Barn sat in the center of the empty hall of Ryugu Palace, raising his head slightly to address Neptune, the enormous king of Fish-Man Island seated on his throne.
At Barn's words, Neptune slowly nodded and let out a long sigh. The graceful figure that had long vanished from his life appeared before his eyes once more.
"'Freedom,' was it? That certainly was Otohime's greatest wish while she was alive, and something she always worked toward. But..."
Neptune sounded wistful as he spoke. In truth, the king of Fish-Man Island had always remained neutral toward Queen Otohime's efforts. He had never publicly supported them, but neither had he ordered her to stop. Deeply in love with Otohime, Neptune had also hoped her wish would come true.
Hearing Neptune's words, Barn nodded firmly and said to him,
"Fisher Tiger told me about Queen Otohime. Actually, on the day she was shot, he was there too..."
Barn spoke quietly, but his words brought a flicker of surprise to Neptune's face.
"What? Hadn't Fisher Tiger already..."
Before Neptune could finish, Barn knew what he meant. He picked up where Neptune had left off.
"Fisher Tiger wasn't dead then. I arranged everything, because that was the only way to escape the Marines' pursuit... But in the end, he still died at their hands. It was my fault. I hadn't thought everything through."
Barn lowered his head apologetically as he spoke, a trace of guilt stirring within him. In truth, he and Fisher Tiger had not been especially close. They were only ordinary friends, comrades who shared the same ideals. Barn had also done what he should have done: he had killed Kizaru and avenged Fisher Tiger.
Neptune nodded at Barn's words and sighed.
"I saw the newspaper a while ago too. I thought it