Chapter 199: A Mermaid? Now I'm Even More Excited!

Queen Otohime, a member of the mermaid race and a goldfish mermaid at that, had long, wavy golden hair, large blue eyes, and an orange crown-shaped hair clip that held her hair back. She wore a long robe with a pattern resembling orange fish scales, which grew denser around the cuffs and tail.

Although she was the mother of Princess Shirahoshi, renowned as the most beautiful woman in the world, Queen Otohime herself wasn't exactly breathtakingly stunning. However, beyond her appearance, Otohime had a unique aura of warmth and trustworthiness.

Even though this was their first meeting, Wood found himself instinctively feeling that this woman before him was someone he could trust and admire.

"Please forgive Captain Tiger's breach of etiquette. He knew of my longstanding wish," Otohime began, her tone sincere. "Like me, Captain Tiger has always believed that merfolk, fish-men, and humans could coexist peacefully. But for so many years, neither the merfolk I represent nor the fish-men Tiger represents have ever encountered a human who shares our dream—until you, Sir Wood."

"Humans, fish-men, and merfolk share the same blood," she continued, her voice trembling with emotion. "Perhaps, many years ago, we even had the same ancestors. Sir Wood, you cannot imagine how thrilled I was when Captain Tiger relayed your words to me. I have the gift of Observation Haki, allowing me to hear the voices in people's hearts and to speak to them through my speeches. Yet, despite all the speeches I've given, it was only when I heard your words that I was moved to tears."

As Queen Otohime spoke, tears began to well up in her large eyes, and even a single nostril started to run, giving her a rather unsightly appearance. Wood couldn't help but wonder if this person was truly the queen of Fish-Man Island.

"I really am the queen of Fish-Man Island, you know," Otohime said, noticing Wood's dubious expression. She quickly wiped her nose with her sleeve while explaining, "I'm just so moved by this moment that I couldn't help myself."

What shocked Wood even more was that Otohime had responded to his thoughts—thoughts he hadn't even voiced aloud.

"I mentioned earlier, didn't I?" Otohime smiled gently. "My Observation Haki allows me to hear the voices in people's hearts, but only if they open up to me or if we share mutual understanding. Captain Tiger didn't betray your secret. It's just that I could hear his inner thoughts."

"I'm so glad, Sir Wood," she continued, her tears drying. "At first, I had some doubts. Could there really be a human like you, as Captain Tiger described? But now I've confirmed it. You really are the person he said you were—someone who harbors no prejudice against merfolk or fish-men. You even trust me, someone you've just met. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to hear your thoughts."

Upon hearing that her ability to read minds had such limitations and that she couldn't hear his thoughts if he chose to close his heart, Wood let out a deep sigh of relief.

Even though he had no particular bias against Queen Otohime, being around someone who could hear your thoughts at will was certainly unnerving.

Wood even found himself feeling a bit sorry for King Neptune. With a wife who could read minds, how could Neptune ever hope to keep any secrets? The idea of hiding a stash of gold or maintaining a mistress somewhere was out of the question.

As for the lack of prejudice that Otohime sensed in Wood, that was true enough. After all, as a man who had been reincarnated into this world, his worldview was bound to differ from the natives of this world.

"Different species, different minds? Oh, come on, that's nonsense," Wood thought, stifling a laugh. "In my previous life, there were people who were so desensitized that they couldn't even get excited by normal humans anymore."

Mermaids? They were just another form of...well, let's just say, they were no different from any other non-human beauties in his eyes. Ahem, perhaps that's a bit off-topic.

Anyway, to Wood, there was really no significant difference between merfolk and fish-men. After years of playing games and reading countless manga and novels, Wood had long categorized any humanoid species as part of the broader human classification.

Seeing how excited Otohime was to finally meet someone like him, she suggested they celebrate their newfound kinship with a drink. Although Wood didn't know much about Queen Otohime, her unique Observation Haki intrigued him, so he agreed to join her. He didn't notice Captain Tiger frantically shaking his head in the background.

"Damn it!" Otohime suddenly exclaimed, her voice slurred as she waved her arms around drunkenly. "Why don't those people support me? I'm working so hard for peace between our races, and they all just ignore me! And Neptune, that fool! He always says he supports me, but where's the action? He's the king of Fish-Man Island—couldn't he just pass a law and make everyone follow my lead?"

Wood could only stare in astonishment at the sight before him. Was this really the queen of Fish-Man Island? This didn't match anything he'd heard about her.

Wasn't Queen Otohime supposed to be a passionate, kind-hearted, and gentle soul? But the woman before him, ranting like a madwoman, was nothing like the image he had in his mind. Could this be an imposter?

"Queen Otohime always gets like this when she's had too much to drink," Tiger explained with a resigned sigh. "She vents all her frustrations after a few drinks. That's why I was trying to warn you earlier not to drink with her."

"But...if I'm not mistaken, she's only had one drink," Wood pointed out, completely baffled. "How could someone with such a poor tolerance for alcohol even dare to invite others to drink?"

Despite her pitiful tolerance, Otohime continued to rant, pounding the table with her hands as she vented her frustrations. The more she spoke, the more she slammed the table in her fit of drunken rage.

But what left Wood completely speechless was that Queen Otohime, in her drunken fervor, managed to fracture her own hand while hitting the table.

"Queen Otohime is in very poor health," Tiger continued his explanation. "Even slapping someone could cause her to fracture her bones..."

As he watched the scene unfold, Wood could only sit there, utterly speechless, as Tiger continued to educate him on Otohime's frailties. Apparently, Otohime's delicate condition was so severe that not only could she not slap others without injury, but she could even break her own bones in the process.

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 320+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a