one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 164: The Essence of the World

Eventually, they arrived at the banquet hall.

As the royal palace of Fish-Man Island, the hall was extravagant and majestic—a perfect reflection of Fish-Man Island's undersea beauty.

Inside, King Neptune stood waiting, accompanied by his ministers, rows of maids, and royal attendants.

This was clearly a grand welcome banquet prepared specifically for Mio.

As Mio entered, Neptune laughed warmly. "Mr. Black Crow, Fish-Man Island welcomes you."

"Thank you, King Neptune." Mio smiled politely. Since he was treated with respect, he returned it in kind.

"Let the banquet begin!" Neptune declared joyfully.

At once, fish-men servants entered with trays of Fish-Man Island's specialty dishes—sweets, drinks, roasted delicacies—specially prepared for the Black Crow Pirates. Everything was placed before them in exquisite fashion.

Though the mood was festive, Mio was well aware of the true purpose behind this banquet. Neptune and Otohime likely hoped to use the occasion to persuade him to leave peacefully.

After all, while Fish-Man Island was stunning, it lacked true strength. It could handle ordinary pirates, but in the face of powerful ones, it was hopelessly weak. Given its fragile state, the prolonged stay of the Black Crow Pirates might invite unwanted trouble.

...

"To be honest, even as a human, I admire what Princess Otohime has done," Mio said, sipping the wine brewed in Fish-Man Island. He met the eyes of Neptune and Otohime and slowly smiled. "But in my opinion, her efforts are nothing more than a fantasy."

"Why would Mr. Black Crow say that?" Otohime asked, intrigued.

Her lifelong mission had been to elevate the status of Fish-Man Island and bring about peaceful coexistence between fish-men, merfolk, and humans.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mio shrugged and answered calmly. "The seeds of hatred and discrimination have already been deeply rooted in people's hearts. More than that, fish-men and mermaids hold tremendous value—especially to human slave traders. Setting aside prejudice and racism, the simple existence of the slave-hunting group makes your goal unattainable."

"Even if peace comes, it will only be temporary."

Mio raised his wine glass, eyes glinting. "And the slave-hunting group will never disappear."

Those words caused Neptune and Otohime to frown deeply.

Yet neither of them could argue.

Everything Mio said was true. As the rulers of the island, they understood far more than anyone how deeply hatred ran and how destructive the slave trade was to their people.

"Why can't the slave-hunting group disappear?" Otohime asked with furrowed brows.

"It's simple." Mio smirked. "Because of profit. To human nobles, fish-men and mermaids are exotic and beautiful. They're prized slaves—worth top dollar in auctions. The nobles are willing to pay extravagant sums. So, of course, the slave traders will go to any length to capture them."

He paused before continuing, "And their main clients are the Celestial Dragons."

The mention of the Celestial Dragons brought a heavy silence over the hall.

Like a mountain pressing down on their chests.

Even now, countless of their kin were imprisoned in the Holy Land of Marijoa.

They were well aware.

They also understood all too well how the Celestial Dragons viewed fish-men and mermaids—not as people, but as toys.

Interchangeable, disposable toys.

Maybe they'd grow tired of one today, but tomorrow they'd simply pick another.

As long as the Celestial Dragons continued to see their kind as playthings, the slave-hunting group would never be eradicated.

And if the slave-hunting group remained, so too would the hatred and pain that haunted Fish-Man Island.

Otohime stared at Mio, confused and uneasy. "Why are you telling us this?"

"Because I want to make a deal with King Neptune and Princess Otohime," Mio said flatly.

"What kind of deal?" Neptune asked, voice tense.

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"A mutually beneficial one," Mio replied with a grin. "I want to designate Fish-Man Island as part of my territory. Also, I'm very interested in the Sea King."

"What?" Both Neptune and Otohime stared at him in astonishment.

Otohime immediately scowled. "Leaving aside the issue of your so-called 'territory,' what Sea King? There's no such thing on Fish-Man Island."

Everyone knew what he meant—one of the three ancient weapons. But because they knew, they had to deny it outright. Whether or not they truly knew of the Sea King's existence didn't matter. Denial was the only option. Fish-Man Island could not afford to attract the wrath of the World Government.

But Mio didn't seem bothered by the denial. He calmly continued, "Princess Otohime, you're a wise woman who's dedicated herself to this island's future. I admire your efforts. Unfortunately, you've been walking down the wrong path."

He suddenly pulled out Raikiri and stabbed the blade into the floor, its edge gleaming coldly.

Mio then looked up at Otohime and Neptune. "Haven't you seen the essence of this world yet?"

"Essence...?" Neptune murmured in confusion.

"Exactly." Mio placed a firm hand on the hilt of Raikiri. "The essence of this world... is strength."

"If Fish-Man Island has no strength, how can it possibly achieve peaceful coexistence with humans? That's just a dream."

"Only by possessing overwhelming strength can you deter the slave-hunting groups, earn the World Government's respect, and make even pirates hesitate."

Mio grinned with a dangerous glint in his eye. "Fish-Man Island doesn't even have a single top-tier fighter. So how can it coexist with humans? By joining the World Government? By signing treaties with the Celestial Dragons? Don't be so naive."

"Neither the World Government nor the so-called world nobles can keep the greedy at bay."

"Only strength can."