Fish-Man Island Marine Branch!

Two months had passed since Doflamingo left Mary Geoise. The river of time flowed like golden water, and it was now mid-April.

But for those living on the Grand Line, months were merely months, completely unrelated to climate or seasons.

And the June Reverie was drawing ever closer.

"Your Majesty, since February, incidents of human pirates breaking in and attempting to abduct merfolk have continued to increase. This month, they have become even more frequent. There were four cases in just two weeks. Fortunately, the Neptune Army caught up in time and rescued them, but over a hundred soldiers were injured. This servant fears that if this continues, the situation will only worsen."

Inside the luxurious hall of Ryugu Palace on Fish-Man Island, the catfish Fish-Man Minister of the Left looked anxiously at King Neptune on the dais.

"It's all because of that rumor about the One Piece treasure."

King Neptune rubbed his forehead in distress. Even he, living ten thousand meters beneath the sea, had heard how widespread the rumor had become.

"But what can we do? Fish-Men may possess ten times the base strength of humans, but how could human pirates who made it through the first half of the Grand Line and reached this place possibly be ordinary people?"

"In the end, it's because we have no powerful figure to stand guard."

Hearing the king's words, the Minister of the Left had nothing to say. The Neptune Army's soldiers were not weak, but that was all. Let alone in the New World, they could not be considered particularly formidable even in Paradise.

"Your Majesty, this general pays his respects!"

At that moment, the seahorse merfolk Minister of the Right hurried into the hall and reported, "Your Majesty, World Government ships and Marine warships are waiting outside the main gate to enter."

"Bring them in at once!"

King Neptune's eyes lit up, and his mood gradually became excited. He had a feeling that the troubles Fish-Man Island now faced were about to be resolved.

After half an hour that felt agonizingly long to the merfolk king, Coulson, whom he had met before, entered the hall alongside a tall Marine officer.

"Welcome, welcome! Welcome again to Fish-Man Island, Director Coulson!" King Neptune appeared exceedingly pleased and enthusiastic.

"It has been a long time, Your Majesty." Coulson wore his trademark smile before introducing the person beside him.

"This is Vice Admiral Aokiji of Marine Headquarters, as well as a newly appointed candidate for Admiral."

Kuzan looked at the enormous merfolk king seated upon the throne and greeted him politely. "Hello, I'm Kuzan. I look forward to working with you."

"Ah, hello, hello." King Neptune did not know what else to say, so he turned his gaze to Coulson. "What brings you two here this time?"

Coulson maintained a gentle smile.

"According to the previously signed <Proclamation on Establishing Equal and Friendly Relations Between Humans, the Merfolk, and the Fish-Man Race>, I have brought over the merfolk and Fish-Men from Mary Geoise and all affiliated nations. Your Majesty may send people to receive them."

"Really?"

King Neptune immediately rose to his feet and excitedly instructed the Minister of the Left beside him.

"Quick, take people and have a look!"

"Yes, this servant will handle it immediately!" The Minister of the Left was equally thrilled.

In the past, expecting the Celestial Dragons and those nobles to return the merfolk they had bought would have been nothing but wishful thinking, a daytime dream.

Watching the Minister of the Left disappear through the doors of the hall, King Neptune sincerely expressed his gratitude to Coulson and the World Government.

Seeing this, Kuzan sighed inwardly. Though he did not know why, the World Government seemed to have changed greatly lately.

Drum Kingdom had been one example, and now Fish-Man Island was another. He had witnessed these acts of justice with his own eyes and had even taken part in them.

This caused Kuzan, whose passion had not yet entirely cooled, to unconsciously gain a much more favorable impression of the World Government.

Once King Neptune's excitement had subsided, Coulson spoke again. "Your Majesty, besides helping with the escort, Vice Admiral Aokiji has come this time to establish a Marine branch on Fish-Man Island. He will be responsible for the related matters over the coming years."

"A Marine branch!"

King Neptune froze for a moment, then remembered that the proclamation did indeed contain such a clause. "May I ask how many people the Marines plan to station here, and where the branch will be built?"

Coulson did not answer that question. Kuzan was the one who replied, "Under the preliminary plan, the first group will consist of one thousand Headquarters Marines led here by me. Once the branch's main facilities are completed, another four thousand Marines will move in."

After he finished, Coulson continued.

"The construction of the Marine branch will be handled by the construction team brought by our Administrative Department. As for its location, that will need to be decided after professional personnel conduct an inspection. We hope Fish-Man Island can provide some assistance."

"Hahaha, of course there's no problem! Though I thought you would at least wait until after the Reverie before coming." King Neptune laughed heartily.

"If everything goes smoothly, judging by the construction schedule, starting now should mean it will be completed around the time the Reverie ends," Coulson said with a smile.

"I see!"

"Then where will Vice Admiral Aokiji and the Marines be stationed before the branch facilities are completed?" King Neptune asked in confusion.

Kuzan replied, "During that period, we will live aboard the warships. We guarantee we will not disturb the residents."

"How can that be? Fish-Man Island may not be large, but we have plenty of places that can accommodate a thousand people!"

King Neptune naturally did not wish to treat Kuzan and the Marines so poorly. He knew full well that, for a long time to come, his people would have to rely on their protection.

"Minister of the Left, have the Marines temporarily station themselves in Waterwheel Town to the north. Then have the craftsmen quickly build a batch of Shell Houses!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Then we'll trouble you."

Kuzan politely thanked him, then followed the orange-skinned seahorse minister out. Coulson, however, remained behind and did not leave immediately.

"Your Majesty Neptune, according to the proclamation, Fish-Man Island may also station troops on the Sabaody Archipelago. We have already cleared Area 62."

King Neptune scratched the back of his head awkwardly and smiled. "Ah, about that... I'm sorry. We thought this matter would only be addressed after the Reverie ended, so we haven't had time to discuss it yet."

Coulson did not mind. He merely nodded and continued, "There is also the matter of sending merfolk or Fish-Men to join the various departments of the World Government and the Marines. This time, I brought the number of Fish-Men the Marines wish to recruit, as well as a list of important Fish-Men."

"Oh? Let's hear it!" King Neptune was very curious how many Fish-Men the Marines would permit to join, as well as who these so-called important Fish-Men were.

"Marine Headquarters will recruit a first batch of two hundred members from the Fish-Man Race and merfolk. The merfolk will mainly perform clerical work, while the Fish-Men will form a Fish-Man Unit."

As he spoke, Coulson took out a sheet of white paper from his clothes, with several Fish-Man names written on it.

"The important Fish-Men are Fisher Tiger, Jinbe, and Aladdin."

Upon hearing those three names, King Neptune was first stunned, then looked deeply puzzled. "I've heard of Fisher Tiger, but who are Jinbe and Aladdin?"

"According to intelligence, the twenty-two-year-old Whale Shark Fish-Man Jinbe and the Bearded Brotula Fish-Man Aladdin are currently serving in your Neptune Army."

Outside, the catfish-faced Minister of the Left curiously watched the merfolk and Fish-Men disembark from the World Government ships.

There did not seem to be anything wrong with their appearances. They had no injuries or disabilities, but weren't their high spirits and smiling faces a little too optimistic?

They had been slaves before.

In the end, though, the Minister of the Left could only shake his head, assuming these people were simply too happy.

After all, being able to return to Fish-Man Island alive was indeed something worth celebrating.

Aokiji was stationed on Fish-Man Island! Jinbe joined Marine Headquarters! From now on, Fish-Man Island had nothing to do with Whitebeard anymore~~

The next chapter will be updated tomorrow afternoon. Unless the plot requires continuity, I'd still rather split them up. Getting one more chance at exposure is a good thing. Oh, and this book now has over 300 bookmarks and 80 readers following updates, but there still haven't been any more comments. Sigh.