Ryugu Palace.
Neptune, the king of Fish-Man Island.
Ruling a million fish-men and sitting upon an undersea kingdom, it sounded immensely powerful.
However, Neptune played this role of king with trembling anxiety, treading on thin ice.
Inside Fish-Man Island, ambitious schemers attempting to overthrow the royal rule were like wild grass and bushes that could never be completely eradicated, sprouting up anew every few years.
Outside Fish-Man Island, when various major powers merely stomped their feet, this sovereign of a country had to worry alongside them.
Yet over this past month or more, the primary object of Neptune's anxiety was the navy.
The navy maintained military bases on both ends of the Red Line, typically traveling via the land route of Holy Land Mariejois, with very few warships ever passing through Fish-Man Island.
Since Whitebeard wreaked havoc at Impel Down, however, the situation had changed somewhat.
At first, the navy mobilized a massive force to capture the high-profile criminal Jinbe, scaring Neptune so badly he almost thought he was about to experience an undersea version of a Buster Call.
Later, in order to re-establish their prestige and awe, the navy launched military operations in the New World attacking the territories of the Whitebeard Pirates, the flames of war still unextinguished to this day.
For a time, giant warships dispatched from Marine Headquarters to the New World came in an endless stream.
As the king of Fish-Man Island, Neptune had to carefully serve these passing bigwigs, lest the navy suddenly turn their guns toward Fish-Man Island one day.
After all, everyone knew very well:
The navy was currently bottling up a surge of momentum, eager to save face in Whitebeard's territory and pull off a few big news stories capable of boosting their morale.
And Fish-Man Island, located within arm's reach