Watching Kuro's retreating figure, a mysterious smile flashed through Señor Pink's eyes.
However, it was well hidden behind the bridge of his sunglasses—no one noticed.
Señor Pink turned and began answering Neptune's earlier question.
"The immigration plan can be initiated at any time. It's just that for the first batch, it would be best to select citizens who don't hold hostility toward humans. That would make integrating into Sky Island life much easier."
"In addition, we could let Prince Fukaboshi and Prince Ryuboshi go to Sky Island. That would help ease Queen Otohime-sama's longing."
...
Listening to proposal after proposal that clearly benefited Fish-Man Island, Neptune nodded repeatedly and then pressed further.
"Does His Majesty Doflamingo have any intentions for the land of Fish-Man Island?"
The island's size could easily house a population in the millions.
Beyond that, it boasted an abundance of seafood and unique specialties that couldn't be found on the surface.
It also held a distinctive geographical position, making it extremely valuable for warfare.
To give it up just like that would be a waste.
"Don't worry, King Neptune. In exchange, the Boss will provide compensation..."
Just as Neptune was considering these proposals for the good of his people...
Outside the restroom, the Left Minister was waiting for his esteemed guest to emerge.
Inside, Kuro had just let go of his aching stomach.
He changed into a special black suit, completely sealed off from the outside environment.
Both his mouth and nose were covered by a device resembling fish-man gills.
This was a custom protective suit developed by Judge, designed based on the hydrodynamic coating techniques of Fish-Man Island.
Taking a deep breath, Kuro tapped the spherical bubble that surrounded him.
Pop!
Water from the Ryugug Palace instantly engulfed him.
He took two deep breaths and double-checked his suit for any gaps.
Then Kuro charged toward the door at full speed.
Bang!
The Left Minister stared blankly at the door, now dented with a perfect human-shaped impression.
Before he could even process what had just happened—
A series of crashes erupted from inside, accompanied by two distinct shouting voices.
"Damn it! You're attacking me while I'm using the toilet?!"
"Hahaha! Die, human!!"
...
The Left Minister froze, suddenly understanding the situation like a traumatized housewife in a soap opera.
Tugging his beard, waving his ram-headed staff in panic, he screamed:
"Guards! Guards!! Our honored guest is under attack—"
Boom!
His quacking voice cut off abruptly. Both hands clutched at the powerful hand gripping his throat.
He stared in terror at the fish-man in front of him, whose body was mostly concealed by armor.
"You... What are you doing?!"
"Obviously, I'm killing you, my dear Left Minister."
Footsteps echoed at the end of the corridor.
The fish-man spoke softly—but in Kuro's own voice.
"...?!"
The Left Minister's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Crack!
His head dropped, lifeless. The glassy fish-eye behind his monocle went dull.
This sight enraged the palace guards who had just arrived, shouting furiously with tridents raised:
"Left Minister!!!"
"Damn intruder! Surrender now—there's nowhere left to run!"
The corridor was packed tight with guards.
Royal Palace Guards.
But Kuro remained unfazed. He stuffed the Left Minister's corpse into a burlap sack and used it as a shield.
He pulled out a special alloy laser shell and activated it. A burning hot energy blade extended outward.
Laser Sword
The surrounding seawater immediately began to boil on contact.
Still unaware of what they were facing, the guards rushed forward with tridents raised, shouting commands.
"Stop resisting, intruder!"
"Put down the Left Minister!"
...
"How boring."
Kuro swept his weapon in a wide arc.
"AAAAHHH!!"
With blood-curdling screams, the guards were reduced to living grilled fish.
Twitching and writhing on the floor, they spilled the last of their life energy.
The once-clogged corridor instantly became clear.
This... was high-tech against cold weapons.
"This fish-man body isn't half bad."
Testing his speed underwater, Kuro swam in the direction of Prince Fukaboshi and Prince Ryuboshi.
...
Meanwhile, at the lively, music-filled banquet—
"Fish-Man District commissioned quite a few weapons from the family. You're aware of that, King Neptune?"
With the business talk out of the way, Señor Pink brought up the unstable situation in Fish-Man District.
"Ah... Yes, I know."
Neptune was startled at first, then fell silent.
Even though Ryugu Palace didn't exert full control over Fish-Man Island, Fish-Man District's comings and goings were known to him.
Back then, he turned a blind eye to the place. Now, did he really have the standing to rein them in?
"Since you already know, I won't say more. I simply hope King Neptune remains cautious of the Fish-Man District."
"After all, the Boss still hopes to forge an alliance with benevolent rulers like yourself and Queen Otohime-sama."
Seeing that Neptune still had no intention of supplying weapons, Señor Pink didn't press further.
He raised his wine glass slightly in a silent toast. A flicker of something crossed his mind.
"Kuro should've started by now."
"..."
Neptune fell deep into thought, pondering how to respond to a potential conflict with Fish-Man District.
Boom!
The sealed doors were flung open.
A guard stationed in the communication corridor burst in holding a photo, breathless and gasping.
"K-King Neptune, we've got... bad news!!"
The communication corridor was a special hallway on Fish-Man Island used for emergencies and intel.
It was equipped with surveillance systems and Den Den Mushi to quickly notify ministers and soldiers.
Seeing the guard in such a disgraceful panic, the Right Minister squinted his tiny eyes and snapped from his elongated mouth:
"Panicking like that! What a disgrace! What happened?!"
Right Minister.
Neptune silently nodded—he agreed. With distinguished guests present, the palace guards should uphold dignity and poise.
Señor Pink, watching their reactions, gave a subtle smile.
"Y-Yes, Right Minister!"
The guard took two deep breaths, then reported what he had seen on the monitors.
"A fish-man intruder has captured the Left Minister and is heading toward Prince Fukaboshi and Prince Ryuboshi's quarters."
"Damn it!" The Right Minister, who was just calm a moment ago, instantly erupted. "Where are the palace guards?! Are they all dead?!"
"They are dead!!" The guard's voice trembled with terror as he recalled the gruesome scene.
"The fish-man intruder is using a weapon that emits a light sword. The moment it touches someone, both the person and their weapon are sliced clean through!"
"...?!"
The Right Minister looked utterly lost.
To him, even a flintlock counted as high-tech. He couldn't even imagine what the guard just described.
"Ahem, that's a new family weapon. A laser shell," Señor Pink added casually.
"Señor Pink, sir—one of your family members was taken along too," the guard added.
"Damn it!!!"
Señor Pink, calm just a second ago, roared in fury.
"King Neptune, this has to be the work of the Fish-Man District!"
"They're the only ones who bought laser shells on the island!"
If Queen Otohime-sama were here, she'd have noticed the sharp contrast between the emotion in Señor Pink's voice and the cold smile behind it.
"Block Arlong! You must save Prince Fukaboshi and the Left Minister!!"
Neptune's beard was trembling with rage as he gave the order.
The guard handed over the printed surveillance photo.
Even though the intruder's outfit obscured his identity...
For someone who had always kept an eye on Fish-Man District—how could Neptune not recognize him?
That was clearly Arlong!
He had wanted to resolve things peacefully.
If all Fish-Man Island citizens could have a brighter future, then what did being king matter?
"Yes, King Neptune!!"
The Right Minister took the order and rushed toward Prince Fukaboshi's residence.
Neptune turned to the still-enraged Señor Pink and asked:
"Señor Pink, may I ask if your side brought any more weapons of that kind this time?"
"Of course!" Señor Pink declared, full of righteous indignation.
"To show our family's fury, this time, King Neptune, I'll sell them to you—half price!"
"..."
Neptune: This... this is the fury of the Donquixote Family? What a bunch of profiteers.
"Whatever's left—I'll take it all."
Without bothering to argue, he dropped that bold line and flicked his fish tail, stirring the current and speeding away.