One Piece: Rayquaza of the Beasts Pirates

"Everyone, run!"

……

Kane ignored the panicked crowd and gazed into the distance, where the Dragon Palace was clearly visible.

The group didn't have to wait long before a dark mass of figures suddenly appeared on the distant waterway, rapidly heading towards the port.

Leading the group was an extremely burly and imposing male mermaid, wearing a golden crown and wielding a massive trident.

Neptune.

The king of Fishman Island.

Chapter 117 The Death of Queen Otohime! Fishman Town!

"Kane the Scourge, what are you doing on Fishman Island?!"

Neptune, perched atop a crowned whale, roared, "This is Whitebeard's territory! Do you want to start a war with the Whitebeard Pirates?!"

The heavily armed mermen soldiers around him looked panicked, but they still mustered their courage and pointed their weapons at Kane and his group.

Surprisingly, that's bold.

Kane looked up to meet Neptune's gaze, a smile playing on his lips. "No need to be so tense, Neptune. I'm here to discuss a collaboration."

"cooperate?"

Neptune frowned.

"As a gift..."

As Kane spoke, his gaze seemed to glance almost imperceptibly at a furtive dark figure lurking in the shadows of the coral reef in the distance, before turning back to Neptune and uttering a startling statement: "I can tell you the truth about Queen Otohime's murder."

"what!"

The three merman princes accompanying him were struck dumb, as if by lightning.

Wasn't my mother shot by a human?

Could there be some hidden story behind this?

Prince Shark Star, disregarding etiquette, cried out anxiously, "What did you say?! Who is the real culprit who killed my mother?"

Kane did not answer directly. He simply surveyed the tense atmosphere and the menacing soldiers around him, and said calmly, "Shall we talk here? Is this how Fishman Island treats its guests?"

Neptune's massive chest heaved violently as he stared intently at Kane, seemingly trying to discern the truthfulness of his words and the underlying intentions.

He remained silent for a long while, then slowly withdrew his trident, bowed slightly, and gestured for him to enter, saying:

"It was my rudeness. Please follow me to the Dragon Palace. I will treat you with the courtesy due to a king."

So, Kane, along with Yamato, Robin, and several other core members, boarded a ship carried by sea monsters and headed towards the Dragon Palace, a castle-like structure located at the highest point of Fishman Island.

Meanwhile, at the port below.

The shadowy figure that had been hiding in the shade of the coral reef, spying on Kane and his group, turned around hastily and fled the port at top speed, running back to the base camp without stopping.

Fishman Street.

Located in the most remote and darkest corner of Fishman Island, this place is a gathering place for many idle fishman hooligans and thugs, and is rarely visited by serious fishmen or mermaids.

"Boss Hody, something terrible has happened!"

The fishman thug, returning from eavesdropping, stumbled and scrambled into a dimly lit hall, shouting in a panic that he had found the true ruler of Fishman Street—the Great White Shark Man, Hody Jones.

He was panting heavily: "The Beasts Pirates have arrived at Fishman Island. Their leader is Calamity Kane!"

"what?!"

The hall erupted in an uproar.

One of the fish-men, who paid some attention to the outside news, seemed to remember something and said uneasily, "I... I remember now! The newspapers from a while ago! Was it because Whitebeard interfered in their war with the Red-Haired Pirates, so they held a grudge and came to our Fish-Man Island to vent their anger and take revenge?"

"That would be terrible if that were the case!" another fishman's voice trembled. "Whitebeard isn't on the island right now. Can Jinbe alone hold off Kane?"

Just as everyone was gripped by panic and murmured amongst themselves, a thunderous shout rang out from the head of the table.

"Shut up!"

The tall, muscular, and menacing-looking Hody Jones abruptly stood up from his seat, his sinister gaze sweeping over his uneasy subordinates.

Seeing that they all fell silent under his oppressive gaze, he nodded in satisfaction.

"What's the panic? The Beast Pirates are nothing but a bunch of humans! How could they possibly be a match for us noble fish-men? Don't forget, this is ten thousand meters deep in the ocean! It's our territory!"

Does Hody's reliance on Jinbe for everything mean he's weak?

He holds an absolute trump card in his hand, enough to overthrow Fishman Island.

"Yes, yes."

"That's right! There's absolutely no need to be afraid of them!"

His shout seemed to have given many fishmen a sense of direction, and they all suddenly realized the truth.

This is Fishman Island, their home turf. There's absolutely no need for them to be afraid of human pirates.

Among the crowd, only a few fishmen who were still clear-headed showed a hint of worry in their eyes.

The deep sea is the deep sea, but the Beasts Pirates are no ordinary pirates.

Just then, the merman who had returned with the news seemed to remember something and hurriedly added, "Oh right, that Kane, he just told Neptune that he knows the truth about Queen Otohime's death!"

"Huh? Wasn't Queen Otohime killed by a human pirate?"

"That Kane is definitely talking nonsense, trying to attract attention!"

Most of the fishmen didn't take it seriously, casually gossiping, completely unaware of their leader Hody's slowly stiffening expression.

Dragon Palace.

This area is enclosed by a single, enormous bubble.

After encasing themselves in a bubble with bubble coral, Kane and his companions passed through the bubbles of Fishman Island and finally entered the magnificent Dragon Palace.

"Hey! Kane, look!"

Yamato excitedly pointed to a giant dragon sculpture perched atop the highest point of Ryugu Castle and exclaimed, "That sculpture looks just like Hiyori's beast form!"

It's probably similar to Kaido's beast form.

The father resembles the son.

Kane glanced at Yamato speechlessly, then turned to look at the enormous dragon sculpture.

Aside from the color, the shape and expression are indeed extremely similar to the Azure Dragon Fruit.

According to Vegapunk, Devil Fruits are created in response to people's wishes and represent the "possibilities" of humanity's pursuit of evolution.

Perhaps the Azure Dragon Fruit was created because of fish-men and mermaids.

After the brief incident, Neptune personally led the group into the magnificent Dragon Palace.

Here, Kane encountered a whale shark-man with wild, spiky eyebrows and sideburns, a rounded physique, and an air of fierce power.

He is Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

"Kane the Calamity, what brings you here from afar?" Jinbe asked in a deep voice.

Didn't you tell him?

Kane looked at Neptune, who was slightly taken aback and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Well... I was a little nervous and forgot."

Neptune then lowered his voice and quickly told Jinbe about Kane's so-called "cooperation" and... the gift.

After listening, Jinbe's gaze lingered on Kane for a long time.

He did not immediately voice his doubts or rebuttals, but simply fell silent.

In fact, he was present on the day Queen Otohime was murdered, and was one of the main forces who personally captured the human murderer.

To be honest, the appearance of that human killer was indeed full of suspicious points.

However, due to his grief and indignation at the time, coupled with Queen Otohime's dying wish, he suppressed all his doubts and did not delve into the matter.

Inside the Dragon Palace, in a luxurious and spacious banquet hall, a grand banquet is underway to welcome distinguished guests.

The table in front of Kane and his companions was laden with the island's unique and extremely fresh seafood delicacies, mainly consisting of various kinds of deep-sea fish cooked to perfection.

It's worth mentioning that Neptune and the other mermaids were not served any fish dishes; instead, they were presented with various giant shells and unidentified seaweed.

It is precisely because the merfolk do not eat fish and regard them as companions that they are born with the ability to communicate with fish.

Because fish-men eat fish, this ability is possessed only by a few kind-hearted fish-men.

(Sea creatures are not fish, so this does not prevent fishmen from taming them.)

Across the long table, Jinbe and several high-ranking officials from Ryugu Castle were keeping him company.

In the center of the banquet hall, a group of graceful and stunningly beautiful mermaid dancers were dancing to ethereal music, their fishtails reflecting a dreamlike luster under the lights.

Sanji has really fallen into a lucky hole; his eyes haven't blinked since he entered Fishman Island.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to Fishman Island!"

Neptune raised his glass in a welcoming address.

“Thank you, this is indeed a wonderful country.” Kane smiled and raised his glass in response, his manners impeccable.

Seeing Kane's amiable demeanor, Neptune felt somewhat relieved.

"Please, everyone, don't be shy, and enjoy this banquet to the fullest!"

Neptune downed his drink in one gulp, behaving like a genuinely hospitable host, making no mention of Queen Otohime, but instead warmly inviting Kane and his party to enjoy the food.

It must be said that this king was very composed.

Kane was happy to cooperate and, instead of getting to the point, began to focus on enjoying the food in front of him.

He elegantly used his silver fork to pierce a thick slice of fish with a beautifully marbled texture and put it into his mouth.

The tip of your tongue instantly experiences the perfect richness of the oil, melting slowly in your mouth like the finest cream, followed by an explosion of the unique, incredibly sweet flavor of deep-sea fish...

"good."

Kane raised an eyebrow, revealing a rather satisfied expression.