Led enthusiastically by King Neptune and Queen Otohime, the group made their way toward the extravagantly appointed banquet hall.
Along the way, Neptune continued speaking with Gern, his tone filled with emotion and heartfelt gratitude.
"Admiral Gern, when you think about it, I truly have to admire your foresight back then," Neptune's booming voice carried sincere admiration."When you left Fish-Man Island all those years ago, you already predicted that the coming of the Great Pirate Era would plunge these seas into chaos.At the time, I was worried—but I never imagined it would become this severe!"
He let out a heavy sigh, memories surfacing."Roger… that man's words on the execution platform were like opening Pandora's box.Countless pirates driven by ambition and greed surged toward the Grand Line like a tidal wave. Fish-Man Island, being a mandatory passage, was hit first."
His voice grew heavier."During that period, the Ryugu Kingdom's forces were stretched to their limit. Even with Tiger's overwhelming strength acting as a deterrent, there was only so much we could do.The island's residents lived in constant fear—incidents of mermaid kidnappings happened again and again. It was nothing short of a nightmare."
At this point, Neptune's emotions clearly intensified. He looked at Gern, his eyes brimming with gratitude.
"But thankfully—thankfully! When you left back then, you went against all opposition and insisted I keep that flag!""When those frenzied pirates poured into our port and saw the banner that symbolized 'Heaven-Shaking'—When they learned that these waters were under your protection—you should have seen the looks on their faces!"
Neptune vividly mimicked the pirates' expressions of terror."Fear! Yes—pure, unfiltered fear! Your reputation, your pursuit of Roger, even your refusal to back down before the pinnacle of the world—those deeds had already spread across the seas!Most of those who intended to cause trouble on Fish-Man Island nearly wet themselves when they heard your name.They either paid their passage fees obediently and left—or simply took a detour altogether!"
He emphasized each word."It was 'Heaven-Shaking' and your flag that brought Fish-Man Island this rare period of peace!"
As he spoke, Neptune carefully observed Gern's expression, deliberately avoiding any deeper mention of Roger's personal connection to him and focusing solely on the deterrent effect his name carried.
As a king, Neptune knew his limits well. He would never use a dead "Pirate King" to provoke the living "Marine legend" standing before him—who also happened to be Fish-Man Island's de facto protector.
Gern listened quietly, a faint smile on his face. He neither claimed credit nor feigned excessive humility, replying calmly,
"Your Majesty is too kind.Fish-Man Island's peace owes far more to your rule, Queen Otohime's guidance, and the combined efforts of your people and soldiers.My flag was, at most, an additional layer of protection."
He remained exactly as he always had—powerful, yet never overbearing—almost as if he were still the same Marine vice admiral from years past. This familiar attitude further eased the hearts of Neptune and Otohime.
However, just as Neptune believed everything would continue in this harmonious, cordial atmosphere—
Something happened inside the banquet hall that left every noble and guard of Fish-Man Island utterly dumbfounded.
The man who had remained silent all this time, carrying a massive black blade upon his back—the one known as the "World's Strongest Swordsman," Dracule Mihawk—
Before everyone had even fully taken their seats, before Neptune had so much as said a polite "please, be seated," he actually—
Stepped forward to the high-backed coral chair prepared for him and sat down without the slightest hesitation.
And that wasn't all.
With a smooth, casual motion, he leaned the awe-inspiring Supreme Grade Greatsword Yoru against the back of the chair.Then he leaned back himself, crossed his hands over his abdomen—and under the stunned gazes of everyone present—
"Thud!"
He placed his long-booted feet directly onto the banquet table draped in luxurious silk, laden with exquisite tableware and food.
Finally, he lifted a hand and tugged the brim of his hat downward, covering most of his face, leaving only his sharply contoured jaw and tightly pressed lips exposed—
An unmistakable "I'm resting. Don't bother me" posture.
The banquet hall fell into absolute silence.
Every attendant, every maid, even the three young princes and Queen Otohime herself froze in place, staring blankly at this human powerhouse's utterly "disrespectful" behavior.
On the other side—
Watching Mihawk's utterly unrestrained, borderline arrogant display—
The smile on Neptune's face completely shattered.
The sliver of unease he had just managed to suppress skyrocketed straight to the limit—
And then promptly died—psychologically speaking.
Inside Neptune's mind, a storm erupted as his thoughts screamed:
"I knew it! I knew Gern wouldn't come to Fish-Man Island for no reason!""And he even brought the World's Strongest Swordsman with him! Passing by? Nostalgia? All excuses!"
"His expansion by planting flags across the New World already proved his ambition! Now Fish-Man Island isn't enough for him anymore—he's set his sights on my kingdom, hasn't he?!"
"And this Hawkeye Mihawk—showing me such a blatant show of force the moment he arrives!Feet on my banquet table! This is a naked provocation! A declaration of power! He doesn't see me as king at all!"
"What's next? Forcing me to sign over the kingdom?!My family… my family—are we destined to end up homeless after all?! Shirahoshi is still so young…!"
Neptune's massive body trembled slightly, his expression shifting wildly. When he looked at Gern, his eyes were filled with despair—and a faint, barely concealed resentment.
In his mind, he was already replaying the tragic scene of his family being driven out of Ryugu Palace, clutching little Shirahoshi while shivering in Fish-Man District.
Gern stood right beside Neptune, witnessing the entire emotional light show play out on the king's face like a revolving lantern—
He could even clearly feel the aura of "my life ends here" radiating off him.
The corner of Gern's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Hey, hey… you've got to be kidding me, he thought, completely speechless.I just brought an antisocial teammate along to mooch a meal. Is that really enough to spark a full-blown palace coup fantasy?
He knew Neptune had been subtly probing his intentions the whole way here…
But is my reputation in the New World really that terrifying?Do I really look like the kind of tyrant who'd swallow an ally's territory at the drop of a hat?
Gern sighed inwardly, feeling genuinely helpless. Sometimes, being too strong—and having a reputation that was too "fierce"—wasn't a good thing. It made people develop persecution delusions.
Thinking this, Gern shot an annoyed glance at the root cause—
The hawk-eyed culprit who was already halfway to falling asleep in his chair.
This damn show-off…I told him to rein it in a bit, and he goes straight for the nuclear option.Now look—he's scared the poor king half to death.
Both amused and exasperated, Gern decided he couldn't let this farce continue.
He cleared his throat, trying to break the frozen atmosphere.
"Ahem."
Keeping what he believed to be a friendly smile on his face, Gern casually reached out and—
Patted Neptune's stiff, massive arm(The shoulder was a bit too high up to reach).
"Heh, Your Majesty, there's no need to mind it," Gern said lightly, as if Mihawk had done something utterly trivial."Mihawk, well… he has a rather unique personality. He's used to doing things his own way—there's absolutely no intention to disrespect Ryugu Palace."
He paused, then added with forced sincerity,
"He's just… treating this place like his own home. Relaxing a bit."
Gern worked hard to patch things up for his new colleague—despite how absurd the excuse sounded.
I mean, who treats someone else's banquet hall like their own home and puts their feet on the table?!
"Right, Mihawk?" Gern said, subtly tapping the sole of the boot resting on the table with his toe.
Under the brim of the hat, Mihawk's lips moved slightly.A barely audible "Mm" escaped him.
He couldn't even be bothered to change posture, as if tacitly accepting Gern's nonsense explanation.
King Neptune:"???"
Treating this place like his own home???
...
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