Restless Night

The mermaid ladies all chimed in, explaining to Bright what had happened that day.

It was actually quite simple.

Mermaid Bay was the most scenic place on Fish-Man Island. Blue skies, white clouds, sandy beaches—it was home to mermaids all year round, a paradise for them.

But today, several female mermaids had disappeared there. Their friends said they had only parted briefly, yet never saw them return.

The news instantly spread across all of Fish-Man Island.

Fish-Man Island had five million residents, after all. The reason news of a few disappearances had reached everyone's ears so quickly was that it struck directly at the nerves of fish-men and mermaids.

Slavery. Human trafficking.

Those were things Fish-Man Island could never tolerate.

Over the centuries, far too much blood had been spilled because of them.

"The army mobilized immediately."

Mirian's fish tail had turned into human legs. She nervously held her daughter in her arms and said with lingering fear, "They immediately began searching the human ships that had recently entered Fish-Man Island."

Mermaid Bay, where the incident had occurred, was near the mermaid apartments where they lived. No wonder they were so terrified.

"What was the result?"

Bright asked.

"They found nothing."

Shyarly shook her head. "Instead, there were quite a few clashes with humans. They nearly started fighting on the spot. They're still showing restraint overall, but the situation is very tense."

"Mother, will we be able to see Sister Dyna again?"

Nana pursed her lips, her eyes still red. She had clearly just been crying.

Mirian's expression darkened, and she silently hugged her daughter a little tighter.

One of the missing mermaids today was her friend.

Bright frowned deeply. "Were they hidden away?"

He looked at Shyarly. "Shyarly, what about divination?"

If scientific search methods could not find the mermaids, then they could only use supernatural means.

This was when Shyarly's divination ability could come in handy.

"I already tried."

Shyarly said, "I could only see them locked in some pitch-black room. I couldn't see anything at all. I could only hear them crying."

"I see."

Bright frowned.

That was the problem with Shyarly's divination. Under normal circumstances, even when divining a specific target, the result she received was only some random fragment of the future.

For example, in the original story, she had mistakenly believed Straw Hat Kid would destroy Fish-Man Island.

Moreover, she needed a medium to lock onto a target amid the vast future. She could divine the whereabouts of the missing mermaids she knew, but she could not directly target kidnappers whose identities she knew nothing about.

That made things troublesome. A pitch-black room? That was not a clue at all.

"I can't help."

Shyarly looked somewhat dejected.

"No, at least we can be certain that they won't be harmed for some time to come."

Bright said, "Fish-Man Island should already be sealed off. The kidnappers can't leave. We just need to rescue them in time."

"Bright."

Shyarly pressed her lips together. "Four mermaids disappeared today, but the crying I heard was from more than just four people."

"..."

Bright's brow furrowed tightly.

That meant—

"More mermaids are going to be kidnapped!!"

One of the mermaid ladies said in horror, "Who will be next?!"

"Humans... why do they always do this?! Do they only know how to bring fear?"

The mermaid ladies were no longer their usual lively, cheerful selves.

All they showed now was panic.

They were right. More mermaids would be kidnapped.

Kidnapped even while all of Fish-Man Island was under lockdown.

What were the Ryugu Palace soldiers doing?

Or was there something else going on?

Bright planned to find Jinbe and discuss it with him.

He could not just stand by and watch this happen.

He had only just promised Brother Arlong that he would protect Fish-Man Island.

But when he looked at the mermaid ladies, every one of them was trembling with fear.

Leaving now probably would not be a good idea.

Mermaid Cafe truly was renowned throughout Fish-Man Island.

"Bright."

Shyarly called to him. He turned his head and saw the girl say seriously, "Go do what you want to do. Do you remember that divination from before?"

"I told you, I saw a wonderful future."

Bright froze slightly.

Then he smiled. "I understand."

That meant everyone in the cafe would be together in that wonderful future, right?

He stood up. "Then I'll make a trip to Fish-Man District to find Brother Jinbe first."

"Huh? You're leaving, mister?"

The mermaid ladies were shocked.

"Don't! We'll be scared if you leave!"

"That's right! We only feel safe when you're here..."

"Enough. Let him go."

At that critical moment, Shyarly said in a low voice, "He has things he needs to do. Everyone will stay here tonight. The army has been patrolling constantly. I don't think anyone would dare cause trouble in Coral Hill."

Coral Hill was Fish-Man Island's busiest port town.

Prosperity usually meant greater attention.

"Alright."

The mermaid ladies nodded reluctantly.

"Then I'm off."

Bright looked at Shyarly.

Shyarly nodded gently. "Have a safe trip."

After leaving Mermaid Cafe, Bright did not choose to run to Fish-Man District. Instead, he took the Water Road.

It was an extensive network of pipelines built above Fish-Man Island by the island's bubble craftsmen. Fast-flowing water ran through the pipes, allowing rapid travel across Fish-Man Island.

With the Water Road, Bright quickly returned to Fish-Man District and immediately went to find Jinbe.

When he arrived at Jinbe's house, it was brightly lit. The Sun Pirates members had already gathered there.

"Bright! You came at the right time!"

Jinbe was delighted to see Bright. "I was just about to come find you!"

"I already know what happened. Brother Jinbe, what are you planning to do?"

Bright got straight to the point.

"Before we discuss what to do—"

Jinbe took a deep breath. "We just received word that two more mermaids have disappeared."

Bright's eyes widened.

They were actually this brazen?

"Now all of Fish-Man Island is in an uproar. The mermaids are all terrified for their own safety."

Jinbe said worriedly, "We have to find the real culprit as soon as possible."

Bright nodded.

It was like when he was a child in his previous life and heard that human traffickers were lurking nearby. Once he walked outside, everyone looked like they might abduct him.

Before Bright could ask what Jinbe planned to do next, a fish-man came running over in a panic.

"This is bad, Brother Jinbe! Something happened outside!"

"Humans are running rampant on Fish-Man Island!!"

A blue fish-man stood on a rooftop and shouted, "Our people have once again suffered at their hands!!"

"Some among us keep calling for peace with humans, for peaceful coexistence with them!"

"But the truth is that, in their eyes, we are nothing but slaves and merchandise!!"

He spoke passionately, calling out loudly, every word seemingly soaked in blood. "Our dignity is trampled beneath their feet, and our loved ones are abused by them!!"

"Yet the soldiers of Ryugu Palace are nothing but decorations! Just now, two more pitiful brethren were kidnapped by humans! And those soldiers keep yielding to humans at every turn!"

"My brethren—"

Bright and Jinbe stood in the distance, watching the man's speech.

Below him, the fish-men gathered there were boiling with rage, venting their emotions in wave after wave of roaring shouts.

There was something that had to be understood: the fish-men from Fish-Man District were not particularly educated, and every one of them had a violent temper.

Centuries of hatred, coupled with the rampant kidnappers now at work—only the slightest provocation was needed to ignite the powder keg.

Many fish-men did not care which mermaid had been kidnapped. They were simply enraged that vile humans were running rampant on Fish-Man Island!

"They're Hody's men."

Bright said.

He was no stranger to that blue fish-man. He had beaten him up many times since childhood.

He was one of Hody's underlings.

"That guy wants to use this opportunity to stir up conflict with the humans?"

Jinbe frowned.

From Fish-Man Island's perspective, this behavior was excessive, but not exactly wrong.

Was he really just seizing an opportunity?

Bright's expression turned grave.

Hody, could it be that you were behind this from the very beginning?

"Make the humans pay the price!!"

The blue fish-man roared.

"Make them pay!!"

Someone in the crowd answered first, followed by a thunderous chorus of roars.

Under the guidance of certain people, a force numbering several thousand began surging out of Fish-Man District toward the port.

"Brother Jinbe, it looks like things are about to get troublesome."

Bright said.

He did not know what Hody was plotting, but it was certainly nothing good.

If Hody showed himself today, he would kill him.

"Contact Ryugu Palace!"

Jinbe said worriedly, "At a time like this, King Neptune must step forward in person."

This situation would not be easy to stop. What, were they supposed to go out there and tell everyone to rest assured because Ryugu Palace's soldiers would handle it?

The problem was that mermaids had still been kidnapped even after security had been tightened!

Only this country's ruler could step forward and make a promise.

Above the Fish-Man Island bubble, within an area enclosed by another smaller bubble, stood the Ryugu Kingdom's royal palace, Ryugu Palace.

"What?"

A massive merman with a thick orange beard, the king of this nation, a man known as the Knight of the Sea—Neptune said in astonishment, "A riot has broken out in Fish-Man District? The fish-men are heading toward the port?"

"One terrible thing after another!"

The king shouted, "Gather the soldiers and prepare to maintain order! I'll go there myself!"

His Majesty the King hurried out into the night with the soldiers.

The entire Ryugu Palace fell quiet as well.

"Jahahahaha! Finally, it's quiet. Looks like this much was enough. There's no need to go any further."

Then, someone who had long since secretly hidden himself made his way, with practiced ease, toward a concealed part of the palace.

"Got it."

It's the end of the month, bosses—send some votes my way...