Help and Exchange

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the banquet in the Ryugu Castle quickly came to an end.

After that, the discussion turned to how to deal with those Fish-Men Mutants.

"These strange Fish-Man look quite interesting. Why don't I take them all? I'll see if I can extract the drugs from their bodies."

Vegapunk's smiling words immediately made Neptune's face stiffen. Shirahoshi asked curiously:

"Re-extract it? How do we extract it?"

"Um..."

Vegapunk turned to look at Shirahoshi, stroked his chin, and said with a grin:

"There are two methods of refining: one is fire refining, and the other is water refining."

"Fire refining involves putting the person in a furnace and burning them until the medicine is extracted. As for water refining, it involves directly crushing the person into blood and then filtering out the medicine!"

Shirahoshi stared in disbelief, then her lips trembled, her eyes welled with tears, and she looked pitifully at Vegapunk:

"No, Lord Vegapunk! This is too cruel! Those Fish-Man are innocent!"

"Yes, Lord Vegapunk! Although those Fish-Man rebelled, they didn't cause any major casualties. Wasn't it too much to deal with them like that?"

Neptune swallowed hard and, also feeling apprehensive, began to offer his advice.

Upon hearing this, Vegapunk stroked his chin and nodded:

"That makes sense. Let's call those Fish-Men Mutants up first. If they're willing to surrender, I might let them go."

Upon hearing Vegapunk's words, Shirahoshi burst into laughter through her tears, while Neptune inwardly groaned. Given the personalities of those Fish-Men Mutants, how could they possibly surrender to Vegapunk?

In this situation, Neptune certainly couldn't say no, and could only secretly pray that the Fish-Man would be sensible.

In just a moment, Hoggs Jones and several of his subordinates were brought forward. Vegapunk looked at them with a grin and then asked:

"So, are you all planning to surrender, or are you planning to become my Laboratory guinea pigs?"

Hoggs Jones stared coldly at Vegapunk, then suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. A moment later, he shut his mouth, his eyes filled with resolute determination.

Just as Neptune and the others were inwardly lamenting their impending doom, Hoggs Jones spoke with absolute certainty:

"Then there is only one answer! I will pledge my loyalty to you!"

"Vegapunk, please don't mind them, these mutated Fish-Man aren't very bright... What!?"

Neptune, who had already begun to persuade Vegapunk, seemed to hear the sound of his cane breaking. He slowly turned his head, his face filled with shock, his eyes also showing a hint of bewilderment and disbelief.

Are you kidding me?! Didn't you say you were mortal enemies with humanity? You're backing down so easily!

Hody Jones, what kind of radical are you?! If I had known that beating you up would make you obedient, I would have beaten you up 800 times over!

What? You mean that apart from Ryugu Castle, who went out to become Shichibukai Jinbe beat him? Oh, never mind then.

Ultimately, it's because Ryugu Castle is too weak! Thinking of this, Neptune looked disheartened and didn't want to say anything more.

Vegapunk wasn't surprised at all, since this was just part of his act; he simply feigned surprise.

He covered his mouth, looking like he couldn't help but laugh. After a moment, he glanced at Neptune and the others, making them somewhat uneasy, and they gave him awkward but polite smiles.

While this way we no longer have to worry about Hody Jones and the others' lives, your sudden change of heart and your cowardice makes us lose face!

"Hahaha, this is really interesting. Alright, since that's the case, I'll accept your allegiance and spare you strange Fish-Man!"

Hearing this, the people of Ryugu Castle breathed a sigh of relief. Although Hody Jones was their enemy, given their personalities, since Hody Jones hadn't really caused any major harm to Ryugu Castle and had shown care for his fellow Fish-Man, they naturally didn't want Hody Jones and his Fish-Man to become Vegapunk's experimental subjects.

"Get up! It seems you've finally come to terms with the facts this time. I don't care whether you've truly surrendered or not. From now on, you'll work for me. You'll be rewarded for your merits and punished for your mistakes. Even if you have any thoughts in your heart, I won't pursue them."

"Of course, if you turn your ideas into action, you'd better hope you succeed, otherwise..."

"Don't worry, sir, I have long recognized my own strength, so naturally I wouldn't dare to provoke you!"

Vegapunk didn't say anything more. It was just a scene that had already been filmed. He waved his hand, and Hody Jones lowered his head and stood respectfully beside him.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the palace eased up a bit; although it was still somewhat awkward, it was at least not so tense anymore.

After the banquet, Neptune, along with Shirahoshi, personally went to see Vegapunk.

"Lord Vegapunk, actually, when you last came to Ryugu Castle, I had a favor to ask of you, but I was interrupted by the Fish-Man's rebellion..."

Before Neptune could finish speaking, Vegapunk interrupted him:

"Is it to solve the environmental problems of Ryugu Castle? The Sunlight Tree Eve is no longer able to provide sunlight to Ryugu Castle. If this continues, Fish-Man Island will no longer be able to provide the necessary environment for Fish-Man and mermaids to survive!"

Upon hearing Vegapunk's words, Neptune nodded quickly and said:

"If there's no way to solve this... we'd be happy to be given an island, even a deserted one."

The ocean is so vast, so why do Fish-Man and mermaids gather on Fish-Man Island? It's because the Root of the Sunlight Tree Eve provide the Fish-Man and mermaids with the sunlight necessary for their survival.

Once the sunlight disappears, Fish-Man Island becomes indistinguishable from other parts of the ocean, and Fish-Man and mermaids naturally cannot survive there.

Since Sunlight Tree Eve has only recently run into trouble, the residents of Fish-Man Island haven't yet experienced various problems due to the lack of sunlight, so they can still maintain their current lifestyle and continue living here.

However, as time goes on, the inhabitants of Fish-Man Island, deprived of sunlight, will inevitably develop various diseases and gradually decline. In the end, they will either migrate to other islands with sunlight, or the Fish-Man and mermaids will fall apart and each seek their own way out.

In fact, if there were no human disturbances, finding a deserted island would be the best choice for the residents of Fish-Man Island. Even if the island is a little barren, it wouldn't be a problem, since Fish-Man and mermaids can obtain most resources directly from the ocean.

Vegapunk shook his head slightly and spoke directly:

"Don't worry, it's easy to provide you with some desert islands. There are plenty of such islands in the Calm Belt."

"With Shirahoshi here, I believe you won't be attacked by the Sea Kings of the Calm Belt."

"Furthermore, I also have ways to improve the environment of Fish-Man Island. It's just sunlight, right? Creating Artificial Sun is not a difficult task for me."

"However, I adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange. I can help you, but what help can you offer me?"

Neptune, who had been beaming with joy, was momentarily stunned, seemingly caught off guard.

"Um... Lord Vegapunk, what do you need us Fish-Man Race to do for you?"

Shirahoshi, who was standing next to Neptune, also looked completely helpless. She swam over to Vegapunk, and tears began to well up in her large eyes again.

"Lord Vegapunk, please help Fish-Man Island! I will definitely repay you in the future!"

Seeing Shirahoshi start crying again, Vegapunk felt a headache coming on, and he quickly said:

"Don't worry, I just have something I need you Sea Race to do. As long as you promise to do it for me, all these problems on Fish-Man Island can be solved!"

"Really? What is it?"

Shirahoshi instantly went from tears to laughter and asked directly.

"It's nothing serious..."

Vegapunk spoke calmly:

"I just need you to help me find someone, but he might not even be human anymore..."

As he spoke, Vegapunk's Chakra surged in his hands, forming a bizarre Black Dragon pattern in mid-air. The Black Dragon was covered in eyes, and its neck was covered with tiny, tentacle-like Dragon-Snake Heads, giving people the feeling of losing their minds.

"This is what I asked you to help me find, the Mastermind the World Government, Celestial Dragons Imu Im!"

"Celestial Dragons!!"

Neptune gasped, then saw the strange look on Vegapunk's face and realized he had overreacted.

In this day and age, Celestial Dragons are worthless. If it weren't for the fact that all the Celestial Dragons were swallowed up by Imu, the surviving Celestial Dragons would probably be living a life worse than death, becoming the lowest level in the world!

The Celestial Dragons committed countless atrocities in the past, and once they were overthrown, they naturally became universally hated. In a way, being swallowed by Imu could even be considered a quick and painless death!

It was just that the Celestial Dragons had accumulated too much power in the past, which was why Neptune didn't react for a moment. Now that he had come to his senses, he no longer felt that the Celestial Dragons were any trouble.

"Furthermore, this Celestial Dragons is extremely powerful, conservatively estimated to be equivalent to the combined fighting strength of four Sea Emperors, or even more. He also possesses Immortal Body. So once you discover him, just provide me with information. Do not take action, lest you make unnecessary sacrifices and alert him."

After hearing Vegapunk's next words, Neptune became a little nervous. This kind of strength was not something Fish-Man Island could afford to offend. However, upon closer inspection, he realized that his people weren't going to deal with this strange Celestial Dragons. Providing some information would be quite easy.

"Understood, Lord Vegapunk. I will go back and mobilize the people of Fish-Man Island to search diligently in the sea!"

Vegapunk nodded, then spoke again:

"I left Hody Jones on Fish-Man Island as well. In addition, the Fish-Men Mutants on Fish-Man Island can also be sent out to help. After being modified by drugs, these Fish-Men Mutants are much more tolerant of the environment than normal Fish-Man. They can even live well in the deep sea without sunlight."

"In that case, the places they can search are much farther than those of ordinary Fish-Man, which is a great help to you!"

Let Hody Jones stay on Fish-Man Island? Neptune paused for a moment, but didn't think too much about it. After all, so many Fish-Men Mutants were indeed an extremely powerful force.

Even if Hody Jones and Neptune don't get along, at least Hody Jones will still protect the entire Fish-Man Island and help fight against those greedy human pirates, which is enough.

In reality, with Mary Geoise now destroyed, human slave traders have almost disappeared. What remains are mostly unruly pirates. While these pirates are quite strong, they are certainly no match for the army of Fish-Men Mutants. Hody Jones and his men are strong enough to protect Fish-Man Island.

"That's good. With these powerful Fish-Man, I believe it won't take too long to find this Celestial Dragons named Imu."

Neptune spoke with an optimistic expression, and although Vegapunk felt it wasn't that simple, he didn't discourage Neptune's confidence.

Ryugu Castle, Vegapunk met with Hody Jones again. This once unruly Great White Shark Fish-Man, after consuming a large number of Monster Cells, had become a die-hard fan of Vegapunk. At this moment, he was kneeling on the ground, looking at Vegapunk with a fanatical expression.

"This time, I'm leaving you on Fish-Man Island not only to find Imu, the Celestial Dragons, but also to accomplish some other goals."

Upon hearing Vegapunk's question, Hody Jones looked up, his face full of excitement, and said:

"Rest assured, Master! No matter how difficult the task, we will accomplish it for you!"

"No need to get so excited," Vegapunk muttered to himself, then gave the order:

"First, we need to completely sideline Neptune and win over all the Fish-Man. As for the merfolk, we can put them aside for now."

"In addition, you should take good care of the Monster Cell Production Nest I gave you, and spend some time modifying all the Fish-Man who are willing to join your cause. If you can complete the modification of millions of Fish-Man, you will be a powerful force in this ocean."

"Finally, cultivate a good relationship with Shirahoshi. Ideally, get those Sea Kings to also consume the Monster Cells. If the Monster Cells can spread among the Sea Kings, then the entire ocean will naturally be in my hands."