"They've found Aquaman—and they even got into a fight with a squad of Atlanteans…"
Cyborg had just finished sending the recorded confession to Batman when a message came back immediately. He relayed the update to the others: on the other side, a battle had just ended. A group from Atlantis had attacked Aquaman. With Superman and Batman backing him up, the attackers were put down quickly, and now they were in the middle of formally inviting Aquaman to join the Justice League.
After confirming the situation, Cyborg looked to the team. "So—what now?"
Their side had succeeded in taking Black Manta, but the problem remained: Black Manta couldn't get them into Atlantis.
"First we regroup with Batman and Superman," Ben said. "We decide the next move together, then act."
Since Superman and Batman had already made contact with Aquaman, Ben didn't want their teams operating out of sync.
They'd already neutralized Black Manta, secured evidence that Orm had hired him to hijack a U.S. nuclear submarine and deliberately fan the flames of war, and confirmed the missing missiles were now in Orm's possession.
From here, the objective was clear: work with Aquaman to seize the Atlantean throne, stop the war that was seconds from igniting, and recover the missiles from Orm.
Hal nodded toward the bound pirate. "And him? And his men?"
Black Manta was vicious—hands stained with blood. Hal wasn't asking out of mercy; he was asking what kind of line they were going to hold.
"And the rest of his crew," he added. "The ones still hiding out—what do we do with them?"
"I already contacted the liaison who originally asked the League for help," Cyborg replied evenly. "They're handling Manta's crew now. They'll be here soon."
Aside from the boss, the rest were just rabble. Once the U.S. forces finished sweeping up the low-level pirates, they'd come to take Black Manta into custody.
Ben glanced around the workshop. "Bag all the weapons and equipment in here. Judging by the power output and material structure, this isn't human tech—this is Atlantean."
Ben didn't have strong feelings about Black Manta's fate. In the grand scheme, he was a side-piece. Without Atlantean gear, he wouldn't even rate as a serious problem among human mercenaries—he'd get flattened by people like Deathstroke or Deadshot.
But the hardware in this workshop?
That needed to be sealed.
Flash moved first. A blink later, every weapon in the hideout had been piled together, disarmed and sorted.
Hal formed a massive green construct net, cinched it around the entire haul, and hauled it all out in one package.
All that remained inside was Black Manta—now tied to a pillar with extra rope—staring blankly as if he still hadn't processed what had just happened, waiting for the U.S. recovery team to arrive and drag him away.
…
Aquaman had agreed to help, but he hadn't formally joined the League yet, so they didn't choose Justice Mountain as the place to finalize their plan.
After dropping Black Manta's equipment at Justice Mountain for lockdown, the team immediately diverted to Aquaman's home, where he lived with his father.
It was a lighthouse cottage on a coastal hill—windswept, solitary, stubbornly warm against the sea. Aquaman had grown up there with his father. Two grown men lived inside, yet the place wasn't messy—lived-in, not chaotic.
A Boom Tube opened, and everyone stepped out.
Ben spotted Aquaman standing beside Superman and Batman and greeted him with an easy grin.
"Hey, Arthur—welcome to the Justice League!"
Arthur was a big man—broad-shouldered, solid as a dock piling—and even next to Superman he didn't look outclassed. Hal and Barry greeted him with matching smiles.
"Good to meet you," Hal said.
"Yeah. Hi," Barry added.
Shazam stroked his chin, eyes bright with curiosity. He'd read Arthur's file earlier, and one detail had stuck.
"I heard you can talk to fish," he said. "Is that true?"
"It is." Arthur nodded, a flicker of resignation in his eyes—like he'd answered that question too many times. Because he could understand sea life, people had called him a freak more than once.
But that same ability also meant that, out on the ocean, he never ran out of allies.
"Cool," Shazam said, leaning forward. "Can all Atlanteans do that? And if you can talk to fish… what do you guys eat down there?"
Arthur hesitated.
"I don't know," he admitted. "From the day I was born, I lived up here with my father. I'm not a full Atlantean. I eat normal human food."
He shook his head slightly. In daily life, he wasn't all that different from an ordinary man.
He had once been taught how to use his abilities by an Atlantean… but he had never tried to enter that world beneath the waves.
From Arthur's words, it was obvious: in his own mind, he didn't belong to any underwater kingdom.
But this wasn't the time for identity crises.
Under Orm's provocations, war was already poised on the edge of eruption—and someone had to stop it.
And according to Ben's "spoilers," Aquaman—Arthur Curry—was that someone.
"Arthur," Ben said, the humor draining out of his voice, "we need you to return to Atlantis, take the throne from your brother, and stop him from starting a war."
"Me—King of Atlantis?" Arthur's smile disappeared. He pointed at himself, genuinely baffled. "Honestly? I don't think I can do that."
His mind flashed back to the fight they'd just had—the Atlantean soldiers in brutal armor, coming at him like they wanted him dead.
"I'm a half-blood. To Atlantis, I'm basically an outsider. Even if I go back, I don't have the right to compete with that bastard for the throne."
He didn't believe he had what it took to rule them.
He didn't believe he was fit to be a king.
And as Arthur's doubt deepened, a voice drifted in from somewhere beyond the lighthouse—sweet as a siren's song, confident and clear:
"No. You do have the right. Atlantis needs someone who understands the surface world—someone who can serve as a guiding light, and lead us into the next century."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
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