Fishman District.
"Achoo!!"
Arlong suddenly choked while holding up a wine jug, spraying a huge mouthful of liquor.
The ones closest—Hody Jones, Dosun, and the others—were instantly drenched.
Wiping the messy mix of wine and spit from their faces, everyone looked toward Arlong with concern.
"What's wrong, Arlong?"
"You okay?!"
"..."
"I'm fine! Really sorry about that, Jones."
Arlong let out a hearty laugh.
He didn't even know what happened—just suddenly felt a chill down his neck and choked.
This Fishman District really was damp and bone-chilling. Not a place fit for anyone to live.
"It's no problem. Just a small thing."
"Yeah, no big deal."
Arlong glanced up at the grand pearl dome above Fishman Island—that was where true fishmen should live.
But to make that dream a reality... it would take everyone's efforts.
He raised his voice to rally his brothers.
"Eat up! Drink up!"
"Ooohhh!!"
...
Elsewhere.
The palace where the princes Fukaboshi and Ryuboshi resided.
Guards lay strewn all over the ground in disarray.
Fukaboshi and Ryuboshi huddled together in fear, staring at the cause of the carnage before them.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"If my father shows up, he'll have you executed!"
Kuro stared blankly at the two oversized children and their feeble threats.
With no more witnesses around, it was time to use a trick Arlong didn't know.
The princes blinked—and in that instant, the figure in front of them vanished.
The next moment, a sharp blow landed on their necks, knocking them unconscious.
Kuro stuffed the two merfolk princes into his bag and swam upward.
Splash, splash!
The Right Minister finally arrived, leading a team of guards—but far too late.
With pain and fury in his eyes, he looked up at Kuro.
Along the path behind him, chunks of Fishman guards floated freely through the corridors of Ryugu Palace.
The seawater had turned blood-red. Organs of every color drifted with the currents.
Even with Neptune's fifty years of experience, his heart had never felt this heavy.
It was his own foolishness—revoking Arlong's palace guard status had backfired.
That decision had allowed this scum to sneak into Ryugu Palace unnoticed.
"Arlong! Leave my sons behind!!!"
Neptune's arms—larger and sturdier than most men's—tensed with rage.
Muscles and tendons bulged, and the surrounding currents solidified around him.
He grabbed hold of the ocean itself and hurled it at Kuro.
"Fishman Jujutsu!!!"
A ten-meter-wide, tornado-like stream shot up toward Kuro.
There was no intent to let him escape alive.
Kuro, just breaching the water's surface, saw the roaring torrent below and cursed under his breath.
Troublesome.
The Jet Dial under his foot activated with a roar, launching him higher and widening the distance.
Below, the spiraling stream tore through the sea like an enraged dragon.
The Right Minister and his guards, still swimming upward, watched with bated breath.
The palace invader was about to be brought down by King Neptune himself.
He had completed his mission. There was no need to tangle with Neptune here.
At the same time, he pulled out a shiny silver shell from his chest and pressed it.
BZZZZZZ!
A blinding light burst from above.
All of Ryugu Palace was instantly engulfed in white.
Every guard and soldier lost their vision in a flash.
Moments later...
When the light faded and they looked up—
There was no one there.
Neptune's fists clenched tightly, cracking with tension. He ground his teeth and growled from deep within:
"Arlong!!!"
...
Moments later.
The weapons that Señor Pink had stashed long ago were unleashed.
Ryugu Palace, which had banned them for decades, was completely overrun.
Squads of palace soldiers, riding giant flatfish, flew across the skies toward the outer edges of Fishman Island.
The show of force was so overwhelming that every citizen could see it clearly.
"What's going on?! What happened?!"
"Is Fishman Island under attack by pirates?!"
"Even King Neptune himself has gone out!"
"That direction... that's Fishman District!"
"…"
All of it was clearly visible from Fishman District.
The sawshark fishman Jeo came running frantically to report.
"Bad news, Arlong-sama! Neptune's brought the fight to our doorstep!"
Before Arlong could speak, his underlings were already shouting with righteous anger.
"What the hell?! Neptune dares attack us first?!"
"We didn't even go after his worthless life—that's thanks to Arlong-sama's mercy!"
"Right?!"
Arlong raised a hand to silence the chaos.
"Grab your weapons. Let's go see what he wants."
By the time Arlong reached the edge of Fishman District—
Ryugu Palace's guards were already glaring, encircling the entire exit.
As Arlong and his men appeared, the guards parted, forming a path.
Neptune stood at the center, holding a fully golden trident, trying to restrain the fury burning inside.
"Arlong! What do you want?! Hand over Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, the Left Minister, and the honored guest from the Donquixote Family!"
He'd originally planned to attack the District outright.
But remembering Otohime's mercy and compassion for all her kin—he chose to give them one last chance.
"?!"
A giant question mark popped into Arlong's mind.
He stared at Neptune's hostile expression, annoyed.
He wasn't even pissed about them showing up like this—but Neptune's sour face was really ticking him off.
What gave him the right?
"Neptune, what the hell are you talking about? Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, the Left Minister? I've never even stepped into Ryugu Palace! And also—"
"That's not you?!"
Neptune's roar cut him off mid-sentence.
He threw out a printed surveillance photo.
"Take a good look! Is this not you, Arlong?!"
Dosun quickly snatched the papers mid-air and held them up for Arlong to see.
Hody Jones also leaned over to get a look.
Suspicious expressions started appearing on the faces of the surrounding fishmen.
That nose... that build... that Laser Dial... other than the clothes, this really did look like Arlong...
Feeling the gazes around him grow sharper, Arlong mumbled in his mind.
Should I just admit it?
No, damn it—I've never even been there!
This is slander.
Regaining his senses, Arlong was furious. He raised his Laser Dial and shouted at Neptune with rage.
"I'M TELLING YOU—THAT'S TMD NOT ME!!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg