The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

"Jinbe, it's been a long time."

Otohime gave a curt, emotionless greeting, looking at the fish-man before her with a touch of nostalgia.

"Queen Otohime, why did you do this...?"

Jinbe's voice trembled as he looked at Otohime approaching in disbelief.

With his less-than-ideal Observation Haki, he could clearly sense that Fishman Island was undergoing a massacre.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

There were seven auras of the killers in total, and he could sense absolute danger from any of them.

It's fair to say that no matter which one he encounters, the outcome will be his death.

Upon seeing Gion beside Otohime, Jinbe's despair deepened.

Gion was Luther's most trusted swordsman, and could also be considered the strongest fighter in the Don Quixote family on the surface.

Wherever he went, bloodshed and carnage followed.

Now that Gion and Otohime have arrived at Fishman Island together, he already knows what fate Fishman Island might face.

"Why? Then I'd like to ask you the same question: why are you siding with the Allied Forces?" Otohime asked expressionlessly.

“The World Government killed Daddy. Daddy not only protected us, but was also His Majesty’s close friend for many years. How could we sit idly by?” Jinbe said in a hoarse voice.

Even now, he doesn't think there's anything wrong with the choices he and his friends made.

"You act on emotion, so you'd rather have the entire race perish with you?"

Princess Otohime narrowed her eyes slightly, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"You've changed, Queen Otohime. The old you would never have done what you're doing today."

Jinbe said in a deep voice, his eyes filled with resistance as he looked at Queen Otohime.

“I have changed, but it’s all for the sake of the race. Even if I hadn’t come today, you would still have been purged. Neptune could have seen that long ago.”

Seeing Jinbe silently lower his head, Otohime suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and sighed softly.

"Forget it, I'll just go find Neptune. There are some things you wouldn't understand."

As she spoke, she slowly walked towards Jinbe.

"Don't move, Queen Otohime! If you take another step forward, I will attack..."

Before Jinbe could finish his threatening words, Gion, who was standing nearby, had already made his move.

laugh! ! !

Kimbira's sharp blade pierced Jinbe's chest, pinning him to the palace gate.

"How is that possible..."

Jinbe suddenly coughed up blood, staring in horror at the knife stuck in his chest.

It's too fast, he can't stop it at all...

He had barely reacted and tried to block when Gion's sword pierced his heart.

With his abilities, at most he could only apply a layer of Armament Haki to his chest.

But in the face of Gion's sword, it was as fragile as paper.

In terms of both Armament Haki and speed, the two are not even in the same league.

Gion silently sheathed her sword, completely ignoring Jinbe who lay lifeless on the ground, and leisurely followed Otohime ahead.

She was the sharpest knife in Luther's hand, and also his most trusted personal swordsman.

Therefore, even if it meant enduring pain that no one else could bear, she would stand at the summit and follow Luther.

Now, she is undoubtedly the World Government's number one combat force on the surface.

Chapter 401 Conversation

Princess Otohime and her companion continued walking inwards, and after a while, they arrived inside the royal palace.

The palace's decor is not much different from when she left more than a decade ago. Neptune has never cared about these things, though she occasionally has ideas and will renovate the place.

However, it has been more than ten years since she last came back.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Princess Otohime slightly raised her head, her cold eyes looking at Neptune sitting on the throne.

They were once the closest of friends, but now they are the most estranged.

"Long time no see. I thought of countless people who might come, but I never thought it would be you."

Neptune stared intently at Otohime, his eyes filled with an indescribable disappointment.

He never imagined that Otohime would not only leave Fishman Island, but also bring outsiders to slaughter this place.

Do you know what you've done?

Otohime frowned slightly. She disliked Neptune's gaze, feeling both annoyed and amused.

While she was making efforts, Neptune not only didn't help, but actually only hindered her.

"Hmph, the World Government is evil. They don't like us fish-men at all. Don't you understand?" Neptune sneered.

"Evil and justice, right and wrong, are you still struggling with this?" Otohime said with a hint of disappointment.

“I am the king of the merfolk, and I must lead them onto the right path,” Neptune declared firmly.

"So you'd rather lead them to destruction?" Otohime asked with a half-smile.

“If we’re on the right track, we’ll never fail,” Neptune said calmly.

"It's like shouting slogans, but reality and strength won't change because of your biased ideals."

Princess Otohime smiled, then sighed softly and said:

"Your actions are leading fish-people and mermaids into the abyss. You don't understand what humans need at all."

“I think you’re the one who doesn’t understand. You’ve become no different from those high and mighty Celestial Dragons. We need unity, freedom, and equality. Look at the Mermaid Kingdom you lead. Behind its apparent prosperity lies the blood and sweat of mermaids and fish-men. I’d rather not have that outcome.”

Neptune gave a soft snort.

He has always been at the bottom of the sea, but that doesn't mean he doesn't pay attention to the changes in the mermaid kingdom.

The Mermaid Kingdom is thriving, but this is because Princess Otohime has boarded the Donquixote Family's big ship. Furthermore, the mermaids and fishmen in the Mermaid Kingdom have at least three times the workload of the fishmen in the ocean.

Exchanging hard work for meager profits is clearly treating all mermaids or fish-men as human expendable resources, something he utterly despises.

Not to mention, based on what he'd heard about Luther, Otohime must already be... heh heh.

Neptune looked at Otohime with disdain; his feelings for her had long since vanished, leaving only contempt.

"You came here to destroy Fishman Island, didn't you? You've perfectly transformed into a domesticated fish for humans, Otohime!"

Otohime narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Neptune's appearance.

Say what you want.

When they met again, her previous thoughts seemed somewhat ridiculous.

She had thought Neptune at least had the awareness of being the Fishman King, but it seems he is no different from the great knight of the sea he once was.

They were equally simple, equally naive, equally sentimental, and equally unqualified to be kings.

Such a person can bring fame to the race as a hero or knight, but if he becomes king, he will only lead the race to extinction.

"I don't want to talk about being pragmatic or the victor taking all the credit. I'm just disappointed that you still don't know how to make a species better."

"Order, prosperity, harmony, justice—I've learned these things over the past decade, but I haven't seen a single one on Fishman Island. All I see here is people acting on impulse."

“Acting on impulse is better than being an accomplice to a tyrant,” Neptune scoffed.

"So you still don't understand. Do you think many people like Dragon's system of freedom and equality? No, most people now support the rule of the World Government. All the past turmoil has been quelled. Do you think it was just through military suppression?" Otohime sighed.

“The World Government is no saint; they’re still promoting inequality. The member states are divided into three classes, and the lowest-class member states are just the lowest of the low, aren’t they?” Neptune disagreed with Otohime’s idea.

He saw only more covert exploitation and a more rigid hierarchy in the policies of the World Government.

“So my choice is to make the mermaid kingdom the best, and you want to overthrow this system,” Otohime said calmly.

"If it's a flawed system to begin with, what's wrong with overthrowing it?"

"Leaving aside whether you have the strength or not, what kind of rule do you want to use after the overthrow?" Otohime asked sarcastically.

“Overturning it and then discussing what happens next, I think it would be better than it is now, no matter what,” Neptune said dismissively.

"So this is your limitation, Neptune. You don't consider whether you have a chance of winning, whether you will lead Fishman Island into the abyss, or whether the future will be better even if you succeed."

Otohime looked indifferently at Neptune and spoke softly:

"Even if you achieve final victory, the fishmen and mermaids will gain nothing and will only be left to eke out a living on the seabed."

"I know your Observation Haki is pretty good. Listen, the shouts of the fishmen outside have stopped."

Otohime's words enraged Neptune.

The two chatted for quite a while, and he understood perfectly well that Fishman Island had been almost completely wiped out by the slaughter of those seven killing gods.

"Otohime!!!"

Neptune finally couldn't hold back, grabbed the trident standing beside the throne, and stabbed it fiercely at Otohime.

Because of their previous conversation, Otohime was very close to him at this moment, while Gion was still standing at the door.

He could see that he was constantly watching the miserable state of his kin outside, and he had been able to endure it for so long only to find a way to kill them.

He could accept the destruction of Fishman Island, a necessary sacrifice for them, but he could not tolerate Otohime's betrayal and those words that were hard to conceal as contempt.

"You're still as careless as ever. With your body, there's no way you can withstand my attack. Come on, let's go to hell together!!!"

boom!!!

A loud rumble echoed from within the palace.

The floor tiles were torn up inch by inch, and with Neptune's all-out attack, most of the palace was reduced to ruins.

While his strength doesn't reach the level of a top-tier powerhouse, he is still the strongest among the fish-men, even surpassing Jinbe in strength.