At this moment, both Jinbe and Shyarly felt their minds buzzing.
Poseidon… was actually a person?
And not just anyone, but the Mermaid Princess of Fish-Man Island itself!
Their entire worldview was shattered.
Then they recalled what Oguro had said earlier… that Joy Boy's so-called promise was actually a restraint placed on the Mermaid Princess.
Jinbe hurriedly asked,
"What do you mean by 'restraint'?"
A cold smile appeared on Oguro's face.
Strictly speaking, this "restraint" was never explicitly stated in the original records.
But through analysis, Oguro was practically certain.
"You both know very well how powerful the Sea Kings are."
"If the Mermaid Princess truly wanted to return to the surface, with the Sea Kings escorting her, it would've been absurdly easy."
"But Joy Boy used a promise to make her abandon the use of Poseidon's power."
"After that, he simply declared his own failure, carved an apology letter, and made the Mermaid Princess give up on returning to the surface entirely."
At this point, Oguro's expression was filled with disdain.
"It's like this…"
"A Yonko decides to crush a Supernova."
"Then another Supernova volunteers to step in and 'help.'"
"When that help fails, he turns around and tells the Yonko, 'Forget it, don't fight anymore. Just go home.'"
"Tell me… is that actually helping?"
Or sabotaging?
Hiss—
Even Jinbe, who was usually mild-tempered, felt a surge of rage shoot straight to his head.
Helping?
That was outright sabotage!
Fish-Man Island's dream of hundreds of years!
The closest it had ever been to success!
And it failed just like that!
Joy Boy… you bastard!
At that moment, Jinbe found the apology letter unbearably offensive. He genuinely wanted to throw it away.
Shyarly was equally furious.
On Fish-Man Island, there was no one who didn't dream of returning to the surface.
Oguro nodded in satisfaction.
This explanation wasn't just venting. It was groundwork.
Because while Jinbe and the others didn't know this history, the royal family did.
They believed that one day, a new Joy Boy would appear to lead them back to the surface.
And that person, of course, was Monkey D. Luffy.
But Oguro thought…
Why trouble the so-called chosen one?
This was something he could handle just fine.
More importantly, Oguro was absolutely certain of one thing.
Luffy was unreliable.
As a small-team adventurer, Luffy might function well as a captain.
But when it came to matters of nations, politics, or the world order…
Luffy's only role was a fighter.
That's right.
Just a fighter.
People liked to point out how Luffy traveled the seas, saving one country after another.
But think carefully.
Alabasta was stabilized by Vivi and her family.
Skypiea had Gan Fall.
Fish-Man Island had Neptune.
Dressrosa had King Riku.
Wano had Momonosuke.
Luffy fought… and then left.
He never cared about what happened after the fighting ended.
What those countries became afterward had nothing to do with him.
If people said Luffy inherited Joy Boy's will to bring smiles to the world…
Oguro could accept that.
But calling him a savior?
Don't make him laugh.
Joy Boy didn't have that capability back then.
And Luffy not only lacked the capability… he didn't even have the intention.
From the very beginning, Luffy's goal had been to become Pirate King.
Why?
Because Pirate King meant being the freest person in the world.
The freedom Luffy pursued had always been his own freedom.
In the original timeline, Luffy declared he would knock Big Mom flying and make Fish-Man Island his territory.
And he did exactly that.
But what was the result?
Shirahoshi nearly got captured by a Celestial Dragon at Mary Geoise and turned into a pet.
What did Luffy do?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
That was your territory.
Maybe you were far away in the New World, unable to rush back.
But at the very least, you could've sent a message. Issued a warning. Made a statement.
Instead, they were practically shitting on his head, and Luffy didn't even let out a fart.
That alone proved one thing.
In Luffy's heart, territory didn't matter at all.
So what qualified him to be a savior?
If Fish-Man Island were Oguro's territory…
He wouldn't just bring it back to the surface.
He would provide protection.
If a Celestial Dragon dared to touch Shirahoshi…
Then Mary Geoise should prepare itself that very day.
Soi Fon's Bankai Nuke Raikōben would be coming.
And the one responsible would personally kneel before Fish-Man Island and apologize.
That was what a real leader did.
After finishing his explanation, Oguro prepared to head to the royal palace.
He had seen enough.
It was time to meet Neptune and discuss hanging the flag of the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire over Fish-Man Island.
The moment Jinbe heard Oguro wanted to see Neptune, panic flashed across his face.
By timing alone, Neptune should currently be welcoming representatives from the Big Mom Pirates.
If Oguro went now…
Wouldn't they run straight into them?
Jinbe immediately said,
"Your Majesty has toured many places today. Why not rest for a while first?"
"King Neptune has been handling state affairs these past two days and hasn't had time to properly prepare a reception."
"Tomorrow! Tomorrow, Fish-Man Island will definitely prepare the finest banquet for Your Majesty!"
A Fish-Man Island banquet…
Oguro remembered how extravagant it looked when he had seen it in his previous life.
He did want to experience it.
But wouldn't it be even better to celebrate after Fish-Man Island agreed to join?
"No need. This is already a good thing."
"If discussions go well with King Neptune, it'll be a joyous occasion for Fish-Man Island as well."
"We can hold the banquet together then."
Jinbe's back stiffened.
He blinked repeatedly, wanting to persuade him further, but had no idea what to say.
Shyarly reacted quickly and smiled.
"Your Majesty, King Neptune is still occupied with state matters. A rushed meeting would be discourteous."
"Why don't I take you somewhere nice to rest? Let Jinbe return and report first, so the palace can make some preparations."
Jinbe immediately nodded.
"Yes, yes! Relations between two nations shouldn't be treated lightly!"
Unfortunately, Jinbe was too honest.
The tension nearly spilling out of him was completely seen through by Oguro.
Thinking back to how the two of them had been subtly guiding him away from the city…
Oguro already had a rough guess.
"Are you trying to stop me from meeting Neptune because something's happened on Fish-Man Island?"
Oguro's gaze sharpened.
His Observation Haki spread out instantly, covering nearly the entire city.
Very quickly, he detected Neptune and his group gathered at the port.
Including the Left and Right Ministers…
And Neptune's three sons.
"That's quite the lineup," Oguro said calmly.
"What exactly is Neptune preparing to do?"
He directly exposed the situation at the port.
Both Jinbe and Shyarly were stunned.
This place was over ten kilometers from the harbor, yet Oguro could sense everything happening there.
Terrifying.
Seeing that the truth was already out, and that continuing to hide it might offend Oguro, Jinbe could only sigh and explain honestly.
After learning that the Big Mom Pirates were sending someone over, Oguro frowned slightly.
"Linlin moves fast," he muttered.
Unfortunately for her…
Fish-Man Island wasn't something he was willing to give up.
Not to anyone.