Chapter 197: Betrayal in the Bubbles!
Ross and the others rolled up to the manor in Ada's bubble bike, the hum of the engine fading as they pulled to a stop. Grove 1 wasn't some backwater speck—manors like this dotted the island, shadowy dens for the underworld's gray trades or straight-up slave pens for the auction houses.
This one was the Fish-Man Gang's base.
"Where are your fellow mermaids?" Queen Otohime demanded, her voice edged with impatience.
Ada threw his head back and laughed, then bellowed skyward: "Boys! Showtime!"
The manor gates slammed shut with a metallic clang. From every building, nearly a hundred mermaids poured out—various shapes and sizes—encircling them in a tight ring.
"You?!" Otohime's eyes widened in shock and fury. If glares could kill, she'd have shredded Ada on the spot.
She'd fallen for this fish-man's tricks once before, getting snatched up like bait. Now she'd tumbled into the same trap twice. Worse, Ross had witnessed it all. This was her mission from him, and she'd botched it—failed to rescue a soul and gotten herself captured instead.
Talk about humiliating. Otohime couldn't meet Ross's eyes, convinced he was inwardly chuckling at her screw-up.
"Wow..."
She hung her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. It wasn't raw grief; she stayed composed. But her body had a quirk—emotions triggered easy waterworks, like she was part sea herself.
"Hahaha! Pretty face, but what a gullible mark," Ada sneered, no longer rushing in. Once you were inside these walls, escape was a pipe dream.
They had a hundred strong fish-men here. The raw power gap between fish-men and humans meant they could crush even a pirate with a 100-million-Berry bounty without breaking a sweat.
"If anyone's to blame, it's your own dumb luck," Ada taunted. "Just two of you waltzing into Sabaody Archipelago? Big mistake."
"We handled a 30-million pirate last time," he boasted. "Split his ship's loot, sold his crew to the slavers—big payday. Shame we offed the captain by accident, but his meat? Tender and tasty."
Ada licked his lips, eyes locking on Ross. He'd grill this one up for a feast.
Otohime was the real prize—claimed she carried a billion Berries. Skipping a human slave or two wouldn't dent that.
"How could you?" Otohime lifted her tear-streaked face, glaring daggers at Oodai. "What about those mermaids you mentioned? Another lie?"
Her vision stayed sharp through the water in her eyes. Before, she'd have spiraled into panic. Not now. Ross's arm stayed firm around her waist, that steady warmth bolstering her like an anchor. It was new—this backbone without her powers, suppressed by Ross. For the first time, she held her ground.
"Those three mermaids? Straight from Fish-Man Island, fresh off the boat," Ada grinned. "You'll bunk with 'em soon."
"You said you hated those Fish-Man District thugs the most!" Otohime shot back.
He'd sounded so noble earlier. Hypocrite.
"Heh!"
Ada snorted. "Dumb fish-man, you got it twisted."
He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "I'm a mermaid!"
Then at her. "You're a fish-man!"
"In my book, you're just like the humans. If you weren't worth a fortune, I'd sample some fish-man steak myself."
He swept a glance at his crew. "Right, brothers?"
"Yeah!"
"Fish-men are scum!"
"Fish-Man Island's for mermaids—us bandits get the scraps!"
The chorus boomed, resentment thick as fog. Each word stabbed like a harpoon into Otohime's chest.
She'd always seen Fish-Man Island as home for all—mermaids and fish-men united. Now it cracked open: her dream, one-sided delusion.
"What did we fish-men ever do to earn this hate?" she pressed, searching her princess's memory for slights.
"What'd you do?" Ada spat, face twisting. "Can't stomach your holier-than-thou crap. You fish-men hog the prime spots, ban us mermaids from your zones, shove us to Fish-Man District and the boonies. Then play victim?"
"Ever see a mermaid in Ryugu Kingdom? You lap up member-nation perks while we slave away, taking the heat. Why us?!"
The rift ran deep, centuries old. Ada had bottled this rant forever. Only respect for Fisher Tiger—Fish-Man District's boss and his idol—had kept him from offing fish-men like Otohime ages ago.
Otohime's mouth opened, words dying on her lips. He wasn't wrong. At her core, she couldn't deny the truth.
Was the divide really this wide?
Confusion swirled in her. Ada's gaze hardened at her lost, wide-eyed look—innocent, infuriating. A chill prickled his skin, some gut instinct screaming danger. He held back from lunging, but his tongue lashed out.
"Don't gimme that innocent act."
Malice gleamed in his eyes. "Think fish-men don't peddle mermaids as slaves?"
He ripped off his floral shirt, baring a torso mapped in scars. The nearby mermaids bristled—anger flaring, mixed with shared pain. They bore similar marks, from humans, rival mermaids, or their own kind.
Mermaids lived cushier; slavers targeted females mostly, fish-sellers rare. But the fury pooled, slamming into Otohime.
Even power-dampened, she sensed it in their stares: rage at traders, at fish-men, at her.
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