Was he worried about the World Government, or was he worried about Reddy, who was known as the most evil scientist?
One might oppress Fishman Island in the future, while the other might destroy Fishman Island immediately.
King Neptune didn't even need to think about the choice.
Therefore, he not only arranged for Prince Fukaboshi and his two other sons to personally welcome Reddy but also specially organized the citizens to hold a welcoming ceremony for him.
So when Reddy entered Fishman Island, he saw bustling crowds lining both sides of the street.
Flowers, cheers, and everything else were all present.
King Neptune had prepared a reception for Reddy on par with that of a Celestial Dragon.
"Fishman Island… heh."
Reddy saw curiosity, awe, disgust, disdain, and many other different emotions among the crowds on both sides of the road.
Unlike Amazon Lily, which was a special collectivist society and a simple utopian template, Fishman Island was another form altogether.
As the saying goes, things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme.
Long-term discrimination and harassment from pirates had given rise to numerous Fishman supremacists on Fishman Island.
These were people who believed that Fishmen were the noblest race in the world.
These Fishmen hated humans and would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, making them extremely radical.
The beloved Queen Otohime had been assassinated by the Fishman supremacist Hody Jones precisely because she had been dedicated to fostering harmony between Fishman Island and humans.
After the battle in East Blue completely cemented his position as the fifth emperor of the sea, Reddy had already begun working on building his utopia.
The unique political system of Amazon Lily was his observation target.
The people living on the satellite island, such as Terry and the others, were also his observation targets.
After realizing he had overlooked the greatest value of Amazon Lily, his attitude toward Fishman Island also changed—from indifference to now hoping to subjugate it.
The Fishman supremacists on Fishman Island were highly representative.
These extremists represented a specific group.
Discrimination between people had always existed and was not limited to race.
The rich discriminated against the poor, the capable discriminated against the incapable… The most core aspect of Reddy's envisioned perfect utopia was the elimination of discrimination.
Without eliminating discrimination, a utopia could not exist.
"Dr. Reddy, what are you thinking about?"
Prince Fukaboshi and the other two princes wanted to get closer to Reddy but were also intimidated by his reputation and status. Thus, Jinbe acted as a bridge between them and initiated the conversation.
"Fishman Island is beautiful."
Reddy snapped out of his thoughts and politely complimented.
Fishman Island truly was beautiful.
The Sunlight Tree Eve brought sunlight and the cycle of day and night here.
The unique underwater-style architecture of the Fishmen and the coral clusters everywhere were breathtakingly beautiful.
Not to mention the many mermaid girls dressed in revealing outfits.
"Fishman Island is more than just its scenery."
Prince Fukaboshi took the opportunity to chime in. "There is no place in the ocean depths that we Fishmen cannot reach, and countless treasures from the deepest parts of the sea are available here. If you like, Dr. Reddy, you can personally pick out some specialties later."
Reddy raised an eyebrow.
Was this showing off wealth?
Jinbe quickly let out a hearty laugh and changed the subject, proactively discussing the history of Fishman Island while giving Prince Fukaboshi a meaningful look.
Don't be so superficial.
Does someone like him care about such things?
Prince Fukaboshi realized his mistake and didn't dare to interrupt Jinbe and Reddy's conversation anymore. When he turned and saw the aloof Hancock, he instinctively averted his gaze.
This one was even more untouchable.
Meanwhile, the residents of Fishman Island were also curiously observing Reddy.
The battle in East Blue had ended with the Navy's defeat.
This news shocked the world, and even Fishman Island, located 10,000 meters under the sea, heard about this unbelievable event.
Yet now, Reddy didn't seem as cruel and evil as they had imagined. Instead, he appeared to be just an ordinary, amiable scientist.
"Is that really the Dr. Reddy who's called the fifth emperor of the sea?"
A mermaid girl whispered in surprise to her friend. "He doesn't seem as scary as the guys from Fishman District."
"Shh, be careful not to anger him."
Another mermaid girl quickly hushed her. "They say this man loves to use people for his evil experiments. Be careful, or he might take you as a test subject."
Similar conversations were happening everywhere.
In the World Government's propaganda, Reddy was portrayed as an extremely evil scientist.
The residents of Fishman Island were practically isolated from the outside world, so their impression of Reddy was not good—in fact, it could even be described as extremely poor.
If not for King Neptune's orders, no one would dare to appear within Reddy's line of sight, fearing they might be taken as test subjects.
On a towering reef in the distance stood a Fishman.
Hody Jones watched the convoy enter the square through his scope, grinning viciously as he placed his finger on the trigger.
"Are you really going to attack him, Doss?"
Doss stood below the reef, looking up at Hody Jones on top and asked worriedly. "He's the fifth emperor of the sea. Angering him won't do Fishman Island any good."
"Shahahaha… If we assassinate this man, we'll become famous!"
Hody Jones, despite his brutish appearance, was shrewd. He saw exactly what benefits assassinating Reddy would bring them.
"But…"
Doss hesitated.
Hody Jones kept his scope trained on Reddy as the convoy moved, his finger resting on the trigger. He sneered. "What kind of strength could a mere scientist have? The Fishmen are the strongest race in the world."
Then, he unexpectedly caught sight of the tall woman behind Reddy. After a brief pause, he grinned in delight. "This is fate's arrangement. I never expected the Warlord, Pirate Empress Hancock, to come as well."
"Isn't she like Boss Jinbe, Doss?" Doss exclaimed in shock.
Hody Jones grinned viciously. "If a Warlord and the fifth emperor of the sea both die on Fishman Island, no one will dare to cling to their naive hopes of peace with those filthy, lowly humans."
"Are we targeting the Pirate Empress too, Doss?"
Doss felt uneasy, worried that Boss Hody's greed might lead to unexpected consequences.
Hody hesitated for a moment but quickly shook his head, dismissing his distracting thoughts. Firmly, he declared, "Assassinating just the fifth emperor of the sea isn't enough. We need the World Government to take action to ensure those naive fools in our race abandon their foolish hopes."
Doss thought it made sense.
If the fifth emperor of the sea died on Fishman Island, the World Government would only applaud.
But the Warlords were nominally an external force of the World Government, representing its face.
If the Pirate Empress died on Fishman Island, the World Government would inevitably launch an investigation no matter what.
In that case, the appeasement faction led by King Neptune would have no choice but to abandon their naive fantasies and resist the pressure from the World Government.
"Then let's do it, Doss!"
Doss was now also getting excited.
Hody grinned viciously and pulled the trigger as the convoy was about to leave the square.
Bang!