At that moment, King Neptune was suddenly struck by a strange feeling.
He was the ruler of Fish-Man Island, yet when it came to drafting national laws, it was being led by a human pirate standing before him. And not just any pirate, but one so dangerous.
Was this really the right choice...
Just then, Otohime, who had been lost in anguish ever since she sensed the darkness in Tiger's heart, finally spoke.
"I understand. I'll help. For the future of Fish-Man Island..."
King Neptune had nothing more to say. He simply nodded.
"I understand!"
"Alright. Since our goals are aligned right now, there's no need to hesitate."
"We don't have much time. Let's move..."
...
Five days later.
Fish-Man Island, Marine Mall.
Inside a bar.
Three human traffickers who had just arrived on Fish-Man Island, posing as pirates, swept their greedy gazes across the room. To them, every fish-man and mermaid in the bar was a walking treasure chest.
As long as they managed to capture even one, they'd strike it rich.
But they couldn't act rashly.
At that moment, a young mermaid maid walked over, looking slightly nervous.
"Um... um... what would you like to order?"
With such a beautiful mermaid standing so close, the three men couldn't suppress the greedy smiles spreading across their faces.
"Drinks, of course. But say, fish-man lady, how about keeping us company?"
"I... I'm sorry, guests. We don't provide that kind of service..."
"Don't give me that... Huh? Acting all high and mighty? You're just fish-men. A lowly species."
The insult instantly ignited the anger of every fish-man in the bar. Yet the trafficker didn't care in the slightest. He stood up, stepped onto his chair, pulled out his weapon, and shouted arrogantly,
"What? You fish-men got something to say?"
The fish-men in the bar clenched their fists, but in the end, they lowered their heads in frustration.
Seeing that, the three traffickers burst out laughing and sat back down.
"Cowardly fish-men."
"Hahaha... I can practically see the Belly waving at us."
"We really ought to thank their Queen."
"They say she's a beauty too."
"Wonder how much she'd sell for?"
"Hahahaha..."
They openly discussed selling fish-men, even their Queen, without the slightest concern that anyone in the bar would dare resist.
Just then, the bar door was pushed open, and five figures walked in.
At the front was the very mermaid maid they had just harassed. She turned to the little girl behind her and spoke.
"Ayala-san, it's those three. They're the mermaid traffickers... they admitted it themselves..."
The three humans froze, staring at the odd group in front of them with confusion.
"A human, fish-men, and even a dinosaur...?"
Before they could figure out what was going on, the white-haired little girl stepped forward and asked nervously,
"I just want to confirm... you're mermaid traffickers, right?"
The three men looked at her tense expression and delicate, adorable face, and sneered.
"Hey, little girl, you can't just throw accusations around like that. But you're pretty cute. What, are you a mermaid too? Come here, let Uncle have a feel..."
The moment he reached out, his body suddenly locked up. Strange purple markings spread across his arm and hand.
"Huh? What is this? Paint? When did this..."
He looked up and saw the white-haired girl smiling gently at him.
"This is called Truth Fungus. It's a type of fungus that invades the brain and affects the nervous system. Once you're infected, you won't be able to lie."
"What?!"
Before the three traffickers could react, their vision blurred. Illusions flooded their sight, and in sheer terror, they were swallowed by the spreading purple fungus.
"Ah..."
"Alright then, fish-man brothers, please take them to the prison. Interrogating them should be easy."
The two fish-men showed no fear at what they had just witnessed. On the contrary, after being entrusted by Ayala, they looked excited. Grabbing the three humans, they said eagerly,
"Got it! Thank you for your hard work, Ayala-san. Leave these guys to us!"
They dragged the traffickers away toward the prison, leaving only Ayala and Kurota behind.
Ayala turned to the stunned crowd inside the bar.
"Everyone on Fish-Man Island, let me introduce myself. My name is Ayala, and this is my partner, Kurota. We're members of the Sky Pirates. At the request of Tiger-san, your King Neptune, and Queen Otohime, our crew is working together with the Fish-Man Island Kingdom Army to protect the island during this period."
"These mermaid traffickers will be dealt with according to the corresponding laws after interrogation. So if any of you encounter mermaid traffickers or any pirates committing crimes in the future, you can come to us."
"We have offices set up at the end of every street. As for the specific policies and related laws, if you're interested, you can head to Gyoncorde Plaza. Tiger-san and Queen Otohime are there personally explaining everything to everyone."
"That's all from me. I'll be taking my leave."
With that, Ayala left with Kurota.
The fish-men inside the bar were left completely stunned.
"Hey... did I hear that right? Human pirates are protecting us?"
"Are human girls all that strong now?"
"It looks like it... This is unbelievable."
"You idiots, didn't you catch the important part?"
"Huh? What important part?"
"Idiot! That human girl is from Tiger-san's Sky Pirates!"
"Tiger-san? Has he come back?"
"I'm not sure..."
"Didn't you hear? Tiger-san and Queen Otohime are at Gyoncorde Plaza explaining everything in person!"
"Really? Then let's go take a look together."
"Yeah, let's go! Let's go!"
...
All across Fish-Man Island, similar scenes were unfolding everywhere.
Members of the Sky Pirates each led teams responsible for different areas of the island.
Because their numbers were limited, most of the personnel deployed were from the Fish-Man Island Kingdom Army.
Even so, in just a single day, the atmosphere across the island changed noticeably.
Large numbers of mermaid traffickers and pirates were arrested.
The pirates and traffickers operating on the island quickly caught wind of what was happening. Some had originally planned to resist, but the moment they heard the name Sky Pirates, they lost their nerve and immediately backed down.
As for those who still refused to cooperate, their lives ended on this island.