Chapter 182: Queen Otohime
"You know Queen Otohime?" Kurumi narrowed her eyes at Eric. "What else are you hiding from us? Spill everything."
"Mm-hmm." Akame nodded. "I've been with Eric the longest, yet I know nothing about this."
"I've never met Queen Otohime. She's probably only heard of our exploits? After all, we've done plenty of things that shocked the world."
"Inviting a criminal who slaughtered a Celestial Dragon into her home—this woman's got guts."
"She's kind-hearted, and also has a rather fragile constitution."
Everyone: "And you're still claiming you don't know her!"
The group rode a whale upward toward the palace.
'Anyway, there's no one on Fish-Man Island who can stop us. It wouldn't hurt to meet this admirable woman. The only concern is that the palace is supposedly filled with seawater. With so many Devil Fruit users on board, we could be taken out in one go.'
Eric leaned close to Porche's ear and whispered, "Be ready to open an Air Door at any time, got it?"
Porche nodded. Thanks to her recent training, she could now open an Air Door and escape quickly and efficiently.
As they arrived at the entrance to the Ryugu Palace corridor, a guard handed Eric and Esdeath a pink object.
"What's this?"
"Bubble Coral—a tool that easily produces bubbles. The interior of Ryugu Palace is mostly filled with seawater. You'll need to be properly enclosed in these bubbles."
Transparent bubbles emerged from the tail end, surrounding Eric and the others.
"Amazing. Captain-kun, let me borrow one for research~"
…
Passing through the waterway connecting Fish-Man Island and Ryugu Palace, they were met with the stunning sight of a magnificent underwater palace. Bathed in sunlight, its walls shimmered with rainbow hues, and a golden dragon curled above the palace, emerging from behind.
Through the transparent bubbles, the view of vibrant, colorful fish swimming past was far more breathtaking than anything seen in an aquarium.
"So beautiful… I've never seen such a gorgeous castle."
"I've seen bigger castles before (like the Imperial Capital), but none as beautiful as this one. Eric, what kind of wedding hall do you like? I like—"
"My, my, don't go arranging weddings on your own!"
"Welcome, members of the Dawn Pirates, to Ryugu Palace!"
A woman in elegant attire and a tall merman appeared before them.
"I am Neptune, King of Fish-Man Island. This is my wife, Queen Otohime."
As captain, Eric stepped forward. "Thank you, King Neptune and Queen Otohime, for inviting us to Ryugu Palace."
"I've heard much of your deeds. From the guards, I learned that Lord Eric rescued a merman from the Celestial Dragons and saved a mermaid at a slave auction. Please allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude."
Queen Otohime stepped aside and gestured, "Please, come in. The banquet is ready."
Upon entering the palace's main hall, the group was slightly disappointed. Having expected ornate decor, the dimly lit underwater interior didn't compare to the vibrant exterior.
Still, a closer look revealed the interior was quite grand—its dullness due only to limited light.
Guests and hosts took their seats. Aromatic dishes were pushed in on carts by palace staff.
As Eric stuffed his face, random thoughts popped into his head. 'There's so much seawater here, but somehow none of it got into the food…'
Midway through the banquet, Queen Otohime finally spoke. "Lord Eric, may I ask your thoughts on peaceful coexistence between humans and fish-men?"
"I admire your ideals," Eric set down his utensils. "I don't see much difference between fish-men and humans: we can converse, you live on land, your intelligence is equal, and there's no reproductive barrier…"
Perona muttered under her breath, "That last one's what he really wanted to say."
Ignoring her jab, Eric continued, "But ultimately, this is just an ideal…"
"No!" Queen Otohime rebuked loudly. "It's not just an ideal. If both sides would let go of their hatred—"
"Like collecting signatures from fish-men?"
Queen Otohime froze. "Y-You know about that?"
"Please, don't call me 'Lord Eric.' Let's speak as equals," Eric waved it off.
During all this, King Neptune remained silent and sullen. He disliked humans but couldn't overrule his wife, so he simply watched her converse passionately with a pirate.
"Queen Otohime, collecting signatures isn't enough. You haven't addressed the root problem. Solving secondary issues won't solve the real conflict."
"And what is the root problem?"
Eric fell silent—he honestly had no idea what the core issue between fish-men and humans was.
Porche and the Carla-Kana sisters looked at him with sparkling eyes. Their captain was so amazing—he understood everything!
If he admitted he didn't know, that towering image would crumble in an instant!
Choosing his words carefully, Eric spoke slowly, "The main issue is the contempt humans have for fish-men, and the hatred fish-men hold toward humans. Asking only the fish-men to forgive doesn't solve what's wrong on the human side."
Queen Otohime nodded sincerely.
"So you need to make humans on land feel that the fish-men are indispensable. That's extremely difficult. Human disdain for fish-men has lasted so long—changing that perception won't happen overnight."
Queen Otohime placed her hands over her heart and declared passionately, "I will change how humans see the fish-men. We will coexist in peace!"
Her emotional declaration stirred the room. Perhaps it was her Observation Haki, capable of evoking deep empathy… but Eric believed it was her sincerity that moved people.
"It's not enough."
Queen Otohime asked anxiously, "Lord Eric, what else is missing?" In the past, she had to collect signatures alone. Now that someone was offering advice, she was eager to listen.
"There's more to it—like the issue of strength."
"Strength?" Queen Otohime was puzzled. What did strength have to do with it?
"When the value of the fish-men rises, some people will use underhanded means—kidnapping, trafficking, slavery… those things will follow."
Lant and the two sisters remained composed, but King Neptune began to breathe heavily. He recalled the events of ten years ago, when pirates stormed Fish-Man Island to capture mermaids for human trafficking.
"If Whitebeard hadn't been protecting you, Fish-Man Island wouldn't be this peaceful. But how old is Whitebeard now? How much longer can he protect you?"
Queen Otohime bowed her head. That was a problem she couldn't solve.
"Also, your people aren't united. In the dark corners of this island, evil is festering."
"No, our people are very—"
"Humans have both good and bad—fish-men are the same!" Eric interrupted. "To you, Whitebeard is a savior. But to the World Government, he's a pirate—a wanted criminal!"
"Everything has two sides—what benefits one, may harm another."
His words left Queen Otohime silent.
"Your real task is to improve the lives of fish-men, unite them, and root out the evil factions within."
"I can reform them with words…"
"No. They're pure embodiments of malice. Not even your Observation Haki can change them."
Queen Otohime was stunned. "Lord Eric, you know my ability?"
Eric nodded. "Fish-Man Island has groups in dire poverty, and criminal gangs crowd the Fish-Man District. Hatred is building among them. One day, they'll Dragon this island into hell."
Eric thought to himself: 'As thanks for your hospitality… I'll go clean out those fish scraps for you.'
(END CHAPTER)
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