"Welcome to Fishman Island and Ryugu Palace, Your Excellency!"
King Neptune looked down at the boy below him—less than a fraction of his height and only a few years older than his most precious daughter—yet this boy had already reached the top of the world.
"Thank you for your hospitality, King Neptune..."
El responded very politely. Then, before King Neptune could invite them into the palace and host a banquet, El raised his head and addressed him directly.
"Don't be nervous. Although I'm the Float-Float Fruit user, I didn't fly directly over the Red Line. I deliberately took several days to sail here to Fishman Island. As you can see, I indeed have an ulterior motive."
"To be precise, I came to Fishman Island specifically to make a deal with you, King Neptune."
"A deal?"
King Neptune was stunned for a moment, then glanced subconsciously at Jinbe beside him. After receiving a slight nod from Jinbe, a smile appeared on King Neptune's face. He raised his hand toward El's group and said, "If that's the case, then let's go inside and discuss it in detail."
King Neptune, who had not heard the conversation between El and Whitebeard nor received the report from the fishman guards, assumed El wanted to discuss a business deal. Secretly, he felt delighted at this moment.
If it was a business deal, then besides the Whitebeard Pirates, the Ryugu Kingdom would most likely establish a relationship with a second Pirate Emperor.
King Neptune and the Ryugu Kingdom would indeed become connected with the second Pirate Emperor—but not through a cooperative relationship.
—
After El and the others followed King Neptune inside the palace and walked to the guest room, El stopped at the door. He only allowed Carina, Robin (who was holding Tama), Violet, and Monet—who was in charge of monitoring—to follow him inside.
Seeing this, King Neptune immediately realized this was no ordinary deal. He brought only Jinbe inside with him, instructing the other fishman guards to act as tour guides for Nami and the other girls while they visited other areas of Ryugu Palace.
After waiting for the others to leave and the door to close, El looked at King Neptune, who was sitting on a specially enlarged sofa before him, and spoke frankly.
"King Neptune, the truth is, your daughter Shirahoshi was born with strong Observation Haki, just like your wife."
This information, voluntarily disclosed by El, immediately captured King Neptune's full attention and nearly made him gasp.
Before King Neptune could ask how El knew that Otohime and Shirahoshi possessed innate strong Observation Haki, El patted Carina on the shoulder and then pointed to Violet, who was sitting on another sofa with Monet.
"Let me introduce you to my companions. This is Carina. Her ability is the same as the information released by Mary Geoise and Navy Headquarters—she is the Munch-Munch Fruit user."
"Her Devil Fruit ability allows her to consume others and then directly share each other's abilities."
"My other companion is Violet. She is the Glare-Glare Fruit user. She has the ability to project her sight in all directions within a 4000-kilometer radius like a bird, as well as the ability to read people's minds—just like Queen Otohime."
"Before arriving at Fishman Island, I transformed into Asura form with Carina and Violet, becoming another version of the World's Worst Devil Fruit Users."
El paused slightly, observing King Neptune, who seemed to have realized something terrible, his expression turning extremely ugly.
"Innate Observation Haki and mind-reading—you should know what this means, King Neptune."
Seeing King Neptune remain silent, El continued with a smile. "I know everything..."
"Not only do I know that the deceased Queen Otohime and Shirahoshi possess innate strong Observation Haki, but I also know Princess Shirahoshi's secret—and the dilemma she currently faces, forcing her to hide inside that impregnable tower."
Looking at King Neptune, now completely speechless and at a loss, El finally stated his purpose.
"I came to Fishman Island this time to make a deal with you, King Neptune. The deal is this: I will help you get rid of that guy, and in return, you will let Princess Shirahoshi leave with us and become a member of the Flying Pirates."
"Impossible!!"
King Neptune misunderstood El's meaning entirely. Clenching his teeth, he stared at El and declared, "Even if I die, I won't allow you to take Shirahoshi and force her to use her power to help you dominate the world!"
"Dominate the world?"
Hearing these words, Carina and the girls exchanged confused looks. They couldn't help but begin wildly speculating—did the legendary Princess Shirahoshi possess a special ability capable of helping someone dominate the world?
"I see..."
El nodded suddenly. "You suspect that the purpose of my visit is actually for her power?"
Looking at King Neptune with an expression that clearly said, "Am I wrong?" El gently took Tama from Robin's arms and addressed King Neptune with a light smile.
"Let me introduce you to my little sister. Her name is Tama, and her future Devil Fruit is the Millet-Millet Fruit."
"I don't know if you've read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, but let me explain the ability of the Millet-Millet Fruit."
"It can create dumplings. Any animal that eats these dumplings will be controlled by her, regarding her as their master and obeying her commands."
"The number of animals she can control is nearly infinite. How does that sound? Does this ability seem familiar?" El finished speaking and looked at King Neptune as if sharing a joke.
"This world actually has such a Devil Fruit?!"
Looking at Tama in El's arms, King Neptune and Jinbe beside him wore expressions of utter shock.
"Rule-type Paramecia abilities are truly outrageous."
El explained with a smile, then his demeanor shifted. "I revealed their information to you just to let you know that recruiting Princess Shirahoshi has nothing to do with her special ability. It's also to show you that her ability alone isn't enough to make anyone dominate the entire world."
"Not to mention that Princess Shirahoshi hasn't even mastered that ability yet. Even if she truly mastered it, it wouldn't be of much use to me."
"Because with my ability and Tama's, sooner or later, we will become the existence that rules the sky and sea."
"The reason I want to recruit Princess Shirahoshi is mainly for three reasons."
"First, mermaids possess underwater speed unmatched by anyone in the world."
"Second, our entire fleet happens to consist entirely of Devil Fruit users. We need a lifeguard with exceptional underwater abilities."
"Third, Princess Shirahoshi, like me, possesses innate Observation Haki."
"As Queen Otohime's husband, King Neptune, you should know very well how difficult it is to find someone with innate Observation Haki."
"So, from the beginning, you've had only two choices..."
El glanced at King Neptune, whose body and face had grown tense. After a moment of silence, El finally spoke lightly.
"Either accept my offer—let me take Princess Shirahoshi after I perform the hero saving the damsel in distress—or reject my offer and force me, as a pirate, to take Princess Shirahoshi by force, making Fishman Island and the Whitebeard Pirates my enemies."
From this combination of coercion and persuasion, it was not difficult to see that El's aura was becoming increasingly domineering. In other words, he was growing more aligned with his identity as a Pirate Emperor.
Clearly, he could have opened with a friendly conversation, helped solve Princess Shirahoshi's problem to win their favor, then slowly tempted her and persuaded King Neptune to let her leave with them.
However, El found this troublesome. So he directly adopted a domineering approach—coercion and inducement.
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