Pirate: I'm about to do something big!

The Dragon Palace Kingdom is located 10,000 meters below the sea, within the main part of Fishman Island.

The long, drawn-out sound of horns echoed within the palace as three mermaid princes led the Sea King's army soldiers belonging to the [Dragon Palace] Kingdom to the open space at the assembly point.

Meanwhile, King Neptune and Queen Otohime of the Ryugu Kingdom were already waiting there. Behind the couple was a little mermaid who was about 6 years old, with a beautiful face, but whose body was already half the size of King Neptune of Fishman Island.

"Father, Mother, we've come to help you."

"Shark Star, Emperor Star, Overturned Star, my good children, this is not a problem you can solve right now."

"We need to protect our little sister too!"

King Neptune of Mermaid Island is a coelacanth mermaid about 12 meters long, wearing a crown, with a distinctive red nose and orange-red curly hair.

Holding the golden trident, he first acknowledged his three sons' feelings of protecting their sister, Shirahoshi. Before he could say more to his sons, his wife, Queen Otohime, loudly reminded him.

"Neptune!"

Compared to King Neptune's enormous size, Queen Otohime was much smaller, just over two meters tall, but she possessed an innate Observation Haki.

As her husband encouraged their three sons who had come to help, she stood in front of her daughter, who was more than twice her size, comforting her while pointing to the sky.

A black dot is growing larger and larger in everyone's field of vision.

It was a broken mast, which whistled through the air as it fell precisely onto the open space where the Fishman Island royal family was located.

Fishman Karate - Super Ocean Current!

King Neptune stepped forward, shielding the crowd behind him, his halberd spinning rapidly as he brandished it.

The moisture in the air gathered as King Neptune stirred it with his halberd, transforming into a water tornado that, under his control, crashed into the mast flying through the air.

The waterspout enveloped the mast that flew at high speed from the sky. Under Neptune's control, the broken mast, which seemed to have flown in from nowhere, swayed and staggered in the water like a drunkard before finally detaching from the waterspout and slowly settling into the lawn of the open space, as if it had completed its mission.

A soldier from the Dragon Palace carefully handed a love letter hanging on the mast to King Neptune and Queen Otohime.

Looking at the identical love letter, the King and Queen could only sigh helplessly.

Before the two could comfort their youngest daughter, Bai Xing, behind them, a shrill whistle came from the sky again.

Following the broken mast, a giant anchor and a huge coral reef appeared in the sky, and their final destination was still the location of the Fishman Island royal family!

"Otohime, quickly take the children and hide inside the Hard-Shelled Tower!"

Upon seeing that there were still projectiles, King Neptune's face darkened, and he twirled his halberd again, causing water to gather in front of him.

Behind King Neptune, Queen Otohime had taken her four children and the Dragon Palace soldiers who had come to help to seek refuge in a building called the "Hard Shell Tower".

At that moment, Alyosha arrived.

Fishman Karate - Water Strike!

Alyosha stood in the air and threw a punch. In front of Alyosha's punch, two huge bubbles quickly condensed and met the giant anchor and coral reef flying in from the air, shattering them upon impact.

"Queen Otohime, King Neptune, are you alright?"

"Mr. Tiger?"

Before the Fishman Island royal family could recover from Alyosha's sudden human intervention, they heard Tiger's voice from behind them.

Alyosha stood in the air, turned around, and looked at the little mermaid Shirahoshi, who was under the protection of her parents and brothers. The little mermaid, who was not yet six years old but already three meters tall, was staring blankly at Alyosha standing in the sky.

Looking at Shirahoshi's adorable appearance as the mermaid princess, Alyosha gave her a thumbs up and smiled gently to the side.

Perhaps touched by Alyosha's kindness, Princess Shirahoshi, the little mermaid princess who was bewildered by the unwarranted harassment, also showed a smile that could captivate all beings.

He then turned around, looked in the direction from which the projectiles had come, and stomped his foot on the air. Alyosha's figure transformed into a black shadow and disappeared into the distance.

Outside Fishman Island, on a sea cliff ten thousand meters below the surface, a dilapidated pirate ship is moored.

This pirate ship was not coated with bubble coating and just sat there below the sea cliff, looking like a shipwreck.

However, there was a fishman standing on the deck of this pirate ship. Unlike other fishmen who could swim in the sea, this fishman was covered with a coating of bubbles that only land-dwelling races like humans would apply.

On the deck where the fishman stood, there were all sorts of weapons and ship parts, each with a letter of similar content attached to it.

"Hehehe, Princess Shirahoshi, can you feel the intensity of my love for you?"

The merman stood on the deck, gazing ahead. He couldn't see the outline of Merman Island at all, but for him, distance was not a problem.

His name is Vander Decken IX, a broad-striped tiger shark-man. However, because he ate the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Target-Target Fruit, Vander Decken lost the ability to swim in the sea despite being a fish-man. He can only coat his entire body with a coating of bubbles, just like humans, so that he can move freely in the sea.

They were also the culprits who harassed King Neptune's family on Fishman Island.

This was just Vander Deikun's usual way of expressing his love for Shirahoshi, the little mermaid princess.

After muttering to himself, Vander Decken bent down, preparing to use his Devil Fruit power to propel the pirate ship beneath him away.

This is how he uses his Devil Fruit ability. The Target-Target Fruit user can mark a target by touching it with his palm. After marking it, he can lock onto and track any object thrown at it, regardless of obstacles. However, the target can be blocked or shot down.

Washing one's hands can remove the mark placed on a target by a Devil Fruit user.

Just as Vander Decken was about to use his left hand to throw and urge the pirate ship beneath him, he saw a figure rapidly approaching him from the deep sea.

"Huh?"

I've found you, Vander Deiken.

Alyosha smiled. Throughout the Fishman Island arc, this guy left the deepest impression on him. As a fishman born in the sea, he could only move underwater like a human by wearing a coated bubble because he ate a Devil Fruit. Otherwise, he could only turn belly up on the seabed.

"Vander Deiken, right?"

"It's me, the great one! Who are you?!"

Alyosha did not answer, but simply raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

Finger Gun!

Life energy gathered at Alyosha's index finger, transforming into a water shockwave that shot directly toward Vander Deiken.

The shockwave traced a visible path underwater, directly hitting the coated bubble on Vander Deiken's body.

In a single puncture, the protective bubbles on Vander Deiken's body burst. Without the protective bubbles, seawater flooded in, and Vander Deiken was unable to even struggle. He lost all means of resistance as he was submerged in the seawater and simply remained there.

Although Vander Decken was conscious, he was unable to use his Devil Fruit ability to fight back.

He could only watch as Alyosha pulled out a wooden sword, stabbed it into his own belly, and led him back to Fishman Island.

This is the indelible weakness of every Devil Fruit: once soaked in seawater, no matter how powerful you are, you are at the mercy of others.

In other words, Vander Decken, as a fish-man, naturally possesses the racial advantage of being able to breathe underwater. If it were a human Devil Fruit user who had taken such a hit from Alyosha, they would now only be waiting for their teammates to collect their corpses.

In the Dragon Palace of Fishman Island, King Neptune and his family were still exchanging pleasantries with Tiger when they saw Alyosha, who had just left in a hurry, return with a broad-striped tiger shark man. He casually tossed Vander Deiken to the ground before landing.

"Alright, everyone, let's get back to the main topic."

Alyosha smiled and said, having easily dealt with Vander Deiken, the culprit who had caused trouble for the Dragon Palace royal family.

-----------------

The Dragon Palace Royal Chamber, Reception Room.

"So this is the guy who's been harassing my daughter, Shirahoshi."

"That's right, King Neptune, Queen Otohime, he seems to know a secret that only you two know, and of course, I know it too."

Alyosha made no attempt to hide anything, directly revealing that he also knew the secret that the mermaid princess Shirahoshi was the living weapon "Poseidon," one of the three ancient weapons.

When the secret was revealed, King Neptune's expression changed, but Queen Otohime comforted her husband.

"Wait a minute, Neptune, my Observation Haki tells me that Mr. Alyosha means no harm; he wants to help us."

"To be precise, I would prefer to receive help from Fishman Island. I do not covet the power of 'Poseidon.' In my view, powerful forces are neither right nor wrong. Whether the power of 'Poseidon' brings destruction or rebirth to this world depends entirely on how we use it. Queen Otohime, if possible, I hope you can use your power to let Mr. Tiger and King Neptune know why I have come."

Alyosha pointed to his forehead, appearing as if he was letting Queen Otohime do as she pleased.

He knew very well that Queen Otohime possessed the same unique and top-tier Observation Haki as himself.

Alyosha's innate top-tier Observation Haki is unique in that it allows him to sense and control the life energy existing in this world.

Queen Otohime's Observation Haki is unique in that it allows her to hear the voices of all things, and even to transmit her consciousness to others, influencing their minds and emotions and creating a strong resonance. It can even change their values ​​and thoughts.

Faced with Alyosha's honesty, Queen Otohime, who had always been committed to the coexistence of fish-men and humans on Fish-Man Island, did not refuse. She extended her right hand and placed it on Alyosha's forehead, and Alyosha also extended his hand to Tiger.

"Mr. Tiger, haven't you always wanted to know why I helped you? I think Princess Otohime can tell you the answer."

Tiger looked at Alyosha's outstretched hand and took it with some skepticism, while Queen Otohime held King Neptune's hand and activated her special Observation Haki.

As Queen Otohime activated her Observation Haki, Alyosha's long-held thoughts were revealed to the three of them without any concealment.

The exchange of ideas is far more direct than words. In just a moment of contact, Neptune, Otohime, and Tiger understood Alyosha's purpose in coming to Fishman Island.

The three men's expressions changed simultaneously. Looking at Alyosha, who still maintained a gentle smile, they couldn't reconcile his kind face with the world-shattering ideas in his heart.

Tiger, in particular, the great hero who was dedicated to liberating slaves and restoring their freedom, finally understood why Alyosha had saved him on Forsythe Island and guided him on how to improve the cause of liberating slaves.

"Alyosha Ran, do you know what you're doing?!"

"I understand very well, Mr. Tiger, which is why I chose to help you. I know very well that to achieve my dream, I need comrades who share my dream and fight alongside me."

The same applies to Fish-Man Island. Queen Otohime, the Fish-Man race wants to coexist with humans and live on the same land. This is a great dream, but in the world ruled by the Celestial Dragons, it is an unattainable dream. Only by overthrowing this corrupt and backward old world and establishing a new world where everyone is equal can the Fish-Man race coexist with humans.

"The collective signature of the Fish-Man Island residents alone is useless. If Fish-Man Island doesn't have enough strength to protect itself, then the fish-men and mermaids who come ashore will only become slaves of the Celestial Dragons. I think you understand this better than I do. This is what I want to do, and it's why I've been staying with the Navy. I have nothing to hide, and I hope you can join me, but I won't force you. I hope you'll think it over carefully."

Having said that, Alyosha got up and left without the slightest hesitation.

At that moment, Tiger called out to him.

"Alyosha Ran, can you tell me why you did this?"

"Why? If I really have to say why, it's because I really hate this world ruled by the Celestial Dragons. I also don't like waiting for a new era full of unknowns to arrive, because I don't know when that will take. The new era I want is one without oppression, where all races are equal and live in harmony. That's why I need your power."

Having given Tiger the answer he wanted, Alyosha felt much more relaxed. He nodded slightly to the three people behind him and left the Dragon Palace alone, leaving only his back view for them.

At the gates of the Dragon Palace, King Neptune, Queen Otohime, and Tiger watched Alyosha's departing figure.

Queen Otohime, who had always advocated for the coexistence of fish-men and humans and held hope and optimism in this regard, was no longer smiling as she watched Alyosha's departing figure with a sorrowful expression.

Because she also saw in Alyosha's heart a future where fish-men and humans coexisted and lived together on a land, but that future was accompanied by countless bloodshed and sacrifices, which was something that the peace-loving Queen Otohime did not want to see and that she tried her best to avoid.

However, Queen Otohime's innate special Observation Haki told her that bloodshed and sacrifice were unavoidable in order to achieve coexistence between fish-men and humans, leaving her with no choice.

King Neptune, however, pondered for a moment.

"Alyosha Ran, Roger, is this the new era you wanted to see...?"