"Fish-Man Island?"
Admiral Kuzan's brow furrowed, a pensive gleam in his eyes as memories of that deep-sea kingdom surfaced in his mind.
The Ryugu Kingdom had a complex and storied history, long regarded by the surface world as a nation of "outsiders."
Merfolk and fish-men had once been classified as mere "fish" by humans, suffering centuries of brutal discrimination.
It wasn't until 200 years ago, when the Ryugu Kingdom became a member state of the World Government, that they barely established some form of fragile, friendly relations.
Even so, the people of the island could never truly escape human prejudice.
The situation was a shameful contradiction: on one hand, the World Government welcomed them, and on the other, the Celestial Dragons and their ilk continued to perpetuate the slave trade, with mermaids being a particularly high-priced commodity.
The dawn of the Great Pirate Era had only made things worse, turning Fish-Man Island into a chaotic hub of plunder and violence.
The situation had improved somewhat, but shamefully, this change was not due to the Marines' efforts.
It was because of the intervention of one of the Four Emperors, "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate.
By claiming Fish-Man Island as his territory, he had deterred other pirates from daring to invade it.
It was a laughable, pathetic state of affairs for the so-called upholders of Justice.
'Still,' Kuzan thought, 'Mike's suggestion does make sense'.
'The fish-men and merfolk are the ocean's favored children'.
'If they were willing to assist the Marines, forming salvage teams scattered across the seas... no treasure would escape our grasp.'
"But right now, Fish-Man Island is under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates," Kuzan finally said, voicing the obvious, massive obstacle.
"The Marines currently have no plans to confront an Emperor head-on."
"..."
Mike chuckled lightly. "True," he said, a knowing, almost prophetic glint in his eye.
"But don't worry. Just wait for the right opportunity."
'At the moment, the Marines have no intention of clashing with Whitebeard', Mike thought.
'But they soon will.'
If his memory of the timeline held, Ace would soon encounter Blackbeard.
The Summit War would erupt, and the Whitebeard Pirates would be crippled.
In the chaotic transitional period that followed, before another Emperor could claim the territory, that would be Admiral Kuzan's best chance to intervene, to extend an olive branch, to begin mending the rift between Fish-Man Island and the surface world.
'Of course, all of that would need to be carried out quietly,' Mike schemed.
'Once successful, the Marines would be freed from their financial shackles, ready to strike hard against the pirates.'
'They might even be able to recruit a man of true Justice like Issho...'
'With Akainu, Fujitora, and Aokiji waging war across the seas, and me and Old Man Kizaru holding down the fort at Marineford... playing Mahjong... what a blissful, peaceful life that would be!'
"Alright, since you're so confident..." Kuzan exhaled a faint chill, his eyes flickering with a mixture of amusement and newfound approval.
"Then I'll wait a little longer." He stretched lazily, leaning back against the edge of the hot spring as his thoughts flew toward the future Mike had described.
In his eyes, a long-lost fervor flickered.
He would have to discuss this with Borsalino.
The others... could wait until he had hauled up his first bucket of gold.
Smoker exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, the rings slowly dispersing into the steam.
He could sense the shift in his old friend.
The once-frozen heart, the icy detachment, had begun to thaw, igniting a long-dormant fire.
"Kuzan," he said, his voice low and tinged with excitement, "have you finally started burning again?"
Kuzan turned slightly, a meaningful smile on his lips.
"Yeah. It's hard not to imagine the future—a world where the Marines are free from their shackles, a world where we can enact our own Justice."
"Hmph, I'll do my part, too!" Smoker declared.
"Hahaha, I'm looking forward to it, Smoker."
Crocodile remained silent, quietly soaking in the hot spring, his mind in absolute turmoil.
'Is this really something I should be hearing?!'
'Two high-ranking Marines, openly discussing a plan to break free from the World Government's control, right in front of a Warlord of the Sea!' He stared at Mike's relaxed face, his mind screaming.
'Mike, just look at what you've done! A simple bath, a casual conversation... and you've reignited an Admiral's revolutionary will!'
'As an unwilling listener, how can I possibly escape now?! This sinking ship... I can't get off anymore! You better keep your word and protect me when the time comes!'
BAM—!
The door to the hot spring room was violently kicked open, the frame shaking as an ear-splitting shout echoed through the entire space.
"CROCODILE!!!" Luffy's voice carried an undeniable force as his gaze locked onto the sand-user.
"I'm going to defeat you!"
"???" Mike and the others froze, turning their heads toward the source of the commotion.
Luffy stood at the entrance, his expression brimming with righteous fury.
Behind him, the rest of the Straw Hat crew, Ace, Vista, and Jozu gradually came into view, their faces a mixture of determination and shock.
"Admiral Aokiji?!!!" Vista's voice involuntarily rose an octave the moment he spotted Kuzan lounging in the water.
"What is he doing here?!"
'Can someone please explain,' he thought, his mind short-circuiting, 'why the Blue Pheasant of Marine Headquarters is soaking in a hot spring with the very Warlord we were just told is trying to overthrow a kingdom?!!!'
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