At that moment, Shirahoshi finally reacted to the sudden attack.
Fear overwhelmed her mind and body, and she couldn't hold back her tears.
"Uuuuuuuuuu…"
She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Gojo Satoru narrowed his eyes and turned to Neptune, his tone ice-cold.
"Hey, big guy. Care to explain?"
The eyes of the entire Kamui Pirates crew shifted to Neptune, each one colder than the last.
Neptune shuddered.
Even though Kronos had used his space powers to protect them, they could still clearly feel the immense killing intent and oppressive aura radiating from Gojo and the others.
Swallowing hard, Neptune glanced at the rose-patterned axe stuck in the floor.
After a long pause, he finally opened his mouth.
"I know who did this."
"It was a man named Vander Decken."
"He's a user of the Target-Target Fruit."
"A long time ago, he proposed to my daughter, Princess Shirahoshi. But she rejected him."
"He refused to give up."
"At first, he just sent love letters to Ryugu Kingdom. But things escalated—he started sending parcels. Eight hundred and fifty of them, to be exact."
"And then… threats. Coercive marriage proposals."
"Just like what you witnessed just now."
"His harassment terrified Shirahoshi. To protect her, I had a hard-shell tower built within Ryugu Palace. It was the only way to block his attacks."
"At the same time, I ordered my sons—Shark Star, King Star, and Rollover Star—to lead the army and hunt Vander Decken down. But so far, they haven't managed to capture him."
"So…"
Before Neptune could finish—
Gojo Satoru cut in coldly, "Where is he now?"
Neptune was momentarily stunned by the question.
Because he… didn't know.
It was at this moment that Kronos finally spoke, his voice calm and reassuring.
"It's just a small matter. Not worth your anger."
"Calm yourselves."
But even if Kronos said it was a small matter, his crew didn't see it that way.
Albedo clenched her fists, anger simmering in her heart.
"But Lord Kronos, that guy—"
She hadn't even finished her sentence before Kronos stood up and gently patted her head with a soothing smile.
"I know you're angry."
"But it's not worth losing your temper over some scum."
"Besides… I have no intention of letting this go."
Then, he turned toward Neptune and asked plainly:
"You have a portrait of Vander Decken, don't you?"
"Bring it to me."
As he spoke, Kronos casually tossed the rose-patterned axe to the ground.
Clang!
The sharp sound echoed across the silent hall.
Neptune, regaining his composure, quickly nodded.
"Yes—yes! I'll go get it right away!"
Soon, Neptune returned with Vander Decken's wanted poster.
Kronos took one glance at the portrait, then turned to Gojo Satoru.
"Gojo Satoru, I'm counting on you for this."
Gojo Satoru, now serious and composed, walked over to Kronos with a grin.
"My pleasure."
Kronos handed him the wanted poster and said:
"Keep an eye out. If you see a ship being dragged by a humanoid sea monster deep in the ocean—that's him."
"Vander Decken should be inside that ship."
Gojo took the portrait, nodded, and turned to leave.
But just as he was about to step away, Kronos spoke again.
"Oh—and try to bring him back alive."
Gojo paused, then gave a wry smile.
"Got it."
With that, his figure vanished from the hall.
Kronos stood quietly for a moment, looking in the direction the axe had flown in from.
Then, he turned back to Neptune.
"There's been a lot of pirate activity lately, hasn't there? Criminals kidnapping mermaids and causing trouble."
Neptune lowered his head and nodded slowly after a brief silence.
"Yes… Ever since the Marineford incident, Fish-Man Island has been unstable."
"Most of the chaos centers around Fish-Man Street."
"That place has become a breeding ground for criminals—pirates, mermen, even humans… There are hundreds of thousands of them. Not even Ryugu Palace's army can keep them under control."
Kronos listened with an expressionless face.
Even after hearing about the numbers, he remained calm.
"Fish-Man Island is part of my territory now."
"That means I should be protecting you. Protecting the merfolk."
"Well then—"
"Let us clean it up for you."
Kronos turned around and addressed his crew.
"Purge every pirate and criminal from the interior of Fish-Man Island and from Fish-Man Street."
"Hang their heads outside the city as a warning."
The moment Kronos gave the order, Neptune and the princes felt their blood run cold.
They stared at Kronos in shock.
Their eyes widened, pupils contracted, and faces drained of all color.
'What did we just hear?'
'He said… all of them?!'
'There are tens of thousands of pirates and criminals in and around Fish-Man Island!'
'He wants to… kill them all?!'
The thought chilled Neptune to the bone.
He trembled.
Then, suddenly remembering the situation in Fish-Man Street, he stepped forward and shouted:
"Wait—wait, Lord Kronos!"
"There are, yes, many criminals and pirates in Fish-Man Street. That's true."
"But there are also innocent civilians—mermaids and mermen who were abducted or have nowhere else to go."
"People who've been forced to live among the outlaws…"
"It's difficult to tell them apart from the criminals—"
Neptune's words stopped.
His voice died in his throat.
He had made eye contact with Kronos.
And saw the expression on his face.
Indifferent. Cold.
At that moment, Neptune understood.
Kronos wasn't going to make distinctions.
He expected Neptune to figure it out.
To separate the guilty from the innocent in a place filled with lawless chaos.
An impossible task.
And if it couldn't be done—
There would be only one outcome.
An indiscriminate slaughter.
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