119 Just Some Nonsense

Chapter 119: Just Some Nonsense

The one who received Rodney and his group was the king of this nation, known as the "Sea God," the Fish-Man King, King Neptune!

King Neptune was a peculiar Thornfish Fish-Man, massive in size, with lush orange-red hair and a forest-like beard. His two arms were adorned with flame-like tattoos, and his body was covered in thick body hair. Normally, he should have greeted Rodney with a smile, but upon seeing Hody Jones, his expression turned somber.

Hody Jones was tossed at Neptune's feet like a lifeless corpse. Rodney spoke softly, "I apologize for having King Neptune come to welcome us. We were merely passing through here and didn't mean to trouble you. This here is my gift to King Neptune."

"This is... Hody Jones?"

"Hody Jones, the boss?"

"Yes, it's Hody Jones, but how did he end up like this? Did this human do it?"

"Sneaky human! He must have ambushed him. There's no way Hody Jones, the great fish-man, could lose to a mere human."

Hody Jones, just like Jinbei, had once served in the kingdom's royal guards. His status among the fish-men was not low, and seeing him in this state made some people feel the urge to charge forward and fight Rodney, but the memory of Queen Otohime's wish for peace with humans held them back.

Hmph! It's definitely not because he's a Shichibukai and defeated Hody Jones, just because of the wishes of Queen Otohime. We can't harm this human.

Neptune gripped his trident, his hand alternating between loosening and tightening its hold. His body trembled as if he were suppressing his anger. To him, Hody Jones was once his subordinate, his people, and seeing him discarded like trash made him feel utterly incompetent and deeply saddened by Hody Jones's fate.

Prince Fukaboshi approached, leaned close to Neptune's ear, and whispered a few words. Neptune's gaze occasionally shifted between Rodney and Jinbei, changing from anger to shock and suspicion.

He said sternly, "Mr. Rodney, this is no joke!"

Rodney replied, "True. King Neptune, I wasn't planning to say this, but since this guy ran up to me and offered himself as a free gift, let me share some truth with you. It doesn't really matter if I tell you or not."

Rodney shrugged and continued, "If you want to hear it here, that's fine too. Of course, I personally recommend going to the palace with a few people."

"Bold! How dare you show disrespect to His Majesty?!" 

The seahorse fish-man, who was also the chief of the royal guards, shouted angrily and approached with his spear, unafraid of Rodney. His role was to protect the royal family's dignity.

Neptune held his trident, using one hand to stop his right-hand minister. He said, "Don't make unnecessary sacrifices. Mr. Rodney is here to discuss something with us. Mr. Rodney, this matter will only be known by me, you, my three sons, and Jinbei. Please, follow me. As for the others, please take care of Mr. Rodney's friends and I will provide a satisfactory response later."

Fukaboshi led the barely conscious Hody Jones into the palace, while the right-hand minister, still wanting to say something, was held back by the left-hand minister, who shook his head and said, "Jinbei, we entrust His Majesty's safety to you."

"I will protect His Majesty," Jinbei replied with a satisfying response and then followed Neptune and the others into the palace.

"Alright, I'll go in first. You guys can stay here and enjoy yourselves. Robin, I'll take you there later, don't worry." Rodney patted Robin's hand to reassure her.

Robin blinked and smiled, "Well, I've always believed in you, Captain."

She believed in Rodney because he was a man willing to entrust his back to her and ready to fight to save her. He was worth believing in.

As Rodney entered the palace, the doors opened wide.

The Neptune royal family was now fully assembled, including King Neptune, the eldest son Fukaboshi, the second son Ryuboshi, and the third son Manboshi.

Speaking of fish-men and merfolk, due to the shared ancestral genetic memory within their bodies, they didn't find it surprising that children born within their species could exhibit various traits. Even if the father was a shark merman and the son was a whale merman, the father would still raise his child.

They couldn't understand the human tendency to judge offspring based on their appearance, regardless of their shared ancestry. Of course, many humans couldn't understand this either. It was an influence brought about by the development of their respective races, something Rodney couldn't comprehend.

As his thoughts wandered, King Neptune spoke, "Mr. Rodney, why do you claim that Otohime's death was the work of Hody Jones?"

"Oh, this is simple. I think you clever folks can figure it out. What was the motive of the pirates who 'killed' Queen Otohime in the first place?" Rodney wore a knowing smile.

"There's no hatred without cause. Queen Otohime treated both fish-men and humans equally. She was kind-hearted. Think about it. How many humans who had contact with Queen Otohime would hate her?" he continued.

The room fell silent, and Rodney went on, "Have you investigated the identity of those pirates?"

Fukaboshi replied, "We have. They were pirates who lost their ship on Fish-Man Island, always drunk, involved in petty theft..."

As he spoke, he realized something was amiss. How could a pirate who spent his days drinking and engaging in petty theft have the audacity to kill the Queen? There must have been someone behind him.

Why hadn't he noticed this for so long?

Neptune and Jinbei, after Rodney's careful analysis, drew the same conclusion. Hody Jones, a faithful supporter of Arlong's "Fish-Men Above All" ideology, was the prime suspect.

"But why would Hody Jones do this?" Fukaboshi asked.

"That's simple. To sow discord between humans and fish-men! Then he could use his 'Fish-Men Above All' ideology to manipulate and brainwash the enraged fish-men, gather a large army, storm the Ryuugu Palace, kill King Neptune, and seize control of Fish-Man Island! Afterward, he'd lead the fish-men to the surface and rule over the humans. See how grandiose and delusional his plan was?" 

Hody Jones's plan could be described as ambitious but ultimately flawed. Even if he managed to take control of Fish-Man Island, he would never succeed in conquering the surface. Forget about the Four Emperors; even any one of the three Marine Admirals could defeat them easily.

Akainu: Fish-Head Stew!

Kizaru: Sashimi Time!

Aokiji: Freeze!

Well, something like that.

After Rodney's careful analysis, Neptune took a deep breath, surprised by how terrifying Hody Jones's plan had been. If not for Queen Otohime and her children's efforts, Hody Jones's plan might have succeeded.

"Rodney, you're truly brilliant."

"It's just basic common sense, my friend!"