Daken's death struck the hearts of all fish-men like a heavy hammer.
Brian's brutality and resolve were laid bare for all to see.
After the execution, Brian gave no one a moment to catch their breath. He paid no further attention to the massive crowd below, turning instead to Aegir and his son behind him.
"Aegir, it's your turn."
Whoosh~
As soon as Brian finished speaking, a huge wave of commotion swept through the square.
The fish-men and merfolk, already panicked after witnessing the execution and emotionally unstable, were thrown into further turmoil by this sudden development. It felt like they were being pushed to the brink.
"Understood, Mr. Brian."
"Citizens, I am Aegir, King of the Ryugu Kingdom. In recent times, the rebellion incited by Daken and others within our nation has caused irreparable and immense losses to our Fish-Man Island. As King, I am deeply pained by this."
"Now that the esteemed members of the Rocks Pirates have arrived, Fish-Man Island has finally welcomed peace once more. This is an extremely fortunate event for our entire island and nation."
"After unanimous deliberation by the Ryugu Kingdom's leadership, we have decided to fully join the ranks of the Rocks Pirates. Henceforth, we shall be one of the forces under Lord Brian's command. I hope for your understanding and support."
At this point, Aegir's expression grew slightly more solemn as he continued.
"To fully integrate into the Rocks Pirates and to ensure the safety of our citizens' lives and property in the future."
"The Royal Army will take the lead, assisted by Lord Brian's Beast Girl Legion. We are about to conduct a thorough purge of Fish-Man Island."
"The targets of this purge primarily include all remaining followers of Daken, as well as all unstable elements who harbor hatred towards humans and seek to disrupt the peace of Fish-Man Island!"
"Therefore, I earnestly request all citizens present: from this moment on, please do not move about arbitrarily or wander freely, lest you be mistaken for enemies and purged alongside them."
Whoosh~
As soon as Aegir finished, another huge wave of commotion surged through the square.
The fish-men and merfolk, already panicked after the execution and emotionally unstable, were thrown into further turmoil by this new wave. It truly felt like they were being given no chance to breathe.
Moreover, this was an order issued by the King himself—legitimate and righteous, occupying the moral high ground. There really was no room for opposition.
Indeed, even Tiger, Jinbe, and the other fish-men nearby, though their faces were dark with displeasure, ultimately dared not utter a single word of dissent.
It must be known that one of the primary targets of the purge was the Fish-Man District.
"Berlos, Leona! You two take Ella, Feixue, Aola, and Mia—the four Ancient Species Beast Girls—along with all the Rear Admiral Beast Girls, and head swiftly to the Fish-Man District! Show no mercy to anyone who resists!"
"Agni, you and Griffin take the remaining Ancient Species Beast Girls and conduct a focused investigation of Ryugu Palace and the surrounding high-ranking officials!"
Brian issued his final command with casual indifference. The Beast Girls surged forth like caged beasts unleashed, wielding absolute force as they began a thorough purge of Fish-Man Island.
Leading the charge, naturally, were the royal guards, divided into two groups.
This sweep yielded more "surprises" than anticipated.
Under the iron-fisted investigation led by Rear Admiral Beast Girls like Tiger Girl Yin and Leopard Girl Xuan, over a hundred die-hard loyalists of Daken and numerous criminals attempting to sow panic amidst the chaos were rooted out from the Fish-Man District.
However, the true shock occurred within Ryugu Palace itself.
Through the combined efforts of Griffin and Agni—leveraging the Mythical Zoan's acute sensitivity to auras and their mastery of Haki—they managed to uncover several deeply embedded Cipher Pol Aigis Zero agents hidden among the Ryugu guards and high-ranking advisors.
These agents had disguised themselves as capable officials of Ryugu, lurking beside King Aegir for years, continuously stealing intelligence and attempting to create division and chaos within Fish-Man Island to facilitate better control by the World Government.
One of them had even become the most trusted guard captain of Prince Neptune!
When Griffin's Wind Blade tore away the guard captain's disguise, revealing the World Government emblem on his chest, King Aegir and Prince Neptune were utterly stunned.
"CP0!?" Neptune's fury was completely ignited.
Brian watched coldly as the agents, their flesh scorched and split open by Agni's flames yet still attempting to remain silent, his eyes gleaming with ruthless killing intent.
"The World Government's loyalty is truly commendable."
Brian mocked, "King Aegir, Prince Neptune, do you still believe I am enslaving you now?"
Faced with irrefutable evidence, King Aegir was completely disheartened.
He finally understood that Brian was right—the World Government had never regarded Fish-Man Island as an ally, but merely as a disposable pawn.
"Lord Brian, I understand," King Aegir said weakly. "From this day forward, Fish-Man Island is a vassal of the Rocks Pirates, with unwavering loyalty."
Brian stood on the high platform, looking down at the bound CP0 agents below and the entire Ryugu Palace now under the control of the Beast Girls.
He knew Fish-Man Island was now completely under his grasp.
"Good," Brian said with a satisfied smile.
"Agni, make an example of them. Do it thoroughly, right in front of everyone, and be sure to record the images."
"Once today's affairs are concluded, I will send a grand gift to the Five Elders and the World Government."
As if thinking of something amusing, a wicked smile curled at the corner of Brian's lips.
No matter how weak Fish-Man Island might be, it was still a member nation of the World Government.
For the World Government to plant CP0 agents within, even right beside the king—what were they planning?
If Fish-Man Island, located ten thousand meters beneath the sea, was in such a state, who could guarantee that the kings of other nations weren't also surrounded by hidden CP0 agents?
Trust was not an infinite resource————
And so, these exposed and half-dead agents were surrounded by raging flames in full view of the crowd, continuously burning until they could no longer endure and began to scream.
Their agonized cries persisted until they died in torment, all witnessed by the gathered fish-men, who grew increasingly fearful.
Every moment of this scene was meticulously recorded by a small Visual Den Den Mushi nearby, leaving nothing unrecorded.
This Den Den Mushi would soon become the spark that ignited massive tremors across the world.
Daken's execution and the burning of World Government agents marked the bloody beginning of Brian's rule over Fish-Man Island.
Yet the true horror did not lie in the sunlight, but in the directives issued by Brian and carried out by the Beast Girl Legion, spreading to every corner of Fish-Man Island.
Brian intended not only to eliminate all who resisted, but to utterly shatter the spiritual backbone of Fish-Man Island, making submission the sole law of survival.
Under Brian's orders, the Beast Girl Legion began a deeper, more thorough purge—this time targeting the dismantling of social structures and cultural resistance.