Soon, they arrived at the Treasure Vault, where the treasures of Ryugu Castle were said to be accumulated. Facing Hera's group, Neptune appeared very generous.
"You may take all the treasures. You who saved Fish-Man Island should enjoy the reward you deserve." Hearing this, Nami's eyes lit up, and she looked at Hera.
Hera chuckled and politely declined, "How could we be so bold?"
Neptune continued to persuade her, "Compared to your contribution, what do a few treasures matter? We Fishmen are born to swim freely in the water and often find treasures in shipwrecks on the seabed."
Hera stopped refusing. The treasures of Ryugu Castle were quite tempting even to Hera, who possessed all the gold of Sky Island. The City of Devouring Time expanded from the shadow, swallowing the entire Treasure Vault along with the building.
Neptune fell into deep thought as he watched the Treasure Vault slowly sink into the shadows. When he told her to take the treasures, he had thought about how much a few girls could carry. He didn't expect her not to even leave the building.
Hera scratched her head somewhat sheepishly, "How about I spit the building back out for you?"
Neptune said generously, "No need. It's just a building; we'll just build another one. The wealth of the seabed is enough to build an even more luxurious one."
In reality, he was secretly aching, thinking that his guard would have to go pick up more trash later.
Hera reminded Neptune, "You can let your daughter try to control her ability more, starting, for example, by controlling those animals to swallow shipwreck remains and bring them back here."
Hearing this, Neptune ignored his heartache over the Treasure Vault and looked at Hera, "You know?"
Hera nodded, "Of course. I'm not blind, so naturally, I can see the movements of the Sea Kings. Besides, I know a bit more than the average person."
Nami, hearing the two of them speaking in riddles, asked curiously, "What are you talking about? What movements?"
Hera saw Neptune's concern and didn't elaborate, only saying, "It's nothing, we're just talking about Shirahoshi." Seeing that Hera didn't really want to say, Nami didn't ask further.
However, Hera still reminded Neptune, "It's better to let her master and control this kind of thing early. Besides, in this deep sea, who could threaten her against the power of Shirahoshi?"
Neptune nodded at her words. He naturally hoped his daughter could be a normal mermaid, but looking at it now, his daughter Shirahoshi was very likely the legendary Poseidon.
Instead of pinning his hopes on no one finding out, it was better to let Shirahoshi work hard to train her ability, so that when the time came, she could eliminate all those who wanted to possess her power.
Hera continued, "There must be a reason for her awakening. No matter what happens, one's own strength is the foundation of everything, including the Fishmen's desire to go ashore."
Neptune sighed. He also knew that strength was the foundation, but his worry for his daughter made him hesitate to make a decision.
Shirahoshi heard their conversation and knew they were talking about her. She tried her best to show off her muscles and said to Neptune:
"I don't want to hide. I want to become stronger. I want to drive away all the bad guys just like Hera, and I also want to grow up to help Hera."
Hearing this, the hesitant Neptune also made up his mind, "Alright, then I will start teaching you Fishman Karate after Hera leaves. The training is very hard."
Shirahoshi nodded, "I'm not afraid of hardship."
At this time, Hera, who had changed her posture to sitting on Shirahoshi's head, also stroked Shirahoshi's pink hair, "Shirahoshi will become very powerful in the future. Then it will be your turn to help me."
Shirahoshi nodded excitedly, almost throwing Hera off, "I will become very strong, strong enough to help you in the future."
Kuina looked at Hera, who was enticing the giant child, her eyes seemingly filled with contempt for someone who enticed other people's children.
Hera shrugged at Kuina's expression, as if saying it was voluntary.
After passing the Treasure Vault, they arrived at the banquet hall of Ryugu Castle.
What immediately met their eyes was an extremely spacious and tall luxury banquet hall. In the center was a shell-shaped stage for singers and musicians to perform on.
Giant flatfish served as the banquet seating. Singers who had prepared early were singing and dancing on the stage. Guards nearby served delicious dishes, and various seafood ingredients rarely seen on land were brought out.
Perona was a bit surprised and secretly asked Hera, "Do these fish eat fish too? Isn't that cannibalism?"
Hera laughed at the somewhat naive question, "In the eyes of Fishmen, these ingredients should be just like how we see chickens, ducks, and cows. Would you think eating animal meat is cannibalism?"
The banquet was very happy. Fish-Man Island was indeed an old-established power, as wealthy as the legendary East Blue Dragon Palace. Mermaid dancers danced enthusiastically on the stage, and the waves they created made Hera's eyes light up.
Before the banquet ended, Hera called out to King Neptune.
Neptune's face was slightly red from the wine. With a bit of tipsiness, he asked Hera, "Is there something you called me out for?"
Hera nodded, "I want to ask, what do you think of the situation in the sea, and about the Fishmen joining the World Government?"
Hearing this, Neptune's slight tipsiness immediately dissipated. He pondered for a long time and sighed, "Alas, we can only live in the deep sea. Fortunately, there is some sunlight. Both Fishmen and Merfolk yearn for the land."
Then, Neptune's tone became a bit sad, "Some Fishmen are blinded by hatred. Although Fishmen are the darlings of the sea, the land still belongs to humans. There are too many strong humans."
"Even here, we can only be a bit more stable by relying on Whitebeard's reputation. At the worst times, those pirates even dared to coat their ships and come down to capture our people to sell for money."
His tone was somewhat self-mocking, "My wife, Queen Otohime, always felt that our inability to integrate was a matter of perspective, and she called for everyone's signatures at Gyoncorde Plaza. But in fact, I know that as long as those people's love for mermaid slaves remains unchanged, no matter how many signatures are collected, it will be in vain."
"On this Fish-Man Island, at least there is the protection of the seawater. On land, we are just treasures for slave traders."
Neptune's tone was somewhat low. He knew the situation of Fish-Man Island but had no way to change it. Even regarding the birth of his daughter Shirahoshi as the Ancient Weapon Poseidon, his first instinct was just to hide it.
Hera listened to Neptune's self-mockery and knew that the reason Neptune said these things was that he treated her as one of his own, thus revealing his weak side.
Hera looked at Neptune and said, "I have a plan. If it succeeds, it can allow you to return to the land, and even allocate Sabaody Archipelago to you, but it requires some support."
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