Brian was equally astonished by Otohime's appearance.
Especially when he saw Tiger Girl descending from the sky while holding a massive fish tank, he could hardly keep his composure.
Though she was his subordinate, he had to admit:
That Tiger Girl, she's really something!
Brian covered his face, took a moment to collect himself, then chose to ignore Tiger Girl and turned his attention to Otohime, who was still asleep.
Regardless of why Otohime had deviated from the original storyline, one thing remained true in this world: the strong ruled. And now, Otohime was his.
Initially, Otohime had been captured by Marcus, but Marcus couldn't hold onto her—proof of his incompetence.
Chinjao became Otohime's second owner, but he too was useless and failed to keep her.
"After passing through the hands of two worthless owners, Otohime, you've finally fallen into my grasp. This is your fate."
Gazing at Otohime—the future Fish-Man Island Queen Consort—inside the fish tank, Brian's eyes were resolute.
Once something fell into his hands, there was no chance he'd ever give it up.
This was essentially cucking Neptune in advance.
The next Fish-Man Island Queen Consort?
Brian: Never heard of her. What are you planning to do with my mermaid?
Neptune would be crying his eyes out in the bathroom—his wife had flown away decades ahead of schedule.
"Wait, hold on~"
"Now that Otohime is in my hands, what will happen to Shirahoshi in the future?"
"Could I even have a child like Shirahoshi with her? We're different species, after all."
"Or will fate adjust itself, ensuring Shirahoshi still becomes Neptune's daughter, just with a different mother?"
"It seems I'll have to visit Fish-Man Island when I get the chance."
His thoughts raced. As for Shirahoshi, one of the three Ancient Weapons in the original storyline, Brian naturally wanted her under his control.
"Mmm~"
Perhaps sensing Brian's intensely possessive gaze, Otohime, who had been sleeping soundly in the fish tank, suddenly stirred. "What's going on? I feel so cold while sleeping. This shouldn't be happening."
Rubbing her eyes, her voice soft and childlike, Otohime woke from her slumber.
Brian walked straight over, crouched down, and met her blue eyes through the crystal tank.
"Ah!!!"
"Ahhh!!!"
Otohime immediately launched a sonic attack, screaming at Brian through the fish tank.
However, her gentle, delicate voice made it sound more like coquettish whining than a real threat.
"Who are you? Where are those other jerks?"
"Those four bad guys never fed me properly and wouldn't let me sleep. They're so mean."
"Wahh, these past few days have been awful. I haven't had cake in so long."
"Bastards, bastards, bastards! How dare they lock me in this stupid fish tank? I'm so mad!"
"And that big fat one—he was the meanest, always yelling at me."
"That mountain-like guy too, he always glared at me with a dark expression and never let me eat."
"Wahh, I'm never running away from home again,"
Otohime continued to ramble on and on.
Brian couldn't get a word in edgewise, watching the scene unfold with a darkened expression.
"Shut up!"
With a grim face, Brian directly intimidated Otohime into silence.
As a woman born with Observation Haki, Otohime's intuition told her she needed to behave.
Fortunately, the little Fish-Man girl didn't sense any clear malice from Brian, and her fear gradually subsided.
After a moment, she spoke timidly, her voice becoming ethereal and childish.
"Who are you?"
"Your master from now on!"
"What's a master? Is it edible? I'm hungry."
"Accept me as your master, and I'll give you food."
"Okay, then you're my master."
The naive little Otohime verbally acknowledged her master without hesitation.
Brian nodded, plucked a rice ball from his face, and tossed it into the fish tank.
"Eat this rice ball first."
"Oh, a rice ball! Okay~"
Mua
Without hesitation, Otohime scooped up the rice ball in the water, examined it briefly, and popped it into her mouth.
She was truly hungry, swallowing it immediately.
"Is that good enough?"
After eating the rice ball, Otohime looked up at Brian and spoke.
"Hmm... It seems it really doesn't work. The Fish-Man Tribe and mermaids are genetically still part of the human race, not animals."
Brian sensed that his Millet-Millet Fruit hadn't formed a connection with Otohime.
Clearly, Otohime hadn't been tamed by the rice ball.
He had been somewhat prepared for this outcome.
In the original work, the mermaid race was classified as part of the human race.
Not as animals, even though they have fish tails.
No matter. If needed, he could just get her to eat a Zoan-type Devil Fruit later.
Though that would mean she couldn't swim freely in water anymore. Better to take things step by step.
Crack~
Splash splash~
After pondering, Brian raised his hand over the fish tank, and shattering sounds followed.
The massive fish tank completely broke under his control, seawater flooding the floor, but Otohime remained completely unharmed.
Brian reached out and lifted the small Otohime from the crystal tank.
Splash~
Splash~
After leaving the tank, Otohime's fish tail flapped continuously, seeming somewhat unaccustomed to the air.
Dog Girl immediately brought a spare cloak and wrapped it around Otohime's slender body.
"Cleanup complete. Preparing to return."
Carrying this unexpected "spoils of war" in his arms, Brian turned and walked outward.
Mission accomplished, retreat!
Otohime clung to Brian's shoulder, staring in shock at the island reduced to ruins and stained with blood.
She immediately hugged Brian tightly, burying her head in his shoulder.
Having overly strong Observation Haki wasn't always good—Otohime seemed to hear countless wails exploding in her ears.
This was due to too many deaths on the island.
Today, this island had truly suffered greatly.
Over a thousand pirates had lost their lives here, the entire island dyed red with blood.
An aura of death enveloped the whole island. Anyone with insufficient strength witnessing this scene would be scared out of their wits on the spot.
Otohime was only seven years old, inherently small and weak, and had been starved for several days.
With her overly strong Observation Haki and multiple negative factors stacking up, it would be unnatural if she weren't terrified.
Her body's instinct made her wrap her small arms tightly around Brian's neck, wishing she could shrink entirely into his embrace.
At this moment, Brian was her only lifeline.
"Hmm!!!"
Noticing her unusual state, Brian finally realized she couldn't hold on any longer.
With a cold snort, Conqueror's Haki instantly erupted, surrounding his body with numerous red lightning bolts.
In that instant, Conqueror's Haki swept across the island that had become deathly silent due to too many deaths.
Thump~
Like the evening drum and morning bell, after the Conqueror's Haki swept through, the deathly stagnant state was completely cleared away.
The deathly aura vanished directly, and the dark clouds in the sky were instantly dispersed.
Warm sunlight fell upon the island, making people feel cozy and warm.
Otohime immediately relaxed, finally feeling comfortable.
This small incident left a strong impression on her young heart.
Brian's warm image also began to take root and sprout in her young heart————
"Hmm~~~"