The following morning, at the entrance to Fish-Man District...
Sami and Neptune stood side by side, gazing at the still-gloomy district before them. The atmosphere was heavy.
"We still haven't found any worthwhile clues."
Sami shook his head, a rare trace of helplessness in his voice.
"The scene... was too clean. I'm convinced this was the work of an extremely professional team with a meticulously planned operation."
He turned toward Neptune.
"How about your side?"
Prince Neptune's brows remained tightly furrowed.
"Same here. Every ship near Fish-Man District has been searched thoroughly, but we've found nothing."
Sami patted Neptune's arm.
"Don't worry. We'll find them."
"They can't have gone far."
Neptune knew it was only an attempt at reassurance, but all he could do was nod.
"Sami, I'll have someone escort you back. Thank you for your help."
Turning toward the depths of the district, he continued,
"I'm planning another full-scale search."
"You should head back to Coral Hill and get some rest. If we need your help again, I'll send someone to fetch you."
Sami nodded without another word.
During an investigation of this scale, there was only so much one person could accomplish.
He cast one final glance at Fish-Man District, still shrouded beneath dark clouds of despair, before turning away.
Coral Hill, the outdoor dining area outside the Pearl Shell Tavern.
It was breakfast time for the Jellyfish Pirates, yet the mood was far more subdued than usual.
Although the incident at Fish-Man District had not been widely publicized, the news that more than two hundred children had disappeared was impossible to keep hidden.
The rumors had already begun to spread.
Even if the missing children were complete strangers, the tragedy was enough to cast a shadow over everyone's heart.
Even the smiles on the tavern servers' faces seemed noticeably dimmer.
Sigh...
A long, drawn-out sigh escaped Buck's mouth.
Holding a knife and fork, he repeatedly stabbed at the seaweed pancakes on his plate until they were torn to pieces, yet he didn't take a single bite.
"There he goes again."
Marcus took a sip of Fish-Man Island's fruit wine and glanced sideways at him.
"How many times has it been now?"
"Buck, if you ask me, it's obvious that girl isn't interested."
"You can't force love."
"Besides, can't you find someone among humans?"
"Why are you so fixated on mermaids?"
"Exactly!"
Another crewmate cheerfully threw an arm around Buck's neck.
"Our Captain Buck's got a bounty of over five million Berries."
"Why hang yourself on one tree?"
"Look around. There are plenty of beautiful mermaids on these streets."
"What do you guys know?!"
Buck irritably shoved his companion away before slamming his knife and fork onto the table with a loud clang.
"Is that really the same thing?"
"Do you think I'm the type to fall for every pretty face I see?"
"This time..."
"...I'm serious!"
"Sure, sure."
"The kind of serious where you get rejected several times a day."
Another crewmate mercilessly twisted the knife, drawing a round of chuckles.
"Get lost!"
"You idiots don't know the first thing about true love!"
Buck shoved back his chair and stormed toward the opposite side of the street.
Right now, all he wanted was to get away from his insensitive friends.
"There's no talking sense into a bunch of loveless idiots!"
"I'm going for a walk."
"I need some air!"
"Hey, Buck!"
Marcus called after him.
"Don't wander too far!"
"The captain said things aren't peaceful lately!"
Buck merely waved a hand over his shoulder to show he'd heard.
His pace never slowed.
He wandered aimlessly through several streets.
The frustration in his heart, mixed with the teasing from his companions, only made him feel more irritated.
Without realizing it, he arrived at a smaller auxiliary dock on the far side of Coral Hill.
Most of the vessels moored here were medium and small ships, making it far less bustling than the main harbor.
With his head hanging low, Buck kicked at a glowing pebble beside the road while muttering to himself.
"So what if she rejected me..."
"What pirate's journey ever goes smoothly..."
"Next time..."
"Next time I'll definitely..."
His mumbling abruptly stopped.
He froze in place.
His eyes locked onto a rather flamboyantly designed ship docked nearby.
That ship...
It looked awfully familiar.
Its brightly painted hull.
The decorative smiling gold coin figurehead mounted on the bow...
The Golden Dice?!
In an instant, nearly all of Buck's gloom and exhaustion vanished.
Of course he recognized that ship.
It belonged to Gillian—the slave trader who had conducted numerous slave deals with the Jellyfish Pirates and who always spoke in an exaggerated, theatrical manner.
"Gillian's ship?"
"What's it doing here?"
Buck rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken.
"Did the boss arrange another deal with him?"
"I never heard anything about that..."
"We haven't even captured any merchandise lately..."
He frowned in confusion.
Only Sami and the core officers knew about Gillian's suspicious final phone call and his possible betrayal.
Squad leaders like Buck had never been informed.
So, in Buck's understanding, Gillian was still nothing more than a reliable business partner.
Instinctively, he considered walking over to greet him and ask what was going on.
But just as he lifted a foot, he lowered it again.
His recent romantic failure had left him emotionally drained.
He simply wasn't in the mood to exchange polite pleasantries with someone like Gillian.
Besides...
If the captain was secretly negotiating some confidential deal, barging over recklessly might only cause trouble.
"Forget it..."
Buck shook his head and forced his doubts aside.
"None of my business."
"I've already got enough on my own plate."
He cast one last glance toward the Golden Dice.
Its cabin doors were tightly shut.
The deck was unnaturally quiet.
Something about it felt... slightly off.
Yet his gloomy mood overwhelmed his curiosity.
Stuffing both hands into his pockets, he turned around and strolled back the way he had come, whistling an off-key tune.
He decided he'd simply head back and have a few more drinks with the others to drown his sorrows.
Time slipped by quickly amid anxiety and relentless searching.
For Neptune...
For Sami...
And especially for Tiger...
These forty-eight hours had been utterly exhausting.
The search area expanded several times over.
Fish-Man District and the surrounding waters were practically turned upside down.
The guards of Ryugu Kingdom had dark circles beneath their eyes.
The lively spark that had once filled Tiger's gaze had been replaced by bloodshot exhaustion.
Yet despite everything...
The nearly two hundred missing children and more than a dozen adult fish-men had vanished without leaving behind a single usable clue.
At the docks, more and more ships were forced to remain anchored.
Complaints and dissatisfaction steadily accumulated.
Keeping the island's entrances sealed for such a long period had become an unbearable burden for Fish-Man Island, whose survival depended upon trade and maritime travel.
"Your Highness..."
An elderly civil official approached Neptune with a worried expression.
"We can't keep the blockade in place any longer."
"More than thirty merchant ships are now stranded."
"Several belong to distinguished guests who maintain long-term contracts with the kingdom..."
"Panic and resentment among the public are spreading as well."
Standing atop Ryugu Palace, Neptune gazed down at the hazy harbor below.
His orange-red hair drifted weakly with the underwater current.
How could he not know?
As the prince, he understood better than anyone the burdens and pressures that kept the kingdom running.
Knowing that evil might still be right before his eyes...
Yet being forced by reality and responsibility to let it pass...
The helplessness weighed upon his chest like the crushing pressure of the deep sea.
Eventually, he found Tiger.
The young fish-man had curled up beside an abandoned giant seashell in Fish-Man District, having gone almost two full days without sleep.
Hearing footsteps, Tiger slowly looked up.
The final glimmer of hope in his eyes died the instant he saw the heavy expression on Neptune's face.
"...You're going to reopen them... aren't you?"
Tiger's voice was hoarse and dry.
Neptune silently nodded.
His massive hand settled heavily upon Tiger's shoulder.
"Tiger... I..."
"I understand."
Tiger interrupted him.
Lowering his head, he clenched his fists until they crackled.
"It's been two days..."
"They've probably..."
"...already smuggled the children away using some method we don't know."
"The blockade..."
"...is useless now."
He understood the prince's predicament.
But understanding didn't mean he could accept it.
The following morning, Ryugu Palace officially announced that after two full days, every entrance and exit to Fish-Man Island would reopen.
The news spread rapidly throughout the island.
The stranded ships immediately raised anchor, and order gradually returned to the harbor, though beneath an atmosphere of unease.
At nearly the same moment, the news was carried back to the captain's cabin of the Golden Dice by one of Gillian's men who had been gathering information.
"Boss!"
"They've opened it!"
"All the entrances are open again!"
Gillian was leisurely polishing a wine glass with a piece of velvet.
Hearing the report, he calmly set the glass aside.
"Notify everyone."
"Check your equipment."
"Confirm the target locations."
"Now..."
"...is the perfect time to make our move."
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