"Why do you need to apologize for this?"
Rosse gently shook his head, "You're not the one who spread the rumors, you're not the one who persecuted others, and I'm not the victim either. You should be apologizing to Nia."
"Ah, right...", Upon hearing that, Otohime immediately reacted. It seemed that Nia and her sisters were the true victims of this rumor.
If it weren't for the coincidental bet between her and Rosse, she wouldn't have come to the Fish-Man Gang, and wouldn't have met Nia and the others who were imprisoned by Damon.
If she had just missed it like that, Otohime felt she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Just thinking about those stories after becoming slaves, Otohime felt a chill down her spine.
"Nia, I'm sorry!", Otohime deeply bowed toward Nia. Her relationship with Nia and her sisters was extremely close. It wasn't a superior-subordinate relationship in the true sense, but more like a sisterly best-friend kind of relationship.
Nia and her two sisters were willing to come to Ryugu Kingdom to be her personal maids because they were afraid she would be bullied by Neptune, so they lowered their status to support her.
It was just unexpected that, in the end, she ended up implicating Nia and her sisters.
"Otohime-nee, this originally had nothing to do with you. Even though you and Saint Rosse have no relationship, I still hope you won't return to Fish-Man Island anymore," Nia raised her head, her pretty face carrying a few degrees of seriousness and solemnity.
"Why?", Otohime asked in confusion.
"After we were driven out of the palace, we returned to the area where we lived as children. We were attacked in our own home."
Nia paused for a moment, then continued, "And I can be sure that the people who captured us were from the Ammo Knights."
"Ammo Knights? Impossible! Neptune wouldn't do such a thing," Otohime's face turned deathly pale, and her body swayed unsteadily.
The Ammo Knights was Ryugu Kingdom's guard force, under Neptune's command.
If Nia was captured by the Ammo Knights, then this matter could not be separated from Neptune.
Just as Nia believed in her, she also believed what Nia said.
In her heart, she already felt a sense of despair.
A single visit to Fish-Man District unexpectedly led to so many complications afterward.
First, she was betrayed by the fish-men and given to Rosse like a slave.
With difficulty and twists of fate, Rosse was willing to bring her back to Fish-Man Island and even supported her ideals.
As a result, it was discovered that behind the capture of mermaids into slavery was the involvement of the left minister of Ryugu Kingdom and other merfolk.
In the end, it turned out that those who were captured were actually her sisterly best friends.
And finally, to her shock, it turned out that behind the capture of her best friends was her nominal husband Neptune.
This news was like a thunderclap on a sunny day, leaving Otohime unable to recover for a long time.
One blow after another made Otohime unable to maintain her body any longer, and she simply fainted, her body limply collapsing into Rosse's arms.
"Otohime-nee!", Seeing Otohime, Nia hurriedly crawled forward, wanting to check if Otohime was alright.
In her heart, she somewhat regretted saying all this.
Originally, she only wanted Otohime to see Neptune's true colors. She didn't expect that Otohime simply couldn't bear it.
"It's okay, she just fainted from the shock. Otohime will wake up soon, don't worry," Rosse checked and, confirming that there was no problem with Otohime, signaled Nia to rest assured.
He knew very well that the person behind this matter definitely wasn't Neptune.
Neptune was hailed as the great knight of the sea; his character was definitely not in question.
But whether Neptune did it or not no longer mattered.
What mattered was, if this matter was pinned on Neptune, it would be an unexpected delight for him.
After a long while, Iya and Sanya also woke up one after another.
After exchanging information, Iya and Sanya both looked at Otohime with worry.
They were also extremely close to Otohime and didn't want to see her hurt.
But this matter had already hurt them. Naturally, they didn't want Otohime to fall into it again.
After another while, Rosse slightly raised his eyebrows and subconsciously glanced at Otohime in his arms.
Otohime had woken up.
But it seemed she had no intention of opening her eyes, appearing to want to use the act of pretending to be unconscious to avoid meeting with the mermaid sisters.
Perhaps at this moment, Otohime's heart was in complete turmoil.
However, this actually worked out just right for him.
Rosse raised his head and calmly looked at Nia, "While Otohime is still unconscious, there's something I need your help with."
"What is it?", Nia looked over with curiosity, not understanding what Rosse wanted them to do.
"I don't care who spread the rumors, but in this matter, what Neptune did was a bit too much," Rosse's words quickly resonated with the three mermaid sisters, who nodded like pecking chicks, looking at Rosse with admiration.
As long as someone stood on Otohime's side and opposed Neptune, they considered them a good person.
Not to mention, Rosse was Otohime's rumored boyfriend.
"I will assign a team of CP9 to investigate this matter at Ryugu Palace, and also investigate Neptune and Holp. You are the victims, so I presume you won't refuse to take revenge for yourselves," Rosse said.
"What if it really was Neptune behind it?", Nia boldly raised her head, her gaze meeting Rosse's directly.
She knew Rosse was a Celestial Dragon, possessing the greatest power in the world, but precisely because of this, she wanted even more to see Rosse stand up for Otohime.
"Report back to me once the information is confirmed. I'll tell Otohime and let her handle the final decision," Rosse naturally knew what Nia and Otohime wanted to hear. This was his intention to begin with.
Some matters, even if he helped deal with them, would leave a thorn in Otohime's heart.
But if Otohime handled them herself, the situation would be different.
Knowing how to use people was his specialty. Looking at Nia's excited expression now, he knew she was a simple-minded girl.
Letting Nia lead CP9 to Fish-Man Island, with Spandine backing them, it would be easy to overturn the situation he wanted.
Whether Neptune was the real culprit was not for him to decide.
Once conflict begins, right and wrong no longer matter.
Position becomes the only thing that matters.
In front of Nia, Rosse directly called Spandine.
["R-r-r-r-r-r-r... Respected Saint Rosse, your humble servant Spandine is here to receive your orders!"]
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Spandine's incredibly obsequious voice came through.
Hearing this voice, the three mermaid sisters felt slightly uncomfortable. It was their first time encountering someone so shameless.
"Spandine, how many CP9 members are currently near Sabaody?", Rosse said flatly.
["Within three days, all 51 CP9 members will head to the Sabaody Archipelago to await your command!"], Spandine loudly promised.
"No need for that many. I need you to protect two mermaids going to Fish-Man Island on a mission to investigate Neptune. During the mission, they are to be followed at all times, ensure your people can protect them on Fish-Man Island," Rosse said blandly.
["Guaranteed to complete the mission!"]
Spandine made the promise without hesitation. He immediately understood what Rosse was planning.
He had been following the recent events on Fish-Man Island closely.
Now sending mermaids to investigate Neptune, wasn't that sowing discord?
Not to brag, if it came to combat or governance, he was a nobody.
But when it came to sowing discord, even a hundred Neptunes couldn't beat him.
Mere Neptune, only worthy of sniffing the farts of the divine Rosse.
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