Reminiscing: Humans and Fish-Men

"... good."

Fisher Tiger clearly gleaned something from Neptune's expression; he paused slightly, but ultimately nodded.

Neptune led everyone into the banquet hall.

Even in a hasty visit, proper etiquette must be observed, especially when facing the benefactor of Fish-Man Island. In this respect, Neptune would certainly not be impolite.

Therefore, in view of this.

The banquet, which Lin Yan found quite uncomfortable, didn't end until several hours later.

After the banquet ended, Boa Hancock and several girls went out shopping, leaving only Lin Yan and the three Fish-Men in the room.

"..."

A moment of silence fell over the room.

Seeing the three of them staring at each other, Lin Yan couldn't help but smile.

"Should I excuse myself?"

"Um... well, Lady Lin Yan, you're no stranger here, so why don't you listen in as well?"

Neptune scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

Immediately, the look in his eyes as he looked at Fisher Tiger became somewhat complicated.

He looked like he didn't know what to say.

Seeing this, Fisher Tiger paused slightly, and finally asked the question first.

"Neptune, what happened on Fish-Man Island while I was away?"

Fisher Tiger asked Neptune, who was standing in front of him.

For some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Well... well, it's a long story."

This seemed to be a problem that had to be faced. Neptune did not answer immediately, but remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

Then Neptune began to recount his past to the three men.

That's now a taboo on the entire Fish-Man Island.

It's also a story about disagreement and hatred.

Compared to ordinary humans, Fish-Men are naturally physically stronger. As the saying goes, those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. It is unknown when the differences between Fish-Men and humans began.

Old hatred breeds new hatred, and the cycle continues endlessly.

But even under such circumstances...

Some people are also standing up for the future of the next generation.

Fisher Tiger is one of them, and the other one is now dead.

That person was Neptune's wife, Queen Otohime of Fish-Man Island.

A dramatic change occurred on what was once Fish-Man Island.

The final result was that Otohime, who wholeheartedly advocated for peace, died, and the entire Fish-Man Island was closed off.

This is a story from the past, long forgotten.

Neptune wouldn't have said it if Fisher Tiger hadn't reappeared.

Although it was just a few words that were described in a very simple way.

Neptune filtered out a lot of things.

But that doesn't prevent others from understanding the harsh reality of the time.

"..."

After listening, even Lin Yan fell silent for a moment.

He certainly knew the ins and outs of some things, perhaps even more than Neptune in front of him, but for Lin Yan, these were just events that had already happened.

Arriving at Fish-Man Island now, and hearing the person involved recount that past event, the feeling is naturally completely different.

This is a real world.

Everything actually happened.

After hearing all this, Fisher Tiger fell into complete silence.

"I see. Queen Otohime, she..."

Fisher Tiger sighed softly.

More than a decade ago, he was rescued by Lin Yan and left Fish-Man Island, leaving his home behind. He kept his promise to protect Boa Hancock and has not returned for more than a decade.

I never expected something like this to happen on Fish-Man Island.

In an instant.

Fisher Tiger also had mixed feelings.

"Yes, that was a long time ago. To be honest... I'm starting to have some doubts about whether I should stick to your original dream."

Neptune looked at Fisher Tiger with a sigh.

Otohime was an extremely kind person.

Fisher Tiger is now considered a hero.

If there is anyone indispensable on the path to peace between Fish-Men and humans, then these two are among them.

However, Otohime is now dead.

Fisher Tiger has been missing for over a decade without any news.

Having endured immense pain, Neptune was finding it increasingly difficult to continue down the path left behind by his deceased loved ones.

This is only natural.

"This..."

Seeing Neptune's somewhat sorrowful expression, even Fisher Tiger was speechless for a moment.

Just then, Lin Yan coughed softly.

"In short, I have a pretty good understanding of the details. I don't want to interfere in the affairs of you Fish-Men and humans, but King Neptune... could I possibly meet Princess Shirahoshi, whom you mentioned earlier?"

Lin Yan said to Neptune.

As mentioned before.

Lin Yan didn't consider herself a very good person.

She was somewhat ambivalent about the issues between humans and Fish-Men, but Lin Yan was still somewhat interested in the simple and kind-hearted Princess Shirahoshi.

Moreover, the other party is Sea King.

That's also my goal this time.

"This..."

Seemingly surprised that Lin Yan would suddenly bring this up, Neptune was visibly taken aback for a moment, and then a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

Lin Yan knew perfectly well what was going on.

But he still pretended to be puzzled and asked.

Is there a problem?

"Well, Lady Lin Yan, let me be frank. You are a division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and a benefactor of Fish-Man Island. Logically, I shouldn't refuse, but Shirahoshi's situation..."

Neptune seemed hesitant to speak.

Clearly, he was weighing the gains and losses internally.

But in the end, he gritted his teeth and told Lin Yan the truth.

"Oh? Is that so? Does that mean that if Shirahoshi shows up, her life will be in danger?"

After listening to Neptune's explanation.

Lin Yan tilted her head in feigned surprise.

"Have you found out what the cause was?"

"It's that shameless bastard named Vander Decken! He used his Shirahoshi, which is why I had no choice but to protect Shirahoshi."

Neptune said through gritted teeth.

Neptune had been forced to keep Shirahoshi locked in the tower to protect his only daughter, so mentioning it now naturally made him grit his teeth in anger.

"Such a thing exists?!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan showed no reaction, but Fisher Tiger on the other side stood up angrily.

For him, Shirahoshi...

He is the son of an old friend.

How could Fisher Tiger, who always hated evil, tolerate such atrocity?

Even Jinbe, who was Jinbe calm, showed a flash of anger.

Just as the three of them were gritting their teeth, Lin Yan suddenly smiled and stroked her chin.

"In that case, isn't it even more necessary for us to meet?"