The fight between Ryugu Palace and the Fishman District ended in such an unexpected way.
No one saw this coming.
After Ryuen unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, the New Fishman Pirates were quickly captured by Ryugu Palace. Neptune originally wanted to get rid of them right away, but after seeing what the drug had done to them—how old and worn they looked—he thought maybe keeping them alive was the worst punishment they could get.
"Take them away. Lock them up forever. Let them rot in prison and think about what they've done," Neptune ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
"King Neptune!"
A group of guards quickly chained up the New Fishman Pirates and dragged them off without hesitation.
But no one knew what to do about the others.
"Your Majesty, what about the rest of the people from the Fishman District? There are tens of thousands of them..." The Right Minister looked at the fishmen still lying all over the ground and felt completely overwhelmed.
Jinbe stayed quiet. He had come from the Fishman District himself, and deep down, he couldn't bring himself to suggest wiping them all out.
But because of his position, he couldn't offer any other ideas either.
After hearing the minister's words, Neptune started to feel troubled. There were just too many people involved, and he also had to consider Jinbe's feelings.
"Your Majesty, Madam Shyarly is here. She says she wants to see you. Camie is with her," a soldier reported.
"Oh?"
"Let them in," Neptune said, a bit curious but still agreeing.
Shyarly's status on Fishman Island was quite special. Her predictions were so amazing that she had earned a lot of respect among the people.
Soon, the soldier brought Shyarly and Camie over.
"King Neptune, how do you plan to deal with the people from Fishman District?" Shyarly asked directly as soon as she stood in front of Neptune.
Camie looked a little scared, but also excited.
"We're still discussing how to deal with them. Shyarly, are you here for their sake too?" Neptune asked, curious. He was also being polite to Shyarly.
"Yes, King Neptune. If not, I wouldn't have asked Camie to get the Dream Exploration Group involved in this war. I just wanted to stop more people from dying," Shyarly answered truthfully.
She also explained why Ryuen had suddenly stepped in earlier.
"So Ryuen made a move because of you all?" Jinbe and Neptune both reacted in surprise.
They had just been wondering why the Dream Exploration Group had suddenly interfered in the conflict within Fishman Island. Normally, no one would step into internal fights like this.
Let alone a force as powerful as the Dream Exploration Group, which was basically on the level of the Four Emperors.
"Yes. It was also thanks to Camie. If she wasn't there, I wouldn't have had the chance to speak with the group," Shyarly said, taking a deep drag of her pipe before putting it out and speaking softly.
Everyone turned to look at the small mermaid, Camie.
Their gazes were filled with curiosity and even envy. Being able to speak with a group that strong was pure luck.
Camie hadn't been well-known on the island before, but after being rescued and returned by the Dream Exploration Group, everyone came to know about this unlucky—but also very lucky—mermaid.
"Well… it's not really a big deal. Plus, Lord Ryuen and the others are pretty easy to talk to, hehe~" Camie scratched her head, a little embarrassed.
Neptune and the others nodded and didn't say more.
"So, Shyarly, what do you think we should do about the people from Fishman District? There are tens of thousands of them. If we don't handle this right, they could become a big threat in the future," Neptune asked.
"King Neptune, I believe you've already learned the truth behind Queen Otohime's death through Vander Decken, right?" Shyarly didn't answer him directly.
As soon as she said that, the mood of Neptune's family and those who knew the truth dropped.
"Shyarly… are you saying you knew all along?" Jinbe asked in a low voice.
"No, but I had my suspicions. I didn't think humans killed Queen Otohime. I believed it was someone from within Fishman Island.
After Vander Decken was caught, the New Fishman Pirates immediately led Fishman District in rebellion. So I guessed it might be connected to the queen's death.
Then I did a reading on it. The result was shocking.
King Neptune, Boss Jinbe, Fishman Island may face another great crisis in the future. If we keep the people from Fishman District, they could become extra help when that time comes.
As for keeping them from causing trouble later, I believe that once we expose the New Fishman Pirates' plot and tell everyone how Queen Otohime really died, they'll stop following Hody Jones," Shyarly said slowly.
"A future disaster on Fishman Island?" Neptune, Jinbe, the two ministers, and the three princes all cried out in shock.
They weren't doubting Shyarly—just stunned.
Her predictions were extremely accurate. Everything she had predicted so far had come true.
Vista glanced at Namur. He had heard of Shyarly's predictions before, and Namur—being born on Fishman Island—knew them even better.
Both were shocked by what she just said.
"That's right!"
"This disaster will affect the whole world. So keeping those people around could really help us in the future," Shyarly said seriously.
Neptune, Jinbe, and the others all looked grave.
They were no longer thinking about how to deal with the people from Fishman District. After what Shyarly had said, Neptune had already made up his mind to let them go.
Now, what worried them was the disaster she mentioned.
"Shyarly, when do you think this disaster might happen?" Neptune asked, snapping out of it, clearly anxious.
Everyone else immediately turned to look at her.
Since a global war is going to break out in the future, they naturally wanted to know more details so they could be better prepared.
But what Shirahoshi said next disappointed them.
"I don't know that part either. I only saw some scenes from the future, but I couldn't see when they happen," Shirahoshi shook her head, looking helpless.
To be honest, she also wanted to know the exact time more than anyone.
"Just knowing something about the future is already helpful. At least we can start getting ready," said Jinbe as he turned to look at Neptune.
"Jinbe is right. In that case, let's deal with the people from the Fish-Man District the way Shirahoshi suggested. Hopefully, they won't keep being so stubborn," Neptune agreed to her request.
After all, the people from the Fish-Man District really were a strong source of soldiers for Fish-Man Island.
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