Princess Otohime stood in a corner of the palace, her gaze fixed on Jinbei in the distance with a complex expression.
Her emotions surged like the tide, as the difficult years of the past intertwined with the current situation, leaving her feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
She had always been promoting peace between Fish-Man Island and humans, yet every effort seemed like a drop of water falling into the boundless deep sea, hardly causing a ripple.
Neptune had been silently supporting her from behind, giving her his utmost trust and help.
But even so, Otohime knew that the resistance from reality was like a heavy weight, pressing down on her slender shoulders, making every step she took incredibly difficult.
She had countless times felt the cold gazes of those who opposed her, heard their sarcastic remarks, as if her ideals were nothing but empty talk.
And now, her hope... their hope... seemed to have finally appeared.
Jinbei's figure stood in front, with the projection den den mushi transmitting his image to every corner of Fish-Man Island.
He didn't use superfluous words, nor did he make exaggerated gestures, but that calm and confident demeanor was enough to convince people.
Otohime's eyes flickered slightly, and she felt an indescribable sense of comfort and relief.
It was as if the days she had thought she could only carry alone were finally seeing the dawn.
Her fingers clenched slightly, and complex emotions surged in her heart.
Part of her still felt uneasy, even a little doubtful.
Could this admiral from the human world really understand their pain?
Could he really bring about change?
But another part of her deeply felt the power that Jinbei brought—a self-evident aura that eased her heart a little.
"Admiral Jinbei..." Otohime murmured softly, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible expectation and trust.
She knew she didn't have many choices left.
The future of Fish-Man Island might be rewritten at this moment, and she had to seize this hard-won opportunity.
In the past, she had stood alone in the depths of the sea on those nights, feeling the cold and loneliness, silently reciting her vision of peace.
At that time, she could not have foreseen that there would be such a moment today, a human standing up to shoulder this hope with her.
She turned her head to look at Neptune, his gaze also locked on Jinbei, his eyes revealing a hint of complex relief.
Jinbei's voice still echoed around, as if shattering the doubts and hostility that had long occupied the hearts of the Fish-Man Island residents.
Otohime took a deep breath, her gaze becoming firmer.
No matter how difficult the road ahead, she knew that at least now, she was no longer alone.
This moment might be the answer she had been seeking all along, a future belonging to both Fish-Man Island and humanity.
She straightened her back, her gaze once again fixed on Jinbei, and the fatigue of carrying the burden gradually transformed into new strength.
The spark of change had slowly ignited.
......
In the following days, what Jinbei had said that day was like a drizzle nourishing the corners of Fish-Man Island, and it began to spread quietly among some interested people.
And those words, although they initially circulated only in a small circle, gradually spread like a tide to a wider circle.
The residents of Fish-Man Island discussed it, and the world they had once been blinded by hostility was now shaken by these words, and they began to rethink their relationship with humans.
At the same time, the World Government would not tolerate any disturbance.
Jinbei's actions and words on Fish-Man Island that day were transmitted back to Mary Geoise word for word through lurking spies.
These spies accurately transmitted every word of Jinbei to the ears of the Five Elders.
However, those in the ivory tower dismissed Jinbei's words with disdain, completely ignoring the changes he was promoting.
"This is just a fantasy between some foolish fish-men and ignorant humans," Izanbaron V. Nasujuro Saint, one of the Five Elders, said with a sneer, his words full of disdain and contempt.
In their view, Fish-Man Island was just a remote corner of the seabed, and Jinbei's ideals were just empty talk that would not truly shake the rule of the Celestial Dragons.
They knew the power of the World Government and did not take these remarks to heart at all.
What's more, what the other party was talking about was just a small Fish-Man Island. They could make it look however they wanted, depending on their mood, and now they were too lazy to care about the trivial matters there.
They were preparing for the next crusade against Blackbeard, and this time it had to be foolproof to retrieve that fruit.
......
But Jinbei's influence had already exceeded their imagination.
Among those with ideals and yearning for change, Jinbei's words were like a spark that spread rapidly.
Especially in the Four Seas, among the emerging "New Navy" forces, Jinbei's words were regarded as the guiding principle for action.
They firmly believed that this was the horn of a new era of promoting peace and justice, a new order that could break the World Government and the Celestial Dragons' long-term oppression of the world.
The New Navy in the Four Seas began to promote Jinbei's ideals with a more determined attitude. They firmly believed that the fate of Fish-Man Island would be closely linked to the human world, and that this change would bring about an unavoidable chain reaction.
These New Navy members were not mediocre people. Most of them were warriors who had been treated unfairly and longed for a more just world.
They saw hope in Jinbei's words and an opportunity to overthrow the corrupt rule.
On Fish-Man Island, Jinbei's words were also gradually influencing those residents who had once been hostile to humans.
Although hatred could not be resolved overnight, his words were like a clear stream, slowly taking root in the hearts of some people.
Especially the younger generation, they began to have new aspirations for the outside world, eager to break through the barriers of the past and pursue a broader future.
However, Jinbei knew that this change would not be so smooth.
The power of the World Government was like a high mountain pressing on everyone's heads, and the influence of the Celestial Dragons was still deeply rooted in every corner of the world.
Even so, Jinbei remained calm and composed, and a hint of unnoticed determination flowed in his eyes.
He knew that whether it was the future of Fish-Man Island or the fate of the entire world, it would gradually change in the aftermath of these words.
In the vast seas of the Four Seas, an undercurrent of the New Navy was quietly surging.
Jinbei's words were like sparks, igniting the dissatisfaction and resistance that had been hidden for many years in the Four Seas.
Dragon, Kuma, and the leaders of various places began to act in their territories, attracting like-minded warriors and partners to lay the foundation for the rise of the New Navy.
...
