"What did I do?"
Karl chuckled softly. "That's an interesting question."
He snapped his fingers.
Ain immediately dragged Hody Jones over. At this point, Hody looked visibly aged, his face sallow and his breathing weak—the side effects of the Energy Steroids had clearly begun to ravage his body.
Jinbe stared at Hody's face. After examining him closely for a moment, recognition finally dawned on him.
"…Hody Jones?"
Hody happened to open his eyes at that moment. When he saw Jinbe, he let out a contemptuous sneer.
"A coward who grovels before humans."
"He ordered his subordinates to assault Fish-Man Island residents," Karl said calmly,
"then deliberately provoked the Marines and framed it as the Marines' doing—just to incite racial hatred."
"Ask him yourself. See if this wasn't his doing."
Jinbe's expression changed instantly. He grabbed Hody Jones by the neck.
"This was your doing?!"
"Heh—khh—"
Jinbe's grip was so tight that Hody had trouble speaking. Karl had to cough lightly to signal Jinbe to calm down a little.
"Yes. I did it. So what?" Hody sneered.
"Humans are inferior, filthy creatures. Anyone who dares step onto Fish-Man Island deserves that fate!"
Jinbe's arm trembled slightly as he forced down his rage.
"Then the human tourists who went missing some time ago… that was you as well?"
"GYAHAHAHA! Of course it was me!"
Hody didn't bother denying it in the slightest. He admitted everything with shameless pride.
Jinbe took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh.
"…I'm sorry, Rear Admiral Karl. I misunderstood you."
Karl shook his head.
"No, no, no. It's still too early to apologize, Lord Jinbe.
You should remember our conversation from some time ago, right?"
"Yes. I remember it clearly."
Karl smiled faintly.
"The truth is—I lied to you back then. My real purpose in coming here was to investigate the true cause behind Queen Otohime's assassination."
"Otohime-sama?" Jinbe frowned.
"But wasn't she shot by a human pirate?"
"She was indeed assassinated by a pirate. At first, I believed that too."
Karl's tone suddenly shifted as he pointed at Hody Jones.
"But if I remember correctly, at the very moment Queen Otohime was killed, he was the one who immediately killed the pirate—and then publicly declared, in front of all Fish-Man Island, that humans were responsible."
"Don't you find that… suspicious?"
"You mean—?!"
Karl snapped his fingers crisply.
"That's right. I suspect he was the one who hired human pirates to assassinate Queen Otohime, then deliberately shifted all the blame onto humans."
"The goal was to destroy the fragile racial harmony Queen Otohime had worked so hard to build—
to incite hatred, despair, and absolute rejection of humans among the people of Fish-Man Island."
These words plunged Jinbe into deep thought.
He had been present at the scene back then—no, perhaps it had been the year before last. But at the instant Queen Otohime died, the shock had been overwhelming.
How could a mind consumed by rage possibly notice such subtle details?
"Perhaps you think I'm making baseless accusations," Karl continued calmly,
"but don't you find this method of smearing blame… strangely familiar?"
Boom—!
It was as if thunder exploded in everyone's minds.
That's right.
They had experienced it themselves—today.
This wasn't just similar.
It was exactly the same.
"GYAHAHAHA!" Hody laughed madly.
"Did I do anything wrong? Everything I did was to make you all stay vigilant against those despicable, evil humans! Was I wrong?!"
"That idiot woman—she ignored fish-man dignity and actually begged humans for peace! Talking about 'friendship' and coexistence—what a joke!"
"So I used money to bribe human pirates, burned down the signature box, and personally sniped her while she was collecting signatures."
This time, it wasn't just Jinbe.
Every Fish-Man Island resident present exploded with rage.
Queen Otohime was the person they revered most—the one who had spent her entire life running herself ragged for the future of the fish-man race.
And yet this man—this Hody Jones!!!
"Kill him!"
"Avenger Queen Otohime!!!"
Neptune's entire body trembled violently. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to kill Hody on the spot.
"Maintain order!"
The Marines moved immediately, forming defensive lines to block the enraged fish-men, preventing even greater chaos and bloodshed.
Jinbe raised his hand several times, wanting to smash Hody Jones to death right then and there.
But in the end, he restrained himself.
Silently, he walked over to King Neptune.
"King Neptune… Hody Jones is unforgivable. I originally intended to execute him immediately."
"But the truth must be made public. We cannot allow Queen Otohime's efforts to be wasted!"
Neptune nodded heavily.
"I know. I know."
"Men! Seize him!"
Several members of the Sea King Army immediately restrained Hody Jones and brought him before Neptune.
Suppressing the urge to impale him on the spot, Neptune waved his hand in disgust.
"Throw him into the Prison Tower.
Three days from now—public execution at Gyoncorde Plaza!"
"Yes, sir!"
After issuing the order, Neptune walked up to Karl, his emotions clearly complicated.
"Thank you, Rear Admiral Karl. Thank you for uncovering the true culprit behind my beloved queen's assassination."
"No need for thanks," Karl replied calmly.
"Racial hatred only keeps escalating because extremists like him keep fanning the flames from the shadows."
"This place called Fish-Man Street… it shouldn't exist anymore."
"You're absolutely right," Neptune said firmly.
"I will immediately issue a lockdown order and strictly forbid Fish-Man Island residents from entering this area."
Karl nodded slightly.
"That's good."
"Nelson. We're pulling out."
"Wait!"
Karl turned back.
"Is there anything else, King Neptune?"
Neptune spoke sincerely,
"To express my gratitude for everything you've done, I would like to invite Rear Admiral Karl and the Marines to Ryugu Palace tonight for a banquet. What do you say?"
"Hahaha! Then I gratefully accept King Neptune's invitation.
We'll be there on time tonight."
"Ain, let's go."
Ding—
[Series Quest "We Don't Fight Our Own" (4/7) completed.]
Rewards obtained:
Fish-Man Arm Strength
Armament Haki: Internal Destruction Skill Card
Honestly speaking, Karl had already prepared himself for the quest to fail.
Jinbe really could have attacked. After all, Karl's subordinates had killed so many fish-men.
Yet the quest still completed.
Annoying, wasn't it?
Karl silently thought: Use skill card.
Just like that, Karl now fully mastered all known Armament Haki techniques. From here on out, further improvement could only come from strengthening his physique—and thereby increasing the quality and quantity of his Haki.
As for Fish-Man Arm Strength—
For Karl, this was a massive boost.
He was a swordsman.
And wrist strength mattered immensely.
To put it simply—
Karl's hand work just got a lot better.
Mermaid Café
With everything resolved, Karl decided to stop by for a cup of coffee.
Absolutely not because he wanted to get close to mermaid ladies.
Definitely not.
Unfortunately, news spread far faster than he expected. What happened in Fish-Man Street quickly reached every corner of Fish-Man Island.
Before he knew it, several mermaid girls were clinging to him, gazing at him with starry eyes—pouting, praising, even offering "rewards."
It was exhausting.
Madame Shyarly stared at her crystal ball, her expression complicated.
Her prophecy… had come true.
But not entirely.
Who could have imagined that Karl's arrival would turn out to be a good thing for Fish-Man Island?
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