Fish-Man Island: The Final Progress

Neptune was delighted, but he could not bring himself to smile.

Neither could his three sons.

The four of them fell silent.

Shirahoshi was only eleven, but she understood a great deal.

Relations between humans, mermaids, and the Fish-Man Race were poor. Most mermaids and Fish-Men harbored deep prejudice against humans. No matter how vile Vander Decken IX's actions were, he was still a Fish-Man. If he committed a crime, King Neptune should be the one to punish him, not humans.

If the islanders learned that humans had killed Vander Decken IX, the gulf between mermaids and humans would only grow wider.

Shirahoshi's mother, Queen Otohime, had spent nearly her entire life working tirelessly to bring mermaids and humans closer together. Otohime was gone, but Shirahoshi and her brothers had long since inherited her resolve.

Neptune shared that wish, but as king of Fish-Man Island, his position often left him with no choice.

"The islanders must never find out about this," Fukaboshi said grimly. "We're grateful that you got rid of the man who's threatened our sister's life for so long. But you're human. We can't let this deepen the divide between humans and us. Otherwise, all our years of effort will have been for nothing."

"What should we do?" Shirahoshi asked anxiously. "Father, isn't there another way?"

Neptune shook his head. "As far as I know, only those of us here know what happened."

"If that's true," Fukaboshi said, "we can handle it."

"That's right," Ryuboshi agreed. "As long as everyone keeps quiet, it'll be fine."

Neptune stroked his beard. For some reason, he had a bad feeling. "Just in case, you three should stay in the Royal Palace for now. By the way, where's the ship you came in on? You'd best get its coating done within the