After the speech, Queen Otohime followed tradition and set out a box in front of her to collect signatures.
The crowd in the square looked at each other in silence. Finally, a few children were the first to break it. They skipped forward and placed several sheets of signed paper into the box.
Queen Otohime asked nervously, "Are the children just trying to make me happy? You won't be taking them back later, will you?"
Her words carried a trace of bitterness. For over five years she had been working tirelessly, gathering one hundred sheets of signatures—each sheet able to hold ten names. That made a total of only one thousand signatures.
Yet Fishman Island had a population of five million.
Especially after Fisher Tiger's death, there had even been people who demanded their signatures back, undoing years of effort.
But today was different. The children smiled as they placed the papers inside. "Nope! Mama said she'll sign too!"
The children's actions were like a signal. Soon the adults also stepped forward.
"The Queen has done so much for us already. How can we remain indifferent?"
"I don't know much about the humans above the sea, but I believe in our Queen."
One after another, sheets were submitted until the small box was soon overflowing. Watching the rapidly filling box, Queen Otohime's eyes brimmed with tears, overwhelmed by emotion.
But the crowd's enthusiasm didn't stop.
"Your Majesty, such a small box can't hold all this!"
"Do you realize how many people live in this country?"
"Bring out a bigger box!"
"Everyone…" Queen Otohime covered her mouth. For once, the usually eloquent speaker could only stammer her thanks again and again.
Thankfully, the Right Minister, a seahorse fishman, commanded soldiers to carry over larger boxes. "Please place the signatures here!"
With the larger boxes, even more people pressed forward. The sight looked like a subway station during morning rush hour.
The funniest scene was when little Camie, confused and dazed, was squeezed by the crowd all the way to the front. She was nearly shoved into the box along with her paper.
Zhang Da Ye spotted her quickly, reached in, and pulled Camie out. He turned to the Right Minister. "Send some guards to maintain order. If anyone gets hurt, it will be bad."
"Yes, yes!" The Right Minister immediately organized soldiers to keep the crowd in line, while also summoning reinforcements from the palace.
One man came forward again after already submitting his name. "Your Majesty, I signed another one!"
Someone beside him warned, "Each person can only sign once. Repeats don't count!"
"What? Then I'll bring my friends here!"
Listening to these voices and feeling the sincerity, Queen Otohime finally couldn't hold it in. She burst into tears, crying freely as years of pain and hardship poured out.
She had waited too long for this day. Day after day, giving speeches across the island, helping those in need, teaching knowledge of the surface world…
And now, at last, her effort had blossomed beautifully. One day, those blossoms would bear sweet fruit.
She felt everything had been going too smoothly lately. She had returned safely from Mariejois, received a letter signed by a World Noble, made kind human friends, and now, today, received overwhelming support from her people.
It was as if she had used up all the luck of her life in just these few days.
She wiped at her tears with her wide sleeves, but they wouldn't stop flowing. Still, she let them fall freely, relieved that her years of bitterness had finally brought hope.
Those around her watched her cry tears of joy and felt genuinely happy for her.
But Zhang Da Ye leaned close to Artoria and whispered, "Stay alert."
"Hm?" Artoria looked at him in confusion.
He explained, "Even though so many support her, there must be others who oppose her. Some who hate humans might resort to extreme measures."
Artoria immediately understood. "You mean assassination? I see."
Zhang Da Ye couldn't recall exactly when the attempt on Queen Otohime's life would happen, and he didn't want to sound like he knew the future, so he simply stayed cautious and resolved to warn them later.
At that same moment, in the corner of the square, a chubby, blue-skinned fishman stood with a dark-skinned, long-haired merman watching the crowd.
It was Jinbei and Aladdin, the doctor and vice-captain of the Sun Pirates.
Holding his pipe, Jinbei said, "The Queen really has created hope with her own efforts."
Aladdin folded his arms. "If enough signatures are gathered, maybe it truly could change the fate of Fishman Island."
"If even someone as stubborn as Arlong could be moved by her faith, he would change too," Jinbei said with emotion. "I only wish Brother Tiger could see this day."
But Aladdin wasn't so optimistic. He knew Arlong too well. They had once fought fiercely over their different beliefs—though it was really more Jinbei beating Arlong down.
Jinbei had inherited Tiger's will, refusing to kill humans and vowing to fight without taking lives. Arlong, on the other hand, sought to make humans suffer—no, to make them live in fear.
Even Queen Otohime might not be able to change him.
"Aladdin, what do you think of those people?" Jinbei asked, glancing at Zhang Da Ye and his group.
"You know, Jinbei, like many others, I once shared Brother Tiger's suffering. The brand of the Celestial Dragons can never be erased, and the torment we endured as slaves left us with hatred for humans that won't fade in this lifetime."
Yet even as he said this, Aladdin's gaze toward Zhang Da Ye's group was without hostility. He knew who the true enemies were.
Jinbei nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's time to sort out Fishman Street."
Fishman Street had once been built as a massive orphanage. But soon after, it fell into chaos. The managers couldn't handle it, and it became a haven for criminals—an ungoverned zone.
Unlike the lawless area in Sabaody, which the World Government simply ignored, Fishman Street was more like a slum. The Ryugu Kingdom just didn't have a solution.
Tiger, Jinbei, Arlong, and even Hody Jones had all grown up there.
That was why Jinbei knew the place seethed with hatred—toward both humans and the royal family. If left alone, it could spell disaster.
The only method Jinbei could think of was to use his fists to subdue everyone. It wouldn't fix the root problem, but at least it would prevent them from causing trouble for the Queen in the short term.
This was where Jinbei and Tiger differed from Kozuki Oden. When Oden beat down all the gangs and thugs under his rule, they immediately settled down and focused on development, eventually building a paradise.
But when Tiger and Jinbei beat down Fishman Street, it remained chaotic and unruly.
That was why Lord Kozuki Oden was considered so great and wise.
Though honestly, I can't really understand where his wisdom lay. Was it simply because he once cooked oden soup over the bones of his dead friend?
That first battle of the Sun Pirates, under Vice Admiral Kadar, had Tiger give clear orders: seize supplies, but do not kill.
But most of the fishmen, including Jinbei and Arlong, still fought with deadly force—their enemies had come to kill them, after all.
Afterward, Tiger imposed strict rules against killing, vowing never to take a life.
Later, when Koala boarded their ship, Jinbei met all kinds of people and was gradually influenced by her, softening his perspective. Arlong, however, never changed.
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