Ryugu Palace.
"Hurry, hurry! Bring out the food and fine wine! Send someone to fetch the Mermaid Song and Dance Troupe for a performance!"
The Sea Cat Minister urgently instructed the guards, and the entire Ryugu Palace bustled with activity due to Caesar's arrival.
At the massive round table, Neptune wore an expression of unprecedented hopeful joy, continuously toasting his new son-in-law.
"Come, Captain Caesar, this is a fine wine from our Fish-Man Island, aged for eight hundred years. It is said that when Joy Boy visited Fish-Man Island back then, Poseidon used it to entertain him."
"Oh? Joy Boy drank this wine? Then I must savor it carefully."
Caesar drank heartily as well.
Since he had reached an understanding with Neptune, there was no need for him to be aggressive anymore.
"I also offer a toast to Captain Caesar!"
Jinbei, his chest wrapped in bandages and his face somewhat pale, steadily raised his cup with both hands, speaking in a very sincere tone.
Caesar looked at him. "Jinbei, why aren't you angry anymore?"
"You did not destroy Fish-Man Island. I am endlessly grateful—how could I be angry?
Moreover, Caesar has agreed to relocate Fish-Man Island to Tottoland and generously gifted our Fish-Man race an island.
Living under the sun has been our Fish-Man race's greatest dream for a thousand years!
And now, this dream is about to come true.
'If I were to remain ungrateful, wouldn't I become a traitor to the Fish-Man race for all eternity?'
Jinbei's gaze was earnest, and his expression seemed genuine, indicating he spoke from the heart.
Caesar smiled faintly. "But, aren't you the helmsman of the Straw Hat crew? I am an enemy of Straw Hat Luffy, after all."
Hearing this, Jinbei showed a bitter smile and sighed.
"That is a personal matter. This is my respect for you as a member of the Fish-Man race."
"You may not know this, but Joy Boy and the Fish-Man race's ancestor, Poseidon, were originally very close friends."
Caesar immediately grew interested, listening as Jinbei and Neptune took turns recounting the story of Joy Boy and Poseidon.
Eight hundred years ago, the Sun God Joy Boy emerged suddenly, becoming the leader of the Great Kingdom and uniting myriad races to resist the iron-fisted rule of the twenty Celestial Dragon kings.
At that time, Joy Boy's identity represented the sun, hope, and creation.
Among the myriad races subordinate to Clan D, there were also great existences not much inferior to this leader—all were kings of their respective races.
For instance, the king of the Fish-Man tribe, Poseidon.
The king of the Oni tribe, Barbarossa.
The king of the God tribe, Lunaria.
The king of the Giant tribe, Odin.
Among them, Poseidon was the most dazzling, becoming the most powerful existence second only to the leader Joy Boy.
He could command all the sea kings in the world, raising earth-shattering tsunamis with a wave of his hand—he was the king of the sea!
The two were once the closest of friends, fighting side by side against the tyrannical rule of the Celestial Dragons.
But at some point, Joy Boy suddenly parted ways with Poseidon, not only reclaiming the land territories granted to the Sea King but also forbidding him from ever setting foot on land again.
Outsiders believed this was because the Sun God represented fire, while the Sea King represented water.
The two were incompatible like fire and water, leading to a rift.
However, only the history of the Fish-Man tribe recorded the truth.
Poseidon wanted to set foot on land to conquer a vast territory for the Fish-Man tribe, allowing all Fish-Men to stand under the sun like other races.
To achieve this goal, he decided to devour all the sea kings in the world, evolving his life to become a god-like existence.
But this idea and philosophy clearly conflicted with the Sun God's representation of creation and new life.
Eight hundred years ago, the size and number of sea kings in the ocean far exceeded what they are today.
Back then, all creatures competed for freedom under the frosty sky—even colossal beings like Zunesha had their own species!
To achieve his goal, Poseidon frenziedly devoured all the sea kings on the planet, eventually nearly driving the massive Zunesha herd to extinction, leaving only Zunesha himself, whom Joy Boy forcibly saved.
This led to their falling out.
However, to confront their common enemy—the self-proclaimed gods, the Celestial Dragons—the two still collaborated to some extent.
The power of the Celestial Dragons was too overwhelming, and in the end, the myriad races led by the Sun God were defeated by the twenty kings of the Celestial Dragons.
The Celestial Dragons deployed Uranus, shattering the world into fragment-like islands and separating the myriad races.
The remaining continental spine became the Red Line, dividing the entire world.
They then established the Holy Land atop the Red Line, proclaiming it the Peak of the Gods.
One day, as the fire of Joy Boy was about to extinguish, he sought out Fish-Man Island and had a long conversation with Poseidon.
Thereafter, the Sea King abandoned his ambition of becoming a god, embedding his consciousness—the ability to command all sea kings—into his bloodline.
Only the most compatible descendants among the Fish-Men could successfully inherit this talent.
Thus, although eight hundred years have passed, only Shirahoshi has emerged as the Sea King's successor.
"The last time Straw Hat Luffy was here, it should have been Shirahoshi's first awakening of the Sea King's power, summoning the few remaining giant sea kings from eight hundred years ago."
"And the giant ship Noah was originally built by the Great Kingdom to assist Poseidon—he intended to use this ship to transport the entire Fish-Man tribe to the land."
"It is said that the leader Joy Boy, in order to restrain the power of the Sea King, built the corresponding weapon of destruction—Pluton—while constructing Noah."
"The so-called ability to destroy an island with one shot actually refers to a giant sea king the size of an island."
"And the massive hole beneath Fish-Man Island that pierces through the Red Line was actually blasted open by Pluton, leaving a loophole in the Celestial Dragons' complete division of the world."
"Joy Boy once said, a single spark can start a fire, and a thousand-mile dike can collapse due to an anthill."
"Although the Red Line is insurmountably high, with such a hole, the world can be connected. When the right opportunity arises, all races can unite to resist the tyrannical rule of the Celestial Dragons together!"
"Hmm, a fascinating story."
Caesar drank wine and ate meat while admiring the alluring and graceful dances of the mermaids, all the while speculating inwardly.
Could this so-called Sea King Poseidon be the former user of the Kunpeng Fruit?
Caesar's Kunpeng Fruit had yet to reach its awakened state because the fruit's potential was too immense.
He felt there was still much room for growth.
Unless he could devour all the sea kings in the world, just like the Sea King in the Fish-Man legends, and attain an opportunity for super evolution.
At this thought, Caesar's heart grew fervent.
But soon, he felt somewhat disheartened.
No one knew exactly how many sea kings existed in this world.
It was said that the Calm Belt was the nest of the sea kings.
Perhaps, if he had time, he could take a stroll over there.
"Hmm, these mermaids are beautiful, but they're too slender and petite. Shirahoshi has more charm—plump and adorable."
While watching the mermaids' captivating dance, such a thought suddenly crossed Caesar's mind.
Unbeknownst to him, Shirahoshi, hiding in her room, was already blushing fiercely, her face burning with heat as she shyly buried her head in the bedding.
Suddenly, several chaotic voices echoed in Shirahoshi's mind.
"Shirahoshi, Poseidon, our master..."
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