"This is my territory. Understood?"
Renzo's calm, lazy voice, yet carrying an unquestionable dominance, slowly echoed through the deathly silent main hall of Ryugu Palace.
King Neptune's massive body froze in place. For a moment, his enormous head completely stopped thinking.
'What?'
'It belonged… to him?
'What did that even mean?'
'Had we simply changed from one extortionist to another occupier?'
Neptune's heart instantly sank deeper than the seabed beneath Fish-Man Island.
It was over.
'Madam Shyarly's prophecy… was this really salvation?'
'This sounded more like another form of destruction.'
The three princes and the ministers looked ashen, not daring to even breathe.
In the entire hall, only two people looked normal.
One was Monet. She stared at Renzo's back with a near-worshipful gaze, as if her master had merely announced something ordinary like, "I'll have an extra bowl of rice tonight."
The other was Kizaru.
"Oh my…"
For the first time, a crack appeared in Kizaru's eternal smirk.
He adjusted his sunglasses, a glint of amusement flashing beneath the lenses.
"This is quite… an incredible declaration."
He dragged out his words.
"Admiral Renzo, are you planning to directly start a war with the Big Mom Pirates?"
"War?"
Renzo turned and looked at him strangely.
"Kizaru, are you getting old? Is your brain not working?"
"…"
Renzo spoke as if it were obvious.
"I'm just stating a fact."
"This island pleases my eyes. The desserts suit my taste. The mermaids, ahem, the scenery, is relaxing."
"So," he spread his hands, "I've decided to protect this place."
"P-Protect…?"
Neptune finally found his voice, trembling as he asked carefully.
"Yes. Protect."
Renzo looked slightly impatient.
"Is what I said hard to understand? From today onward, this island is under my management."
He raised a finger and waved it lightly.
"I don't care who it is-" his tone stayed lazy, but every word made people's hair stand on end.
"That Big Mom, Kaido, Red-Hair… or those idiots from the World Government."
His gaze swept past Kizaru, who merely shrugged, pretending he heard nothing.
"Anyone who comes here to cause trouble, anyone who ruins my vacation mood…"
Renzo yawned.
"…is declaring war on me."
"I hate trouble the most."
"Whoever gives me trouble, I'll make things… even more troublesome for them."
Neptune's mind was struck like by heavenly lightning.
'Did I hear it right?'
'The World Government too?!'
'What nonsense was this Admiral talking about?!'
'Wasn't he a Marine?!'
'How could he say such things?!'
'But…'
'If it were true…'
'If Fish-Man Island could truly obtain the protection of a man who dared to deter both the Yonko and the World Government…'
An overwhelming ecstasy began rising uncontrollably from the depths of his heart, nearly burning away his sanity.
Suppressing it with all his strength, he asked the most important question:
"Th-then… Lord Renzo…"
Neptune's voice twisted with fear and anticipation.
"What… what 'price'… must Fish-Man Island… pay?"
He had already prepared for the worst.
Would Renzo demand all their treasure?
Or require a fish-man army to serve him?
Or, like the Celestial Dragons, demand-
Renzo frowned.
"Price?"
He seemed to have just remembered.
"Oh right."
He pointed at the desserts covering the table.
"This."
Neptune's heart leapt into his throat.
He stared at the desserts and remembered Big Mom's terrifying number, ten tons.
Haiiroyo's appetite didn't seem small either.
'How much would he ask?'
'Twenty tons?'
'Fifty tons?'
"That guy Sanji," Renzo suddenly muttered to himself, "can cook anything and his skills are top-tier, but desserts… yours are definitely fancier."
"And those brats at G-5 probably never tasted anything this good."
He pondered for a moment, as if calculating a very complicated number.
Neptune and all the ministers stopped breathing.
Finally, Renzo looked up and gave his verdict.
"How about this-"
Casually, he said:
"Since you've shown sincerity, from now on every month… prepare about fifty kilos for me."
"…"
"…"
"…"
The world seemed to freeze.
Neptune remained leaning forward, completely stiff.
Prince Fukaboshi's mouth hung open.
The ministers stared wide-eyed.
Kizaru's teacup stopped mid-air.
Even Monet tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh?"
Neptune made an incomprehensible sound.
He doubted his ears, even his brain, wondering if soaking too long in the hot spring had caused hallucinations.
"Fif… Fifty…?"
The Right Minister's lips trembled.
"Is… is it… fifty… tons?"
Renzo's face immediately darkened in annoyance.
"Fifty tons? Do you think I'm a pig?"
"How much can one person eat? Desserts get sickening if you eat too much, you know?"
"Fifty kilo!"
He emphasized the words.
"Kilo! Just fifty kilo!"
"Variety should be wide and top-quality. I just want to taste them."
He waved dismissively.
"Even fifty kilos is a lot. If not for those guys at G-5 sharing some… I wouldn't even bother asking for fifty."
"!!!!"
Confirmed.
Not a mishearing.
Not one hundred tons.
Not even one hundred kilograms
It was… fifty kilograms
This was no longer "tribute."
It couldn't even be called a "fee."
This was merely… a little snack request from one of the strongest beings on the sea.
Neptune's body began to tremble violently.
Not from fear.
Not from despair.
But from a joy exploding from the depths of his soul, so overwhelming it nearly made him faint.
'Madam Shyarly!'
'Her prophecy!'
'The Savior!'
'He really was the savior!!!'
He hadn't come to destroy them.
He hadn't come to occupy them.
He had come… to save them.
With his own power, he would stand against the Four Emperors and the World Government, and the "price" he demanded was merely fifty kilos of desserts.
"Ugh…"
Neptune could no longer support his massive body.
He suddenly bowed down, his huge forehead slamming heavily onto the palace floor.
BOOM!!
"Ah-HAHA!!!"
A cry filled with endless gratitude and joy erupted from the king.
"LORD RENZO!!!"
Tears and snot streamed down his face as he roared with all his strength:
"Thank you! Thank you for your mercy! Thank you for your protection!!!"
"Father!"
The three princes, Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi, finally snapped out of their shock.
They understood what this meant.
The centuries-long nightmare of Fish-Man Island… was over.
They would no longer live under a Yonko's shadow.
"Lord Renzo!!"
All three princes knelt, tears pouring.
"Thank you!!"
The ministers, guards, and mermaid attendants all dropped to their knees, crying with joy.
Cheers and sobs mixed together, nearly lifting the roof of Ryugu Palace.
Renzo frowned at the sudden noise, clearly annoyed.
"So loud."
He sat back down, ignoring the king still bowing on the ground.
"Hey."
He beckoned to a mermaid maid who was crying uncontrollably.
"What are you standing there for?"
"Bring me ten more servings of this."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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