Just as the confrontation reached a stalemate, the Royal Guard of Ryugu Kingdom finally arrived.

"Stand down, all of you!"

An elderly fish-man, the former king of the Ryugu Kingdom and Neptune's father, appeared under heavy escort. His gaze landed on Roger with a complicated expression.

"You... are the ones who drove off the slave traders?"

Roger nodded. "Ku hahahaha! Just lending a hand, nothing more."

The old king fell silent for a moment before bowing slightly. "Please, allow me to invite you all to Ryugu Palace."

Tiger suddenly raised his head. "Your Majesty! They're humans!"

The old king gave Roger a long, deep look. "Some humans… may be worth meeting."

Inside the banquet hall of Ryugu Palace, crystal chandeliers cast shimmering light over a lavish spread of delicacies but the atmosphere was far from light.

The Roger Pirates and the nobles of the Ryugu Kingdom sat at separate tables. Shanks and Buggy had been relegated to the children's table in a corner, sneakily piling their plates high with sweets.

Ritter sat beside Rayleigh, idly tapping his finger against a wine glass as his calm gaze swept over the fish-man nobles around the room.

The old king raised his cup in a gesture of gratitude. "Thank you for aiding us in driving off the slave traders."

Roger downed his drink in one gulp. "Ku hahahaha! It was nothing!"

At that moment

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

Ritter's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire hall.

The old king set down his cup, his aged eyes turning to him. "Speak."

Ritter looked him straight in the eye. His tone was calm, but his words were razor-sharp:

"Why wasn't the first line of defense against the traffickers the army of Fish-Man Island?"

"Why were the orphans and impoverished citizens of the Fish-Man District the ones forced to risk their lives?"

"And why" his eyes narrowed slightly "do you hide here in Ryugu Palace, watching your own people get taken, when you know it's the human nobility funding the slave trade?"

Each word struck like a blade, cutting deep into the pride of the fish-man nobles.

A minister slammed the table and stood. "Outrageous! You're just a human what gives you the right to question us?!"

Blood mist radiated from Ritter. The minister who had spoken suddenly felt a searing sting on his skin, as though it were being corroded by acid.

"Because I'm stronger than you. Is that enough?"

Ritter withdrew the blood mist. Did this old fool not see how even his king had to bow to them upon their arrival? And yet he had the nerve to leap out and grandstand? Ridiculous. Pathetic.

The old king stared at Ritter for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh.

"You're right."

Gasps echoed around the room.

The king slowly rose to his feet, his aged voice weighed down with sorrow.

"We have… failed our people."

He walked to the window, looking out into the deep, dark sea.

"It's not that we didn't want to act we couldn't."

"The human nobles, the Celestial Dragons, the slave traders… they operate with the silent consent of the entire World Government."

"If we mobilized our troops to stop them, a Marine Admiral would arrive with a Buster Call the next day."

"If we resisted openly, Fish-Man Island would be sealed off entirely and even more would die of hunger."

He turned back, exhaustion etched across his wrinkled face.

"You think I don't know what the Fish-Man District has suffered? You think I don't want change?"

"But the truth is we're barely surviving as it is."

Ritter listened quietly, then chuckled.

A cold, mocking laugh.

"So, you chose to submit?"

"You let the Fish-Man District rot, let the traffickers run wild… just so Ryugu Palace could cling to its illusion of safety?"

The old king clenched his fists but then slowly relaxed them, powerless.

"Youth... you don't understand."

"Some wars can't be won on passion alone."

The king's weakness was plain to see. No wonder Neptune would turn out the way he did.

This was no different from a bandit breaking into your home, promising not to hurt you if you just stayed quiet then returning every day to take more. If a race already struggling to survive can't even muster the will to resist, then enslavement is all but inevitable.

Ritter hadn't lived through that history, but the deep pain of it lived on inside him. And when faced with a scene so familiar, how could he not feel angry?

The old king knew that rising up would cost lives, and he couldn't bear to see more of his people die. But not resisting would only delay the suffering a slow bleed instead of a swift cut. A good minister perhaps, but an unworthy king.

Roger suddenly stood, patting Ritter on the shoulder before turning to the king.

"Ku hahahaha! Your Majesty, his words may've been harsh but he's not wrong."

"Appeasement won't earn you respect. It'll only make your enemies bolder."

Ritter casually picked his nose as he added, "What you need isn't a stronger army. It's the courage to fight. You can't expect others to die for your people."

The old king lowered his head. He had indeed hoped for the Roger Pirates' protection but in the end, Fish-Man Island was still their own home to defend.

The Roger Pirates had made no promises to shelter them. And look at what happened after Whitebeard's protection ended: the moment he fell, chaos consumed the island. Clearly, no real self-defense capability had ever been built under Whitebeard's shadow.

They'd grown comfortable, living under a false peace.

Don't say the fish-men are weak there's no such thing as an inherently weak race. Arlong, a fish-man, ruled over Cocoyashi and several surrounding villages for years. The difference isn't strength it's mindset.

After the banquet, Ritter stood on the palace balcony, gazing out toward the Fish-Man District.

Shanks approached, whispering, "Ritter-nii, weren't you a little harsh back there?"

Ritter replied coolly, "Some things need to be said."

Buggy scratched his head. "But… they really can't beat the humans, right?"

Ritter scoffed. "Just because they can't win doesn't mean they should surrender. Fish-men are born physically stronger than regular humans. Remember those guards who tried to stop us at the port? They weren't cowards. What they lack isn't power it's leadership. Seems like the last few kings of Fish-Man Island haven't been up to the job."

Ritter had been itching with frustration ever since he saw Fish-Man Island. Devil Fruit users are weak against the sea. To reach this place, you need to coat your ship making the island's location strategically vital. And yet, its rulers had allowed it to become so pitiful.

If I'm not allowed peace, then no one gets peace.

Roger came over, handing him a bottle of wine. "Ku hahahaha! Kid, you really gave that old king a verbal beating!"

Ritter took the bottle with a soft chuckle. "I only spoke the truth."

Rayleigh leaned against the railing, thoughtful. "Do you think they'll change?"

Ritter took a swig of wine.

"Tiger will."

"That red-skinned fish-man... I saw fire in his eyes."

It was bound to be a sleepless night.

As for who wouldn't be sleeping?

Well, that's anyone's guess.

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