"Heh! What a useless king!"
Monet looked at Neptune—who was trying to play the good guy—with eyes full of disdain.
"You've gone too far! Neptune has already been more than generous to you all!"
Otohime's gem-like eyes welled with tears as she glared at Monet.
"Heh, and you're the very symbol of incompetence."
Monet sneered again, her gaze briefly drifting across the jewel adorning Otohime's body.
"Enough!"
Hearing her being judged like that, Neptune's massive frame leaned forward as he towered over Monet, voice booming with fury.
"Tell me—what kind of king do you think is worthy?!"
Since Neptune and Otohime had inherited the throne, they had devoted themselves to rebuilding the nation. They had formed ties with Whitebeard to ease Fish-Man Island's political standing, and their reign had been largely praised by their people.
And now, some outsider girl who hadn't even been on the island for a full day dared to judge them?
"It's just the truth."
Monet showed no fear—she was used to Doflamingo's company, and Neptune's pressure did nothing to shake her. She pointed to the crowd of Fish-Men sprawled across the ground.
"When your citizens erupted in violence, your first instinct wasn't to apply Ryugu Kingdom's laws—it was to unleash brute force. That alone proves they see you as nothing—no authority, no leadership! That's more than enough to prove your incompetence."
Neptune's expression darkened.
He had long known Fish-Man District was the island's greatest danger… yet he'd kept avoiding the issue. He didn't know how to heal the hatred that lingered there.
Many of the still-conscious Fish-Men glanced around uneasily. They had thought that way.
The Ryugu Kingdom had abandoned them. Left them to rot. And now it came playing the good guy?
Neptune began to speak haltingly.
"I've… I've been trying to find a way to solve the Fish-Man District's problems..."
His words lacked conviction.
That's when Buffalo stepped forward, holding the results of their investigation and joining the argument.
"King Neptune, if I'm not mistaken, Fish-Man Island isn't a member of the World Government, correct?"
"It isn't!" The Fish-Men and merfolk had never agreed to join the World Government, not after all the resentment they held.
"Then you aren't burdened by the Heavenly Tribute either. So, where exactly is all the rent from the deep-sea apartments going?"
Buffalo pointed to the bubbles floating overhead and continued.
"Fish-Men and merfolk can all communicate with sea creatures. In the vast oceans, obtaining food should be a trivial matter."
"So how is it that these two advantages combined still aren't enough to care for the relatively small number of orphans in the Fish-Man District?"
Buffalo's voice wasn't loud, yet it hit everyone like a temple bell striking at dusk.
For the first time, the Fish-Men who lived in the dark, blood-stained Fish-Man District realized something.
Their hateful gazes slowly turned toward their fellow Fish-Men of the royal palace.
...
"Khak!"
Somehow, Tiger had awakened. He sat up, staring at Neptune with a gaze he had never used before.
"No… That's not how it is..."
Otohime panicked, sensing the wave of hatred building in their people. She waved her hands and cried out in a trembling voice.
Neptune, pale-faced, tried to explain.
"It's always been like this… I couldn't—"
"It's always been like this, so it's right?" Buffalo coldly cut off the excuse.
"It's always been like this, so it's right?"
Tiger echoed the words under his breath.
Arlong, Jinbe, and Hachi—each of them silently chewed on the weight of that single phrase.
The World Government's oppression of Fish-Man Island had gone on for decades. And the bloodshed in the Fish-Man District had lasted just as long.
Every survivor who had crawled out of that hell carried the blood of their kin—on their fists, their back fins, their teeth.
A crushing sense of helplessness washed over them.
Neptune's hands turned cold. A fear he had never known before crept into his heart.
The people before him… were shaking the very foundation of his kingdom.
...
Buffalo's expression shifted. With the same look of false pity he used when manipulating families, his eyes swept across the faces of every Fish-Man.
And then he asked another question.
"King Neptune, maybe you can't fight the World Government. But the Fish-Man District…
"Is it that you're unable to change the situation? Or is it that you simply don't want to?"
"..."
The Fish-Men's eyes shone with newfound respect as they looked at Buffalo.
They had found a new path for the Fish-Man District.
Otohime, tears brimming in her eyes, pulled out the signatures she had been gathering and shouted hoarsely.
"That's not true! We're working hard to help Fish-Man Island rise to the surface! Many residents have already signed the petition to migrate to land. At the next Reverie, I'll attend and present our case to live above the sea!"
"Then everyone—everyone—can enjoy the sunlight! We don't have to stay trapped in the tiny confines of this island!"
Her words, infused with Observation Haki, shook many of the Fish-Men, stirring guilt in their hearts.
...
"Hmph. How naïve."
Monet scoffed at Otohime's efforts.
At least the sharks on this island knew what not to provoke.
But this goldfish mermaid, so beloved by the outside world… she was absurdly foolish.
"Have you ever been to Sabaody Archipelago? Heard the screams of human slaves?"
"Back when I was still human, I nearly became someone's plaything—if not for the BOSS saving me in time. If the residents of Fish-Man Island follow your path… Your precious people, once exposed to the surface..."
"Without power strong enough to frighten the world— Every last mermaid will become a noble's pet. Every last Fish-Man will become a slave. The fall of Fish-Man Island would happen in the blink of an eye."
"That's not true… Not all humans are like that!"
Otohime protested, unwilling to give up. She had met kind humans living on the island.
"True. Not all humans are like that. But as long as the Celestial Dragons at the top of the world are like that..."
"It's more than enough. Their greed alone can devour you whole."
Monet crushed Otohime's dream without hesitation.
Otohime's face turned ashen.
The Celestial Dragons… filled with endless desires across generations—how could they ever be satisfied?
Now, it wasn't just the Fish-Man District residents.
Even the soldiers of the Ryugu Kingdom began looking at Otohime and Neptune differently.
...
"Or maybe… It's just that you've never lost someone dear to you."
"So you think sacrifice is meaningless? How fortunate… to be royalty, huh?"
Monet recalled her homeland.
When her father was sacrificed… it had been just as calm and easy for the royals.
...
"Monet!"
Sensing the perfect timing, Senor Pink finally stepped in, cutting off her speech.
The emotions on Fish-Man Island had just hit the boiling point—just right for what came next.
He turned to the deeply somber Neptune and nodded slightly.
"Apologies, King Neptune. These youngsters are BOSS's nieces and nephews. They can be… a bit reckless."
"It's fine."
Senor Pink's polite demeanor lifted Neptune's spirits a little.
The rift between Fish-Man District and the kingdom's people… maybe it could be slowly mended in the future.
...
"As for Fish-Man Island's current troubles, the BOSS has already considered them. He'd like to offer help to everyone here."
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg