"Make friends with her?"
"Yes, guide her to use her power correctly, and not become a source of disaster."
This is what Otohime wanted to do: she hoped Mandfeish could keep certain secrets and also hoped that Manaphy would become this guide.
Although that guide should technically be human, Manaphy was neither a mermaid nor a fishman.
The power within him was something Otohime could not comprehend, making all marine life feel an affinity for him. Like a child of the sea, Manaphy, who could communicate with Sea King Types, seemed to Otohime to be a natural guide for the Sea King.
The Sea King's greatest ability is to command Sea King Types, and Manaphy himself could communicate with them. In Otohime's view, this communication is superior to command, and only such a being can correctly guide the future Sea King.
The most crucial part was that she could feel the purity of Manaphy's heart, without a trace of corruption. In her understanding, there was no more suitable candidate than him.
The Sea King's instructions were clear; a mermaid princess who can command Sea King Types is the Sea King, but her guide was absent.
Manaphy's abilities were too fitting; he was practically the Sea King's natural teacher.
Moreover, unlike other mythical beasts, among all those created so far, Manaphy's mentality was relatively the lowest, and his behavior and speech resembled that of a young child.
A guide is not merely a teacher for the Sea King but a special companion who grows with them, so what Otohime referred to was a friend.
Like attracts like; people are influenced by their environment and friends. Manaphy's pure nature should be able to lead Shirahoshi onto the right path.
"Okay, I love making friends. I have many friends in the sea; I can introduce her to those friends."
Otohime and Manaphy quickly reached an agreement, but Mandfeish looked a bit strange.
Manaphy wouldn't teach someone to do bad things, but he might instinctively engage in "evangelizing" activities. The best example was Setsuna; no one intentionally persuaded her to believe, nor was she a fanatic, yet she was firmly aligned with Arceus.
At that time, the age difference between Setsuna and the current Shirahoshi wasn't much. Mandfeish had already predicted what it would be like in 10 years.
"King Neptune, excuse me, but Tiger and Jinbe have been waiting for a long time with the rebel leaders. Should I let them in?"
"Ah, let them in quickly; this matter needs to be addressed..."
Otohime rubbed her head in frustration; this was the thing she least wanted to confront.
Jinbe and Tiger had very high reputations on Fishman Island, and even in the Dragon Palace City, they were honored guests. If it weren't about the Sea King, they wouldn't have been kept waiting this long.
"Otohime, please go rest first; I'll handle the remaining matters. After all, your leg injury is quite severe."
Up till now, Otohime had been using Bubble Coral to move. This was one of the few advantages of Fishman Island; the bubbles created by Bubble Coral could serve as natural wheelchairs. Even with a broken leg, one could float using these.
Thanks to this item, even after injuring her leg, Otohime could still move freely after bandaging it.
"I can hold on a bit longer."
"Otohime, you should go rest; Shirahoshi is frightened too, and you can take Manaphy to meet her."
"Alright, then you deal with this here."
Seeing that Neptune was constantly persuading her, she took Manaphy to Shirahoshi's room.
...
Neptune had reasons for sending Otohime away because she was too kind and benevolent. Even if Hody and others' actions led to severe consequences, Otohime would still forgive if she believed they showed remorse.
Otohime's kindness was almost weakness, but she was not hypocritical; she maintained consistency in her attitude toward everyone.
Even if Hody wanted to kill her, she could still forgive him.
However, the rebellion initiated by Hody and others was unforgivable for the royal family. While participants could be forgiven, the leaders needed to be dealt with.
In the original timeline two years later on Fishman Island, Hody and his like were all imprisoned awaiting judgment after their failure. Before the trial could start, they had already become frail old men due to the side effects of Poison, with only a few days left to live.
This time was different. Hody's drug consumption was interrupted by Jinbe, so he hadn't taken that much Poison, and his actions this time had a greater impact in Neptune's view.
Murder of the queen, attempted coup of Fishman Island's government, disruption of Mandfeish's wedding, and provoking conflicts between fishmen and humans—these were serious crimes that couldn't go unpunished.
Especially causing trouble at Mandfeish's wedding—had he succeeded, Hundred Beasts would surely retaliate, and since Fishman Island was still under Whitebeard's territory, a full-scale war between the two pirate crews would erupt.
Based on earlier outcomes, Whitebeard might not have the upper hand; even if Fishman Island wasn't destroyed in the battle, losing protection would mean returning to its previous state.
With Whitebeard's banner and Hundred Beasts' actions, Fishman Island had seen fewer kidnapping incidents in recent years, and the presence of fishmen and mermaids became rarer in the market. Reverting to that situation would spell disaster, like the destruction of an entire race.
Even he wouldn't forgive Hody for this, so letting Otohime leave was the best choice to keep her from witnessing it.
...
Under Jinbe and Tiger's escort, Hody and others were soon brought here. With them watching, Hody couldn't stir up any trouble.
"Hody Jones, do you plead guilty?"
"Guilty? Neptune, what crimes do I have?"
"Murder, rebellion, endangering the future of Fishman Island—what do you think you're doing?!"
Looking at the disdainful Hody, Neptune's face also showed anger.
"Haha, the future? Neptune, Jinbe, Tiger, you guys are the ones destroying Fishman Island's future! You sympathizers of humanity are all sinners! Do you think mere chains can restrain me?!"
Hody's muscles began to inflate, trying to break free from the chains, but the next moment, his muscles deflated like a punctured balloon, his skin becoming loose, and his face marred with wrinkles.
In almost an instant, he transformed from a young man in his late teens to a man in his sixties or seventies.
The side effects of Poison began to manifest; being young and having not consumed as much Poison, the aging process was slightly mitigated.
But even as an old man, he continued to denounce Neptune and Otohime, as if he had suffered great injustice.
The royal family, Jinbe, Tiger, Ah Long, and even Whitebeard and Mandfeish weren't spared from his curses.
"Hody, in the name of the king of the Dragon Palace Kingdom, I sentence you to death."
Fishman Island rarely enforces the death penalty, but Hody was an exception—his actions were far too extreme this time.