—Real World—
Regarding Admiral Tenryu's life experience and transformation, the Sky Screen's presentation format had shifted after she consumed the Sky Dragon Fruit. The broadcast now displayed information primarily through simple sketches and key moments rather than comprehensive detail.
If viewers truly wanted to investigate specific details, the task proved extremely difficult.
For example, finding the island where Grandine had lived would be nearly impossible. The name and location of that isolated landmass weren't marked on the Sky Screen. Relying on the minimal geographical information provided would be like searching for a needle in a haystack—there were countless uninhabited deserted islands scattered across the seas, impossible to catalog completely.
In contrast, the Sky Screen had revealed an enormous amount of information before the execution. The Admiral from the fish-man species had finally been identified by name and rank. His image wielding a distinctive bandaged sword, his respectful attitude toward his Marine subordinates, his body language and tactical positioning—all of it had been exposed in comprehensive detail.
There was enough information in these scenes to make concerned parties across the world engage in intensive speculation and strategic planning.
The Ryugu Palace Council
The highest ruling class of Fish-Man Island gathered together in the palace's primary council chamber—a space designed for serious political discussions rather than the throne room's ceremonial grandeur.
They stared at the broadcast showing Admiral Hoshigaki Kisame with intense focus. Each royal family member and advisor desperately searched their memories, thinking about people and events that might connect to this powerful fish-man they'd somehow never heard of before.
"This is the first time I've encountered the name Hoshigaki Kisame," King Neptune admitted, his deep voice carrying unmistakable helplessness and frustration. "Is he another fish-man from an outer island settlement we haven't maintained contact with?"
The massive king felt profound regret seeing such strength displayed.
If he had a master of this caliber at his disposal, his family wouldn't have to hide in this underwater refuge. At the very least, he could protect his people's safety and prevent fish-men and mermaids from being captured and enslaved by surface world raiders.
But Admiral Kisame Hoshigaki was unknown to them. A complete mystery. Where had he come from?
The young fish-man Marlin—who would eventually join the Straw Hat Pirates as their helmsman according to Sky Screen broadcasts—harbored no particular affection for Fish-Man Island's current state. The place felt stagnant, trapped by fear and historical trauma.
But judging from Admiral Kisame's performance in the broadcast, this powerful fish-man didn't hold any apparent ill will toward Fish-Man Island itself. There were several of his fellow fish-men visible around him wearing Marine uniforms, serving as officers in his command structure.
These fish-man Marine officers were currently living on Fish-Man Island in the present timeline. When they saw their future images appear on the Sky Screen—standing proudly in Marine uniforms, serving under a fish-man Admiral, respected by human colleagues—they felt simultaneous joy and profound confusion.
How did they get there? What path led from Fish-Man Island's isolation to the New Marine's integrated command structure?
The fish-men born in Fish-Man Street—that lawless district where gangs ruled and violence was daily currency—possessed a natural racial hatred toward humans. This animosity was the result of systematic indoctrination since childhood, passed down through generations who'd witnessed or experienced slavery's horrors.
Growing up in such a violent environment produced individuals who were certainly brave and warlike. But courage without organization or strategy made them merely cannon fodder. They couldn't truly unite into a coherent force with genuine political or military power.
In the end, most became disposable workers for other pirate groups—muscle hired by human captains who viewed fish-men as expendable assets.
There were very few fish-man pirates with meaningful fame or recognition. The living Boss Jinbei was the backbone of fish-man piracy, providing actual leadership and strategic vision. Fisher Tiger remained the belief in people's hearts—a martyr whose sacrifice had elevated him to legendary status. The villain Arlong had gained some regional notoriety through brutal tactics.
As for other fish-men? Once they left Fish-Man Island's waters, nobody in the outside world could recognize them. They didn't deserve to have their own names remembered by history. They were just "that fish-man" or "one of the fish-people."
Nobody expected that in the future there would appear someone like Hoshigaki Kisame—such an important figure who'd led a group of talented fish-men to join the Marine and fight for their species' status through institutional channels rather than piracy.
Judging from the Sky Screen's presentation, Admiral Kisame's human subordinates all treated him with genuine respect. They didn't display any disgust or condescension toward the fish-men under his command.
This dynamic made the fish-men watching from Fish-Man Island feel deeply unfamiliar. Was this truly the treatment that strength commanded? If you were powerful enough, could you actually transcend all prejudices and force others to acknowledge your worth?
If they could really work with such a capable leader in the future, the energetic young fish-men would definitely agree wholeheartedly. The prospect was intoxicating.
Having social status and financial security. Being able to fight for their race's advancement through legitimate channels. Wasn't this infinitely more valuable than being a pirate stuck on Fish-Man Island, accomplishing nothing meaningful?
In this world where strength was respected above all else and power meant everything, many fish-men wanted to join Jinbei's Sun Pirates. However, due to Boss Jinbei's cautious character—his unwillingness to expand recklessly and risk drawing World Government attention—the crew had maintained essentially the same personnel quota since Fisher Tiger's death.
There were no openings for new recruits. The ship was full.
Although nobody knew Admiral Kisame's current whereabouts in the present timeline—or whether he even existed yet as the person they'd seen on screen—his future position still provided another viable path forward.
Moreover, not every fish-man could eat the government's rice bowl. Military service had standards. There were always some fish-men with inflated self-confidence who believed they'd be chosen based purely on their strength, who imagined themselves uniting around Hoshigaki Kisame as his core lieutenants.
What was the point of being a pirate anyway? The Marine would conduct political background reviews for candidates. Having a criminal history was a permanent stain that could disqualify promising applicants.
The fish-men with functional brains and genuine combat capability began seeking to withdraw from Fish-Man Street's criminal underworld over the next several days. They wanted clean records before Admiral Kisame began recruiting.
Everything required advance planning. If you quit the gang life too late and wanted a spotless background check, it remained unclear whether the Marine would recognize your reformation or dismiss you as a risk.
These were all necessary preparations for eventually joining the organization—positioning themselves to be ready when Admiral Kisame needed recruits.
The individual hurt most by this exodus was Hody Jones—the great white shark fish-man whose racism and violence defined his entire worldview.
His New Fish-Man Pirates, established only a few years ago, began hemorrhaging members. Some of his most powerful younger subordinates were leaving, abandoning his crew to position themselves for future Marine recruitment.
The stupid and racially violent great white shark harbored absolutely no positive feelings toward the Sky Screen's revelations. He despised the entire concept.
Hody also wanted to learn Admiral Kisame's techniques through observation, analyzing his fighting style from the broadcast. He refused to believe the gap between fish-men could be so enormous. Just as Hody Jones looked down on Jinbei as too compromising and soft, he similarly looked down on Hoshigaki Kisame for working "like a dog" for the Marine.
Serving humans? Accepting their command structure? Pathetic weakness in Hody's estimation.
The great white shark would show them all true fish-man supremacy eventually.
Compared to Hody Jones's arrogance, the eldest prince Fukaboshi remained relatively humble and thoughtful in his assessment.
A fish-man who could become an Admiral in the Marine hierarchy must possess unimaginable strength. The position wasn't ceremonial. It required genuine combat capability that could stand against the world's most powerful warriors.
A strange question popped into the crown prince's mind: How many Boss Jinbeis could Admiral Hoshigaki Kisame defeat?
It was an absurd comparison—trying to quantify power through multiplication of a known standard. But it helped him grasp the scale of what they were witnessing.
If Jinbei was extraordinarily powerful... and Admiral Kisame commanded respect from an entire Marine division including powerful subordinates... the implications were staggering.
"It turns out Saint Mjosgard has always been a genuinely good person," Prince Fukaboshi observed quietly, guilt coloring his voice. "Ever since Mother was assassinated, he cut off contact with us entirely. We really misunderstood his motivations before."
The prince felt profound shame about his previous assumptions. He'd mistakenly believed Saint Mjosgard was an ungrateful person—that Queen Otohime had saved his life for nothing, that the Celestial Dragon had simply returned to his privileged existence without acknowledging the debt.
However, the broadcast revealed something entirely different. In the future, Mjosgard would sacrifice his own life to repay that favor—defending Fish-Man Island's princes at the World Conference, fighting his own people to ensure their safe departure.
The other Celestial Dragon was willing to die for fish-men he barely knew. This noble and selfless quality touched every mermaid and fish-man in the council chamber.
If Saint Mjosgard visited the island again someday, they absolutely must entertain him properly and cultivate this powerful benefactor. An ally among the Celestial Dragons was worth more than a hundred pirate crews.
Even the mermaids living far beneath the waves in Fish-Man Island knew something about the atrocities committed by Saint Charlos's family. This particular clan was too infamous throughout the Sabaody Archipelago for their reputations not to filter down eventually.
The family of three possessed distinctive and horrifying preferences:
Saint Rozward (the father) liked slaves who'd been pirate captains—enjoying the psychological domination of breaking proud warriors into servile tools.
Palace Shalria (the daughter) preferred handsome male slaves, collecting them like exotic pets and discarding them when bored.
Saint Charlos (the son) obsessed over beautiful female slaves, purchasing and abusing them with systematic cruelty.
Slaves handled by these three Celestial Dragons basically never lived long. Within a month or two maximum, they'd be tortured into physical cripples and ruthlessly thrown into garbage dumps to die slowly from their injuries.
"We attend the World Conference as official representatives under treaty protections," King Neptune reasoned, his analytical mind reconstructing what must have occurred. "And those damned Celestial Dragons constantly make things difficult for us despite our legal status. They definitely started the confrontation."
The scenario wasn't difficult to deduce given the Saint Rozward family's established patterns.
Most likely, someone in that family—probably Saint Charlos given his preferences—had become obsessed with capturing Prince Fukaboshi as a personal slave. The idea of owning royalty, of breaking a prince's dignity, would appeal to his sadistic psychology.
The fish-men, who faced constant discrimination even in official diplomatic settings, would dare not resist or complain publicly in such situations. Speaking out against Celestial Dragons meant death.
When tensions escalated and the situation crossed certain lines, CP0 and their World Government lackeys would only help their Celestial Dragon masters suppress any "rebels" who dared resist the Gods' will.
In this impossible situation, Saint Mjosgard had no alternative except direct action. He could only rely on his own identity as a Celestial Dragon and physically fight his own people—using this violent method to create chaos that allowed Fish-Man Island's delegation to escape safely.
But the price he paid was catastrophic. The God's Knights had sentenced him to public execution for defending fish-men. This was simply unimaginable based on historical precedent—Celestial Dragons had committed countless atrocities without facing execution.
How many hidden secrets existed behind this situation? What political maneuvering had made Mjosgard's execution possible when far worse Celestial Dragons walked free?
They could only wait for the Sky Screen's subsequent explanations to reveal the deeper conspiracy.