At that moment, on Fishman Island…
The harbor was packed. More and more fish-men crowded in, murmuring.
"That guy's a Celestial Dragon, right?"
"Looks like it…"
"Why does it suddenly smell so much worse here?" the Celestial Dragon—Donquixote Mjosgard—complained, pinching his nose through his bubble helmet. "This whole place reeks of fish!"
Every male fishman in earshot went visibly darker.
"Hey! Hurry up and bring me a cover or something! The stink is unbearable!" Mjosgard shouted.
A group of fish-men began to approach him slowly. If you looked closely, you could see sun symbols tattooed on their backs or chests.
"Hey, hey, what are you filthy fish doing?" Mjosgard pulled a golden pistol and aimed it at them.
A large shark fishman stepped forward and slapped the gun out of his hand with a single huge palm.
"Celestial Dragon. Do you remember me?"
Mjosgard squinted at him, then his eyes widened. "You… you're that slave of Charlos! How did you escape, you damned animal! Get on your knees and greet your superior, the most noble Celestial Dragon!"
The shark fishman's grip tightened around his steel staff. His eyes burned with hatred.
"Let me show you how I say hello, Celestial Dragon."
He moved like a bullet, swinging the staff in a heavy arc.
CRACK.
Mjosgard's face exploded in blood and teeth as he went down screaming.
"AAAAA—!!"
"You filthy slave!" Mjosgard shrieked from the ground. "How dare you hit me—me, a Celestial Dragon! I'll have you executed!"
He still hadn't realized the situation had changed completely.
The other fish-men just laughed coldly.
"Oi, Moose, don't kill him yet," an octopus fishman called. "Let the rest of us who suffered get a few swings."
More former slaves stepped forward, eyes burning, fists clenched. Their sun tattoos glowed on their skin.
"What are you doing!?" Mjosgard shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "Stay back! I am a Celestial Dragon!"
"Yeah," said the shark fishman—Moose—with a manic grin. "And that's exactly why we're doing this."
He brought his staff down again.
"Smash the Celestial Dragon!"
The others joined in, fists, feet, and weapons raining down. As they punched, they shouted about their years in chains, about whips and collars and the "Holy Land."
Some fish-men burst into tears even as they beat him. Others only grew more frenzied.
Among them was a young white shark fishman who hit harder and harder, eyes bloodshot.
Hody Jones.
After a while, they stopped to catch their breath.
"Damn, he's still alive," someone spat. "Tenacious bastard. But even a tenacious bastard can die. fish-men are ten times as strong as humans."
"Ha ha ha!" Hody laughed madly, breathing hard.
"Alright, enough," one of the older fish-men said. "Time to send him up to the heavens. Not just for us—for boss Fisher Tiger."
"Yeah!" Guns were raised and cocked all around.
Click. Click. Click.
Mjosgard, barely conscious, realized what was happening.
"You… you vermin!" he stammered. "If you kill me, Fishman Island will be destroyed! My people will peel your skin and rip out your spines!"
"That sounds great," Hody said, grinning wider. "When they come down, I'll kill them too."
"Do it. No more talking," an octopus fishman said.
"Right!"
Mjosgard squeezed his eyes shut.
"Fire!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Smoke filled the air.
"Queen Otohime! What are you doing!?" someone screamed.
When the smoke cleared, everyone froze.
Queen Otohime was on top of Mjosgard, arms spread, back to the guns, blood already seeping through her dress.
She'd sprinted forward and tackled him at the last possible second.
Coughing, she looked up at her people. "Everyone… please. This has to stop. If we continue like this, the hatred will only deepen."
She pressed a hand to her wound and, with her small body, shielded the bleeding Celestial Dragon lying beneath her.
"Your Highness, move!" a fishman shouted. "This is our revenge! For ourselves—and for Brother Tiger!"
Otohime refused to budge.
"Queen Otohime, he's a Celestial Dragon! They love putting fish-men in chains!" another cried. "Do you have any idea how much our people up there are suffering right now?"
He broke down in tears mid-sentence.
Around him, more fish-men trembled, their eyes red.
"Everyone," Otohime said softly, "pain like that… cannot be passed on again and again. It must end somewhere.
"We have to think of the children… of Fishman Island's future."
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke. Without realizing it, she unleashed her unique Observation Haki again, her emotions spreading like waves.
One by one, the fish-men's grips on their guns loosened. Weapons lowered. Eyes went hollow and conflicted.
Only Hody Jones kept his gaze cold and murderous.
"My fellow fish-men," Otohime pleaded. "Please believe me. I will handle this. For eight hundred years, we've longed for the sun, for understanding, for true peace with humans.
"So… please. Stop this here."
More and more fish-men dropped their weapons and looked away in shame.
Otohime allowed herself a tiny breath of relief—
—and then Mjosgard picked up his golden pistol.
He scrambled upright, wincing, and jammed the barrel against Otohime's temple.
"Stop!" Neptune and Jinbe shouted, having finally arrived.
"Stop right now, you despicable human!" the former slaves roared.
But Otohime didn't flinch. She didn't even blink.
Mjosgard sneered. "You dirty fish dared to hit me. Me, Donquixote Mjosgard, a Celestial Dragon! You'll all pay!
"Treat me. Right now. Heal me. Or I'll blow your queen's brains out."
The fish-men froze, faces twisting with fear and helpless rage.
Otohime smiled gently.
"Lord Mjosgard. We can heal you. Please… allow us to bring you to Ryugu Palace for treatment. You don't need to threaten anyone."
Her calm tone—and that ever-present aura—wove their way into Mjosgard's muddled brain.
Slowly, the barrel of the pistol drifted away from her head.
He stared at Otohime's face, then snorted. "Then hurry up and treat me."
"Of course," Otohime said, heart swelling with fragile hope. "Please, this way."
As the Celestial Dragon limped toward the palace under heavy guard, she allowed herself a small, trembling smile.
This… this might be the beginning of peace.
Some time later—
The coated Marine warship glided down toward Fishman Island. At the barrier, the sentries stared in shock.
"Marines? Are they here for the Celestial Dragon?"
They whispered nervously to one another.
On the bow of the warship, Tokikake spread his arms wide and shouted, "Ahhh, beautiful mermaids of Fishman Island! The most handsome genius, Tokikake, has returned!"
Jin almost jumped out of his skin.
"The hell are you yelling about?" he muttered—and then, unable to hold back, he kicked Tokikake square in the back.
"Since you're in such a rush, I'll help you get there faster."
"Aaaaaugh—!" Tokikake howled as he shot forward like a cannonball and crashed through the bubble membrane, tumbling across the coral street.
Smack.
He lay there face-first in the ground for a long moment, his scrawny, sleazy face mashed into the rock.
The Marines behind Jin exchanged helpless looks. This time, only Kuro had come along from the 62nd Base; the rest were headquarters soldiers.
Once the ship docked and everyone else disembarked, Tokikake staggered to his feet.
"Damn you, Jin! You kicked me!"
Jin flicked something out of his ear. "Don't shout. You looked impatient, so I simply speeded you along. No need to thank me."
He smiled sweetly.
Tokikake bared his teeth. "Who wants to thank you, you bastard—"
Then he spotted a group of mermaid girls in bikinis further inside the island.
His eyes lit up instantly. "Mermaids! Beautiful mermaid ladies! I'm coming!"
"I forgive you!" he tossed back over his shoulder as he sprinted away.
Jin watched him run, then heard Kuro sigh behind him.
"I've spent some time around Vice Admiral Tokikake," Kuro said. "At first I just thought he was sleazy and a pervert."
"And now?" Jin asked, amused.
Kuro massaged his temples. "Now I just think he's a full-on degenerate. I've seen him going in and out of Sabaody's pleasure district more times than I can count."
Jin chuckled. "You're only half right."
Kuro blinked. "Half?"
"I heard this from Kuzan himself," Jin said, grinning wickedly. "Tokikake's personal record: one full week in the red-light district, every day, three women at a time."
He held up three fingers.
"According to Kuzan, Tokikake lost ten pounds afterward."
The Marines behind them all clapped hands over their faces. That little tale was… unfortunately accurate.
Kuro shot Jin a sideways look. "What about you, then?"
"Me?" Jin tilted his head, thinking.
"I like… married women. Gentle, obedient types," he said with a low, shameless laugh.
Kuro stared at him. "Okay, that's… a heavy taste. No wonder Vice Admiral Gion flirts with you and you never answer."
Behind them, several Marines' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
We were not supposed to hear that…
Jin sucked in a breath through his teeth. "There are some women you don't touch. Touch them and you die. So yeah, I know where the line is."
Kuro fell silent.
Fishman Island loomed before them, beautiful and dangerous.
And somewhere inside its glittering coral city, a bleeding Celestial Dragon lay in a palace bed—waiting to be "rescued" by a man who absolutely did not want the job.
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