Meanwhile, inside Ryugu Palace—
King Neptune was already at his wits' end over how to deal with that "uninvited guest" when a royal guard suddenly swam in at full speed, his expression taut with urgency.
"Your Majesty! Admiral Gern—Admiral Gern is approaching Ryugu Palace!"
"What?!"
Neptune's massive body jolted upright from the throne.
His face drained of color in an instant, and he nearly lost his grip on his trident.His mind rang with a deafening buzz, leaving only a single thought behind:
It's over! Admiral Gern must have found out something!
His wife, Queen Otohime, had rescued a Celestial Dragon.
This was the kind of matter that could be either trivial—or catastrophically serious.
And for it to happen right after Gern had just left the Sea Forest in clearly less-than-stellar spirits—
This was practically charging headfirst into the muzzle of a loaded gun.
Watching her husband panic like an ant trapped on a hot skillet,Queen Otohime merely smiled gently.
She reached out and patted Neptune's arm, her voice still bright with optimism.
"There's no need to worry, dear.
Admiral Gern is a reasonable man. He won't blame us for this."
On the contrary—
"This is a perfect opportunity!"
Her eyes sparkled with undimmed idealism.
"Think about it—this is a Celestial Dragon. A member of the World Nobles.
He drifted to Fish-Man Island… and was saved by us."
"Isn't this heaven granting Fish-Man Island a precious chance to communicate directly and equally with the highest level of human society—"
"Not through force.Not through Admiral Gern's deterrence.But through our own goodwill and effort?"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, as if she could already see a radiant future unfolding.
"And don't you think it's meaningful in itself?A Celestial Dragon who quite literally fell from the sky…"
"Isn't that a sign of divine favor?A message from fate, meant for the Fish-Man race?"
"Favor?! A message?! My foolish queen!" Neptune groaned inwardly, staring helplessly at Otohime as she radiated pure, unfiltered idealism.
But idealists, at times, were foolish in an almost endearing way.
"Do you have any idea how Admiral Gern rose to prominence?
When has he ever not gone head-on against the World Government?!
Killing Celestial Dragons is practically routine for him—storming the Holy Land isn't exactly a rare occurrence either!"
"And now you're telling me he's reasonable?That he'll see this as an 'opportunity for dialogue'?"
"I'm afraid the only thing he'll see is a headache—or worse…"
"A brand-new bargaining chip he can use against the World Government!"
It's over, Neptune thought despairingly.My Otohime has been completely blinded by her beautiful ideals…
Despite his frantic inner monologue, Neptune forced himself to maintain the outward composure of a king.
Taking a deep breath, he softened his tone as much as possible and attempted one last round of persuasion.
"Otohime… my queen. My little goldfish."
"Your ideals are beautiful. Truly."
"But look at Fish-Man Island right now—aren't we doing well?"
"Under Admiral Gern's protection, whether it's human pirates or merchant ships, everyone enters our waters respectfully. No one dares cause trouble."
"So why… why must we take this unnecessary risk?"
"Wouldn't it be better to maintain the status quo—live peacefully and safely?"
"No. It's not the same, Neptune."
Otohime shook her head firmly.
Her voice was gentle, but her resolve was unyielding.
She clasped Neptune's massive hand and looked up at him.
"What we want is not peace that exists only under intimidation."
"What we want is true understanding—genuine coexistence!"
"We want real harmony with humans!"
"We want our people to live freely and openly beneath the real sun!"
As she spoke, Otohime clenched one fist and raised it, her eyes crystal-clear and blazing with conviction as she declared:
"We—are going to the surface!"
"Do you think you're taking the civil service exam or something?!'Going ashore' like that?!"
At the sound of that familiar voice, Neptune's heart leapt straight into his throat.
At the same moment—
The grand, ornate doors of the throne room swung open.
Gern Reginald Sigmar stepped inside.
Yet the scene before him made even this battle-hardened admiral freeze in place, his forward step halting instinctively.
King Neptune—towering and flustered—had scooped the much smaller Queen Otohime up around the waist, seemingly trying to restrain her.
Otohime, for her part, was still clenching one fist in the air, her cheeks flushed with lingering passion.
That posture…That atmosphere…
So this was the "going ashore" they were talking about?
Given their size difference, even little Prince Fukaboshi was probably bigger than Otohime.
Gern's mind spun rapidly.
Combining certain biological assumptions with this… rather intense interaction, an utterly absurd yet strangely plausible conclusion formed in his head.
A rare flicker of embarrassment crossed his face.
He cleared his throat lightly and said with complete sincerity:
"Ah… sorry. I seem to have come at a bad time."
"I thought merfolk were oviparous. I didn't expect you two to be so… adventurous."
"This one-big-one-small 'measurement-based' approach is certainly… distinctive."
"I'll take my leave. Please, carry on."
With that, Gern turned around without hesitation, clearly intending to vacate this dangerous territory immediately.
"W-Wait! Admiral Gern! It's not what you think!!!"
Neptune completely abandoned any pretense of royal dignity and shouted after him.
At the same time, he hurriedly—and very carefully—set the utterly bewildered Otohime back on the floor.
This misunderstanding was far too big!
If Gern left like this, who knew what kind of mental image he'd carry away?
How would Fish-Man Island ever maintain its reputation in front of him again?!
Gern stopped and turned back, his expression mildly puzzled.
Neptune's old face flushed red as he hastily adjusted his rumpled robes and explained:
"Admiral Gern, please don't misunderstand!
Just now—just now Otohime was a bit too emotionally worked up, and I was trying to calm her down…"
"It was about the whole 'going ashore' issue!"
In his panic, Neptune even lapsed into a tone laced with complaint and self-mockery.
"Sigh… she's just too idealistic!"
"She's always talking about peaceful coexistence with humans—about moving all of Fish-Man Island onto land…"
"Tell me, Admiral—does that sound realistic?"
"Even if a fish climbs onto land, it'll still smell like the sea in the end."
That final line carried Neptune's deepest concern as a pragmatic ruler—spoken with quiet bitterness.
The rift between races was not something that ideals and goodwill alone could easily erase.
By now, Otohime had also come back to her senses.
Hearing her husband's words, she understood his worries—but still couldn't help responding:
"Precisely because there is misunderstanding… we need communication all the more…"
Gern looked at the royal couple before him, momentarily at odds over their beliefs.
He recalled Arlong's extremism in the Sea Forest.
Jinbe's helpless restraint.
And in that moment, he gained a far more tangible understanding of the intricate dilemma facing Fish-Man Island.
He raised a hand, cutting off what might have become another argument, his tone returning to its usual calm indifference.
"That's enough, Your Majesties."
"Your 'family matters' are not something I intend to interfere in."
Then his gaze shifted to Neptune.
"I came here to ask about something else."
"About that damaged human merchant ship…"
"And about the 'special guest' aboard it."
At last—
The real issue was placed squarely on the table.
...…
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