The first to arrive at the scene was Prince Neptune, charging in aggressively atop a massive giant killifish mount.
After receiving the urgent report that a slaver ship had forcefully breached the entrance and routed the guards, he had flown into a rage and rushed over at full speed.
"Where are the criminals?! Prince Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom is here! Surrender at once!"
However, when he rode into the entrance passage on his giant killifish, the fierce battlefield he had expected was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the sight before him made him pause in surprise.
The battle had already ended.
Although dozens of his guards had clearly been defeated, not a single one had died. They had all been properly laid out along both sides of the passage, their injuries receiving basic treatment.
As for the humans, their leader stood calmly in front of the ship while the rest of his subordinates lined up behind him as though merely waiting for Neptune's arrival.
"All of them… were subdued already?"
A trace of alarm flashed through Neptune's heart.
To defeat an entire squad of Ryugu guards so quickly—and with restraint—meant these people were unquestionably formidable.
He planted his golden trident heavily and demanded in a deep voice:
"Who are you people?"
Riberra Sami looked at the imposing young prince before him and asked in return:
"You're Prince Neptune?"
"I am indeed!" Neptune frowned tightly. "You know of me?"
"No. I've only heard the name," Riberra Sami replied with a shake of his head.
"Your Highness!"
The injured squad leader struggled upright with support from his comrades and pointed urgently at Sami.
"Do not be deceived by them! There are prison cells in the bottom of their ship! They must be a disguised slaver vessel!"
"Prison cells?"
Neptune's gaze instantly turned icy cold.
His trident rose in a flash, the spear tip aimed directly at Sami.
"No matter how strong you are, Fish-Man Island will never allow slavers to set foot here! Surrender immediately!"
Faced with the pointed trident and the prince's overwhelming pressure, the muscles of Sami's officers tensed at once.
Yet Riberra Sami merely raised a hand to calm them before stepping forward and meeting Neptune's eyes directly.
"Your Highness, you misunderstand. We are absolutely not slavers, and we have no interest whatsoever in harming or trafficking fish-men or merfolk."
"Then explain the prison aboard your ship!" Neptune demanded sharply, clearly unconvinced.
"That explanation is… somewhat complicated."
Riberra Sami paused briefly before choosing the easiest explanation to understand.
"Before arriving at Fish-Man Island, most of our voyage involved hunting down high-bounty pirates in exchange for rewards. Those prison cells were prepared specifically to hold captured criminals."
"So you're bounty hunters?"
Neptune's anger eased slightly, though his scrutinizing gaze continued to travel across Riberra Sami from head to toe.
Suddenly, realization flashed through his eyes, and his brows knit even tighter.
"Wait… why do you look somewhat familiar to me?"
Sami's heart skipped a beat.
Recognized already?
Was Fish-Man Island's information network truly so extensive that even ten thousand meters beneath the sea they had access to his bounty poster?
Neptune stared at Riberra Sami for a few moments before slowly speaking.
"I remember now… You're Ribera Sami, captain of the Jellyfish Pirates."
The moment his identity was exposed, the aura around Sami's crew sharpened.
The surrounding fish-man guards likewise tensed immediately, their weapons once more pointing toward them.
"Pirates?!" the squad leader exclaimed in shock.
"Lower your weapons."
Unexpectedly, Neptune waved his hand dismissively.
He looked deeply at Sami, then swept his gaze over the wounded guards who had been properly treated. Much of the hostility in his voice disappeared.
"Since it's the Jellyfish Pirates… put your weapons down."
"Your Highness?! But—" The squad leader stared in disbelief.
"It's fine."
Neptune cut off the objection before turning back toward Sami.
After a moment of contemplation, he unexpectedly extended an invitation.
"You are guests from afar. This was merely a misunderstanding. Since you've arrived at Fish-Man Island… how about allowing this prince to personally show you around?"
Riberra Sami genuinely found Neptune's sudden shift in attitude difficult to understand.
He silently wondered why this fish-man prince's hostility had actually diminished after revealing his identity as a pirate.
Neptune seemed to notice his confusion.
Lowering his trident, he actually revealed a somewhat friendly expression and explained:
"There's no need to be surprised. I've seen your bounty poster before. It mentioned that you were a Human-Human Fruit ability user whose true form is a jellyfish from the West Blue…"
He chuckled softly.
"As fellow creatures of the sea, this prince feels you may be worthy of trust."
Hearing this, Sami's heart stirred.
He had never imagined that the "jellyfish-man" excuse he casually invented back in West Blue would, after spreading through Marine bounty posters, create such an unexpected effect here on Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters beneath the sea.
This absurd misunderstanding had somehow become the key to resolving the standoff.
Outwardly, however, he remained calm and merely nodded slightly, following Neptune's line of thought.
"Oh? Is that so? I didn't expect such a minor matter to spread all the way here. You flatter me, Your Highness."
"Your Highness, please reconsider!"
The squad leader stepped forward anxiously despite his injuries and lowered his voice in warning.
"They're still pirates!"
Neptune raised a hand, stopping his subordinate from continuing.
His gaze swept across the injured guards receiving treatment.
"Pirates come in many kinds. Look at them. Although all the guards were defeated, not a single one was killed, and everyone's injuries were treated afterward. If they truly were ruthless slavers or invaders, why would they do such things?"
The squad leader followed Neptune's gaze.
Looking at his comrades, then recalling the earlier battle, he realized the enemy truly had held back the entire time and never struck to kill.
The facts were right before him.
He opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his doubts and nodded.
"It… does indeed seem so," he admitted quietly, his tense shoulders relaxing somewhat.
"Well then."
Neptune turned back toward Riberra Sami and gestured behind him toward the island wrapped in the colossal bubble.
"Guests from afar—a misunderstanding should end here. Captain Ribera Sami, and all your companions, if you do not mind, allow this prince to host you and show you the sights of Fish-Man Island. What do you say?"
Riberra Sami exchanged glances with the officers behind him before smiling openly.
"Then we gratefully accept Your Highness's hospitality."
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