Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Palace.
The palace, built upon the gigantic roots of the Sunlight Tree Eve and resembling a dreamlike kingdom, was now plunged into unprecedented chaos and panic.
"Y-Your Majesty! T-This is bad!!"
A swordfish guard burst through the palace gates, practically rolling and crawling inside. Forgetting all etiquette, he shrieked at near-breaking pitch, shattering the royal calm.
"What is it?! Captain of the Guard! Why such panic!"
On the throne, the mountain-sized King Neptune hugged his massive trident and asked irritably.
"It… it's the Marines!!"
The captain collapsed to his knees with a thud, so frightened he felt almost dried out.
"A… a white warship without permission forced its way through the entrance bubble… and docked at Coral Hill!"
"What?!"
Neptune's brows instantly knitted together.
"Those damned human pirates again, disguising themselves as Marines? Immediately dispatch the Neptune Army-"
"No! Not a disguise!!"
The captain's voice shook violently with fear as he raised a document high.
"The… the other side… they are…"
"A Marine Headquarters Admiral!!!"
"What?! An Admiral?!"
King Neptune's huge body shot up from the throne, shaking the palace floor.
"Is it that fellow Kizaru again?! Last time he came he turned Sabaody upside down! What does he want now?!"
Cold sweat instantly covered Neptune's face.
For a kingdom with such a sensitive location as Fish-Man Island, a Marine Admiral's visit was never good news.
"N-No… Your Majesty…"
The captain's teeth chattered.
"W-Worse than that…"
"The document says… the ones arriving this time…"
"…are two!!!"
"Two?!"
Neptune's eyes nearly popped out.
"W-Which two?!"
"One is… Admiral 'Kizaru' Borsalino…"
"A-And the other…"
He swallowed hard and whispered in extreme terror:
"That one… the one who single-handedly suppressed the Marineford War, drove back BIG MOM, and erased the Blackbeard Pirates…"
"Haiiroyo… Renzo!!!!"
BOOM!!
The words Haiiroyo exploded inside Neptune's mind like thunder.
His brain went blank.
"Haiiroyo… Renzo?"
His massive body collapsed back onto the throne as though boneless, all color draining from his face.
'It was over.'
'Completely over.'
'If Kizaru was a calculating and unpredictable troublemaker-'
'Then in the legends of today's seas, Haiiroyo was a moody, unreasonable being who treated everything as a nuisance…'
'A natural disaster.'
'One Kizaru alone was enough to overwhelm the Ryugu Kingdom.'
'Now two Admirals had "illegally invaded"?!'
'And Kizaru came together with Haiiroyo?!'
'Was this… a final judgment upon Fish-Man Island?!'
"Father!!"
Three tall figures rushed in from the back of the palace.
They were Neptune's proud sons, Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi.
"Father! What happened? The alarm-"
The eldest prince, Fukaboshi, held a trident, his expression grave.
"My sons…"
Neptune's voice trembled as he pointed shakily toward the harbor.
"Haiiroyo… and Kizaru… they came together…"
"!!!"
The three princes and the Right Minister, a seahorse fishman, froze instantly.
Those were the Marine Headquarters' highest combat powers!
"Quick!!"
Neptune was still a king. After the initial panic, survival instinct kicked in, and he leapt up.
"Summon all ministers! Guards! Everyone!!"
"No! Don't bring guards! That will anger them!"
"Bring musicians! No, too noisy!"
"Ahhh! Forget it! Everyone! My sons! Ministers! Come with me!!"
Grabbing his trident, the enormous king rushed out of the palace in near slapstick panic.
"We must… we must welcome them before they get angry!"
"This is the greatest crisis Fish-Man Island has ever faced!!"
.....
Nap-One, upper deck.
Renzo reclined in a lounge chair while Monet held a parasol, shielding him from the overly bright light filtered through the Sunlight Tree Eve.
Kizaru, on the other side, leisurely drank the Deep-Sea Black Tea Sanji had just served, admiring the dreamlike scenery of Fish-Man Island.
Rehn stood like a gate guardian at the gangway, hands behind his back, belly out, solemnly waiting for the "natives."
Thump-thump-thump-thump…
Heavy footsteps like an earthquake approached.
"They're here, Lord Renzo," Rehn reported quietly.
Renzo didn't even open his eyes, merely grunting.
Soon, King Neptune, followed by the three princes and ministers, rushed beneath Nap-One.
"W-We greet… greet… the two… Admiral Lords!!"
The moment Neptune saw the two figures on deck, one familiar, one unfamiliar, he dropped to his knees with a thud, sending ripples through the surrounding bubble water.
His kneeling terrified the princes and ministers into collapsing to their knees as well.
"Ryugu Kingdom King… Neptune…"
His voice shook like a leaf in the wind.
"I-I do not know… why the two Admirals… have honored us… with your presence?!"
"I-If we have shown any disrespect… please say so! The Ryugu Kingdom… will give everything we have!!"
He was mentally prepared to cede territory and pay tribute.
Kizaru remained unconcerned, slowly sipping tea.
Renzo, however-
The sound of kneeling and Neptune's booming voice finally woke him up.
He slowly lowered his eye mask, revealing cold gray eyes heavy with waking irritation.
He looked at the kneeling crowd of colorful fishmen and mermaids.
"…Too loud."
His voice was quiet but unquestionable.
"Too many people."
Cold sweat instantly poured down Neptune's face.
"What Lord Renzo means," Rehn stepped forward and declared in a professional, faintly arrogant tone, "is that we are not here on official business. Lord Renzo's divine vacation does not welcome unrelated individuals."
He pointed to the trembling ministers and princes.
"You may leave."
"Leave only him." He pointed to Neptune.
"Huh?!"
The ministers and princes retreated in relief, scrambling backward but not daring to go far.
"Now, now Neptune~," Kizaru finally spoke lazily, attempting to ease the atmosphere, though more like watching a show.
"Don't be so nervous... We really did come only to 'inspect'~."
"I-Inspect?"
Neptune forced a smile uglier than crying.
"Yes."
Renzo spoke calmly, lying back down.
"I came here… to vacation. To sightsee."
"You understand?"
"…Huh?!"
Neptune's huge mouth opened slowly.
'Vacation?'
'Sightseeing?'
'Two Marine Admirals, the highest forces of the Marines, illegally entering Fish-Man Island…'
'Just for vacation?'
His mind completely crashed.
"That's about it~," Kizaru shrugged.
"Whew"
A flood of overwhelming relief crushed Neptune's reason.
"V-Vacation! Sightseeing!!"
He jumped up, tearfully ecstatic.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Ryugu Kingdom warmly welcomes the two Admirals!"
"I will immediately prepare the grandest banquet! Our 300-year-aged Sea King wine! And the finest-"
"Silence."
Renzo's cold voice instantly doused his excitement.
"Banquet?"
Pure disgust appeared on Renzo's face.
"Crowded, noisy, endless pleasantries… I hate places like that."
Neptune froze.
"So-" Renzo sat up and examined Neptune's massive bearded merman body.
"I need a tour guide."
"M-Me?!" Neptune brightened. "Of course! It would be my honor-"
"No."
Renzo's eyes showed faint disdain.
"You're too big. Take up space. And… you're male."
Looking at his face, Renzo frowned.
"…Unpleasant to look at."
The guard captain: "..."
The princes: "..."
"Pf", Kizaru was silently holding back laughter
Neptune's smile shattered.
The king… was rejected as visually unpleasant.
"What Lord Renzo means," Rehn explained, "kindly-"
"is that Your Majesty's appearance lacks aesthetic value and cannot provide necessary visual enjoyment for Lord Renzo's divine vacation. This would be extremely inefficient."
Neptune felt an arrow pierce his heart.
"So," Renzo finally revealed his true goal. A faint expectation flickered in his gray eyes.
"Go find some… professionals."
"Go to the Mermaid Café, or your palace. Find a few… the prettiest, good singers, quiet…"
"…mermaids."
A tiny smile appeared on his lips.
"Let them be the tour guides."
"That would be… easier on the eyes."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Neptune and his three sons stood stunned in the wind.
Two Marine Admirals risked illegal entry…
…just to hire pretty mermaids as tour guides?
"…That's all?" Neptune blinked slowly.
"That's all." Renzo waved impatiently. "Hurry. My time is valuable."
"Y-YES!!!"
After three seconds of mental shutdown, Neptune exploded into even louder joy than before.
"I'll go immediately! Right away!!"
"Fukaboshi! Ryuboshi! Manboshi!"
He roared at his still-stunned sons:
"What are you standing there for?! Quickly! Find the most beautiful, gentlest, best-singing mermaids on the entire island!!"
"Go!!!"
"This is a mission concerning the survival of Fish-Man Island!!!"
The king's roar echoed across the entire Ryugu Kingdom.