Fish-Man Island.
An island deep beneath the sea—10,000 meters underwater—home to both Fish-Men and Merfolk.
Here, hostility toward humans ran deep. The reason was simple: the suffering humans had brought to Fish-Man Island was beyond imagining.
Of course—
Fish-Man Island had not yet reached the point of total extremism. Things were still, broadly speaking, within a tolerable range. Otherwise, that kind of blind rage would only lead to meaningless destruction.
In this era, Max was still alive, and Tiger was still growing.
That alone changed everything.
Whoooosh—!
As time passed, five massive ships steadily approached Fish-Man Island.
They were Britannia's vessels.
They had traveled underwater for three full days. Though the distance was "only" ten thousand meters, reaching this place so quickly was no easy feat. The deep sea held countless dangers, and moving too fast could be fatal.
"Hm?!"
Watching the ships emerge in the distance, a towering male merfolk at the forefront narrowed his eyes sharply.
"So those are Britannia's ships…"
He was known as the "Sea God," the "Great Knight of the Sea"—Neptune.
Still only in his early thirties, Neptune looked remarkably young, radiating strength that didn't belong to age. A man granted the title of "Great Knight" was naturally no weakling.
Now, he waited here.
Max's message had already returned.
Neptune knew that Britannia's willingness to help was far too important—this was everything for Fish-Man Island.
Tap.
Tap.
Beside Neptune stood a woman whose gentleness and fragile grace made her seem almost delicate. She spoke softly:
"Your Majesty… are you truly certain they can defeat the Five Peaks Pirates?"
Neptune shook his head.
"I'm not certain. But we have no choice."
"Max left Fish-Man Island. This time he returned—with Britain's aid."
"It's the only way we survive this."
"…Sigh."
The woman beside him sighed quietly.
She was Queen Otohime—the soul of Fish-Man Island.
To the people of Fish-Man Island, Queen Otohime mattered even more than Neptune himself. That alone showed her importance.
If Neptune was the king of the Ryugu Kingdom—
Then Otohime was its spiritual pillar.
In truth, Fish-Man Island's collapse—the madness of Fish-Men and Merfolk alike—would only come after Otohime's death. Once she was gone, everyone would lose the last thing holding them together, and the chaos that followed would become unimaginably horrific.
Neptune and Otohime stood in silence, gazing toward the distance.
They knew it.
They had no other option but to believe.
Otherwise—
There was simply no way forward.
Whoooosh—!
At that moment, as the ships drew closer, both of them finally smiled.
They had arrived.
Arthur had come.
The five enormous ships approached and stopped. Elite knights began disembarking in orderly lines, followed by Max and the others—then Gawain, Gareth, and Galahad.
And at last—
Tap.
Tap.
Arthur descended under countless watchful eyes.
He wore a gentle smile as he spoke warmly:
"Mr. Neptune… what an impressive reception."
Before him stood a truly massive crowd—Fish-Men gathered in great numbers, clearly here to welcome him.
"Hehehe…"
Neptune smiled.
"Arthur, welcome. Thank you—for coming to help us."
Arthur nodded.
At Neptune's invitation, they headed toward the Ryugu Palace. Along the way, Queen Otohime remained quiet. She glanced at Max's respectful posture, understanding that all she could do now was place her trust in Arthur.
And—
Otohime discovered something strange.
When she looked at Arthur, it felt as if she were faintly seeing an intimidating red dragon, and nothing else at all.
It was unsettling.
Otohime possessed the ability to sense and understand the hearts of others—she had always been able to "see through" people.
Yet Arthur…
She couldn't read him.
Not even a little.
Soon, everyone gathered in the Ryugu Palace. Arthur arranged for the five thousand knights to be stationed at the point of entry—the unavoidable arrival zone for anyone entering Fish-Man Island.
Whether one came from the New World or elsewhere, they had to pass through that location.
By stationing troops there, Arthur could confirm Ochoku's movements immediately.
Once they were seated—
Neptune raised his cup respectfully.
"Arthur… thank you. Without your help, I truly wouldn't know what to do."
He shook his head helplessly.
A monster like Ochoku turning his sights on Fish-Man Island left Neptune with no solution. The gap in strength was simply too great. No scheme, no tactic—none of it mattered when the enemy was on a completely different level.
As for handing over Energy Steroids?
Neptune had considered it.
But the drug couldn't be found.
He had mobilized the entire island to search, yet there wasn't even a trace. It was like searching for a grain of sand in the ocean.
"Hahaha…"
Arthur smiled.
"Mr. Neptune, you're too polite. Just don't forget what matters."
Neptune nodded firmly.
"Arthur, rest assured. If we withstand Ochoku's attack, I will never go back on anything we promised."
Raising Britannia's flag—
Becoming Britannia's protectorate—
That was what Neptune meant by "everything."
At first, Neptune thought Max had gone insane for proposing it. But after serious thought, he realized it was perfectly reasonable.
If Arthur could defeat Ochoku, then his status and power would be undeniable.
In that case, the Ryugu Kingdom gaining a powerful patron was only natural.
And paying tribute each year?
Fish-Man Island wasn't short on money.
As a long-established trade hub—alongside places like the Sabaody Archipelago—Fish-Man Island possessed abundant resources.
It was a place of delicate balance between many forces, generally stable—
Except when lunatic pirates decided to smash that balance.
So joining Britannia was, frankly, a very good option.
At the very least, it could secure peace for the Ryugu Kingdom.
And for Neptune, that was enough.
"Your Majesty Arthur…"
At that moment, Queen Otohime finally spoke softly.
"My name is Otohime. I am Queen Neptune's wife."
Even though Arthur and Neptune addressed each other informally, Otohime's choice of address made sense—rank and position were different.
Arthur nodded.
"Queen Otohime. I've heard your name many times. On Fish-Man Island, you are its true soul—the one everyone admires in their hearts."
Otohime shook her head modestly.
"You honor me too much."
"But I wish to ask something—after you repel the Five Peaks Pirates… will you leave someone behind to protect Fish-Man Island?"
That was the key question.
Because—
If Fish-Man Island raised Britannia's flag, paid tribute, and Arthur left… wouldn't they just be bullied again?
A name alone didn't guarantee safety.
Even Whitebeard or Shiki at this point wouldn't necessarily be able to deter everyone—because their fear hasn't yet completely dominated the world.
And Arthur?
He had defeated Shiki once, yes, but he still hadn't shown power so overwhelming that the world trembled at the thought of him.
Arthur answered without hesitation:
"Of course."
"I will station people here to protect Fish-Man Island."
"Since I've agreed—Fish-Man Island's safety will be my responsibility."
His words were firm and decisive.
"Thank you."
Otohime bowed respectfully, a relieved smile appearing.
That was enough.
As long as Arthur didn't leave the moment the war ended, Fish-Man Island wouldn't be left helpless.
Overall—
With everything agreed upon, the banquet was warm and welcoming.
Arthur was quite satisfied—after all, a banquet with merfolk traditions was not something one encountered often.
After the feast ended, Arthur was assigned a room.
Sitting inside, he studied intelligence reports in his hands, deep in thought.
"Your Majesty."
Gareth stood beside him, serious.
"Is this information truly reliable?"
Arthur smiled.
"Relax. Information from Shakky is never wrong—as long as you pay enough."
This intelligence had been purchased from Shakky herself—detailing the overall strength of the Five Peaks Pirates.
In the intelligence world, Shakky was exceptionally capable. In a short time, she provided Arthur with profiles on Ochoku, his fighters, and crew structure.
Meanwhile, Gawain and Galahad were leading the knights in defensive preparations.
No mistakes could be allowed.
---
At the Ryugu Palace...
Neptune, Queen Otohime, and a red Fish-Man arrived to meet Max.
"Mr. Max."
"Teacher!"
Neptune and Otohime nodded politely. The red Fish-Man bowed deeply.
"Hahaha!"
Max smiled.
"Your Majesty Neptune, Queen Otohime… and Tiger."
Yes—
Fisher Tiger.
Still only in his early twenties, Tiger was Max's disciple. He studied Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu seriously.
And it wasn't only Tiger—
Jinbe, Arlong, and the other youngsters—still only children at this time—were learning under Tiger as well.
Tiger spoke respectfully:
"Teacher… today I saw His Majesty Arthur."
Max sat down and asked gently:
"Tiger—what did you feel?"
Tiger answered honestly:
"I can't explain it clearly."
"I only know… I felt the presence of a true powerhouse."
"And the three Round Table Knights beside him also carried the aura of strong fighters."
"Hahaha!"
Max laughed.
"Good. Good!"
"To see that much means you're already doing well."
"Tiger… work hard."
"The future of Fish-Man Island will need you to protect it."
Tiger's eyes sharpened.
"After the war, Teacher… may I join the knights and train with them?"
Max hesitated, then shook his head.
"That decision belongs to Lord Galahad."
"After the war, we'll see what the king decides."
"If Britannia recruits knights on Fish-Man Island, I will help you."
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Tiger bowed again, deeply grateful.
At that moment, Neptune asked softly:
"Mr. Max… do we truly have a chance in this war?"
Neptune still lacked confidence.
He couldn't help it.
Arthur and Ochoku's reputations were not equal, and in the outside world, reputation mattered.
"Heh-heh-heh…"
Max did not get angry. He simply smiled.
"Since the king chose to come, then victory is only natural."
"Your Majesty Neptune, Queen Otohime—relax."
"Thank you, Mr. Max."
"Thank you."
Neptune and Otohime exchanged a look, then bowed deeply to Max.
They were placing all hope on Arthur.
They didn't know if it was the right choice—
But it was the only choice.
If Max hadn't brought Arthur here, Fish-Man Island might already be facing unimaginable suffering.
Because with their own strength—
They could never stop the Five Peaks Pirates.
-----------------------------///
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