With King Neptune and Queen Otohime warmly leading the way, the group headed toward the lavish banquet hall.
Along the way, Neptune kept talking to Gern, his voice filled with emotion and gratitude.
"Admiral Gern, I must say, I truly admire the foresight you showed back then." Neptune's booming voice carried sincere admiration.
"When you left Fish-Man Island, you predicted just how much chaos the coming Great Pirate Era would bring to these seas.
I was worried at the time, but I never imagined it would be this intense!"
He sighed and recalled, "Roger... what that man said on the Execution Platform was like opening Pandora's box.
Countless pirates driven by ambition and greed flooded into the Grand Line. As a mandatory stop along the way, Fish-Man Island bore the brunt of it.
Back then, Ryugu Palace's troops ran themselves ragged. Even with Tiger's formidable strength deterring them, we couldn't guard against everything!
The island's residents lived in constant fear, and no matter what we did, mermaid kidnappings kept happening. It was a nightmare."
At this point, Neptune grew agitated. He looked at Gern, his eyes full of gratitude. "But thank goodness! Thank goodness that when you left, you overruled every objection and had me keep your flag!
When those crazed pirates poured into the harbor and saw the flag representing 'Heavenquake'...
When they learned these waters were under your protection, you should have seen their faces!"
Neptune mimicked the pirates' terrified expressions. "Fear! Yes, pure fear! Your reputation, your pursuit of Roger, and even...
Even your refusal to back down before those at the very pinnacle of the world-those stories had already spread across the seas!
Most of those scoundrels who planned to run wild on Fish-Man Island were scared out of their wits the moment they heard your