Yoriichi made no attempt to hide his murderous intent toward Mjosgard, the Celestial Dragon.
After a sigh, he withdrew his gaze from Mjosgard and slowly stepped in front of Kyros, leaning down slightly to whisper into his ear.
"So many people are watching."
"What's with kneeling like this?"
"What shape justice takes, isn't it something we must define with our own hands?"
"Stand up. We've still got a long road ahead of us."
Gently patting Kyros on the shoulder, Yoriichi walked past his "spirit-shattered" subordinate and began making his way toward Mjosgard.
The closer Yoriichi drew, the more violently Mjosgard trembled. Unlike the fish-man earlier, Yoriichi wasn't radiating any obvious bloodlust, but in Mjosgard's eyes, the expressionless Marine walking toward him was far more terrifying than the one who had just tried to kill him.
It was a fear that rose from the deepest part of the human soul.
Mjosgard's entire body was shaking. As Yoriichi approached, he instinctively shrank back, hiding behind Queen Otohime.
Naturally born with advanced Observation Haki, Queen Otohime noticed Yoriichi's presence. Even though he wore no emotion on his face, her sharp intuition sensed the overwhelming killing intent swelling within his chest. She immediately spread her arms and shielded Mjosgard behind her.
"Vice Admiral Tsugikuni, what do you intend to do?"
"You're a Marine!"
Otohime frowned slightly and raised her voice. At the same time, King Neptune and the palace guards pushed through the crowd. Seeing Otohime standing protectively in front of Mjosgard in direct opposition to Yoriichi, Neptune called out:
"Please restrain yourself, Vice Admiral Tsugikuni!"
Though Neptune didn't yet understand what had happened, he instinctively chose to stand by his wife.
"Queen Otohime, you misunderstand. What could I possibly do?"
"I only wish to bring this 'World Noble,' this 'esteemed Celestial Dragon,' under Marine protection."
Yoriichi offered a gentle smile under the weight of everyone's attention. Hearing this, Queen Otohime quietly exhaled in relief.
Her Observation Haki was keen, and her speed far exceeded that of an ordinary fish-man, she could even dodge bullets mid-flight. Yet she wasn't someone who overestimated herself. When faced with a world-renowned figure like Yoriichi Tsugikuni, she knew that if he chose to act despite her, she wouldn't be able to stop him.
This encounter revealed something terrifying about this group of Marines.
A Vice Admiral openly harboring murderous intent toward a Celestial Dragon. A subordinate drawing his sword against one, in full view of the public.
This crew of Marines had completely upended her understanding of the Navy.
As for Yoriichi's claim about placing Mjosgard under Marine protection, not a word of it did she believe.
But in truth, she had misunderstood Yoriichi.
With Otohime's arrival, it was no longer possible to kill Mjosgard. She would never allow such a thing to happen on Fish-Man Island.
From Yoriichi's position, starting a conflict with Fish-Man Island over a single Celestial Dragon would be a foolish move. While the island's military strength was low, Yoriichi had never underestimated it.
Whether it was Queen Otohime now, or Princess Shirahoshi in the future, Fish-Man Island undeniably occupied an important place in the grand theater of world history.
The truth of that history remained veiled in mist, but Yoriichi firmly believed Fish-Man Island would one day become an indispensable ally.
Killing Mjosgard would be easy, but the consequences, bringing World Government retribution onto the island, would not be worth it.
Yoriichi couldn't station his forces here permanently. If Mjosgard died on Fish-Man Island, the aftermath would become troublesome.
Of course, if Kyros had just gone through with killing him, it actually would've been easier to deal with.
He could have simply reported the facts to Marine Headquarters, and then used his authority to cover for Kyros.
With the vastness of the New World, hiding one man was well within Yoriichi's capabilities.
"The Celestial Dragon will be protected by Ryugu Kingdom. Later, I'll send someone to escort him back to Sabaody Archipelago."
"Vice Admiral Tsugikuni, you still have military duties to tend to, don't you?"
"To support your Marine recruitment, I will promote the cause among the Royal Guards."
"If anyone wishes to join, our kingdom will provide full support."
Queen Otohime was fully aware of Yoriichi's true purpose in coming to Fish-Man Island. While she was benevolent, she wasn't naïve. The moment she sensed Yoriichi's killing intent, she immediately proposed a trade.
She believed Yoriichi was a righteous Marine, and more importantly, the kind of commander who cherished his subordinates. Precisely because of that, she couldn't allow him to take the Celestial Dragon with him.
In her eyes, this was protecting him, whether he realized it or not.
And of course, her greater hope was that this Celestial Dragon she had saved might one day become a bridge between Fish-Man Island and the human world.
In truth, after being pulled back from death's door, Mjosgard was now filled with deep gratitude toward Queen Otohime. Having personally felt Yoriichi's overwhelming intent to kill, he had been utterly terrified.
Hearing that Yoriichi intended to bring him under "protection" only heightened his dread. If he hadn't been frozen by fear, he might've already screamed "yamete" at the top of his lungs.
"Oh, Queen Otohime, you're overthinking it."
"Protecting Celestial Dragons, well, that's our Marine duty to begin with."
"But... since you insist, I'll leave the recruitment efforts in your capable hands."
"Of course, the Celestial Dragon's ship did crash near Fish-Man Island. As Marines, we can't just turn a blind eye."
"If your Ryugu Kingdom wants to escort him and so do we, it becomes a bit tricky."
"How about... we ask Saint Mjosgard for his opinion?"
Yoriichi offered a warm smile and turned to Mjosgard. The moment their eyes met, Mjosgard's body trembled as if caught in a storm. He reached out and clutched Queen Otohime's arm, his eyes brimming with desperation.
Struggling to steady his voice, Mjosgard stammered:
"I... I want Ryugu Kingdom to escort me."
To him, Queen Otohime, radiant, kind, full of compassion, was an angel.
That cold, sinister Marine? He deserved to die for disrespecting a Celestial Dragon like him.
And that other Marine? Even worse! He had actually tried to cut him down!
Mjosgard's emotions slowly began to stabilize. In his heart, he cursed these Marines, redirecting all his earlier hatred for the fish-men toward Yoriichi and his crew.
He swore, if he made it back to the Holy Land, he'd make them pay.
And what he thought was clearly written in his eyes.
Though he still looked at Yoriichi with fear, the hatred was unmistakable, and Yoriichi noticed.
But he didn't care in the slightest.
Would the Five Elders, who didn't even dare provoke the Four Emperors lightly, really come after a world-renowned Marine over the grudge of a domesticated pig?
Would they be naïve enough to think someone like Yoriichi Tsugikuni was theirs to butcher?
The world had changed.
"Since Saint Mjosgard prefers Ryugu Kingdom's protection, I won't interfere after I report to headquarters."
"As for recruitment, I leave that in your hands, Queen Otohime."
Yoriichi gave a courteous bow, then turned to wave his hand toward Kyros and the rest of his Marines, preparing to lead them away.
Even then, the crowd of Fish-Man Island citizens who had been watching in confusion still had no idea what had just unfolded.
Mjosgard, seeing Yoriichi retreat, finally let out a long breath. But the way he looked at Yoriichi's back was filled with open contempt and hatred, no longer veiled.
"Oh, I almost forgot something."
Just as he was about to leave, Yoriichi stopped in his tracks. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from sight.
Mjosgard didn't even have time to react before he felt a sudden pressure at his throat.
"!!" Queen Otohime's eyes widened slightly, her instincts kicking in as she turned her head.
She was just in time to see Yoriichi standing behind her, gripping Mjosgard by the neck and lifting him clean off the ground.
"Gkk... hkk..."
Mjosgard's face twisted in pain as he let out choking gasps, clawing weakly at Yoriichi's sleeves in a futile struggle.
"There's something I absolutely must remind you of, oh the so-called Saint, Mjosgard."
"We Marines aren't anyone's dogs."
"In fact, you... you're nothing but a breeder pig caged in the Holy Land. It's been 800 years, and the size of your so-called sanctuary hasn't changed. There are still only a handful of Celestial Dragons left. Do you know why?"
"If you don't figure that out... you're going to die."
Yoriichi brought Mjosgard close and whispered in his ear, then smiled meaningfully and casually dropped him to the ground before walking away.
Under the shadow of death, those words were carved deep into Mjosgard's mind.
As Yoriichi and his unit departed, Queen Otohime immediately summoned the palace guards to escort Mjosgard back to Ryugu Castle. She also brought in the island's best doctors to treat him.
Meanwhile, Ryugu Kingdom dispatched teams to clean up the wreckage of the luxury cruise ship and search for any survivors.
Unfortunately, it seemed the "child of destiny" was Mjosgard alone. Not a single other soul aboard had survived.
At Ryugu Castle, Mjosgard received the best care and, after a few days of rest, finally emerged from the shadow of death.
Reflecting on what had happened, and thinking back on Queen Otohime's kindness and the castle's hospitality, he felt deeply moved.
Mjosgard was rotten, but not irredeemable. After such a traumatic experience, something in him began to shift.
And the words Yoriichi had said to him only grew clearer in his mind.
Eight hundred years... and the Holy Land is still so small?
Even the other lands lasted less than three hundred years, yet had over a million nobles.
But in eight centuries, the World Nobles, descendants of nineteen kings, numbered how many?
So where did they all go?
Once the question planted itself in Mjosgard's mind, it refused to leave.
Standing by the window, looking out over the breathtaking view of Ryugu Castle, Mjosgard fell into deep thought.
Since that day, Queen Otohime had kept her word. Throughout Fish-Man Island and within the royal guard, she advocated for Marine recruitment under Yoriichi's endorsement.
Tiger, who understood the full story, excitedly reached out to his former comrades to share how the Marines had treated the fish-men, and how they'd treated the Celestial Dragon.
But his enthusiasm backfired. The moment his friends heard someone from that unit had dared swing a sword at a Celestial Dragon, they fled even faster.
Only a few remained interested after hearing the full tale.
Among them were a whale shark fish-man named Jinbe, and a bearded weever fish-man named Aladine.
Jinbe was a soldier of the royal army, while Aladine was a merman from the backstreets.
Yoriichi, of course, was aware of this, and he certainly knew who Jinbe would become: one of the future Seven Warlords of the Sea.
When he met with the new recruits, he gave Jinbe an extra glance, then quietly assigned him to Tiger's unit.
Calling it a unit was generous. It had barely ten members in total.
After another week on Fish-Man Island with little additional recruitment, Yoriichi paid a formal farewell to Queen Otohime and King Neptune at Ryugu Castle.
One week after Yoriichi's Dawnblade warship set sail from the island, Ryugu Kingdom arranged a ship to send Mjosgard back to Sabaody Archipelago.
During his time on the island, Mjosgard developed a genuine friendship with Neptune and Queen Otohime. Before leaving, he promised to contribute whatever he could to the cause of Fish-Man Island's migration to the surface.
Whether a Celestial Dragon of his standing actually had that kind of influence, Mjosgard himself wasn't even sure.
What he couldn't have imagined was that in the future, just for freeing a few slaves, he would be sentenced to death by the Holy Knights.
Even though he was a Celestial Dragon.
Meanwhile, Tiger, who also freed slaves, went on to form the Sun Pirates. After his death, Jinbe and the "remnants" he left behind were protected under Borsalino's "ambiguous justice," and Jinbe became one of the Seven Warlords.
Clearly, a Celestial Dragon title didn't mean much when it truly mattered.
In the end, strength was the only thing that really mattered.
And when it came to understanding just how deep the waters of the Holy Land ran, even a Celestial Dragon like Mjosgard had far less insight than a Marine like Yoriichi.
Boom!!!
On the calm ocean surface, a sudden torrent of seawater shot into the sky, rising over ten meters high.
As the water fell back down, a long Marine warship emerged, floating proudly on the open sea.
At the bow, two Marine flags flapped briskly in the wind.
"Whew~~~"
"We've finally reached the surface."
"This sunlight… it really does feel like home."
Standing on deck, Kyros let out a contented breath. Looking out over the glittering sea, he felt all the gloom and weight in his chest melt away.
"Kyros, contact Vice Admiral Garp and Instructor Zephyr."
"It's time to act."
"This time, we'll bring a bit of peace to this turbulent world."
"Set sail!!"
Yoriichi walked to the railing, gripping it with both hands. After a few deep breaths while gazing at the sea, he turned and called out to Kyros, a bright smile on his face.
"Yeah!!!"
Hearing his voice, the Marines on deck responded with a united cheer.
Ever since their mission on Fish-Man Island, morale aboard the Dawnblade had grown stronger than ever.
Why?
Because even after drawing his sword on a Celestial Dragon for the sake of justice, Kyros was still Yoriichi's most trusted right-hand man. To Marines who carried their own righteous beliefs, this meant everything.
It confirmed to them that they had followed the right leader.
All of them believed that Vice Admiral Yoriichi Tsugikuni, was the true future of the Marines.
And that future was one they were all willing to fight for.
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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