303. Plan

Bonus 14

--------

"Atlas, my brother... is this Fish-Man Island?"

On the Ryu-Sen, Smoker's eyes widened, fixed on Fish-Man Island ahead, not once averting his gaze.

A massive, dual-layered semicircular bubble enveloped the entire island. Despite being situated 10,000 meters beneath the sea, there was still a sky, sunlight, and even fluffy white clouds.

As a user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit and having never traversed the Fish-Man Island route to the New World before, this marked the first time he had encountered such a sight.

"Shall we proceed straight in?"

Grus lifted his head, directing his question to Atlas, who stood at the forefront of the creature.

Even though he had never set foot on Fish-Man Island, Grus had gleaned information about it from the Marines' records.

Given the Ryu-Sen's colossal size, slipping into the interior of Fish-Man Island proved to be a straightforward task. Despite the apparent fragility of the bubble cover, it wasn't as delicate as it seemed on the surface, though certainly not as robust as one might imagine.

"We're part of the Marines, so we can enter the country through standard procedures. The signal troopers aboard have already informed Jinbei of our arrival."

Kyros promptly interjected.

As the former commander of Dressrosa's army, Kyros understood all too well that such a forceful entry amounted to illegal trespassing and a grave provocation to a kingdom.

They had traveled thousands of miles, taking a detour to Fish-Man Island with no intention of stirring up trouble.

"Kyros is correct. Let's be patient; Jinbei will arrive shortly."

Atlas shook his head, declining Grus' proposal.

Are you kidding? With the immense size of the Ryu-Sen, barging in like this would have an immeasurable impact on Fish-Man Island.

Despite having ulterior motives, he certainly didn't come to cause problems for the fish-men clan.

Anyone who enjoys undertaking thankless tasks can handle it.

...

Inside Ryugu Palace on Fish-Man Island,

Jinbei sat upright, regarding Neptune and Princess Otohime in front of him with seriousness.

"The Ryu-Sen has arrived. We're on the verge of reaching Fish-Man Island. I've received the news from the Marines."

Neptune nodded approvingly and stroked his curly orange beard: "It seems like your plan will come to fruition soon, but I'm uncertain about how long this peace can endure."

He was well aware of the hostility humans on the surface harbored toward fish-men, particularly the world's nobles, the Celestial Dragons, who were among the worst offenders.

They treated fish-men as commodities, engaging in the trade, and numerous nobles followed suit.

Despite the World Government having once issued a decree prohibiting the slave trade, even the Celestial Dragons openly defied it. Such an unenforceable decree proved to be futile.

Therefore, although Fish-Man Island had long been a member of the World Government, it never took part in the World Summit held every four years.

This reluctance stemmed from a lack of genuine trust in the World Government.

Hence, instead of putting faith in the World Government, Neptune chose to rely on the relationship he had established with Whitebeard during his youth, seeking refuge on Fish-Man Island.

However, he hadn't anticipated Whitebeard's sudden demise, forcing him to seek collaboration with the Marines.

The repercussions of Whitebeard's final words had already started to unfold. Jinbei could sense a growing influx of pirates into Fish-Man Island, though the quality varied.

"What... are you discussing?!"

As the two engaged in cryptic conversation, Otohime observed from the sidelines, her confusion evident.

These two individuals... appeared to be concealing something from her!

.....

In the deep sea, beyond Fish-Man Island,

The Ryu-Sen floated silently outside the bubble cover, casting an immense shadow over the sky above Fish-Man Island.

This not-so-subtle maneuver naturally caught the attention of the island's residents.

After all, they weren't blind.

"Can a ship of this size really exist?!"

"Even the legendary Noah's Ark is no match for this!"

"Did anyone else notice that the figure standing at the ship's bow seems somewhat familiar?"

"Idiot!! That's the Marine flag. That guy must be some kind of Marine officer, right?"

The keen-eyed fish-men easily spotted Atlas standing at the ship's bow, prompting each of them to involuntarily match the face with the image in their minds.

"This guy... this guy is..."

Suddenly, an exclamation echoed through the crowd. A grass carp man shivered all over, extending his webbed hands in disbelief, and pointed with a tremble towards the warship outside the bubble cover.

"Marine Admiral Hakuryu! Ah!!!"

Buzz—! ! !

The grass carp fish-man's words were akin to tossing a pebble into a serene lake. The once boisterous crowd hushed instantly, fixing their gaze on the massive Ryu-Sen with peculiar eyes.

For a moment, hesitation lingered, and no one dared to utter a word.

Marine Admiral Hakuryu, his reputation on Fish-Man Island was no less significant than when he had confronted Whitebeard single-handedly. This was entirely owing to the pirates who had come and gone, attempting to vilify him.

How about casually taking lives without a second thought, delighting in dismembering people's limbs for amusement...

Various perverse habits had been ingrained in the minds of Fish-Man Island residents by the pirates.

It could be said that the name Atlas had become sufficient to hush crying children on Fish-Man Island.

"Huh?! Is that Admiral Hakuryu? I never properly thanked him after he saved me."

Suddenly, a melodious female voice shattered the eerie silence.

However, the person involved seemed oblivious to the surroundings. He continued to embrace the Shyarly store manager beside him with unbridled excitement. Two blobs of white, greasy substance clung to Shyarly's arms as he bounced up and down, shouting enthusiastically. He remained oblivious to Shyarly's shocked expression.

"Store manager, he's the Marine I told you saved me!"

His name was Trica, a stone snapper mermaid.

Several years back, Atlas had rescued him on Sabaody Island. Following the special instructions of the Marine, Trica was safely escorted back to Fish-Man Island aboard a small warship. However, due to her overwhelming fear, she hadn't had the chance to express her gratitude in person.

"You mean, he's the Marine Admiral who defeated Whitebeard - Hakuryu?"

Shyarly's voice trembled slightly, hoping for a negative response from Trika.

"Yes, if it weren't for Admiral Hakuryu, I'd probably be bought by a certain Celestial Dragon by now and living a life worse than death. He's a true Marine!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Shyarly felt her mind whirl.

For the first time, I wish my predictions would be proven wrong once more. If Fish-Man Island faces such an adversary, there might be no way to handle it!

Dong Dong Dong——! ! !

A sudden, powerful earthquake shook the ground, jolting the stunned murlocs awake. The clatter of armor echoed with a distinctive rhythm.

"Make way, King Neptune and Princess Otohime are here."

----------

Read 35 chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari