Commodore Sephiroth, in his imposing Marine uniform, led forty-one soldiers towards the Ryugu Kingdom's guard post. Facing him, a Fish-Man squad leader from King Neptune's Royal Army stood at attention, a hint of confusion on his face.
"I am Commodore Sephiroth from Marine Headquarters," Sephiroth introduced himself in a cold, blunt tone, his sharp gaze piercing the soldier. "Contact your superior immediately. Tell them I have come to see King Neptune to discuss a matter of great importance."
The squad leader swallowed hard, his heart pounding. King Neptune was a majestic figure, not someone just anyone could meet. However, the man before him was a commodore from the Marines, a direct representative of the World Government. It was a difficult choice. Without wasting time, he hurriedly fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a clam-shaped Den Den Mushi, and called the kingdom's Left Minister.
"Left Minister! Commodore Sephiroth from the Marines is here... He says he has an important matter to discuss with King Neptune. What do you think...?" his voice was filled with anxiety.
On the other end, the Left Minister fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Let him enter the palace! I will report it to King Neptune immediately."
After hanging up, the squad leader turned to Sephiroth. "Your Excellency, the Commodore, we can escort you. But your men..."
Sephiroth didn't make it difficult. He turned, giving a firm command to a soldier named Frank. "Frank, you lead the rest to continue the search for Fisher Tiger's trail. Report the situation to me as soon as possible. Never act recklessly without my permission... Understood?"
"Understood, Commodore!" Frank saluted.
The squad leader then ran into the distance, returning with an unusual steed: a giant shark surrounded by an air bubble. Miraculously, even though they were on land, the shark seemed relaxed, floating in the air. Clearly, this creature had adapted to breathe on land thanks to a unique organ evolution on Fish-Man Island.
"Please get on!" the squad leader invited, patting the shark's back. "I will take you to His Majesty."
Sephiroth nodded. Without hesitation, he jumped and sat behind the squad leader. The shark gently flicked its tail, carrying the two of them into the sky.
High up there, thousands of meters in the air, was Ryugu Palace, a magnificent structure wrapped in a giant sea-water bubble at the peak of the Fish-Man Island bubble. Thanks to the bright light from the Sun Tree Eve, even at a depth of 10,000 meters below the sea, the view of a "blue sky and white clouds" felt real.
As the shark glided, Sephiroth saw various bubble-wrapped houses, floating in the air. However, their size was not very large, made of light coral, adjusted to the limited buoyancy.
After thousands of meters of ascent, they finally reached the giant metal ring corridor that served as the main gate. The squad leader pressed a button, summoning the guards inside.
"The Left Minister ordered it! I am bringing Commodore Sephiroth from the Marines to meet His Majesty the King!"
"Alright! Minister Zuo has already given instructions!"
An automatic connecting path lowered, joining the metal ring to the palace bubble.
"Guest, this is for you!" the squad leader handed Sephiroth a Bubble Coral. "Inside the palace, most areas are filled with seawater. You need a shallow air bubble..."
Sephiroth took the coral. With a single press, a transparent bubble appeared, perfectly enveloping him. The squad leader then urged their shark to pass through the metal ring layer, entering the seawater corridor.
A moment later, they arrived at the palace's front plaza. Beautiful corals and colorful sea fish swam slowly around them. Sephiroth looked up, his eyes filled with awe. On top of the sturdy palace, a giant golden dragon, carved from stone, roared soundlessly. Its majesty was palpable.
Sephiroth activated his Observation Haki to its maximum. The entire palace was trapped in his perception. Every breath, every piece of architecture, was clearly outlined in his mind.
After crossing the plaza, they ascended a wide stone staircase leading to two hundred-meter-tall golden palace gates. The gates slowly opened with a rumbling sound.
Inside, in the magnificent hall, Neptune's Royal Army soldiers stood in neat lines, their weapons drawn.
Led by the squad leader, Sephiroth stepped forward, finally arriving in the council chamber. There, he saw the majestic figure of Ryugu's king, Neptune, a twelve-meter-tall coelacanth mermaid.
On his lap was a pink-haired baby girl, more than two meters long. It was his daughter, Shirahoshi. King Neptune was playing with her, and from time to time, the baby's innocent laughter could be heard.
On King Neptune's left side stood the Left Minister, a catfish mermaid, while on his right stood Princess Otohime, a figure Sephiroth had met at Geelong Caud Square.
Seeing the vast size difference—Neptune was twelve meters, Otohime two meters, and even baby Shirahoshi was already two meters—Sephiroth could barely contain his surprise. Otohime was Shirahoshi's biological mother, as well as the mother of the three Ryugu Kingdom princes. This made Sephiroth think... It's extraordinary! Or maybe King Neptune is like me, able to control his body size with high-level Haki?
Neptune finally stopped playing with Shirahoshi. His gaze now shifted to the two-meter-tall silver-haired youth before him.
"Brigadier General Sephiroth, what matter do you wish to discuss with me?" Neptune asked, his voice booming yet gentle.
Sephiroth wore an expressionless face, his hands clasped behind his back. "I have come to talk about Fisher Tiger," he said in a calm tone. "He, the former commander of King Neptune's Army, has burned the Holy Land of Mary Geoise and freed thousands of Tenryuubito slaves. His actions have caused great damage and stained the name of the Ryugu Kingdom."
He glanced at Princess Otohime. "Princess Otohime, you surely don't want your efforts to bring the Fish-Man population to the surface to be destroyed so easily, do you? With Fisher Tiger's existence being so vile in the eyes of the Tenryuubito, they will not easily accept you."
Sephiroth continued, "However, if you send King Neptune's Army to capture Fisher Tiger and hand him over, you can eliminate this negative factor. This will also prove your sincerity to the world."
Neptune, Otohime, and the Left Minister fell silent.
What Sephiroth said was not entirely wrong. Fisher Tiger was indeed their former soldier, and his actions had a bad impact on the kingdom's reputation. But they all knew very well who Fisher Tiger was. He was not a bad person. He was full of compassion and righteousness. He would not have acted rashly without a very profound reason.
However, Sephiroth came representing the Marines and the World Government. This was pressure they could not ignore.
In Princess Otohime's Observation Haki perception, the silver-haired youth before her seemed so flat. There were no ripples of emotion, as if he were a doll without feelings, merely carrying out his duty.
The Left Minister realized that King Neptune and Otohime were emotional people. He was worried they would say something wrong. Quickly, he gestured for them to be silent.
"Brigadier General Sephiroth, could you please wait outside? We need to discuss."
"Alright!" Sephiroth did not object. He went outside, escorted by the squad leader to a garden, to wait for their decision.
In the council chamber, the Left Minister sighed. "I know you two don't want to help the Marines catch Fisher Tiger. But we must show good faith by sending troops, otherwise, they will pressure us even harder."
Before Neptune and Otohime could protest, the Left Minister raised a hand. "But..." he smiled slyly. "What if our palace sends troops, but... they don't succeed in finding him?"
Neptune and Otohime exchanged meaningful smiles. They nodded in understanding. Not working hard, then giving false clues? The three of them began to deliberate on the details of the plan.
Outside, Sephiroth, after looking at the garden for a while, began to get bored. He walked around the palace, accompanied by the squad leader. He was the King's guest, so no one dared to stop him.
"What is that place?" Sephiroth asked.
"That is the banquet hall," the squad leader replied.
"Oh, why is that place so heavily guarded and covered with a bubble layer?" Sephiroth pointed to a room.
"Oh, that's the palace's treasure house. The place is very special, please don't get too close," the squad leader answered cautiously.
"No problem. I understand," Sephiroth grinned slightly. He turned and walked away from the heavily guarded door.
At a watermill on Fish-Man Island, a shadow appeared.
"Finally found it!" Sephiroth murmured, now in a black robe and a smiling mask. He looked up, seeing Ryugu Palace above. Through the visual signal from his Bat Clone, he found the exact location of the treasure house.
He went to a secluded corner, took a knife from his waist, and opened a dimensional door to his light-green temporary space. With the help of his clone, he controlled the space to move directly into the palace's treasure house.
Sephiroth cut a small door, ensuring there was no seawater inside, then opened a larger dimensional door.
Inside, piles of gold coins and treasure glittered. The sight was dizzying, but Sephiroth ignored it. As the big boss of Umbrella Corp, his wealth had already reached hundreds of billions of Belly, incomparable to the treasure here.
He rummaged through the piles of treasure until he found a black box with a gold frame. With the knife in his hand, he sliced open the lid of the box.
Inside, a red-and-black pill lay: the ES Killer Pill.
This pill was an energy steroid that could double the user's strength with each consumption, but its side effects were fatal: the user's lifespan would be drastically eroded. Each pill was one step closer to death. Even a 180-year lifespan could be consumed in a matter of hours. Because of its terrifying effects, this pill was abandoned in a warehouse, forgotten.
Sephiroth's real purpose in coming to the palace was to get this pill! He had a vitality-enhancing potion that he developed himself. He wanted to combine the effects of both, eliminate the side effects, and create a new drug that was safe for ordinary humans.
What about meeting King Neptune and urging the hunt for Fisher Tiger? That was just a diversion. After all, if they actually captured and handed over Fisher Tiger, it would only trigger chaos among the Fish-Man population.
After getting the pill, Sephiroth left the palace using his vampire bat. Meanwhile, Neptune and the others agreed to fulfill Sephiroth's request, sending troops to "hunt" for Fisher Tiger, even though they would not work hard.
Like the story? You can read 7 chapters and an exclusive collection at p@treon/Rzzzy!