One Piece Space Fruit - Chapter 60
Tiger’s appearance caused the agitated and angry residents of Fish-Man District to halt in their tracks.
“You all need to calm down!” Tiger scanned the crowd, his voice commanding, “Last night, both Evan and I were guests at Ryugu Palace. I can testify that he has nothing to do with the Queen’s disappearance!”
“Don’t you trust me?”
Tiger’s imposing presence and strong aura intimidated everyone present. Although he had been away from Fish-Man Island for many years and no longer held power over Fish-Man District, his former prestige still carried significant weight.
“If Tiger says so, how can we not believe him?” The few ringleaders of the angry mob sheepishly backed off, waving their arms for the surrounding residents to disperse quickly.
“Evan, thank you,” Tiger turned back, knowing that Evan didn’t have to tolerate this if not for his sake.
“Uncle Tiger, it’s nothing. I understand their perspective,” Evan waved his hand dismissively, then asked seriously, “Is the Queen really missing? Everything seemed fine last night. What exactly happened?”
“Yes, Jinbe told me it’s true,” Tiger’s gaze turned cold, “I suspect someone took advantage of the banquet last night to kidnap Queen Otohime! It’s unforgivable that they would target her.”
“I plan to go to Ryugu Palace to ask King Neptune for more details and help search for the Queen.”
Evan thought for a moment, “I’ll come with you. Maybe I can be of some help.”
“Alright,” Tiger agreed, and they set off together for Ryugu Palace.
Along the way, they saw numerous Fish-Man soldiers patrolling everywhere on the island, indicating that nearly all of Ryugu Palace’s guards had been deployed to search for the Queen.
“Queen Otohime is such a kind person. How could anyone harm her? They deserve to be torn apart!” Even the usually calm Tiger spoke with a chilling tone, reminiscent of the day he freed the slaves and set fire to the Holy Land.
Both skilled in martial arts, they moved swiftly, and Ryugu Palace soon came into view. Tiger charged into the water passage while Evan created a space bubble with his ability, using the oxygen coral to generate a protective bubble around himself, then followed Tiger underwater. (The bubble would block the water and provide oxygen.)
Flowing upward, they reached the front of Ryugu Palace, where a bubble layer blocked the water passage.
“Who goes there?”
The Fish-Man soldiers guarding the palace shouted, sounding like jittery birds.
“It’s me,” Tiger called out from the water, “I need to see the King.”
The soldiers recognized Tiger and exchanged looks before shaking their heads, “Sorry, but Ryugu Palace is on lockdown. The King has ordered that no one is allowed in.”
“Not even me?” Tiger’s voice turned stern. Evan stood beside him, feeling the oppressive weight of the water.
“Sorry, it’s not that we don’t respect you, but the King’s orders are to keep Ryugu Palace completely sealed off,” the soldier explained apologetically.
“This…” Tiger frowned and looked at Evan.
“Since we’re already here, there’s no reason to turn back.” Evan shrugged, placing a hand on Tiger’s shoulder.
The two vanished from the water, reappearing beside the stunned Fish-Man soldiers.
“You…”
The soldiers were dumbfounded, watching in disbelief as the two had somehow bypassed the palace’s protective barriers.
“Well, no need to open the passage. We’ll go see the King now,” Evan waved at the soldiers and headed toward the palace with Tiger.
“Stop!” the soldiers yelled, trying to intercept them, but the duo only quickened their pace, forcing the soldiers to chase after them.
“Someone’s breaking into Ryugu Palace!”
“Stop them!”
“This is really troublesome,” Evan muttered.
“We need to find King Neptune and understand the situation; otherwise, the entire Fish-Man Island will be in turmoil,” Tiger sighed.
With a group of shouting soldiers trailing behind, the two barged into the palace.
What they saw left them stunned—King Neptune, the ruler of Fish-Man Island and known as the “Great Knight of the Sea,” was crying.
“Waaah…”
Neptune was sprawled on his throne, his massive body shaking with sobs, tears streaming down his face.
“Alright, I understand why the King isn’t seeing visitors…” Evan sighed, creating a ROOM to keep the pursuing soldiers out of the palace hall.
If they saw the King’s helpless state, it would undoubtedly cause panic across the nation.
“King Neptune! What are you doing?” Tiger asked in confusion. Neptune looked at them, finally stopping his tears.
“You’re here,” Neptune said with a sob.
“How did Queen Otohime go missing? With the palace’s tight security, how could this happen?” Tiger urgently inquired.
“It was Hody Jones!”
“Hody?”
Evan was taken aback, recognizing the name.
“He’s an elite soldier of Ryugu Palace,” Neptune said angrily, “I didn’t know he was one of Arlong’s men. Not only did he leak information to help Arlong escape, but he also kidnapped the Queen after the banquet last night!”
You can guard against outsiders but not against traitors.
First Arlong, now Hody—Ryugu Palace, was truly facing disaster.
“Where did Hody take the Queen?” Tiger asked.
“Hody knows the island well. Finding a place to hide is easy for him. I’ve sent all Ryugu Palace’s soldiers to search for them, but so far, there’s no trace.”
Neptune’s eyes filled with tears again.
“This is bad. The Queen is pregnant and has no combat abilities. If Hody uses her as leverage, we’ll be helpless,” Tiger said thoughtfully.
“I’ll meet any demands they have, as long as the Queen returns safely,” Neptune said through gritted teeth.
“Hody is smarter than Arlong. With the Queen in their hands, they won’t just ask for ransom or conditions. They might try to escape the island and sell the Queen to slavers,” Evan said seriously.
Selling the Queen of the Fish-Man Kingdom would fetch a high price from slavers.
“They… wouldn’t dare!”
Neptune’s eyes widened in disbelief, anger surging within him.
“This is just my speculation. For those who see only profit, Fish-Man Island is no longer a safe haven. Escaping would be a viable option,” Evan shook his head.
Bang!
Tiger stomped on the floor, cracking the smooth stone surface with his immense strength.
“Unforgivable!” he roared.
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