"His Majesty Neptune of Fish-Man Island wishes to speak with you personally."
After briefly summarizing the situation, Salo spoke softly.
"Neptune?"
From the other side of the Den Den Mushi, Rojen's voice carried a hint of amusement. After a moment's thought, he nodded in agreement.
"Very well. Give him the Den Den Mushi."
Naturally, Salo obeyed, carrying the Den Den Mushi back into the room.
Neptune sat rigidly in his chair, his expression meticulous and composed. When he saw Salo return, there was no urgency in his eyes, only calmness.
"Your Majesty Neptune, my king has agreed to speak and negotiate with you."
Walking to Neptune's side of the table, Salo gently placed the Den Den Mushi upon it.
"That is truly wonderful news!"
Hearing this result, a smile appeared on Neptune's face.
Over the past few days, he had gathered information about the Barut Kingdom and naturally understood that it was a powerful nation. One could even call it the ruler of the West Blue without exaggeration. If they could truly obtain the other party's support and have them speak on Fish-Man Island's behalf at the World Council, it would represent enormous progress for Fish-Man Island and for Fish-Men as a whole.
Perhaps… the ancestral dream of peaceful coexistence between humans and Fish-Men could truly be realized!
His gaze fell upon the small Den Den Mushi on the table. Taking a light breath, he spoke solemnly:
"How should I address you, King of Barut?"
The Den Den Mushi formed a smiling expression and answered softly:
"Just call me Akatsuki."
"Your Majesty Akatsuki, first of all, I sincerely thank you for your support of Fish-Man Island. Secondly, I wish to discuss some specific matters with you."
Neptune got straight to the point, unwilling to waste time.
Reaching this place had not been easy for him. Given his sensitive identity, if certain interested parties learned of this meeting, unimaginable consequences would surely follow.
"Fish-Men and humans are both part of this world. Since they exist in this world, they naturally should coexist peacefully. As for the specific matters you mentioned, could you explain them?"
The face on the Den Den Mushi continued smiling, its voice calm.
There was a reason Rojen had instructed Salo to speak up at the World Council. Rojen personally supported peaceful coexistence between Fish-Men and humans, but making such a position heard openly across the world meant that the Barut Kingdom would also face considerable pressure.
The investment had already been made. Now came the time for negotiation, would there be a worthwhile return?
"If possible, Fish-Man Island would like to establish trade relations with the Barut Kingdom and form an alliance. Would that be acceptable?"
Neptune drew a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice.
Beside him, Salo froze slightly in surprise.
Because of Fish-Man Island's sensitive location and the status of Fish-Men, the island had never interacted openly with outsiders. Neptune's proposal genuinely shocked Salo.
"Oh? An alliance?"
On the Den Den Mushi, Rojen maintained his faint smile.
"If I'm not mistaken, Fish-Man Island is currently Whitebeard's territory, correct? The flag flying over your island is the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates, is it not?"
"As the ruler representing that island, would forming an alliance with us not create problems?"
Neptune's expression stiffened briefly before he answered quickly.
"Fish-Man Island is indeed under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates. The New World is constantly turbulent; only Whitebeard can guarantee our island's safety. It is precisely because of the Whitebeard Pirates' support over these years that Fish-Man Island has managed to maintain even its superficial stability."
Neptune sighed as he spoke.
"However, I believe Father would not object to Fish-Man Island forming alliances with others."
"Is that so?"
The Den Den Mushi's expression became somewhat meaningful.
Then it spoke again.
"What if I asked you to take down Whitebeard's flag?"
"What?!"
Neptune was stunned. He shot to his feet, his enormous body slamming into the table and making it shake violently.
"Replace it with another flag. Would you dare?"
The voice from the Den Den Mushi remained calm, as though discussing something utterly insignificant.
"Your Majesty Akatsuki, do you realize what you are saying?"
Removing the Whitebeard Pirates' flag carried far too grave a meaning for Fish-Man Island. It would signify severing themselves from Whitebeard's protection. At that point, the savage pirates roaming the seas would tear Fish-Man Island apart without mercy; the entire island would face destruction.
"If you agree, the Barut Kingdom can advance and retreat together with you, forming a true alliance of life and death."
"I believe you understand what that means."
The Den Den Mushi answered calmly.
Neptune's pupils contracted.
Naturally, he understood the implications behind those words.
A life-and-death alliance meant that the Barut Kingdom and Fish-Man Island would establish genuine ties. In the future, the two nations would be as close as brothers.
More importantly, it would greatly advance relations between Fish-Men and humans.
On a smaller scale, one could even say they would already have achieved peaceful coexistence between Fish-Men and humans.
This carried tremendous, era-defining significance!
As long as this first step was taken, proving to the world that Fish-Men and humans truly could stand together, then the proposal endlessly debated within the World Council would naturally begin moving in a direction favorable to Fish-Men.
Fish-Men would truly step out into the outside world, into the world itself!
"This…"
Neptune hesitated.
Compared to Whitebeard's protection, this proposal was undeniably more tempting.
After all, Whitebeard was already old. No one knew how much longer the Whitebeard Pirates would endure. But if the two nations truly formed a life-and-death alliance, it would mean that for a long period in the future, Fish-Man Island could maintain stability and security. The safety of the Fish-Men could also be guaranteed.
Moreover, with Barut's formidable national strength, even if Fish-Man Island encountered danger, their allied brother nation would certainly do everything possible to aid them.
The only pressure they would need to face… would be the wrath of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Do you need time to think it over?"
Rojen's voice was calm, carrying a faint smile. He did not press the matter further.
"To be honest, Your Majesty Akatsuki, your proposal is incredibly enticing. I very much want to agree."
Neptune gave a bitter smile.
"But the pressure from Whitebeard… Fish-Man Island truly cannot withstand it. I genuinely need time to consider."
"And what confuses me is this: what benefits could your Barut Kingdom possibly gain from allying with Fish-Man Island?"
He was not naïve enough to believe the other side would help the Fish-Men unconditionally.
Although an alliance could create mutual benefits, the gains Fish-Man Island could offer were far smaller than what Fish-Man Island itself would receive.
"Neptune, simply establishing friendship with Fish-Man Island is already an immense benefit. I believe that, as a king, if you extend your vision a little further into the future, you should be able to understand."
Rojen's voice remained even.
Naturally, he had no intention of making a losing deal.
As a nation, Fish-Man Island possessed numerous powerful individuals. Having never established diplomatic relations with the outside world, the potential benefits to be drawn from such ties would certainly be far from small.
The collision of economies and cultures could produce countless opportunities.
Neptune froze.
He truly did not understand.
Where exactly… were the benefits?
(End Of This Chapter)
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