Back on the ship, Ezra no longer lingered around the Sabaody Archipelago.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
"Admiral Residual Fire, the coating is complete!"
Lying on a beach chair, Ezra stretched lazily.
"Then let's set off."
"Yes, Admiral Residual Fire!"
Soon, a massive coated ship rose and then sank smoothly into the sea, heading toward Fish-Man Island.
At this time, tensions between humans and fish-men on the island had escalated to a critical point.
King Neptune was overwhelmed with worry every day, while his three sons and numerous ministers wracked their brains for solutions yet nothing seemed effective.
"Jinbe, do you have any ideas?" Neptune asked, looking down at the whale-man.
Jinbe shook his head.
"I'm sorry, King Neptune. There's nothing I can do… unless "
Jinbe paused. Neptune, anxious, pressed him: "Unless what?"
Jinbe continued, "Unless… a particularly powerful external force intervenes to forcibly stop both sides from clashing."
Neptune was taken aback, then sighed.
"But where could we find such a powerful force?"
As everyone fretted, the Abalone fish-man minister hurriedly entered.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! There's trouble!"
"Another fight? Did the humans strike first, or the fish-men?"
"No, no, Your Majesty! It's not that! Several Navy ships have appeared outside Fish-Man Island!"
Neptune's relief at first quickly turned to alarm.
"Damn it! Why are they coming now?!"
The minister quickly held back the king's exclamations.
"Your Majesty, the ships bear the mark of a blade!"
The room fell into an uproar.
"That emblem… are you sure the guards didn't mistake it?" Neptune asked, swallowing hard.
The minister took a deep breath.
"I'm certain! Those are the ships of Admiral Residual Fire!"
The ministers and princes were flabbergasted.
"Why would an Admiral come here?!"
"And the strongest Admiral at that!"
"This is it… Fish-Man Island is finished…"
Panic swept the room, but Neptune slammed his trident into the ground with a thunderous crash.
"Silence!"
The buzzing chatter quieted immediately.
Jinbe spoke cautiously.
"King Neptune, this may actually be a good opportunity. Remember the powerful external force we discussed? The Admiral… is that force."
Everyone paused to consider. Indeed, the reasoning made sense.
Yet one question remained:
"Will Admiral Residual Fire help us?"
Jinbe's tone was serious.
"King Neptune, we won't know until we try."
"Very well. Then we'll take this chance."
While Neptune arranged his strategy, Ezra had already entered Fish-Man Island.
Beneath the ocean, encased in a massive bubble, the island was breathtaking truly a "paradise beneath the waves."
"Indeed, beautiful," Ezra murmured, a faint smile crossing his face.
But the smile vanished quickly as he faced thousands of armed fish-men glaring at him and the Navy.
"Humans! Real humans!"
"How dare they come to Fish-Man Island now?!"
At that moment, a massive shark fish-man wearing a trident-emblazoned hat stepped forward.
"Humans! How dare you set foot on "
Hody Jones froze in shock.
Why was an Admiral here?
He didn't have time to think and immediately fled into the water.
Seeing their leader run, the surrounding fish-men followed without a second thought, leaving the area completely deserted.
Ezra remained standing calmly, choosing not to pursue Hody. He knew someone would react quickly.
The Navy behind him exchanged puzzled whispers.
"What just happened?"
"A performance, I guess?"
"Too realistic to be fake…"
Ezra's lips twitched at their misunderstanding.
Just then, King Neptune arrived with his retinue, making his way to Ezra.
"Admiral Residual Fire! Apologies for our delay."
Neptune was visibly eager to enlist Ezra's help.
Ezra's lips curved into a faint smile. See, those in need always come rushing.
"King Neptune, no need for apologies. Nothing has happened here," Ezra replied.
Neptune relaxed.
"Good, good. Admiral, if you don't mind, shall we proceed to Ryugu Palace for a discussion?"
Ezra inclined his head slightly.
"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way."
"Oh, it's my honor that the Admiral visits Ryugu Palace!" Neptune's words were courteous and genuine.
Ezra couldn't help but think: Now this is the art of diplomacy. This is true emotional intelligence.
"Then I shall gladly follow. Please, lead on."
Following Neptune, Ezra took his first step into Ryugu Palace.
Perched atop Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Palace was constructed from enormous coral reefs, shells, and other materials. A colossal dragon spiraled within the palace, and astonishingly, sunlight penetrated all the way down.
Sitting in the grand hall, Ezra scanned the surroundings.
"Ryugu Palace is truly remarkable," he remarked.
King Neptune's lips curled into a smile.
"Hahaha, Admiral Vale, if you like Ryugu Palace…"
"Can I have it?" Neptune interjected, joking.
Ezra shrugged. Humor was a good way to build rapport.
"Of course, King Neptune. A few more days here would be sufficient," he said lightly.
"By the way, King Neptune, is Jinbe here?" Ezra asked.
Neptune was momentarily startled.
"Admiral, are you here for Jinbe?"
Ezra smiled reassuringly.
"No need to worry. I'm not here to arrest him. I'll handle this matter myself. Jinbe, are you coming out?"
From beneath the palace's coral pillars, a familiar figure slowly emerged it was Jinbe.