Kronos said that.
Neptune and the others were stunned for a moment.
The next second, they all turned their heads to look at him.
In an instant, Neptune and the ministers' pupils shrank, and an expression of disbelief appeared on their faces.
"You... what did you say?!"
Meanwhile, on Fishman Street...
"Haven't Dossan and the others caught the escaped humans yet?" asked Hody Jones, captain of the New Fishman Pirates, in a low voice.
Beside him stood Jaeo, the striped bearded shark merman. Upon hearing the question, he replied softly, "They probably spent too much time torturing the humans. I've already sent someone to call them back."
Jones chuckled darkly.
"Tch. Those guys really are cruel."
Jaeo glanced at him, then added,
"There's news from the inland. The Kamui Pirates have arrived on Fishman Island."
Jones's laughter abruptly stopped.
He turned his head with a deep frown and looked at Jaeo.
"The Kamui Pirates? The so-called 'Fifth Emperor' crew that made a mess at Marineford?"
Jaeo nodded.
"Yeah, it's them."
"How many?" Jones asked.
Jaeo thought for a moment.
"Around twenty people."
Hearing that, a sinister grin appeared on Jones's face.
"Only twenty people? Heh… A gang of mere humans with just twenty members, and they get to call themselves Emperors of the Sea?"
"Our New Fishman Pirates have 70,000 soldiers!"
Then Jones turned sharply to Jaeo, his voice chilling.
"Hey Jaeo, what if we annexed the Kamui Pirates?"
Before he could finish his thought—
A fishman suddenly burst into the room, shouting:
"Bad news! Boss!!"
The sudden interruption made all the officers frown.
Jones scowled.
"What is it now?!"
The fishman tried to steady his breathing, but the terror in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"Dossan... Dossan and the others are dead!!"
The news sent a shockwave through the room.
All the commanders stood up in an instant.
"What did you say?!"
"Dossan is dead?!"
"That group of humans killed them?!"
"Impossible! Mere humans aren't a match for our fishmen!"
The messenger swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
"I-It's true! I saw their bodies myself… they all… they all seemed to have committed suicide!"
The moment the word suicide left his lips, Dharma—short in stature, with sharp fangs and a fierce temper—snapped.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"They were just chasing a bunch of runaway human pirates! Why would Dossan and the others commit suicide?!"
"Even if they died, it should've been in battle! And they were carrying the Energy Steroid Pills! Even if Dossan didn't take them, those weak humans should never have been able to kill them!"
The reporting fishman looked pleadingly at Jones.
"Boss, it's the truth! Please, come see for yourself!"
Jones was silent for a moment, then said coldly,
"Take me."
Soon, Jones and his team left Fishman Street and sprinted toward the site of Dossan's death.
Not long after, they arrived at the scene—near the human pirate ship.
What they saw made them freeze in place.
Their comrades were all kneeling on the ground, long blades pierced through their own chests.
Even Hody Jones—captain of the New Fishman Pirates, commander of 70,000—began to tremble uncontrollably.
His face twisted into an expression of sheer horror.
"This… how is this possible?!"
Jaeo and Dharma's pupils trembled as they stood stunned.
"They really… committed suicide?"
"What… what did they encounter that terrified them so badly, they chose death over fighting?!"
As Dharma spoke, Jones's expression darkened.
He slowly turned toward Fishman Island, gritting his teeth.
"Could it be… them?!"
"The Kamui Pirates!!"
Dragon Palace…
After the banquet, the soldiers led Kronos and his group to their resting chambers.
On the way there—
"They don't seem willing to let Fishman Island become our territory," Banggu said leisurely.
Albedo scoffed.
"So what if they don't? They're just merfolk!"
"If they want to oppose Lord Kronos, they're ten thousand years too early."
Her expression turned cold as she continued.
"Besides, Lord Kronos is doing this to protect them!"
"If they don't appreciate it, then let them suffer on their own!"
Everyone fell silent at her words.
Artoria blinked and asked, slightly puzzled,
"Protect them? What do you mean?"
Not just the crew—even Kronos himself was caught off guard by Albedo's words.
Before he could speak, Albedo bowed respectfully and asked,
"Lord Kronos, shall I explain your true intentions to them?"
Kronos paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Tell them."
"I want them to know."
Receiving his permission, Albedo smiled.
"Yes, Lord Kronos."
Turning to the others, she said solemnly,
"From the time we arrived at Ryugu Palace, it was obvious—Fishman Island is facing a crisis."
"At the Battle of Marineford, both the Marines and Whitebeard Pirates suffered heavy losses because of us."
"Whitebeard's influence has waned. He can no longer protect Fishman Island from the chaos of other pirate crews."
"Violence and instability are brewing here."
"This is how a nation begins to fall."
"The other Emperors—Big Mom, Kaido, Shanks—they wouldn't dare challenge the Marines over a mere Fishman Island."
"So who can protect them now?"
She looked around.
"Only us. Only the Kamui Pirates can offer them peace!"
"Only we can…"
"No—only we can bring true order back to this island."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 160+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Marvel fanfic!
[Marvel: Rise of Heroes]