As a firm supporter of peaceful coexistence between fish-men, merfolk, and humans,
King Neptune deeply agreed with Karl's views.
Humans could be good or bad—so could fish-men.
He firmly believed that the majority of both races harbored goodwill toward one another. It was only a small group of profit-driven humans and extreme fish-man supremacists who kept ruining the bigger picture.
Hody Jones was the clearest example.
When the cheers and applause finally died down, Neptune smoothly picked up where Karl had left off.
"Citizens of Fish-Man Island. What Rear Admiral Karl just said is exactly what I wish to convey as well. Queen Otohime's efforts—"
While Neptune launched into another lengthy speech, Ain quietly leaned over to Karl.
"Where did you learn to say things like that? You sounded pretty convincing."
Karl glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then whispered back,
"Just some nonsense that sounds reasonable. What—want me to teach you?"
Ain rolled her eyes.
"Forget it. With you around, when would it ever be my turn to speak?"
Karl curled his lips.
No ambition at all.
After quite a while, Neptune finally reached the key points.
"Next, I will announce two major decisions."
"First, starting today, Fish-Man Street will be permanently closed, and the Sea King Army will completely seal off the area."
"Additionally, Ryugu Palace will fund the construction of orphanages to shelter displaced children—"
"Second, Princess Shirahoshi's mysterious illness is something many of you are already aware of.
But with the help of Rear Admiral Karl and Miss Ain, her condition has now been cured."
"Therefore, I intend to begin searching for a future consort for Princess Shirahoshi in advance, to be formally wed after she comes of age. The requirements are as follows—"
Even Neptune himself felt awkward saying this out loud.
But this was bait.
And the male fish-men of Fish-Man Island couldn't care less about the details.
The crowd instantly exploded.
"What?! There's something this good?!"
"If I become the royal son-in-law, that's skipping decades of effort!"
"I'M IN! Hahahaha!"
Watching the overly excited crowd, Neptune glanced at Karl.
Karl gave a subtle nod.
The objective had been achieved.
Now it was time to withdraw.
One Day Later
"What?! Neptune is choosing a husband this early?! Damn it! Shirahoshi is MINE!!!"
Vander Decken IX flew into a rage after hearing the news from his subordinates.
In his eyes, Shirahoshi was his exclusive possession—his destined wife.
He would never allow another male fish-man to share a life with her.
The thought made him itch to rush straight to Fish-Man Island and snatch Shirahoshi away as a child bride—
But the Marines were still there.
He didn't have the guts.
"Damn those Marines! What if they never leave…?"
The more Vander Decken thought about it, the more frantic he became—so much so that he even considered charging in and fighting the Marines head-on.
"Boss! The Marines have left!"
Vander Decken froze.
Then his eyes lit up.
"What did you say? They're gone?! Are you sure?!"
The subordinate nodded eagerly.
"Absolutely. After Hody Jones's public execution, the Marine warships sailed away. They should already be on land by now!"
Vander Decken shot to his feet, brimming with vigor.
"Set sail immediately! We're landing on Fish-Man Island!"
"I won't let Shirahoshi be touched by anyone else!"
When the Marines were around, he acted obedient.
The moment they left—he struck hard.
As for the Sea King Army?
Sorry.
In Vander Decken's eyes, they were a bunch of useless fools.
The only one worth worrying about was Jinbe—but all it would take was sending a few subordinates to lure him away.
Meanwhile
Ryugu Palace – Shirahoshi Hall (her former residence)
"Big Sister Ain, come find me! You'll never guess where I'm hiding!"
Ain deliberately put on a troubled expression.
"Oh no~ Shirahoshi, where could you be? I can't find you at all!"
In reality, Shirahoshi's massive tail had already completely given her away—yet she still thought she was hiding brilliantly.
Karl let out a disdainful snort.
"Kids…"
Then he went back to reading the newspaper.
There was nothing he could do.
To make the act convincing, even he couldn't casually show himself around Fish-Man Island.
Sigh…
He'd originally wanted to stop by the Mermaid Café again—he'd just gotten a membership card!
Ain, on the other hand, was having the time of her life.
For some reason, she absolutely adored Shirahoshi, the innocent and lively little princess. Even playing childish games with her brought Ain genuine joy.
Right now, Shirahoshi liked Ain the most.
Mekaro was practically losing his position, reduced to serving as Karl's armrest.
As for Karl—
Shirahoshi really wanted to play with him too, but every attempt ended in rejection.
To her, Karl felt like her older brothers.
She knew he liked her…
but he never wanted to play with her.
Ding—
[Total slacking time has reached 8 hours. Daily mission completed.]
Rewards:
Designated Attribute Enhancement ×7
Random Rewards (storable) ×4
Karl's eyes lit up.
Combined with the random rewards he'd saved up previously, he now had—
150 unclaimed rewards.
That was 150 pulls.
A 7% chance for rare rewards.
With 150 attempts, surely something good would drop, right?
He'd been holding this in for way too long.
"System, open all random rewards—wait."
Pulling like this felt… lacking ceremony.
Ideally, he'd wash his face, use some cleanser—
But Hancock wasn't here, so that was out.
Karl's gaze slowly drifted toward Shirahoshi.
She was a Sea King after all.
Luck, destiny—she should have some, right?
He'd just borrow a bit.
"Ehehe~ Big Sister Ain, I'm over here!"
Shirahoshi suddenly popped out from behind the sofa, "scaring" Ain, then looked at her expectantly.
"Mhm. Shirahoshi, you're amazing!"
Shirahoshi scratched her head shyly, flashing a pure, sweet smile.
Karl thought about it… then shook his head.
Forget it.
Mysticism doesn't change bad luck.
Spending money doesn't change fate.
"System—open all random rewards!"
"Drawing in progress. Please wait. Calculating rewards…"
"Draw complete. Congratulations to the host for obtaining Rare Rewards ×10. Details are as follows:"
Designated Attribute Enhancement Card (Top-tier) ×2
Haki Enhancement Card (Advanced) ×5
Observation Haki · Weak Point Perception
Special Skill Upgrade Card ×2
"Normal rewards include:
Designated Attribute Enhancement Card ×21,
50 million Beli ×39,
Lifespan +694 days (30 times total),
Fat Otaku Happy Cola, Happy Chips… for a total of 50 items."
Skill Descriptions
Observation Haki · Weak Point Perception
An advanced Observation Haki technique.
When Observation Haki is activated, the user can sense biological weak points.
Requires Observation Haki Level 6.
Special Skill Upgrade Card
Upgrades any special skill already obtained by the host.
Each skill may be upgraded once.
Karl's eyes widened.
This… this was absurdly lucky.
Just Weak Point Perception and the Special Skill Upgrade Cards alone were already worth all the time he'd spent saving.
After taking a deep breath, Karl silently commanded—
Use all Attribute Enhancement Cards on physique.
Use all Haki Enhancement Cards on Observation Haki.
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