"He is... Hody Jones?!"
Inside the Ryugu Palace hall.
Shirahoshi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as she looked at the white-haired Fishman in front of her, whose eyes had rolled back, his body scorched and lacerated by electricity, almost beyond recognition.
If it were anyone else who had been reduced to such a tragic state, Shirahoshi might not have recognized him.
But Hody Jones, even if he were turned to ashes, she would not mistake him.
"It's him." Reno nodded slightly.
"Lord Reno, is this the gift you're giving me?!"
Shirahoshi's voice gradually became choked with sobs.
Her vision was once again blurred by tears.
"Shirahoshi, I know you are kind-hearted and don't want to reveal the truth to the public, but if these villains continue to roam free, more innocent people will be harmed."
Reno looked at Shirahoshi, earnestly advising her.
Shirahoshi stood stunned in place, her pearl-like tears streaming down like a broken dam.
"Reno, Shirahoshi, what exactly is going on? What truth?"
Neptune, from their conversation, keenly sensed that something was amiss.
The three princes and the left and right ministers exchanged glances, all seeing the confusion on each other's faces.
With Reno's encouraging gaze, Shirahoshi composed herself and recounted the story of Hody Jones murdering her mother years ago.
Upon learning the truth, Neptune was furious and immediately ordered Hody Jones to be imprisoned.
If Shirahoshi hadn't revealed the whole story, they would still be in the dark.
The next day.
King Neptune issued two announcements.
The first announcement revealed the truth behind Queen Otohime's death that year.
It turned out that the murderer of Queen Otohime was not a human, but Hody Jones, the Captain of the New Fishman Pirate Crew.
He had orchestrated the assassination that year.
His purpose in doing so was to incite racial conflict between the Fishman race and the human race.
He urged everyone not to continue believing his nonsense.
The second announcement was to resolve the conflict between the Fishman race and the human race.
The death of Queen Otohime that year had shaken the entire Fish-Man Island.
Since then, countless Fishmen and merfolk began to harbor grudges against humans, and over time, the hatred between the two sides grew deeper and deeper, even reaching an irreversible point.
Even Neptune himself had believed the rumors back then.
As King, he had declared in front of millions of Fishmen that humans had killed Queen Otohime, thereby exacerbating the conflict between the two races.
Even after so many years, Neptune could not let go of Queen Otohime's death.
It wasn't until Shirahoshi revealed the truth that he had a sudden realization.
As soon as the two announcements were made, they immediately caused a huge uproar on Fish-Man Island.
For a time, the emotions of all Fishmen were extremely complex.
Just as Neptune and many ministers were busy with Hody Jones's matter.
Ryugu Palace.
Inside a luxurious manor.
"You two, have you decided to leave with me?!"
Reno sat leisurely in a chair, legs crossed, enjoying the fruit-feeding service from Kalifa and Vivi.
Standing in front of him were none other than Shyarly and Camie.
Reno was very surprised when Nami brought the two back.
His original intention was for Nami and the others to scout out the Mermaid Cafe first.
After he dealt with Hody Jones, he would then take in these two small fish.
Unexpectedly, through a twist of fate, after Shyarly made a divination, she actually returned with Nami on her own accord.
"I don't seem to have any room to refuse, do I?"
Shyarly bit her lower lip lightly, looking at Reno with a resentful gaze.
Yesterday, she chatted with Nami, Tashigi, and the others for several hours.
All topics revolved around Reno.
This included Reno's personality, preferences, special quirks… and so on.
After the chat… Shyarly's heart sank by half.
The last glimmer of hope in her heart completely vanished.
Not to mention that her divinations had never been wrong.
Secondly, Nami's reminder constantly echoed in her mind, refusing to leave.
[No woman Reno has set his eyes on has ever managed to escape.]
Besides submission, what other choice did she have?
Should she rather die than submit?
Shyarly would never have such a thought.
Moreover, even Pirate Empress Hancock and Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi had been conquered.
Becoming Reno's woman didn't seem to be such an unacceptable thing after all.
Besides this, there was an even more important point.
She had once divined Reno's future, but the result was a blur.
Shyarly was greatly astonished.
One must know that her divination skills were infallible.
This was her first, and currently only, failure.
This was also an extremely important reason that prompted her to join the Reno Pirates.
She wanted to stay by Reno's side and see what direction his future would take.
All these factors combined ultimately led Shyarly to make up her mind.
As for Camie, well… she was initially a bit hesitant, but Nami easily fooled her with a few words, and she believed her.
There was nothing to be done; Camie's character setting was just like that.
She was muddle-headed and very easily deceived.
After making up her mind, Shyarly made a swift decision, entrusting the Mermaid Cafe to other staff members.
She took Camie and found Reno.
"Captain, I've also made up my mind; I'll follow you from now on."
Compared to Shyarly, Camie was much more reserved.
Her petite body hid behind Shyarly, and she poked her head out, speaking softly.
Looking at this Kissing Fishman who had been trafficked dozens of times and escaped dozens of times, Reno couldn't help but laugh.
This must be the Devil Fruit Ability user, right?
Surviving great dangers again and again.
"Join the Reno Pirates, and from now on, everyone will be family, so there's no need to be so reserved," Reno said with a slight smile.
"Shirahoshi, we're leaving Fish-Man Island tomorrow. Go say goodbye to your father and your brothers."
Immediately, Bai Luo turned his head to look at the little mermaid princess who had been staring blankly at him.
Now.
Van der Decken and Van der Decken, the two great villains threatening Fish-Man Island, one was killed, and one was captured.
Reno had also left a spatial mark here, so whenever Shirahoshi missed home, or when Fish-Man Island faced a crisis and Neptune called for his help, he could rush back immediately.
At this point, the affairs of Fish-Man Island had settled, and it was time for him to leave and officially set off for the New World.
That was the true stage for the strong.
At the same time, the beauties living in the New World accounted for more than half of all the plot-related beauties.
Reno was already eager to conquer them.
"Ah? Lord Reno, are you leaving so soon?!"
"Can you stay for two more days?"
Shirahoshi, having come back to her senses, opened her mouth and bravely spoke.
"Shirahoshi, our journey is still—"
"Lord Reno, please, can you stay one more day? Just one day…"
Before Reno could finish his sentence, Shirahoshi quickly swam over, clasped her hands tightly, and looked at him piteously.
Her peerless, heartbreaking beauty made it impossible for anyone to even think of refusing her.
"Cough, cough, Reno, why don't we… why don't we stay one more day?"
"Captain, please agree to Shirahoshi's request."
"Reno, Shirahoshi is so pitiful, please agree to her."
"…"
Nami and the others all pleaded for Shirahoshi.
"Alright, then we'll stay one more day."
Reno couldn't do anything about them.
In fact, when he saw Shirahoshi's pitiful appearance, his heart softened.
Why did the same action, when performed by Shirahoshi, make people so irresistibly captivated?!
A beauty causing trouble, truly a beauty causing trouble!
"Thank you, Lord Reno, thank you, all my sisters."
Receiving Reno's agreement, Shirahoshi's eyes curved, revealing a smile.
Immediately after, she carefully approached Reno, aimed at his cheek, and pecked him lightly like a dragonfly touching the water.
A warm sensation came, and the young girl offered a fragrant kiss.
Gulp.
"Shirahoshi, I want one too!"
"Shirahoshi, kiss me too! I just spoke up for you!!"
"If you don't come over, sister will come over instead."
Reno: …While Reno was enjoying his leisure time with The girls on Fish-Man Island.
Outside, a huge stir had already been created.
In addition to the ongoing news about Reno, major news continued to emerge from the Marine side.
The first matter.
A worldwide conscription was launched, targeting the six sea areas of the New World, the Grand Line, the East Blue, the West Blue, the South Blue, and the North Blue.
As long as you had a sense of justice in your heart, and as long as you wanted to maintain peace in the sea, you could sign up to participate, followed by a screening process.
Moreover, the benefits were very generous.
For a time, in the six sea areas, countless citizens enthusiastically signed up to join the Marine.
Of course, a large number of people were deterred because of Reno.
After all, Garp and Admiral Kizaru were precedents.
No matter how formidable they were, they couldn't be more formidable than these two.
If they were unlucky enough to encounter Reno one day, the outcome was predictable.
In addition to this, there was also the selection of top-tier combat power.
In the Summit War, Admiral Kizaru was killed in action, leaving one Admiral position vacant.
It would take time and effort to cultivate a new Admiral.
The two Admiral candidates, Momousagi and Tokikake, were not yet strong enough to truly fill the position.
For this reason, the Marine specifically issued an announcement to recruit for the Admiral position.
As long as one's strength met the standard, they could be exceptionally recruited.
As soon as this news came out, the entire sea erupted.
According to custom, to become an Admiral, one had to rise step by step.
Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral Candidate, Admiral.
But now, many people had a chance.
Some powerful figures hidden among the populace, eyeing the Admiral position, began to emerge.
The second matter.
Due to the severe damage to Naval Headquarters during the Summit War, and even the risk of the entire island capsizing into the sea.
It was no longer suitable for continued living and other series of work there.
The Five Elders finally decided to transfer Naval Headquarters from Naval Headquarters to the former Marine G1 Branch in the New World, and rename it New Marineford.
The last matter was to fill the vacant seats of the Shichibukai.
Indeed, during the Summit War, due to Hancock's rebellion, the Marine high command suffered heavy losses.
But it was precisely because the Marine suffered losses and its number of strong individuals was severely insufficient.
After careful consideration, the Five Elders decided to temporarily retain this system.
They would consider abolishing it after the worldwide conscription was completed and the Marine was once again strong and well-staffed.
And the selection of the Shichibukai became the top priority.
As is well known, the Shichibukai consists of seven great pirates.
But with the killing of Crocodile, Jinbe's withdrawal, Hancock's rebellion, and the disappearance of Blackbeard Teach and Bartholomew Kuma, four seats of the Shichibukai became vacant. (Including Blackbeard, there were originally eight people.)
After the war, Doflamingo followed the World Government's orders to hunt down Gekko Moria.
However, the mission failed, leading to Gekko Moria's escape.
Currently, only Swordmaster Mihawk and Doflamingo remain among the Shichibukai.
This gave the Five Elders a headache.
It was by no means easy to gather five powerful pirates at once.
After all, individuals with that kind of strength usually belonged to major pirate forces.
After deliberation among the five, three candidates were finally decided upon.
The first was Knight of the Sea Jinbe, who was imprisoned in Impel Down's Infinite Hell.
The conditions were very generous.
As long as Jinbe was willing to continue serving as a Shichibukai, not only would he be released, but his past actions would also be forgiven.
Most importantly, the Marine would also protect Fish-Man Island.
Under the temptation of so many conditions, Jinbe was moved.
The second person was Trafalgar Law, Captain of the Heart Pirates, one of the Supernovas.
When the World Government extended an invitation to Law, he accepted it almost without hesitation.
In reality, he had no interest in becoming a Shichibukai.
But only by using this identity could he leave Impel Down and seek revenge against Doffy.
At the same time, it paved the way for his subsequent plans.
The third person was quite unexpected.
It was Buggy the Clown, who was imprisoned on Crimson Hell.
On their way to the Freezing Hell (Level 5 of Impel Down), the Marine unexpectedly overheard him talking about the Shichibukai.
Buggy immediately revealed his identity and offered his services.
The Marine Generals, who had initially been dismissive, were stunned when they learned that Buggy was a member of the Roger Pirates.
How could such a dangerous person be imprisoned in Crimson Hell?!
The General immediately reported Buggy's wishes, and Sengoku then consulted the Five Elders.
Finally, he received approval from the Five Elders.
Buggy's appearance was simply a godsend.
Setting aside how strong Buggy was, his identity alone was enough.
A crew member of the Roger Pirates.
Just like Ace was Roger's son.
Of course, it wasn't as exaggerated as the latter, but the essence was the same.
Anyone associated with Roger would have an impact on the Grand Line, big or small.
There was no doubt about this.
These three, in addition to Swordmaster Mihawk and Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo, were the three Shichibukai members newly announced by the Marine.
As for the remaining two, the World Government also had suitable candidates and was currently in talks.
New World.
Totto Land, Cake Island.
Inside the Cake Palace, Big Mom was in a furious rage, her angry roars echoing throughout the entire castle.
"Who can tell me what in the world is going on?!"
Big Mom's face was grim as she glared at her children in front of her.
Just now, someone had reported.
Her eldest son, Charlotte Perospero's Life Card had turned to ashes.
As is well known in the One Piece World, a Life Card is a piece of paper that represents its owner's life force.
Once it turns to ashes, it means the owner is completely dead.
"Who killed Perospero?!"
Big Mom's eyes were bloodshot, and a chilling killing intent enveloped the entire castle hall.
Zeus, Prometheus, and Napoleon, sensing Mama's fury, transformed, each becoming incredibly ferocious.
The three Homies surrounded Big Mom, guarding the Soul Queen.
The numerous ministers were silent, too terrified to even breathe.
They had no idea who had killed Perospero.
If they hadn't discovered his Life Card turn to ashes, they wouldn't even have known that their brother had met with an accident.
Finally, Charlotte Katakuri, one of the Sweet Commanders, took a deep breath, bravely stepped forward, and respectfully said:
"Mama, according to your instructions, Perospero went to Fish-Man Island. Could this matter be related to Fish-Man Island?!"
"Bastard!!"
"Just Neptune, does he have the guts to lay a hand on Perospero?!"
"Besides, Jinbe has been captured, and with Perospero's strength, who on the entire Fish-Man Island could threaten him?!"
As soon as Katakuri finished speaking, he was met with Big Mom's stern reprimand.
Katakuri's body stiffened, and cold sweat instantly broke out on him.
Facing Mama, who was about to go berserk, the pressure was immense.
"Mama, even if it wasn't Neptune, this matter is still connected to Fish-Man Island."
"The marriage alliance is imminent. After the alliance with the Vinsmoke Family is concluded, I will immediately go to Fish-Man Island to investigate the matter thoroughly."
Katakuri responded respectfully again.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.