As King Neptune read the document, the room fell into absolute silence as everyone waited in silence.
Queen Otohime noticed King Neptune's expression gradually growing serious. His eyes seemed to flicker with disbelief and astonishment.
That made her all the more curious about the scroll's contents.
In fact, there wasn't much written on it—but King Neptune read it over three times, which made the moment feel much longer than it was.
He raised his head to look at Coulson below. He opened his mouth but wasn't sure what to say.
"Your Majesty, may I take a look?" Queen Otohime asked softly.
King Neptune hesitated for a moment, then handed the scroll over. "Take a look."
As Queen Otohime began reading the scroll, Coulson smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, on behalf of the World Government, I'd like to know—would you be willing to support the agenda of this upcoming summit?"
"This is a good thing—no, a great thing. Of course I'm willing to support it. If the proposal truly passes, and if the World Government is genuinely committed to pushing it forward, it would be of immense benefit to Fish-Man Island."
King Neptune gave his answer to Coulson with careful consideration.
"The question is, are you truly willing to push this forward with full commitment?"
"Because as I recall, this law was enacted a long time ago—but by now, it's practically become a dead letter."
"To be honest, simply passing the proposal won't mean much without strict enforcement!"
On the other side, Queen Otohime's face was already filled with astonishment and overwhelming joy. But after hearing King Neptune's words, she found them quite reasonable. Her eyes turned toward Coulson below, sincerely hoping that his next response would be a satisfying one.
"You're asking how sincere and determined the World Government is this time, aren't you?" Coulson replied with a smile.
"Exactly!"
King Neptune no longer hid his concerns, looking at him seriously.
"Our superiors have already made thorough preparations. Please wait just a moment."
Coulson turned to the black briefcase the CP7 member was holding and pulled out a second white scroll with gold trim, then asked the Minister of the Right to deliver it to the king.
However, this time he didn't wait in silence for King Neptune to finish reading. Instead, he began speaking immediately—because the World Government wanted every Fish-Man to hear what was written.
"What you are looking at now is the Proclamation on the Establishment of Equal and Friendly Relations Between Humans and the Merfolk and Fish-Men, personally written by the Five Elders."
"What?!"
Queen Otohime, the Minister of the Left, the Minister of the Right, and every single soldier of the Royal Neptune Army were stunned.
Coulson simply smiled and continued introducing the contents of the scroll.
"The main points are as follows."
"First: From the date this proclamation is signed, all acts of trafficking and enslaving members of the merfolk and Fish-Man races shall be severely punished. All merfolk and Fish-Men currently held within the World Nobles' estates or within any member nations shall be unconditionally released and returned, with financial compensation provided—except for those incarcerated for criminal offenses."
"Second: The Sabaody Archipelago shall be designated as a safe zone. Merfolk and Fish-Men may reside and travel there freely, enjoying the same rights and privileges as humans. In return, Fish-Man Island shall allow humans to freely enter, reside, and travel as well."
"Third: Fish-Man Island shall be permitted to station troops on the Sabaody Archipelago to handle affairs related to merfolk and Fish-Men. In turn, the World Government shall be allowed to establish a Marine branch within Fish-Man Island to manage human- and pirate-related matters."
"Fourth: Merfolk and Fish-Men shall be permitted to hold official positions within the World Government, the Marines, and other departments—to jointly work toward a friendly future between humans and the merfolk and Fish-Man races."
By the time he had finished reciting that long passage, King Neptune had also finished reading the scroll. The content matched what was just described—and indeed, at the bottom were the signatures of five individuals bearing the surnames of World Nobles.
To be honest, His Majesty the King was starting to wonder if he was dreaming. As for Queen Otohime beside him, her eyes were already brimming with tears of joy.
"And now, the third matter."
Coulson turned his gaze to Queen Otohime, who had already stood up, trembling from head to toe, her eyes red with emotion. He gave her a warm smile.
"The World Government wishes to invite Queen Otohime to attend this year's World Summit and deliver a keynote speech in support of this agenda. Would you be willing?"
Queen Otohime was nearly overcome with happiness. She first exchanged a glance with King Neptune, who gave her a look of encouragement and support. Then, she turned to Coulson and answered with utmost sincerity: "Of course. This will be the greatest honor of my life. I'm deeply grateful to the World Government!"
...
Inside the magnificently luxurious Ryugu Palace.
At the moment, Coulson and the two CP7 agents had already departed.
But King Neptune and the other high-ranking officials of Fish-Man Island remained in the banquet hall, unable to disperse.
What had just taken place left their hearts still trembling with shock.
"Incredible. Truly incredible. Is this really the World Government? That World Government?"
King Neptune sat on his broad throne, staring in astonishment at the doorway on the far side of the hall.
From time to time, he glanced down at the two scrolls in his hands.
"It's like a dream…"
Queen Otohime stood on the platform, tear tracks still visible on her face.
Even the fatigue from giving birth had completely vanished.
"With this, the dream we fish-men and merfolk have held for centuries is about to come true. We can finally bask freely in the sunlight on land, walk through forests and over earth, and interact openly with humans—even with other races!"
To her, this Fish-Man Island, lying 10,000 meters under the sea, might be safe and pleasant—
But in a way, wasn't it also just a larger prison?
"This time, I must prepare my speech for the World Summit with the utmost care. I must convey to all the kings our sincere wish for Fish-Man Island to join the great world family!"
Queen Otohime clenched her fists, silently cheering herself on, a fire burning bright in her chest.
"Ahem, ahem."
Just then, the Minister on the Right coughed deliberately from below the platform to draw their attention. When the others turned to him, he spoke softly, "Your Majesty, Your Grace, may I offer a few thoughts?"
"Of course," King Neptune replied without hesitation.
"On the surface, the World Government truly does seem to have undergone a great change, and their sincerity toward us is impressive."
The Minister on the Right, being a civil official, was naturally more thoughtful and cautious. He slowly laid out his perspective.
"However, I believe it's best not to get our hopes up too high. If things don't turn out the way we hope, the disappointment could be devastating… after all, this is the World Government."
His words immediately sobered the mood in the hall.
Queen Otohime, too, fell into thoughtful silence and slowly sat back down.
The Minister continued. "Also, although the proclamation takes effect upon signing, I believe real action will only come after the World Summit concludes."
"Of course, that's assuming the proposal passes smoothly and gains strong momentum. If it doesn't—if the World Government approves our migration but takes no follow-up steps—how can we ask our people to go ashore with peace of mind?"
King Neptune nodded in agreement.
"True, we'll have to wait and see what concrete steps the World Government takes. As for the proposal's passage…"
"I imagine that since they approached us in advance, they'll also reach out to other kings. What I don't know is which kings, and whether they'll have enough influence or numbers."
This made Queen Otohime's gaze dim slightly, anxiety and unease rising in her heart.
"And there's another critical issue," the Minister added, frowning.
"Even if everything goes smoothly—if the World Government is truly serious, and we really can live safely on the surface under the sun—it will still be extremely difficult to relocate all our citizens."
"Yes, our fish-men can all breathe underwater and swim at high speed—but what about the shell tools, furniture, and all their household items? We can't possibly ask our people to abandon their homes and possessions, can we?"
Queen Otohime looked at him, puzzled.
"Why can't we just have a small group of citizens settle on the Sabaody Archipelago first? Once we find a suitable island to serve as the new Fish-Man Island, we can migrate gradually, bit by bit."
"Besides, we don't need to abandon this place entirely—some people will surely prefer life beneath the sea."
The Minister on the Right froze for a moment, silently thinking: That's true—no one ever said the entire population has to be relocated all at once, unless someday we're truly forced to abandon Fish-Man Island.
Meanwhile—
Just as King Neptune had predicted—
At that very moment, senior directors from the Administrative Department were either en route to their target kingdoms or already present in royal palaces, informing the kings in advance about the proposal and the attitude of the Five Elders.
Of course, this wasn't extended to all monarchs—only to those kings identified through administrative research as potential supporters of the proposal
Put simply, they were approaching rulers known for treating their citizens well—those with relatively kind and just hearts.
Only such kings would sincerely support the passage of this proposal.