Port District, central square.
A massive temporary execution platform had been erected at some unknown time.
The platform stood a full ten meters high, built from sturdy stone. Rows of gallows, guillotines, and all manner of execution tools had been placed upon it.
Torches had been densely planted around the platform, illuminating the entire square as brightly as day.
Directly in front of the execution platform stood a massive stone stele, engraved with several lines of bright red text:
"Lawbreakers must be punished."
"Agitators will face harsher penalties."
"The Mermaid Kingdom is a nation ruled by law."
At that moment, more than a hundred captured Fish-Men had already been escorted into the square and forced to kneel in row after row.
Their heads hung low, their hands were bound behind their backs, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Mermaid peace officers armed to the teeth stood all around them, expressionless as statues and radiating a suffocating pressure.
"Did you hear... the public executions are happening tomorrow morning..."
"I heard... they say they're going to kill several hundred Fish-Men..."
"Isn't this too ruthless? Even according to the law, the Mermaid Kingdom has no law that says marching means death."
"Heh, isn't the law made by Mermaids anyway? Maybe they'll add one tonight."
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you want to get arrested?"
Whispers quietly spread through the crowd at the edge of the square. Every Fish-Man's face was filled with fear and unease.
That night, the entire Port District had completely descended into chaos and panic.
Meanwhile, in the underground sewers.
"Boss Jinbe! This is bad!"
A panic-stricken Fish-Man stumbled into the depths of the underground sewers, his voice trembling.
"What happened?"
Jinbe abruptly rose to his feet, frowning deeply.
"The... Mermaid peace officers! They've gone mad! They're arresting Fish-Men all