Chapter 42: Malice from Fishman Street!

Fish-Man Island, the Ryugu Kingdom, the Audience Chamber.

"Although I do not know why the Navy has specifically requested the two of you as important Fish-Man representatives, since they have made such a request, and considering the rare friendly cooperation between the humans and our Fish-Man Island this time, as your King, I hope you both will consider accepting."

King Neptune sat upon his throne, expressing his request to Jinbe and Aladdin—who were dressed in the uniforms of the Sea King Army—with great sincerity, rather than issuing a command with the tyranny of a monarch.

Jinbe and Aladdin exchanged a glance, seeing the shared determination in each other's eyes, and then spoke in unison with perfect understanding.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to accept the Navy's invitation and contribute our strength to the equal friendship between Fish-Men and humans!"

"Hahahaha!"

King Neptune was greatly gratified upon hearing this. He let out a hearty laugh and said, "That is wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!"

He then proceeded to personally explain the details.

"According to the Navy, once you both arrive at Marineford, Jinbe, you will receive the rank of Commander within the Headquarters and serve as the leader of the newly formed Fish-Man Unit. Aladdin, you will be a Lieutenant in the Headquarters and serve as the adjutant of the Fish-Man Unit."

"The two of you will also be responsible for teaching Fish-Man Karate to the Navy of the Headquarters. At the same time, the local Navy branch will teach swordsmanship to our Sea King Army, which is also one of the practical components representing equal cooperation."

Hearing this, Jinbe said somewhat hesitantly, "Your Majesty, given my level of Fish-Man Karate, it might be difficult for me to teach much. By comparison, Big Brother Tiger would be more qualified."

He was twenty-two years old this year, and his strength was indeed somewhat lacking, but to say he couldn't teach the Navy Fish-Man Karate would be pure modesty.

"Fisher Tiger, ah... but hasn't he gone out adventuring again? He hasn't returned yet," King Neptune said helplessly.

"When he returns, I will have a good word with him. Perhaps you two can meet in Marineford then. In the meantime, Jinbe, you will be in charge, alright?"

"Understood, Your Majesty. I will certainly do my utmost!" Seeing the King's resolve, Jinbe stopped declining.

Aladdin had even fewer objections. He and Jinbe were close friends and were well aware of the significant gap in both talent and strength between them. However, he was quite interested in human swordsmanship.

"Your Majesty!"

Just then, the Left Minister, a Catfish Fish-Man, walked in. King Neptune smiled and asked, "Left Minister, is there something else?"

"Your Majesty, the construction team from the Administration Department sent by the World Government has decided on the location for the Navy branch, and construction is beginning."

"Oh? Where?" King Neptune asked curiously, while Jinbe and Aladdin also paid attention.

"Near the Mermaid Cove. The reason given is that pirates primarily target Mermaids, so placing the Navy branch there will make it easier to protect them nearby. Furthermore, that area is on the surface, where the sunlight is bright and suitable for human living," the Left Minister explained.

On Fish-Man Island, the hierarchy was divided from top to bottom into the Noble District where Ryugu Castle was located, the Commoner District on the surface, and the Dark Area underwater. The primary factor distinguishing these layers was clearly sunlight.

The closer one was to the sunlight, the more noble they were!

King Neptune smiled. "That is a good choice. Very well, let it be so. Send our craftsmen over to help as well; the people from the World Government might not be familiar with the environment here."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As the Left Minister turned to handle the command, a Sea King Army soldier ran in, knelt before King Neptune, and reported loudly.

"Your Majesty, a Fish-Man has maliciously attacked the human construction team at the Mermaid Cove!"

"What?!"

King Neptune, the Left Minister, Jinbe, and the others were all struck with shock. Everyone knew that if the incident was serious enough, they would likely face the wrath and sanctions of the World Government.

Although the World Government's attitude had been much friendlier lately, that did not mean they had abandoned their previous strength and tyranny.

"Left Minister, take men and go check it immediately!"

"Ah, yes! I shall go at once!" The Left Minister reacted and hurriedly responded. At that moment, Jinbe spoke up: "Your Majesty, may we two also go and take a look?"

"Yes, yes! Since the Navy values the two of you, your presence will surely be helpful!" King Neptune was now somewhat flustered.

Soon, the Left Minister led Jinbe, Aladdin, and a squad of thirty Sea King Army soldiers toward the Commoner District, leaving only King Neptune and the guarding Sea King Army in the grand hall.

"Sigh, I hope nothing major has happened..."

A sigh drifted through the extremely luxurious Ryugu Castle.

***

Twenty minutes earlier, at the Mermaid Cove.

With the construction team from the Administration Department having selected the site, hundreds of human workers in uniform began clearing and organizing the construction site, while mechanical equipment was pulled from ships via vehicles.

This bustling atmosphere naturally drew the attention and curiosity of many nearby Mermaids and Fish-Men; they had never seen so many humans in their lives.

"What are those iron monsters? They even make rumbling noises!"

"They are all wearing the same clothes, just like the Sea King Army. How interesting~"

"I heard they are from that World Government, and they even sent back our compatriots who were captured before!"

"But what are they doing here?"

One by one, beautiful Mermaids with exquisite features and graceful figures—some soaking in the water, others sitting on shells—watched the passing construction team and the Navy guarding the area with their beautiful eyes.

At the same time, the number of Fish-Men who wanted to come and see after hearing the news gradually increased. Their forms were more rugged and bizarre, with almost no standard for size; some were three or four meters tall, while others were only one or two meters.

What these Mermaids and Fish-Men did not notice was that their presence was also a rare visual feast for the humans, such as the construction team and the Navy.

To these mostly male humans, the Mermaids in the cove were like a dream from a fairy tale—unbelievably beautiful, and crucially, many were wearing bikinis.

As for the Fish-Men, the humans merely gave them a cursory glance to understand what kind of bizarre species existed in this world, before refocusing their gaze on the Mermaids.

This caused both the construction workers and the Navy soldiers to fail to notice the gazes filled with malice and contempt within the crowd of Fish-Men.

"Arlong, why are there so many of these lowly humans appearing?"

Chu, a Kissing Fish-Man with a protruding mouth, whispered with disgust, one hand tucked into his shorts pocket.

"Indeed. What are those Sea King Army members doing?" Croobi, who had large fins growing from his muscular arms, was equally dissatisfied.

"They must have reached some kind of agreement with Ryugu Castle involving these inferior species." Arlong, seventeen years old, clenched his fists angrily, his eyes turning red.

They were all orphans raised in the Fish-Man District of the Dark Area, abandoned by their parents; thus, whether in terms of environment or human nature, they had been exposed to the darkest sides of life since childhood.

Especially Arlong. As a child, he had longed for the sunlight and all the beauty of the human world spoken of in rumors. But as he grew, the humans he encountered were all evil, despicable, or even cowardly.

He gradually accepted the view that humans were an inferior race and Fish-Men were a superior race. He felt that humans, being such weak and lowly creatures, did not deserve to enjoy those beautiful things, nor were they qualified to stand on equal footing with Fish-Men.

"We cannot let them succeed. We must stop all of this!"

Arlong spoke his decision fiercely to the group of companions around him, most of whom were only sixteen or seventeen years old.