Feast at Ryugu Palace

The pirates, struck by a tremendous force at their waists, collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly. Captain Moses the Third Ship stood behind them, chuckling as he cracked his knuckles. This was his signature move, the [Waist-Breaking Hand], said to inflict a heightened, lethal blow on those over eighty.

The three princes exchanged glances. Fukaboshi said, "These human pirates have violated the laws of Fish-Man Island and should be apprehended by our soldiers. However... if it's considered a case of pirates killing each other without harming others, we have no objection to killing them."

"Wait a minute, Prince Manboshi!"

Hody Jones then turned his gaze away from the severely wounded and dying pirates, his face grim as he looked at Fukaboshi and his two companions, as well as Buggy nearby. "Fish-Man Island has never allowed humans to interfere in its affairs, and these are pirates, a group of notorious villains! Daring to lay a hand on [death row inmates], they must be apprehended and imprisoned by us!!"

Buggy simply stared indifferently at Hody Jones, prompting Fukaboshi to quickly reprimand him, "Alright, Hody, he's a distinguished guest of Fish-Man Island. Stop making such pointless remarks!"

"When did humans become our honored guests?!" Hody Jones said coldly and fiercely. "Have you royalty completely degenerated into human lackeys?!"

Fukaboshi said, "We've never had that mindset... We just want to strive for peace with humanity..."

"Don't joke around... Everything you've done is just for the benefit of your royal family..." Hody roared, pointing at Camie behind him with a ferocious expression, "Can't you see what kind of people humans really are? Have you forgotten all the atrocities committed by humans in the history of Fish-Man Island? Even Queen Otohime's death was caused by humans!"

"Enough... Hody, stop talking!" A huge figure descended from the sky.

The three princes then noticed the newcomer and, somewhat stunned, said, "Father..."

"Don't mention... Otohime again..." Neptune took a deep breath. "You wouldn't understand..."

"Haha... The younger generation is like this, and so is the older generation... You are truly a pathetic bunch of royalty! With royalty like you around, what future do the Fish-Man have?!" Hody Jones ripped his soldier's uniform, and through the swirling shreds of clothing, he cast a chilling glance at everyone in his field of vision. "Sooner or later, you will pay a terrible price for your delusional dreams!!"

Having said that, he kicked aside the human pirate who was sprawled on the ground in front of him and walked away into the distance, his figure gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.

The Fish-Man civilians watching this scene were filled with mixed emotions. They found themselves increasingly agreeing with Hody Jones's ideals regarding King Neptune and his three princes' thoughts: peaceful coexistence with humans... how unrealistic that seemed...

These humans have never brought happiness or joy, only constant plunder... They find that their image of humanity is increasingly resembling that of a demon, becoming more and more deeply ingrained.

By creating this effect, Hody Jones achieved his goal.

"Take these pirates into custody. They've broken the island's laws, and they must be punished!" Fukaboshi ordered the Fish-Man soldiers surrounding the pirates, then looked at Buggy and introduced Neptune, who was sitting on the whale, "This is the king of Fish-Man Island, and also my father, Neptune."

He then introduced the somewhat somber-looking Neptune, "Father, this is Buggy, the new Shichibukai... our distinguished guest."

Neptune's expression softened considerably, and he nodded to Buggy. "[Shichibukai] visiting Fish-Man Island... that's quite a rare sight!"

"We're just passing through. Don't worry, we mean no harm..." Buggy said calmly.

"That's good," Neptune said. "Please come to the Ryugu Palace for a chat, Buggy Bucky."

Neptune and the phoenix-tailed ship led the way, with Buggy and his group following behind. After a while, the passage to the Ryugu Palace was opened, and the group moored their ship in the shallows, disembarked, and followed.

"This is my castle... Soldiers, open the gates!" At Neptune's command, the gates of the Ryugu Palace swung open, and the Right Minister of the Ryugu Kingdom, the Seahorse Mermaid, and the Left Minister, the Fish-Man Mermaid, along with a group of Fish-Man soldiers, came out to greet them. The Left Minister hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you've finally returned... I heard that Your Majesty..."

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the thousands of people behind Neptune. The Shichibukai had arrived!

The Right Minister quickly intervened, "The banquet has been arranged, Your Majesty Neptune!"

So, Buggy, along with his crew, Neptune, and Fukaboshi, went to the Ryugu Palace. The banquet was held in two separate halls: the Buggy Pirates' executives and captain sat in the main hall, while the crew members sat in the secondary hall.

After a few drinks, the banquet began.

The mermaids sang and danced in the center of the hall, and everyone took their seats to enjoy the wine and delicacies of Fish-Man Island.

After being toasted by the three Fukaboshi brothers, Buggy leisurely looked at Neptune, "The scenery on this island is quite nice, very suitable for retirement..."

"If there were less conflict, this would indeed be a very beautiful place."

Neptune placed his glass in front of him and took a sip. "The constant stream of pirates is always a troublesome problem... As you've seen, the mermaids on the island have become their prey for humans... This isn't the first time this has happened. Now that Whitebeard is gone, and Jinbe is gone too... the undercurrents on this Fish-Man Island will only intensify. No matter how beautiful the scenery... it's just superficial and will soon be shattered..."

Neptune received the Den Den Den Mushi signal from the Big Top during the Marineford War and heard the entire course of the war. He naturally remembered Buggy's declaration of loyalty. He already had a Marineford Marine Headquarters. Now, Buggy had accepted the World Government's decree and become one of the Shichibukai, enjoying unparalleled fame.

For Neptune, a pirate who is not evil but possesses great strength and many subordinates might become the new protector of Fish-Man Island. At least for now, no one seems more suitable than him.

However, Neptune was unsure whether Buggy had any such intentions, so he first tested the waters with words. As a king, it would be a loss of dignity to be easily rejected after speaking, since he represented not only himself but the entire Fish-Man Island.

Buggy, of course, understood Neptune's meaning. A smile played on his lips. "Can the cloak of Shichibukai conceal this undercurrent?"

Neptune's expression stiffened. He hadn't expected the other party to be so direct, cutting straight to the point. He quickly raised his glass to hide his embarrassment, "If it's your banner, that's certainly possible, but I wonder if you'd be willing to lend it..."

"Borrowing it is no problem, of course..." Buggy said calmly. "After all, Whitebeard and I have some connection. If he can protect this Fish-Man Island, so can I. Besides, the scenery on this island is so beautiful; it would be such a pity if it were destroyed!" Then, he changed the subject, "However..."

Neptune had assumed Buggy was about to agree, but the latter's tone suddenly changed, making him a little anxious. "But what?"

Buggy said calmly, "However, there's no such thing as a free lunch..."

Sitting to the side, Shuma, munching on a piece of meat, chimed in, "But there's free breakfast and dinner!"

His words instantly ruined the atmosphere that had been carefully built up. Buggy's face darkened, and he coughed, "Ahem... let's discuss this further..."

"Did I say something wrong?" Shuma asked, gnawing on a piece of meat, looking puzzled. "Did I? Where did I go wrong?"

"Mohji." Buggy winked discreetly, and Mohji immediately shoved a large piece of roasted meat into Shuma's mouth. "Eat your food and don't talk!"

"Ugh... ugh..." Shuma struggled frantically, pounding his chest before finally swallowing the roasted meat in his mouth. He then gulped down several mouthfuls of liquor, staring at Mohji with a sullen face. "Moses Ingredients, I almost died!"

"Don't worry, how could you possibly die so easily!" Mohji patted Shuma on the shoulder and said nonchalantly.

"But I almost really died, and... I didn't even taste the meat from that piece!"

Mohji: "Richie's still a big chunk over there, let's go get it!"

Achoo!

Richie sneezed, glanced around, and quickly protected the plate in front of him, letting out low growls, but to no avail. The food was soon snatched away by Shuma. Not only that, Shuma, who suddenly had an idea, dragged him to the center of the hall after finishing the roast meat. The man and the lion, accompanied by the mermaids, danced a kind of waltz, which the captains found very amusing and cheered on.

Buggy sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation as he watched Shuma thoroughly enjoying himself. Things were getting more and more chaotic... So he simply stopped trying to restrain Shuma and let him run wild.

"Ha ha--"

Neptune, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but burst into laughter. He had initially thought they were a group of unapproachable, high-bounty pirates, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. He looked at Buggy, his mood brightening considerably. "If you would be willing to lend us your flag, as long as it's within our capabilities, I will do my best to grant your request."

Upon hearing Neptune's promise, Buggy didn't rush to state his conditions, but simply smiled faintly. He then changed the subject, "I've always heard that even the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock admits her beauty is inferior to that of the Little Mermaid Princess. I wonder where she is now?"

"Those are just rumors... Shirahoshi has lived in the Hard-Shell Tower since she was a child. Apart from the soldiers, very few people have ever seen her, let alone the Pirate Empress..." Neptune's smile disappeared when he mentioned Shirahoshi.

Buggy asked knowingly, "Oh... why lock her up?"

After a moment's hesitation, Neptune answered truthfully, "It's that guy Vander Decken. He's a user of the Mark-Mark Fruit. Because his marriage proposal was rejected, he's been using his Devil Fruit powers to intimidate and attack Shirahoshi for years. Whenever Shirahoshi leaves the Hard-Shell Tower, she gets hurt by weapons thrown by Vander Decken IX..."

"In that case," Buggy laughed, "Just accept his proposal, and that will solve the problem, won't it?"

"How could I agree to that!" Neptune's voice suddenly rose. "Shirahoshi would never like that guy, and I will never agree to let a Fish-Man who wants to harm and threaten my daughter's life become her husband!"

Fukaboshi put down his wine glass and said solemnly, "That's right, as the eldest brother, I won't agree either."

"Me too!" Ryuboshi and Manboshi said at the same time.

"It seems you didn't understand what I meant..." Buggy said. "This doesn't have to be true; we just need to lure him out this way."

"You mean 'luring the snake out of its hole'..." Neptune stroked his chin hesitantly, "But once a royal marriage is made, it cannot be broken or reneged on."

"Isn't this the reason you've been used all along? Is your daughter's life more important, or the face of the royal family? Don't you have a clear answer in your heart?"

Neptune said, "Well... we did consider doing that, but we weren't confident we could capture Vander Decken IX. If he escaped, he would become even more wary, and the harm he might Shirahoshi in the future would be even greater. That's something we're deeply worried about..."

"This matter..." Buggy said slowly, "We can help."

"What!" Neptune was both surprised and delighted that this Shichibukai he had only met once, would be willing to help him in this matter. "If you are willing to help, that would be wonderful... But I have no idea why you would be willing to help me in this matter?"

"Since you want to borrow my flag, this place can be considered my sanctuary. As an equal exchange, helping to handle some minor issues is just a small favor."

Buggy casually remarked that he certainly wouldn't reveal his true intentions to Neptune. If eliminating Vander Decken IX could earn him Poseidon's trust... what a bargain!

Upon hearing the word "deal" in Buggy's words, Neptune felt relieved. "I see..."

Even the usually composed Fukaboshi became somewhat excited. "As long as Vander Decken IX is arrested, Shirahoshi will be able to live freely on the island instead of living in the Hard-Shell Tower!"

"That's great~~ Red car crashed~~"

"La la la~ This is so great~~"

The Red Manboshi and the Ryuboshi speak as if they are singing, their tone becoming cheerful.

Buggy said, "Then before that, let me go see the mermaid princess, Shirahoshi."