Chapter 39: Fishman Island Navy Branch!

Two months have flowed by like a river of golden water since Doflamingo left Mary Geoise; it is now the middle of April.

However, for those living on the Grand Line, months are merely months, having no real connection to climate or seasons.

Furthermore, the World Conference in June is drawing closer.

"Your Majesty, since February of this year, incidents of human pirates breaking in to attempt to kidnap merfolk have been steadily increasing. This has escalated even further starting this month; four incidents have occurred in just two short weeks. Fortunately, the Sea King Army arrived in time to rescue them, but over a hundred warriors were injured. I fear that if this continues, the situation will only worsen."

In the luxurious grand hall of Ryugu Palace on Fish-Man Island, the Left Minister, a catfish fish-man, looked at King Neptune on the throne with deep concern.

"It is all because of those rumors regarding the great treasure of the Pirate King..."

King Neptune covered his forehead in distress. These rumors had become so widespread that even he, residing ten thousand meters below the sea, was aware of them.

"But what can we do? While the base strength of fish-men is indeed ten times that of humans, how can those human pirates who managed to fight their way through the first half of the Grand Line to reach us be ordinary people?"

"Ultimately, it is because we lack a powerhouse to anchor us..."

Hearing the King's words, the Left Minister was speechless. The warriors of the Sea King Army were not weak, but they were merely "not weak"—they could hardly be called formidable, even in the "Paradise," let alone the "New World."

"General greets Your Majesty!"

Just then, the Right Minister, a seahorse mermaid, rushed in and reported, "Your Majesty, the World Government ship and a Marine warship are waiting outside the main gate to enter."

"Quick, invite them in!"

King Neptune's eyes lit up, and his mood gradually turned to excitement. He had a premonition that the troubles currently facing Fish-Man Island were about to be resolved.

After a half-hour of agonizing suspense for the Mermaid King, Colson—whom they had met once before—and a tall Marine officer walked into the hall.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome! Welcome back to Fish-Man Island, Councilor Colson!" King Neptune appeared extremely happy and hospitable.

"Long time no see, Your Majesty," Colson gave his signature smile before introducing the person beside him.

"This is Vice Admiral Aokiji of the Marine Headquarters, and also a newly appointed Admiral candidate."

Kuzan looked at the massive mermaid king sitting on the throne and greeted him politely, "Hello. I am Kuzan. I look forward to working with you."

"Uh, hello, hello." King Neptune didn't quite know what to say, so he turned his gaze to Colson and asked, "What brings you two here this time?"

Colson maintained a gentle smile.

"In accordance with the previously signed 'Communique on Establishing Equal and Friendly Relations between Humans, Merfolk, and Fish-men,' I have brought the merfolk and fish-men from within the territories of Mary Geoise and all member nations. Your Majesty may dispatch personnel to receive them."

"Really?"

King Neptune stood up abruptly, excitedly instructing the Left Minister beside him.

"Quickly, take men to check!"

"Yes, I shall attend to it immediately!" The Left Minister was also very excited.

In the past, trying to get the Celestial Dragons and the nobles to return the merfolk they had purchased would have been nothing more than wishful thinking—a mere pipe dream.

Seeing the Left Minister's figure disappear outside the hall, King Neptune expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Colson and the World Government.

Seeing this, Kuzan sighed inwardly. Though he didn't know why, the World Government seemed to have changed a lot lately.

It was like this in the Drum Kingdom, and now it was like this on Fish-Man Island. These were acts of justice that he had witnessed with his own eyes, and had even participated in.

This caused Kuzan, whose passion for justice had not yet cooled, to feel a subconscious increase in his goodwill toward the World Government.

Once King Neptune had calmed down from his excitement, Colson spoke again: "Your Majesty, in addition to providing escort, Vice Admiral Aokiji is also prepared to establish a Marine branch here on Fish-Man Island. He will be responsible for related matters for the next few years."

"A Marine branch!"

King Neptune was stunned, then immediately remembered that such a clause did indeed exist in the communique. He asked, "May I ask how many Marines will be stationed here, and where will the branch be located?"

Colson did not answer this question; instead, Kuzan took responsibility for the reply: "According to the tentative plan, I will bring the first batch of one thousand Headquarters Marines to station on Fish-Man Island. Once the main facilities of the branch are completed, an additional four thousand marines will be stationed here."

After he finished, Colson added

"The construction of the Marine branch will be handled by the construction team brought by our Administration Department. As for the location of the branch, a decision will be made after professional personnel have conducted an inspection. We hope Fish-Man Island can provide some support."

"Hahaha, of course, no problem! Though I thought you wouldn't arrive until after the World Conference," King Neptune laughed heartily.

"If everything goes smoothly according to the construction schedule, it should be nearly completed by the time the World Conference ends," Colson smiled.

"I see!"

"Then, before the branch facilities are finished, where will Vice Admiral Aokiji and the other Marines be stationed?" King Neptune asked in confusion.

Kuzan replied, "During this period, we will live on the warships to ensure we do not affect the residents."

"That won't do! Although our Fish-Man Island is not large, we have plenty of space to accommodate a thousand people!"

King Neptune was naturally unwilling to treat Kuzan and the Marines so poorly. He knew very well that for a long time to come, his citizens would rely on them for protection.

"How about this: Left Minister, take the Marines to temporarily station in the northern Waterwheel Town, and then have the craftsmen quickly build a batch of shell houses!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Then I shall trouble you."

Kuzan offered a polite thanks and then followed the orange-skinned seahorse minister out. Colson, who remained behind, did not leave immediately.

"King Neptune, according to the communique, Fish-Man Island may also station troops in the Sabaody Archipelago. We have already vacated Area 62 for you."

King Neptune scratched the back of his head awkwardly and smiled, "Ah, that... my apologies. We thought this would only take place after the World Conference, so we haven't had the chance to discuss it yet."

Colson didn't mind; he simply nodded and continued, "Furthermore, regarding the dispatching of merfolk or fish-men to join the World Government, the Marines, and various other departments, I have brought the number of fish-men the Marines wish to induct, as well as a list of key fish-men."

"Oh? Tell me!" King Neptune was very curious about how many fish-men the Marines would allow to join, and who these so-called "key fish-men" were.

"The Marine Headquarters will induct an initial batch of two hundred merfolk and fish-men. The merfolk will primarily hold civil service positions, while the fish-men will form a Fish-man Unit."

As he spoke, Colson took a sheet of white paper from his coat, which recorded several names.

"The key merfolk are Fisher Tiger, Jinbe, and Aladdin."

Upon hearing these three names, King Neptune was stunned for a moment, followed by a look of confusion. "I have heard of Fisher Tiger, but Jinbe and Aladdin—who are they?"

"According to intelligence, the twenty-two-year-old whale shark fish-man Jinbe and the octopus mermaid Aladdin are currently serving in your Sea King Army."

Outside, the Left Minister, with his catfish face, looked strangely at the merfolk and fish-men stepping down from the World Government ship.

They looked fine on the outside—no wounds or disabilities. But wasn't their jubilant, smiling appearance a bit too optimistic?

They had been slaves, after all.

However, the Left Minister could only shake his head, assuming they were simply overjoyed.

After all, being able to return to Fish-Man Island alive was indeed something to be grateful for...

*Aokiji stationed on Fish-Man Island! Jinbe joining the Marine Headquarters! From now on, Whitebeard won't have a say in Fish-Man Island matters~~*