Otohime's words still carried significant weight with Neptune, even though she had passed away. He had always held her in the highest regard.
Moreover, what she said was actually spot on.
Compared to the current World Government, Lin Xuan's new World Government held far greater appeal for them!
After all, the existing World Government harbored plenty of Celestial Dragons who wanted to capture merfolk and turn them into slaves—and those Celestial Dragons formed the very core of the government.
In contrast, Lin Xuan's new World Government offered entirely fresh possibilities!
Given the current situation, it seemed like Lin Xuan and his allies truly had a shot at establishing this new order, unlike the Revolutionary Army's stagnant efforts in the past!
Upon hearing Otohime's response, Lin Xuan spoke the words they most wanted to hear: "If Fish-Man Island joins us, I can guarantee that fish-men and mermaids will enjoy the same treatment as humans. From now on, you'll be free to live under the sun."
These words sent a thrill through everyone present.
Even Fisher Tiger felt a surge of emotion in that moment.
Though he had told Jinbe and others before his death that he "could no longer bring himself to love humans," he had also emphasized that Otohime's policy of peace was the true path to resolving the future between fish-men and humans.
He believed that only by ensuring the next generation grew up free from the influences of hatred and discrimination could humans and fish-men truly reconcile and coexist—which was why he had been willing to sacrifice everything, even his life.
Now, the opportunity he had waited for had finally arrived, and this time, it was humans taking the initiative to accept them. Naturally, he was deeply moved.
However, due to his past experiences, he still harbored a trace of doubt toward humans. So, before Neptune could speak, he took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, let's think this over carefully and give President Lin our answer later, alright?"
Neptune pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Lin Xuan wasn't surprised by this and simply replied, "No problem. You have a few more days to consider it carefully!"
Otohime then asked, "Mr. Lin Xuan, you mentioned that inviting Fish-Man Island to join was only one of your goals. May I ask what the other goal is?"
Lin Xuan's other goal was, of course, Shirahoshi, but saying it outright now probably wouldn't help.
So, he just smiled faintly and said, "The other goal will naturally be achieved once you've confirmed your decision to join."
He had already made up his mind—he was definitely taking Shirahoshi with him. If Fish-Man Island refused to join later, he'd just take her by force!
Otohime and the others exchanged glances but didn't press further. They simply instructed the palace to treat Lin Xuan with the utmost hospitality.
Shirahoshi even volunteered to entertain him.
After a brief consideration, Neptune and the others agreed.
With the recent unrest on Fish-Man Island, they had many matters to attend to, so having Shirahoshi handle the hosting was actually the most suitable arrangement.
And so, Lin Xuan temporarily settled down on Fish-Man Island.
Meanwhile, various forces around the world grew restless upon receiving news of Lin Xuan's arrival on Fish-Man Island.
In the end, however, everyone chose to hold back and observe the situation quietly.
The follow-up intelligence they gathered didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary.
They only knew that Lin Xuan had taken up residence on Fish-Man Island, and for the next two days, he seemed to be enjoying himself while the fish-men focused on repairing the damage from the earlier internal chaos. This left everyone puzzled.
In reality, while Lin Xuan was relaxing on Fish-Man Island, he wasn't idle.
He pulled out the dossiers on World Government higher-ups that Sarutobi Hiruzen had prepared for him through the political team and began reading them.
Soon, his gaze landed on the profiles of the Navy's top brass, and a smile crept across his face.
Then, he started writing furiously.
Moments later, he sent an article to Sarutobi Hiruzen via the Naruto world chat group.
Lin Xuan: "@Sarutobi Hiruzen, get this article published in all the newspapers we control as quickly as possible and distribute it!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was working at the Ninja Guild office in the Sabaody Archipelago, curiously opened the article.
Upon reading it, his expression turned somewhat incredulous.
After a while, he cleared his throat twice and said, "As expected of President Lin—to come up with such a disgusting way to mess with the World Government!"
He immediately contacted the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon.
Imagining the World Government's reaction to this report, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly felt a rush of anticipation.
The reason for this approach was that the media had always been under the Revolutionary Army's control.
So, moments later, Monkey D. Dragon, who had returned to the former Navy Headquarters—now the Revolutionary Army's base at Marineford—also saw the article Lin Xuan had written. For a moment, he felt a massive headache coming on.
"If this article goes out, won't the old man beat me to death?" Monkey D. Dragon muttered to himself.
But soon, he gritted his teeth and resolved, "For the sake of the Revolutionary Army's cause, I'll risk it—even if the old man kills me!"
With that, he swiftly distributed Lin Xuan's article to the newspapers under Revolutionary Army control and had them sent worldwide.
Half a day later, people all over the world received the latest newspapers and read the explosive front-page headline.
"The Unknown Little Secret Between Navy Hero Karp and Navy Marshal Sengoku!"
Such a shocking and unconventional title immediately caught the attention of countless people.
Karp and Sengoku had some unknown secret between them?
Not just ordinary civilians—even Navy soldiers and officers felt an itch of curiosity upon seeing the title and couldn't resist reading on.
Everyone dove into the article with high expectations, starting with a discussion of Karp.
The author listed Karp's life achievements and numerous feats, truly befitting a Navy hero.
But then, the tone shifted abruptly: "Though Karp is seen as a Navy hero by countless people, in essence, he's actually a total goofball!"
Next, the author listed a bunch of Karp's silly antics, contrasting them with his heroic deeds earlier in the piece—it blew everyone's minds!
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T/N:
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