The injured parrotfish Fish-Man slowly lifted his heavy eyelids and glanced at Karl.
Then, with a bruised arm trembling, he pointed straight at Karl.
"It was you… you're the one who beat me like this!"
Hidden within the crowd, a lionfish Fish-Man revealed a faint, mocking smile, his eyes full of smug satisfaction—as if to say Now you can't deny it anymore.
Karl was about to speak, but after a brief pause, he waved Ain over and whispered:
"Take the other injured Fish-Men farther away. Don't let them hear my conversation with this one."
Ain immediately understood. Using the excuse of treating the wounded, she had several Marines carry the other four injured Fish-Men off to a distant corner.
Once Karl judged the distance sufficient, he turned back to the parrotfish Fish-Man.
"Are you certain it was me who injured you?" Karl asked calmly.
"Tell me—when did it happen? Where? With what did I hit you? And were there any witnesses besides you?"
The Fish-Man fell silent for a moment before answering haltingly:
"It… it was last night. After dinner, I went out for a walk. When I reached a corner near Marin Shopping Center, you suddenly appeared."
"I accidentally bumped into you, and you said—'Lowly Fish-Man, how dare you block my path. Die!'"
"My head hurt… and then I blacked out. There was no one else."
At once, the lionfish Fish-Man jumped in to fan the flames.
"You see?! It was the Marines! They even called us 'lowly Fish-Men'! Everyone—can we tolerate this?!"
"Humans, don't be so arrogant!"
"We Fish-Men are not a lowly race!"
"Damn humans!"
Karl turned his head slightly and spoke coolly to Smoker and Ain.
"Maintain order."
"Yes!"
The Marines immediately moved, forming a human barricade to stop the agitated Fish-Men from charging forward. Nelson fired a shot into the air.
Bang!
The sharp gunshot instantly silenced the crowd.
Karl glanced briefly at the lionfish Fish-Man.
This one's suspicious… but not yet.
He then casually condensed a white sphere of holy light in his palm—pure healing, taken to the extreme.
Five seconds later, all the injuries on the parrotfish Fish-Man vanished completely.
"Your wounds are healed now," Karl said evenly.
"So what you said just now—was it the truth?"
The parrotfish Fish-Man stood up, touched his body, and panic flashed across his eyes. He subconsciously looked around, spotted the lionfish Fish-Man in the crowd, and shuddered.
"It's true! Absolutely true!"
Karl nodded.
"Good. Since you're healed, stand over there. Nelson—assign two men to watch him and record his testimony."
"Yes, sir!"
"And ask him where he lives," Karl added.
Nelson acknowledged.
Next, Karl motioned to Ain to bring another injured Fish-Man over.
The same questioning followed.
This red-wing Fish-Man claimed that last night, while walking after dinner, he encountered Karl in a corner and was knocked unconscious—this time at Coral Apartments.
Then came the third.
The fourth.
The fifth.
Hidden in the crowd, the lionfish Fish-Man sneered internally.
Boss really thought this through.
Each Fish-Man's testimony was deliberately different.
Trying to clear your name with this? Dream on.
"Ain," Karl said suddenly, "go bring the innkeeper where we stayed last night."
Ain's eyes lit up—she instantly understood.
She nodded enthusiastically and vanished with a burst of Soru.
Ten minutes later, the innkeeper was brought over, confusion written all over his face.
"Boss Charlotte," Karl said politely, "we stayed at your inn last night. Do you remember?"
Charlotte nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. You were the only two humans staying there—hard to forget."
"We ate dinner at the restaurant across the street at 6 p.m., checked into your inn at 7 p.m., ordered two late-night meals at 9 p.m., and never went out after that. We only left at 7 a.m. this morning. Is that correct?"
Charlotte scratched his head, then nodded firmly.
"That's right."
Karl smiled.
"Thank you, Boss Charlotte. You may go."
He then took the five written testimonies from a Marine and raised his voice so everyone could hear.
"Everyone—these are the statements from the five injured Fish-Men."
"They all claim I attacked them. The time is roughly the same—after dinner. But the locations?"
He paused.
"Coral Apartments. Mermaid Cove. Fishfolk Cultural Hall. Marin Shopping Center. Waterwheel Town."
"So here's my question—what time do you usually eat dinner?"
"Five-thirty!"
"Six!"
"My family eats at seven!"
The crowd erupted into noisy debate, sounding more like a marketplace than a protest.
"Quiet! Please listen!"
Once things settled a bit, Karl continued:
"Let's assume they all ate at six-thirty and went for a walk afterward. Is that reasonable?"
"Sounds about right."
Karl clapped his hands to refocus attention.
"You all heard the innkeeper. After 7 p.m., I was in the inn the entire time. When, exactly, did I have time to wander around attacking people?"
"And these five locations cover nearly every direction on Fish-Man Island. Why would a human—new to the island—run all over the place to commit assaults?"
"Most importantly—these five all live in Coral Hill. Why would they all be strolling late at night in places like Mermaid Cove or Waterwheel Town?"
"So the conclusion is simple."
"They're lying."
"If they were attacked at all, it happened in the same place."
The Fish-Man residents weren't foolish. They all knew these five—they were Coral Hill locals.
Why would they be wandering so far away at night?
"You're right… something was off."
"Exactly! That doesn't make sense!"
The lionfish Fish-Man cursed inwardly.
Damn it—found the loophole.
He turned, preparing to slip away—
Only to find he couldn't move.
Turning back, he saw Karl gripping him, wearing a half-smile that sent chills down his spine.
"Leaving already?" Karl said lightly.
Karl dragged him into an open area, the Raven Blade resting coldly against his neck.
"Speak," Karl said, voice icy.
"Who ordered you to frame the Marines?"
"I—I don't know what you're talking about!"
But the crowd had already recognized him.
"Isn't that Kashakoba, the Fish-Man District thug?"
"That's him! He works for that bastard Hody Jones!"
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