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Right in front of the fish-man restaurant owner, this group of pirates was openly talking about capturing fish-men as slaves, showing them no respect whatsoever.

In the end, strength was the fundamental reason for gaining respect. Fish-Man Island itself did not possess the power to suppress all threats. Coupled with its extremely special geographical location as the only path to the New World, the flag planted by Whitebeard alone was not enough to deter pirates who came with other intentions.

Take the giants, for example. Although some were enslaved, who would speak of such things brazenly in front of them?

The Great Age of Pirates had only just begun its first year, and it had made the lawless pirates even more reckless. This situation would continue for many years to come.

Amidst the noisy chatter—

"Owner, a glass of wine. Make it a strong one," Arthur said, sitting quietly in his chair, his legs crossed, his hands clasped over his knees.

His voice was neither heavy nor light, yet it completely drowned out the discussions in the restaurant.

The pirates who were eating and drinking all put down their glasses in unison and looked over, annoyed that someone had just upstaged them.

"Who the hell is this kid?"

"Can't he see that we, the Slave Alliance, are drinking here?"

A look of contempt crossed Arthur's face, hidden beneath the brim of his hat. He couldn't be bothered to even look at such trash.

"Owner, hurry up. Are you not open for business?"

"Yes... yes, coming!" The thick-lipped fish-man owner hurriedly brought over a bottle of wine.

"BANG!!"

The owner, rushing over, didn't watch his step and tripped hard. The wine bottle smashed directly on the ground, and the crimson liquid splashed everywhere, some of it landing on Arthur's feet.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YOU STILL WANT A DRINK, YOU LITTLE BRAT?"

"GO HOME AND DRINK YOUR MILK!!"

They slammed their hands on the tables, laughing wildly, completely unaware that death had already, quietly, descended upon them.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The fish-man owner tore at his own clothes, getting on the ground and trying to wipe Arthur's shoes clean.

"No..."

Arthur pulled back his crossed leg and slowly stood up from his chair. "It's not your fault. There's no need to apologize. The fault lies with this violent era, with this ruthless world, with Roger, and with the incompetent Marines!"

Without the Great Age of Pirates, things like this might still happen, but at least not so brazenly! If the world hadn't developed in such a twisted way, without so-called superiors and inferiors, there would be no slaves!

Without Roger's words, the Great Age of Pirates would not have appeared! If the Marines were a little stronger, the very birth of a pirate would be a pipe dream.

"I originally wanted to do some things low-key. It seems that no matter where I am, I am destined to draw the attention of others, am I?" Arthur said indifferently.

There is a kind of person in this world who is born with a brilliant light. No matter where they go, they will attract attention.

He lifted the wide brim of his hat, and two electric serpents shot out from his purple eyes, which were filled with lightning—

"AH!!"

The slave traders shrieked in terror.

The familiar face in front of them slowly matched up with someone they knew they should never cross. Their eyes went wide with terror, and the unmistakable stench of piss filled the air.

"IT'S... THE THUNDER EMPEROR!!"

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!"

A brilliant flash of lightning engulfed the fish-man restaurant.

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"BAD NEWS! BAD NEWS, YOUR MAJESTY!!"

The Left Minister of Ryugu Palace ran into the luxurious palace in a panic, practically tumbling as he went.

"What is it?" King Neptune asked, his pace unhurried.

"The soldiers at the... at the docking area... they've discovered that golden flying ship of the Thunder God Pirates!!" The Left Minister was out of breath. When he had first heard the news, he had almost wet himself in fear.

It was just too sudden.

The [Thor] hadn't gone through the normal channels, but had instead passed directly through the two layers of the bubble membrane, entering illegally.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?? THE THUNDER EMPEROR'S VESSEL, THE GOLDEN FLYING SHIP??" Neptune shot up from his throne, his face grim.

As a king, even if he couldn't remain cool as a cucumber in the face of a crisis, he should at least be able to maintain his composure. But he was facing Arthur, wasn't he? Arthur's reputation was too scary.

He was universally recognized as the World's Most Dangerous Man.

Some enthusiasts had even done a ranking. Among the Four Emperors of the New World, most people agreed that the last person they'd want to face was the unpredictable Thunder Emperor Arthur.

Even facing Whitebeard, Kaido, or Big Mom was better.

Whitebeard was basically too lazy to bother with you.

Kaido and Big Mom at least had interests you could play to.

But Arthur... because he was impossible to communicate with, people were afraid to even meet him.

"The Thunder Emperor... what is he planning to do on Fish-Man Island?" Neptune thought, a mix of shock and anger in his heart.

"CONTACT CAPTAIN WHITEBEARD! TELL HIM FISH-MAN ISLAND NEEDS PROTECTION!"

"GO FIND THE THUNDER EMPEROR'S WHEREABOUTS! STALL HIM... IF HE GOES BERSERK, DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO PRESERVE YOUR OWN LIVES!"

A name used to frighten children was, in fact, just a rumor. Even if a person's reputation was terrifying, if it wasn't exaggerated through rumors and known by all, it couldn't reach the level of deterring others.

Arthur's reputation had actually been misconstrued by others and smeared by the Marines. However, he had no intention of correcting it.

"Your Majesty, isn't contacting Whitebeard a bit of an overreaction? I believe the Thunder Emperor isn't like Big Mom, who would destroy a country at the drop of a hat," Queen Otohime said, comforting him from the side.

"DAMN IT! Why did the Thunder Emperor have to come to Fish-Man Island??"

Neptune gripped his trident tightly. "Otohime, you don't understand. The World's Most Dangerous Man is not someone you can have a normal conversation with. We haven't seen him in years. Who knows if he'll just leave on account of our past acquaintance?"

Just then.

"Your Majesty..." The Right Minister, holding a crescent-shaped blade, rushed over. "Your Majesty, we've found the Thunder Emperor! He's dining at a mermaid restaurant in Coral Hill!!"

"Found him?" Neptune pondered for a moment. "Let's go. Lead the way. I want to meet him and ask him his purpose for coming to Fish-Man Island!"

A group of soldiers escorted Neptune, Otohime, and the Left and Right Ministers, a grand procession heading towards Arthur's location.

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"A bunch of sea trash."

After coldly killing the group of pirates—Arthur took a flask of wine for himself, lay back in his chair, and drank while looking up through the bubble roof at the coral reefs, the swimming fish, and the blue sky and white clouds ten thousand meters under the deep sea.

"Fish-Man Island... is a miracle."

Suddenly—

"It is precisely because it is a miracle that no one is allowed to destroy its beauty, wouldn't you agree, Thunder Emperor?" Neptune's voice came from afar.

A large group of soldiers armed with long spears surrounded the area.

"Captain Whitebeard wishes to speak with you."

A Den Den Mushi with a crescent moon mustache was thrown over by Neptune, but he himself stopped and did not advance.

"Threatening me with Whitebeard??" With a disdainful sneer, Arthur remained lying down, not getting up, and directly answered the Den Den Mushi.

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