CHAPTER 257
The young girl's voice carried unmistakable displeasure. Not just in tone—Brett's observation Haki clearly picked up the genuine dissatisfaction resonating from her heart.
"Oh, my precious student Uta, does my teacher's assessment somehow displease you?" Tesoro's smile was exaggerated, dripping with sweetness like fresh honey.
True to his earlier boasts, he had indeed taken Uta as his disciple. This man genuinely loved music. He believed Uta possessed the potential to surpass every vocalist throughout history, becoming the undisputed greatest singer alive.
Of course, her father certainly contributed to his enthusiasm.
"Who's your student?" Uta rolled her eyes, clearly dismissing Tesoro's claim. She'd never believed this man deserved any authority to teach her anything.
Brett shot Tesoro a sidelong glance. Earlier on their call, this man had claimed that the gifted young Uta absolutely adored him as her teacher.
This was adoration?
Tesoro coughed awkwardly, then pressed on with exaggerated seriousness. "Don't doubt it—Brett's strength is unmatched. Even the pirate emperors who might be considered his equals cannot defeat him!"
"So there's absolutely nothing to worry about!" Tesoro smiled reassuringly. "We're completely safe here on Fish-Man Island!"
Brett understood why Tesoro had brought him along. The sudden relocation of their headquarters to the deep ocean beneath Fish-Man Island would naturally make anyone suspicious—they'd assume some disaster had forced the move. Tesoro needed Brett's presence as a reassurance, a vote of confidence.
Uta huffed, her delicate young face puffing out like a squirrel with a pine cone in its mouth. Admittedly, the young songstress was far more than just possessing a beautiful voice—she was genuinely adorable.
"How precious!" Otohime exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the girl from behind like hugging an oversized plush toy.
"I told you not to surprise me like that! If I break something, don't blame me!" Uta protested angrily.
Yet she didn't struggle with much force. Apparently she understood how fragile Otohime's body was and feared her resistance might cause injury.
Otohime completely ignored the girl's resistance, continuing to embrace her warmly. "So adorable, right? Little Uta is like my second daughter!"
"I'm not!" Uta's cheeks flushed crimson. She pushed gently but firmly against Otohime's hands, then huffed coldly and turned away, crossing her arms and saying nothing more. She left Brett with only her cold back.
Brett's lips curved upward slightly. She protested verbally, yet her heart told a different story. Through his observation Haki, Brett detected secret delight emanating from the young songstress's true feelings.
Otohime gave Brett a thumbs up. "See? Absolutely adorable, right?"
Brett found it difficult not to nod. Tsundere behavior meant nothing to people like him and Otohime who could clearly hear another's deepest thoughts.
"In any case, welcome to Fish-Man Island, everyone," Brett said, making a formal address. "Every race gathered here is a friend to Fish-Man Island, so please have no reservations. Live peacefully here with complete ease."
"I'm confident Fish-Man Island will become a city that, once you arrive, you won't want to leave."
"Absolutely!" Otohime agreed happily. "Welcome to Fish-Man Island! Later, let me give all of you a proper tour!"
Afterward, Brett spent time pleasantly conversing with members from the various races, displaying the warmth expected of a proper host.
Then the gathering concluded.
Brett never truly interacted meaningfully with Uta throughout. He didn't particularly mind. Though this red-and-white-haired girl might become a major antagonist in the future, she was currently just a small child. Moreover, she was completely under Otohime's control.
Perhaps in a few days, Neptune would suddenly discover he'd acquired a daughter with no blood relation. And Shanks would belatedly realize his precious daughter had found herself a mother without his knowledge.
After witnessing Mjosgard in Mariejois, Brett firmly believed Otohime possessed unparalleled brainwashing abilities. He'd leave young Uta entirely in her capable hands.
But Brett had another pressing matter to attend to.
The next morning, when Brett sat down for breakfast, Arlong strode directly to the seat opposite him. His expression was extremely grim. He said nothing to Brett, simply ordering his own breakfast and eating with heavy, aggressive bites.
Brett paused, pressed his lips together, then finished his meal.
Only when Arlong had satisfied his appetite and wiped his mouth did Brett quietly ask, "Do you have results?"
"Mm." Arlong fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Finding them wasn't difficult. At the mine, Mark remembered people bumping into them during the commotion," Arlong said. "At the armory, after careful investigation, witnesses confirmed several individuals brought humans into the Forest of the Sea."
Arlong's pupils contracted, his eyes blazing with bestial fury. Brett recognized this as the reaction of extreme rage.
"Capturing them required some effort, but not much—both locations had eyewitnesses."
"So," Brett sighed quietly, then asked, "what did they say?"
"Money!" Arlong's teeth clenched, the word grinding out between them. "If they'd been threatened, I could have accepted that, but those bastards did it purely for money!"
"Fish-Man Island, Fishman Street—we're already incomparably wealthier than before! With even minimal effort, no one would fall into poverty anymore!"
"Yet those scum kept saying they wanted to get rich without working! For such a ridiculous reason, they betrayed their own race, betrayed their own people!"
Arlong, who once obsessed over wealth and yearned to plunder the human world to satisfy his greed, now spoke such words.
Brett felt genuine satisfaction. He'd witnessed Arlong's growth firsthand.
"I absolutely cannot forgive them!" Arlong's voice rose with fury. "Brett, how should we handle them?"
Brett fell into deep thought.
How indeed should they be handled?