Chapter 187: Queen Otohime's Dream of Unity
Ross didn't respond, just shot Queen Otohime a dismissive glance.
[Otohime]
Overall Rating: B-
Her strength rating was higher than Ross expected. Most of it stemmed from her royal status, bolstered by her innate Observation Haki.
That Haki was her deadliest weapon—it could project her emotions onto others, like a form of mass suggestion. As long as her voice reached them, she could sway minds indiscriminately. Only those with iron will or their own Observation Haki could resist.
In raw combat, though? Even a run-of-the-mill G-rank fighter could overpower her.
Still, B- felt spot-on.
Ross glanced her way again, almost on reflex. Too bad it didn't reveal any hidden curves.
Temperament-wise, Otohime outshone even Titi and Sora. Where they led with ego, she drew people in with genuine warmth.
Not that it mattered much. Ross was a sucker for beauty, open to whatever else came with it.
One thing nagged at him, though: Mermaids supposedly laid eggs like fish. He'd never witnessed it, and curiosity burned. What did that even look like?
Queen Otohime clocked in at just 2.5 meters from head to tailfin, but he'd heard King Neptune of Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island stretched over 12 meters.
That size gap was wild—a 6:1 ratio, like comparing a housecat to a full-grown man.
After a heavy silence, with Otohime's gaze growing tenser by the second, Ross finally broke it.
"Extremely grateful? How grateful, exactly?"
Otohime's lips tightened, a flicker of unease crossing her face. Normally, her ability to read emotions gave her the upper hand in talks. But Ross? He was a blank slate, emotions locked away like a still pond. She couldn't sense a thing—no clue what brewed in his head, or how to steer the conversation.
"Saint Ross," she ventured carefully, "I've always pushed for humans and merfolk to live side by side. I can feel your kindness; I bet you feel the same. I'm truly thankful for that."
"Merfolk coexistence?"
Ross let out a soft chuckle, neither agreeing nor dismissing it. He kept it light, almost offhand. "So, in your view, what does that look like? Humans and merfolk getting along?"
Just then, the ship lurched into motion. The main vessel led, with Moria's Thriller Bark trailing behind like a shadowy behemoth. Moria himself had vanished at Ross's nod, leaving just the two of them on deck.
They were miles from Mary Geoise now, plenty of idle time ahead. Why not soak in some of the world's wild diversity?
Otohime had no idea what crossed Ross's mind. Seeing no pushback, she pressed on with more confidence.
"Saint Ross, misunderstandings pile up because our races don't know each other. I want us to bridge that—understand one another."
"No slavery. No killing. No harm. No hate."
"In my perfect world, humans chat freely with fish-men and mermaids. We're all equals, watching each other's backs."
...
As she spoke, Otohime caught Ross listening intently. Her words flowed freer, spilling her deepest hopes. She'd pitched this before—dozens of times.
But without tapping her powers, eyes would glaze over. Disdain from fish-men, mermaids, even humans. Their thoughts? Crystal clear: ridicule, rejection.
Even supporters like Neptune humored her, but she sensed their doubt underneath.
All that skepticism wore her down. Her dream was beautiful—why wouldn't anyone chase it? You had to test the waters to know if it worked.
Ross was different. For the first time, someone listened without interruption or rebuttal. Her fondness for him swelled.
Maybe he was a kindred spirit.
Once the words ran dry, Otohime fell quiet, watching Ross with bated breath for his take.
Ross stayed stone-faced, inside and out.
It was the same old spiel—echoes of equality crusaders from his old life. He never shot down ideals; he respected the drive to think for yourself. That alone set you apart from the sheep.
Saintly or delusional? That was her call. As long as it didn't cramp his style, Ross didn't care.
Funny thing: Otohime's views aligned neatly with his grander ambitions. World domination waited, and racial harmony could grease those wheels.
Ross wasn't prejudiced; beauty was his bias, race be damned. And mermaids? They nailed the aesthetic. Fish-men... not so much.
"Queen Otohime," Ross said evenly, "what steps have you taken to make this real?"
The world brimmed with heavy hitters from every race. In the seas, fish-men and mermaids held natural edges—strength, speed, adaptation.
Idealists chased morals; Ross eyed utility. If backing Otohime paid off, great.
But her approach was naive. Begging for equality versus seizing it through power? Worlds apart.
The first dragged him down. The second? Pure gold.
"Efforts?" Otohime's face lit up at his interest—no denial, just practical questions. "At the last Levely, I called for banning the slave trade in fish-men and mermaids. But..."
Her voice trailed, tinged with regret. "It flopped. They all shot it down."
She deflated a bit, sadness creeping in.
"You see a problem with the slave trade?" Ross probed, voice level.
"There shouldn't be any slavery," Otohime replied, brow furrowing. "For humans and merfolk to coexist, no fish-man or mermaid should be chained."
"So, do you think human slaves outnumber fish-man and mermaid ones?" Ross shot back.
"Huh?"
Otohime froze, caught off guard. She'd never framed it that way.
She knew humans got enslaved too, of course. After a beat, she guessed, "Humans, probably?"
With their massive population, it made sense—they'd dwarf merfolk numbers.
"Then why do humans coexist among themselves?" Ross pressed.
"Coexist... among themselves?"
Otohime blinked, confusion clouding her eyes.
She wasn't dense; Ross's point hit home. Human slaves vastly outnumbered merfolk ones, yet humans muddled along in their societies.
So, slavery didn't block coexistence?
Couldn't claim humans failed at it—then what hope for cross-species harmony?
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