This guy is really insane!
Or should I say, no wonder he's a disciple of Kaido of the Beasts?
He actually dared to charge onto the Moby Dick all alone!
Crazy!
He's gone completely mad!
He didn't even take seriously the so-called strongest man in the world, nor did he respect the Whitebeard Pirates at all!
Blackbeard looked at Ian standing on the ship's railing with a smile on his face, unable to help but admire him in his heart.
But he could understand him!
Damn it, this is exactly how it should be! No, it's the only way it can be!
This is the behavior of a true strongman!
If he had Ian's level of power, then he'd definitely be even crazier than this kid!
Unmatched strength naturally comes with a freedom that cannot be restrained!
Unlike him, almost all other members of the Whitebeard Pirates were now gritting their teeth.
Almost no one cared what Ian had said. At this moment, they only felt humiliation — an unprecedented humiliation!
But the first to launch an attack against Ian was a girl who looked like a young maiden, and indeed was a young maiden.
"Ian!!"
Though she was a cute girl, the scream that came from her mouth was like the roar of a demon from the underworld.
"Die!!"
Uncle Izō was killed by his own hand, and her mother was driven to suicide by him!
All the training she had endured for so long was for this very moment.
She knew very well that with her strength, there was no way she could defeat this man.
But now… how could she possibly hold back from drawing the sword at her waist?
"Hiyori! Don't act impulsively!"
The expressions of the Whitebeard Pirates' crew darkened, and to stop the young girl, they rushed forward in a swarm toward Ian.
Honestly, none of them would listen to reason.
Ian sighed. Hadn't he already said he meant no harm?
Couldn't they just calm down for a moment?
"Master!"
Behind him, Surtur was already engulfed in roaring flames. At Ian's command, he would burn everything before them to ashes!
"Everyone, stop!"
But at that very moment, Whitebeard suddenly shouted angrily.
"Dad—"
Kozuki Hiyori turned back in shock.
Having been with the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years, she had long since started calling Whitebeard "Dad."
"Come back, Hiyori," Whitebeard lowered his gaze to her.
"You still have a long way to go. You're only walking yourself straight into death."
"Oh?"
Ian smiled as if he had just recognized Kozuki Hiyori.
"The last remnant of the Kozuki family? Then come at me all you want. I've always found the name Kozuki a bit of an eyesore."
"...!"
Kozuki Hiyori glared at Ian angrily, but in the end, she held back from taking any action.
Whitebeard, holding his massive naginata, strode past the vigilant children and stood not far in front of Ian.
Towering over him with his more than six-meter height, he looked down at Ian.
"You brat, what do you mean by Fish-Man Island?"
The newspaper hadn't exaggerated—this kid's aura was truly terrifying.
A smirk curled on Ian's lips.
"That's why I say Whitebeard-san is a good man."
Of course, he would never ignore Fish-Man Island.
That island was his territory, and Neptune was still his good buddy.
Ian smiled and said, "Then let's sit down and have a proper talk, Whitebeard-san. I'm just a bit hungry—we can eat and talk at the same time."
Whitebeard's eyes darkened.
This damn brat is really getting arrogant.
Daring to act so cocky right in front of me?
...
"So this is the Red Line continent?"
Neptune couldn't help but feel a bit amazed.
So tall!
From the sea surface, it was impossible to see the top of this continent—it was completely covered by clouds.
It was as impenetrable as the legendary Wall of the Sighs from the Underworld myths.
"Is Mariejois up there?"
Otohime stood beside him, also gazing at the sky with hopeful eyes.
Although both were mermaids, Queen Otohime, as a female mermaid, was already thirty years old. Her tail had split into two legs, allowing her to move freely on land.
Neptune, being a male mermaid, did not have this convenience. He could only honestly wrap a bubble ring around his waist to float on the deck.
"We're almost there," Hina, who was leaning against the ship's railing protecting them closely, said calmly, "We will soon arrive at the base beneath the Red Line. From there, we can take a bubble ship to reach Mary Geoise at the summit of the Red Line."
Neptune said nothing, only staring blankly.
Was it Tiger who had climbed the Red Line with bare hands to liberate so many slaves?
Only now did he once again realize how incredible Tiger was.
Soon, the warship escorting them arrived at the military harbor at the base beneath the Red Line.
Kuzan and two others led the escort as the couple disembarked.
Naturally, Neptune and Queen Otohime's arrival caused a huge sensation.
"Is that the King and Queen of Fish-Man Island?"
"No way, that's just a normal woman!"
"Idiot, female mermaids grow legs when they turn thirty!"
"Are there male mermaids too? My mermaid dreams are shattered!"
Even the Navy soldiers stationed there couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Mermaids were incredibly rare in the sea. Fish-men could be seen occasionally, but mermaids were truly a rarity.
"Yoho!"
Neptune kept a stern face toward the onlookers, but Queen Otohime happily waved and greeted the soldiers.
Encouraged by her enthusiasm, many soldiers saluted her in return.
"Ah, how enthusiastic."
Vice Admiral Kuzan sighed in admiration.
"Queen Otohime really is a very warm-hearted person."
Smoker agreed, though their time together had been brief, Smoker didn't dislike the mermaid queen.
Full of passion and vitality.
"This might be a good beginning."
Hina said, "Eliminating the discrimination humans have against fishmen and merfolk, easing Fishman Island's hatred toward humans, so the two races can live peacefully together."
"Is that so?"
Kuzan pushed up his small sunglasses and said with an odd tone, "Will it really be a good beginning?"
They walked along the base road all the way to the end, where the base's airship port was located.
From here, they could board the bubble ship straight to Mary Geoise.
When Neptune and his wife arrived, several kings were already waiting.
"You've arrived just in time, King Neptune, Queen Otohime."
The airport staff had long been prepared and were quite familiar with Neptune and his wife. They stepped forward and said, "A bubble ship is ready. You can board it together with the other kings."
Neptune nodded slowly.
Kings of the human world?
Finally, they would meet.
There was a bit of nervousness.
The greatest hope for this World Conference was to build friendships with many human kings, in order to slightly ease the barrier between Fish-Man Island and the human world.
After all, they couldn't leave the task of bridging Fish-Man Island and the Blue Sea entirely to Jinbe, right?
That would be too embarrassing.
Neptune mustered his courage and prepared to approach those human kings for conversation.
Queen Otohime was already smiling brightly, ready to join him.
But then—
"Keep those fish far away! I can smell the fishy stench from here!!"
The sharp shout instantly chilled Neptune's blood.
Even the smile on Queen Otohime's face faded slightly.
A group of well-dressed kings gathered together, looking at the couple with nothing but disdain.
"What's the government thinking? Inviting two fish to the World Conference!"
"Yeah, they should only stay in the fish tanks of my palace!"
That was what they said.
Neptune's eyes burned with rage.
The muscles in his face twitched.
If not for the fact that these men were kings of allied nations, he would have acted on the spot and shown them the true power of the Sea's Grand Knight.
But almost immediately, Neptune felt a wave of discouragement.
Was coming here this time really the right decision?
Suddenly, he sensed a warm hand in his own.
He looked down and saw his beloved wife gazing up at him, her face still bright with a smile.
She said softly, "It's just... not them."
Neptune blinked in surprise.
**********
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