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With clinical precision, Arthur had pulled Otohime back from the precipice of death. Under the absolute authority of his ability, even the scars from the assassination attempt had been erased as if they never existed.
Queen Otohime blinked her eyes open, looking around in a daze. Then, her eyes snapped wide as she frantically clutched at her chest.
"I'm... not dead?"
She remembered it vividly—the sudden, searing pain of a bullet tearing through her chest as she pleaded for signatures. The phantom ache of the impact hadn't even fully receded from her mind. Yet, as she checked her robes, she found that while the fabric was pierced by a bullet hole, her skin beneath was flawless.
"This is... miraculous!" She stood up, raising her hands in a short-lived burst of celebratory cheering before her face paled again. "The signatures! Where are the signatures??"
Ignoring the concerned gazes of Neptune, her guards, and her sons, she lunged toward the charred remains of the stage where the fire had been extinguished.
"Ah... my back!"
CRACK.
The sudden, violent movement was followed by an audible pop from her waist. Otohime immediately collapsed, clutching her lower back and moaning in pain.
'Her constitution is this weak? An open fracture just from moving too fast?' Arthur thought, looking at her with genuine bewilderment.
How on earth did she give birth to Shirahoshi?
The princess was gargantuan, and Neptune was a mountain of a man, yet Otohime wasn't even five feet tall. Arthur began to seriously wonder if Fish-men reproduced through some sort of external incubation process.
"Otohime..."
Witnessing his wife's resurrection, Neptune's fury turned into ecstatic joy. He rushed over to support her, his face lit with a broad, tearful smile. The guards, Jinbe, and the princes all gathered around, their hearts overflowing with relief.
"Hey... did you all forget what I said?" Arthur interrupted, his voice cutting through the sentimental moment like a cold blade. "I don't have time to sit here and waste my day watching you play family!"
..............
At the highest point of Fish-Man Island, bathed in the soft glow of the Sunlight Tree Eve, stood Ryugu Palace. In the vast, silent main hall, seven people stood in a tense standoff. Outside, the palace guards waited for orders, their spears trembling.
Arthur sat leisurely in a grand chair, sipping on a vintage Fish-man wine. To his left and right stood Shiryu and Hancock, looking down on the hosts like gods among men. Opposite them stood Neptune, Otohime, and a grim-faced Jinbe. Shirahoshi remained fast asleep on a large cushion nearby.
"As of today, Fish-Man Island is the territory of the Thunder God Pirates," Arthur stated flatly. He set down his glass, his tone suggesting he was announcing a law of nature rather than a proposal. There was no room for negotiation.
"That is impossible!" Jinbe stepped forward, his voice deep and resonant. "Fish-Man Island will never submit to any outside power. Furthermore, Pops has already planted his flag here and declared this island under his protection!"
"Submit? What an unsightly word," Arthur remarked with a look of pure disdain. "The winner takes everything from the loser. Isn't that the law of the sea? Might is the only fundamental truth."
"I am not here to negotiate with you. I am here to notify you. Whether you agree or not is of no consequence to me."
"Fish-Man Island is a member of the World Government!" Neptune interjected after a long silence, realizing that Whitebeard's name no longer held sway over the man before him.
"The World Government? What a joke," Arthur sneered.
The World Government's collective power certainly exceeded that of any single Emperor, and their hidden fangs were beginning to show now that Arthur had thrown the world into chaos. However, they would never start a war with a man like Arthur over a single island. The losses would be catastrophic. After their previous failed attempts to eliminate him, the Government wouldn't dare move unless their very foundations were at stake.
"If you want to resist, I'll give you the chance," Arthur said playfully. "Jinbe, the matter of your Sun Pirates hunting my crew members was supposed to be settled after my war with Whitebeard. But since you've chosen to stand before me again..."
He gestured to Shiryu and Hancock. "Pick one of the two behind me. Let's see if you can survive."
Hancock immediately puffed out her chest, looking down her nose at Jinbe, her eyes flashing with the promise of a cold, stony death. Shiryu remained silent, leaning against his sword and puffing on a cigar, though his aura was like a coiled serpent. Having followed Arthur for so long, his boredom with a fight against Jinbe was palpable.
"If you want my life, take it now!" Jinbe declared with iron resolve. "But Fish-Man Island will never be annexed into the Thunder God Territory!"
"Wait... Thunder Emperor," Otohime suddenly spoke up. Her voice was trembling, but her eyes were fixed on Arthur. "Your goal... isn't just the island. It's Shirahoshi, isn't it?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly. "Listening to the voices of hearts... your innate Observation Haki is quite the curiosity."
Otohime's natural ability was something Arthur had long been interested in. If used correctly, it was the ultimate tool for diplomacy—and survival. It was how she had managed to move the heart of a Celestial Dragon like Miosgard, turning a "god" who saw humans as ants into a man who understood empathy.
"What? Shirahoshi??" Neptune roared, standing up abruptly. "Absolutely not! Fish-Man Island will not compromise on this!"
He knew the secret of his daughter's power. As a father and a king, it was a demand he could never accept.
"Very well!" Arthur stood up and began to clap slowly. "I admire those with backbone. I truly do. Those who refuse to bow even when faced with annihilation... they are the most fun to break."
"Shiryu, do it—"
"WAIT!!" Otohime screamed, interrupting Arthur. Her face was deathly pale, and cold sweat matted her brow. Her Haki had just let her "hear" the inside of Shiryu's soul—a void filled with nothing but a primal, endless desire for slaughter.
"We agree!! We join you!!"
"Otohime! Do you know what you are saying??" Neptune cried out in horror.
"Joining the Thunder God Pirates means the World Government will declare us outlaws!" Jinbe added sternly.
"No," Otohime said, her voice shaking but certain as she glanced at Shiryu. "If we join him, at least we won't have to worry about our people being stolen away as slaves anymore, will we?"
She knew the truth. If she hadn't spoken, the monster behind Arthur would have turned Fish-Man Island into a river of blood. Agreeing meant leaving the World Government.
Refusing meant losing their very existence.
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