New World, G-10 Marine Base, top-floor office.
Gern stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, gazing pensively at the sprawling, carefully manicured lawn outside the base.
A Den Den Mushi rested in his open palm, speaking in a low voice.
"So Fisher Tiger chose to leave Fish-Man Island after all?" Gern's lips pressed together slightly, making it impossible to tell whether he regretted it or had expected it all along.
"Yes, Admiral Gern." The Den Den Mushi reproduced King Neptune's steady voice. "Tiger insisted that his presence would pose unpredictable risks. He wasn't willing to rely entirely on your protection."
Neptune paused, sounding somewhat hesitant. "Also, when he left, quite a few hotheaded young fish-men from the Fish-Man District volunteered to follow him.
"They seem to..." Neptune left the sentence unfinished, but his meaning was clear.
Having left Fish-Man Island, an affiliated nation of the government, and committed the grave crime of attacking the Holy Land, Tiger and his followers had almost only one path left.
They would become pirates.
And reporting to a Marine Admiral that someone might become a pirate was a rather delicate matter.
"It's fine, Neptune." Noticing his hesitation, Gern gave a soft chuckle instead, his tone carrying the calm of someone who understood how the world worked.
"Once Tiger decided to leave Fish-Man Island, becoming pirates was practically inevitable for him and his followers. It was also their most suitable option.
"This is for the best. At least their future actions will have no overt connection to Fish-Man Island or the authorities at Ryugu Palace. That makes things safer for you."
Hearing this, Neptune clearly breathed a sigh of relief on the other end.
He had been worried that Gern might hold it against Fish-Man Island.
Apparently, this Admiral's way of thinking truly couldn't be judged