Leaving Queen Otohime with those words,
Austin wore an indifferent expression as he placed the corpse of Hody Jones—the murderer who would one day kill her—into Otohime's arms and patted her shoulder.
Then he left.
He had merely crushed a young fish-man to death. No one dared say a word.
Mihawk and Crocodile did not spare the scene another glance. They followed Austin toward the Oro Jackson as well.
Jinbe and Hachi looked anxiously between the princess standing there in a daze and Austin, who appeared ready to leave, not knowing whom they should tend to first.
Austin could not be bothered with them. Their figures instantly vanished from where they stood and reappeared on the deck of the Oro Jackson.
The ship slowly departed from the seafloor. Space Power held back the seawater as the Oro Jackson headed into the depths like a submarine.
"Waaah..."
Watching Austin's crew sail away into the distance, Queen Otohime held Hody Jones's corpse and stood blankly in place for a long while.
Kind as she was, she ultimately bit her lip and cried in grief.
Using violence to bring about peace...
Was there really no other path?
"Those with genuinely kind hearts are the most prone to hesitation."
With his arms folded, Mihawk sat in a chair at the stern. His eyes slowly appeared beneath his hat as he stared at Fish-Man Island receding into the distance.
Perhaps speaking from experience, he said it lightly.
"Yeah..."
Beside him, Crocodile walked over carrying a bottle of red wine and set it on the table before Mihawk.
She poured a glass for herself and another for Mihawk.
Mihawk looked up at her, accepted the glass, and took a small sip.
After just one sip, his eyes widened instantly.
"What a rich, mellow flavor!!!"
"Right?