirate Era hadn't begun yet, the number of pirates and bounty hunters coming to Fish-Man Island was limited, but it wasn't zero.
Every so often, villains would appear wanting to kidnap mermaids or go on a massive robbery spree.
These people would basically grab the goods and run away immediately. By the time the Marine's reinforcements arrived, the culprits would have long since disappeared.
'Miss Justice' Yukino couldn't help but ask, "Since that's the case, why not have the Marine set up a branch here?"
When they had first transmigrated, even that small island called Malad Island had a Marine branch, let alone a large island like Water 7.
Logically speaking, since Fish-Man Island paid the money, it shouldn't be a problem for the Marine to set up a branch there, right?
Makoto laughed. "If they really set up a branch there, where would the Celestial Dragons get their mermaid slaves?"
The women were even more confused.
Neptune explained helplessly, "Mermaids are the Celestial Dragons' favorite slaves. They buy them on the black market every so often."
"And the only place in the world with mermaids was Fish-Man Island. If the Marine really set up a branch on Fish-Man Island and protected the mermaids, the Celestial Dragons wouldn't have any mermaid slaves."
Neptune gave a bitter smile. "So, naturally, they won't set up a branch on Fish-Man Island either."
Upon hearing this, the women were in an uproar.
Eri, a lawyer, couldn't help but exclaim, "Isn't that too much! You pay taxes, but they don't protect you... instead, they condone this?"
The other women were also speechless.
They felt the World Government was even darker than they had imagined.
Nakiri Mana asked curiously, "Then why do you pay the money? Just stop paying. You'd save a sum."
Neptune said, half laughing, half crying, "If we did that, Fish-Man Island would become a non-member state, and the World Government would have a reason to attack us directly."
Neptune's development of this kind of tactful, adaptable personality was due not only to his own reasons but also to environmental factors.
Fish-Man Island was in a precarious situation, struggling to survive… as a necessary passage connecting the first and second halves of the Grand Line, it was destined that many pirates would pass through here.
Having the title of World Government's member state could at least scare them a bit.
And if they didn't pay the Heavenly Tribute, it would be equivalent to a complete fallout with the World Government, who could then send the Marine to attack them.
Either way, it was a dead end.
Everyone fell silent again.
From the beginning, they had thought Fish-Man Island was some kind of paradise, but it turned out the environment was much harsher than they had imagined.
Just as everyone fell silent, Makoto stated the purpose of his visit to Fish-Man Island.
"For the time being, can this kid stay here with you? I want him to learn your Fish-Man Karate. Of course, you can also order him around if anything comes up."
Neptune immediately nodded, "Rest assured, Lord. I will arrange the best teacher to instruct this... Beam-san."
Beam grinned, showing his shark-like teeth.
"Thanks, big guy."
Just then, one of the fish-man ministers under his command gathered his courage and bowed deeply to Makoto.
"Nishikawa-sama, I have an impertinent request."
"Hmm?"
The fish-man minister looked up, his eyes full of earnestness. "I hope you would lend your flag to Fish-Man Island."
Makoto immediately understood.
The original work had used this tactic… seeking the protection of a great pirate's flag.
From the beginning of the Great Pirate Era until the Summit War, they had used Whitebeard's flag.
After Whitebeard died, they switched to Big Mom's.
"I don't have a flag."
Makoto had never intended to become a pirate, so naturally, he hadn't designed anything like a Jolly Roger.
The fish-man minister quickly said, "That doesn't matter! As long as you allow us to announce to the outside world that Fish-Man Island is your territory, those pirates will definitely not dare to cause trouble again!"
Makoto's current reputation was far more useful than something like being a World Government's member state.
If pirates wanted to cause trouble on Fish-Man Island, they would have to consider whether they were more powerful than the World Government and whether they could withstand Makoto's retaliation.
The women also brightened at this suggestion.
They thought it was a good idea to help these fish-men.
But none of them spoke… because they all knew they had no right to interfere with Makoto's decision.
Makoto smiled. "Just letting Beam stay here with you for a few years to learn Fish-Man Karate, and I get such a big benefit? It feels a bit unbalanced."
Upon hearing this, Neptune quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Makoto, touching his head to the ground.
"If Nishikawa-sama has any other requests, please feel free to mention them!"
His forehead nearly touched the floor.
This actually stumped Makoto.
Because there was really nothing he lacked.
Makoto thought for several minutes before saying, "Then if you find a very large lantern fish in the sea, notify me."
"Huh?"
Not only Neptune, but even Makoto's female companions were stunned.
'A very large lantern fish?'
'What did Makoto want that thing for?'
Although they didn't know Makoto's purpose, Neptune still quickly agreed.
Wasn't it just finding a fish?
For the fish-man race, this was a piece of cake.
Neptune didn't dare hesitate, because if he missed this chance, it might not come again.
Makoto smiled and raised his wine glass.
"Then it's settled."
Neptune was overjoyed. He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.
The surrounding fish-man ministers also showed expressions of relief.
Fish-Man Island finally had an absolutely reliable umbrella of protection overhead.
An umbrella that even the Marine and the World Government wouldn't dare touch!