Chapter 88: Neptune’s Resolve
In the exhibition hall of the Fish-Man Cultural Hall, Prince Elus stopped in front of a warship model made by a Fish-Man shipwright two hundred years ago. It wasn’t because the model was particularly meaningful, but because his personal Den Den Mushi rang.
He walked to a corner of the exhibition hall and answered the Den Den Mushi.
Ten seconds later,
Prince Elus raised his eyebrows.
“You say Fire Fist went to Black Swan Island?”
“Sorry, Your Highness, due to my incompetence, Fire Fist escaped.”
Black Swan Island,
Eschbach stood in the park that had been burned by a big fire. The originally clear and transparent pond was covered with a thick layer of black ash, and the black swans that were commonly seen in the past had all flown away without a trace. He held the microphone in his hand and reported the detailed process of his battle with Ace.
The half-day fierce battle ultimately did not result in victory or defeat. Fire Fist’s companions broke through the encirclement set by Eschbach’s subordinates. Worried that Black Arm or other enemies might pursue, Ace, after fighting to his heart’s content, did not truly decide victory or defeat with Eschbach, but instead retreated while fighting and returned to the pirate ship with his partners.
Although the Log Pose had not fully stored its magnetism due to the short time spent on the island, intelligence officer Skar luckily robbed an Eternal Pose pointing to Bikahi Island, the true core of Eckmond Kingdom, from another group of pirates who appeared on Black Swan Island.
With the Eternal Pose, and the resupply work on the ship already completed, the pirate ship immediately set sail.
Even more troublesome was that the Spade Pirates’ Fish-Man Wores secretly damaged Eschbach’s warship, so they could only stay on Black Swan Island until the large hole in the ship bottom was repaired.
This result,
made Eschbach’s mood depressed.
“······His strength improved really fast.”
Through Eschbach’s description, Prince Elus noticed Ace’s progress. Compared to the time at Sabaody Archipelago, Fire Fist now seemed to have shed his immaturity and could be considered a strong person even in the New World.
However—
“What is he doing going to Black Swan Island? Could it be······ to get revenge on me? Impossible, right? That guy doesn’t seem like such a petty person, and honestly at Sabaody Archipelago I didn’t even touch him before Rayleigh intervened······” Prince Elus was still puzzled by Fire Fist’s route.
The New World is so vast, with thousands of islands. It couldn’t be a coincidence that he went to Eckmond Kingdom, right?
“This issue might be related to the Pirate Guerilla Squad.”
“Pirate Guerilla Squad? Mister Zephyr?”
“Mister Zephyr has been chasing the Spade Pirates lately, forcing them to keep running. They shook off the Zephyr Pirate Guerilla Squad at Yellow Pepper Island this time, but unexpectedly fled to Black Swan Island. I thought they would go to Edamame Island or Curved Neck Island······”
Prince Elus looked up at a hanging painting in front of him. “Chased to Black Swan Island by the Pirate Guerilla Squad? This is really······ haha! Interesting!” He thought it was amusing. The Pirate Guerilla Squad appeared in the New World early because of him, and then because of the Pirate Guerilla Squad, Fire Fist was driven to Eckmond Kingdom.
Such a cycle of cause and effect was truly interesting.
He laughed happily.
He wasn’t worried at all about domestic tranquility. After all, it was Fire Fist!
Even if he was still resentful about Prince Elus trying to capture him at Sabaody Archipelago, Prince Elus had no doubt that Ace would bring destructive turmoil to Eckmond Kingdom’s peace. Regarding Ace’s character, based on memories from his previous life and investigations in this life······
He’s a good person!
His biggest bad habit is eating and running, but in the end, the Spade Pirates’ members often pay the bill later.
“Let’s not talk about that. Eschbach, what’s the current situation? You’re still on Black Swan Island, right? Do you know where Fire Fist went? To Hard Shell Tower? Dog Head Gold Island? Or Latte Island?”
“Not clear yet, but I’ve already contacted the army commanders on the next three islands. As soon as the Spade Pirates’ flag is spotted, they’ll report the intelligence to me immediately. According to the shipwright, the warship should be repaired by tomorrow morning, and then I’ll chase after them right away.”
“No need to be so hasty.”
Prince Elus said slowly.
“Fire Fist······ no need to pay special attention to him. No, just ignore him altogether. Pass the news about Fire Fist to the Pirate Guerilla Squad.”
“······No need to pay attention?”
Eschbach asked uncertainly.
“Yes, ignore that guy. Eschbach, you went all out this time, right? Since you couldn’t win this time, even if you catch up, what use would it be? It would just be a waste of time and energy. Besides, you felt it too, right? Fire Fist is different from ordinary pirates. Leaving him alone won’t be a problem.”
Anyway, the Sokachio Family’s rule over Eckmond Kingdom is neither brutal nor harsh, so there’s no fear of pirates like Ace or Luffy, who like to fight evil and uphold justice, coming to make trouble.
Eschbach was silent for two seconds and agreed.
“I understand, Your Highness.”
This was Eschbach, the kindest in character among Prince Elus’s four aides-de-camp. He wasn’t as reckless and combative as Dick, nor as stubborn-minded as Dillon. Even without defeating Fire Fist, he had no obsessions or such things in his heart.
Similarly, he did realize the uniqueness of the Spade Pirates. For Ace and his group, his killing intent and fighting spirit were actually forcibly stimulated.
Being able to avoid fighting was a good thing!
Prince Elus chatted with Eschbach a few more sentences, inquiring about the domestic situation, the maritime transport network······ nothing new, the same as the reports he received every day. In short, everything was going smoothly.
After hanging up, Prince Elus pocketed the Den Den Mushi, walked quickly forward, and repeatedly apologized to King Neptune, who had been standing in front of the warship model for a while, saying things like “sorry” and “kept you waiting.” King Neptune also laughed and said it was fine. The atmosphere in the exhibition hall was warm and harmonious.
Normally, King Neptune didn’t need to personally accompany Prince Elus, this prince, on a tour of the island. Having Prince Hoshigaki Kisame accompany him would be sufficient.
However, Prince Elus was not an ordinary prince after all.
Moreover, considering Vander Decken who was captured, King Neptune set aside official duties and personally accompanied Prince Elus to tour many scenic spots on Fish-Man Island. The Fish-Man Cultural Hall was one of them. This massive mansion housed many valuable antiques from Fish-Man Island’s history.
The only pity was that most of the items left here were artworks, with nothing involving history.
But thinking about it carefully, that made sense,
Over the past eight hundred years, the World Government had expended untold efforts to erase that blank century. Except for the indestructible Poneglyphs, all historical documents from countries big and small, including the world’s strongest nation Elbaf Giant Kingdom, had been processed and censored.
As a result, even Elbaf Giant Kingdom and Ryugu Kingdom, which had no cultural ruptures, had no records of the blank century.
Prince Elus quickly figured out the secret and gave up on finding clues about the blank century from Ryugu Kingdom. He focused on following behind King Neptune, listening to the amiable big-bearded king explain the cultural and artistic value of each exhibit.
Soon, they passed through two exhibition halls and arrived at the third one in the deepest part.
At this time,
King Neptune did not explain eloquently as before. He just watched his three sons—Prince Hoshigaki Kisame, Prince Shirohoshi, and another—escorting Princess Shirahoshi and Fran as they immersed themselves in the strange exhibits in the hall.
It was truly bittersweet.
Clearly the only Princess of Ryugu Kingdom, yet Princess Shirahoshi was as unfamiliar and curious about everything in this Fish-Man Cultural Hall as Fran.
“Prince Elus.”
After a moment of silence, King Neptune finally broke the quiet.
Prince Elus said nothing, patiently waiting for the next words.
“Regarding the alliance······ after these days of consideration.” King Neptune spoke very slowly, almost squeezing out each word. He lowered his head to look at Prince Elus and sighed deeply in his heart. No matter what, a decision had to be made. Everything was for Fish-Man Island.
“In principle, I agree to the alliance with Eckmond Kingdom.”
The final answer was agreement.
Prince Elus was not surprised.
This outcome was only natural. As long as King Neptune and Ryugu Kingdom’s ministers hadn’t lost their minds, they wouldn’t reject the olive branch extended by Prince Elus, especially with Jinbe having paved the way with the title of Seven Warlords under the king.
Rejection would not only waste Jinbe’s efforts but also lose the friendship of the New World’s youngest Overlord.
From every perspective, agreeing to the alliance was the best choice.
The hesitation stemmed first from habitual caution—repeated deliberations, exhaustive calculations of the alliance’s future to ensure it wouldn’t bring disaster to Ryugu Kingdom. King Neptune dared not be careless;
As for the second reason, it was because of Whitebeard. Having borrowed Whitebeard’s flag to protect Fish-Man Island’s peace, now cozying up to the Black Prince made King Neptune feel guilty toward his old friend Whitebeard.
Of course,
When it came to the future of Fish-Man Island and Ryugu Kingdom, personal friendships didn’t count for much. He swallowed his pride, contacted Whitebeard via Den Den Mushi, explained Fish-Man Island’s situation, obtained Whitebeard’s understanding, and only then finally made up his mind to give Prince Elus a clear reply.
“But if possible, Prince Elus, if possible, please keep the alliance as low-key as possible, without making too much noise. Fish-Man Island isn’t used to being in the spotlight······” King Neptune cautiously made the request.
In this human-dominated world, King Neptune truly did not want Fish-Man Island to attract any attention.
Having individual Fish-Men like Jinbe active outside, proving Fish-Man Island wasn’t to be trifled with, was enough. Too much spotlight wasn’t good for Fish-Man Island—at least, not in King Neptune’s view.
“Such a small matter doesn’t need any discussion.”
Prince Elus spoke up. “I understand Your Majesty King Neptune’s concerns. As I said before, the estrangement between humans and Fish-Men can’t be broken hastily. In my view, the alliance shouldn’t be publicized in the first place. Start with secret official exchanges.”
“How so?”
King Neptune showed an interested expression.
“For example, send Prince Hoshigaki Kisame and Princess Shirahoshi to Eckmond Kingdom to study—whether attending school, interning at the government, or joining the army. Similarly, I’ll send people to Ryugu Kingdom for exchange. To break the estrangement between humans and Fish-Men, the first step is to understand each other.”
“It may not sound nice, but that’s the reality. Humans are the world’s rulers. If Fish-Man Island doesn’t want to remain excluded from the human world, surviving in fear, it needs to proactively understand humans, truly integrate into human society, rather than being an isolated fairy-tale kingdom.”
Prince Elus spoke eloquently.
He did his utmost to persuade, advocating that mermaids should step out of Ryugu Kingdom, see with their own eyes, listen with their own ears, and judge the true human world with their own brains, rather than speculating based on fragments from adventurers and pirates.
“Send Prince Hoshigaki Kisame and Princess Shirahoshi to Eckmond Kingdom for exchange?”
King Neptune was somewhat moved. He glanced at his eldest son Prince Hoshigaki Kisame attending nearby. Perhaps sending Prince Hoshigaki Kisame out for some experience would be good. He himself had traveled the New World for a time in his youth, becoming friends with Whitebeard then.
Ryugu Kingdom’s heir shouldn’t stay under the deep sea his whole life.
However,
His gaze shifted to Princess Shirahoshi in the distance, and King Neptune’s face showed extreme reluctance. Having finally gotten his youngest daughter out of Hard Shell Tower, now send her far away from his side?
“What I said earlier was just an example. It doesn’t have to be Prince Hoshigaki Kisame and Princess Shirahoshi. Others can do it too. This kind of exchange isn’t a one-off. If the initial trial works, it can continue indefinitely.”
Prince Elus didn’t push too hard, lest King Neptune develop resistance and refuse to let Princess Shirahoshi leave Fish-Man Island.
“It’s good for Prince Hoshigaki Kisame to visit Eckmond Kingdom for study. He’ll inherit my position eventually; he can’t remain ignorant of humans.” King Neptune directly decided Prince Hoshigaki Kisame’s destination. As for Princess Shirahoshi······ His Majesty the King didn’t mention her, clearly still struggling internally.
“No rush, Your Majesty King Neptune. For such a major event, it’s best to establish clear terms from the start. There will surely be bumps in future exchanges. Defining rights and responsibilities in advance makes handling conflicts easier.”
“That makes sense.”
King Neptune nodded in agreement.
Having written terms to define the alliance’s details was exactly what he wanted!
Saying this, his already favorable impression of Prince Elus improved further.
Prince Elus was equally pleased. Securing Ryugu Kingdom gave his maritime transport network a backup route, greatly reducing dependence on Red Port and eliminating worries about naval forces cutting off contact with his Paradise developments.
More importantly, Poseidon.
This legendary Ancient Weapon had a good chance of falling into his pocket.
Plus the Pluton Blueprint in his pocket, two of the three Ancient Weapons were already reserved.
His confidence in confronting the World Government was growing stronger!
A brilliant smile appeared on Prince Elus’s face.
