The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

"Your Highness, are you one of the Celestial Dragons?"

Queen Otohime asked somewhat cautiously, not expecting to encounter such an important figure after coming to the Sabaody Archipelago in her struggle to liberate slaves.

Just then, Luther, who was standing nearby, finished brewing the tea. She poured him a cup first, and then, as she poured tea for Princess Otohime, she spoke up to remind her:

"His Highness's name is Don Quixote Luther Saint, and he is now the head of the Don Quixote family, whose status and power are no less than those of the Five Elders."

Such words were naturally not suitable for Luther to say, and Robin knew that it was time for him to introduce the situation.

As for whether Luther was truly on par with the Five Elders, there's no one else here, so no one would refute it.

"Saint Luther, the patriarch of the Celestial Dragons..."

Queen Otohime gasped for breath, her mind filled with surprise and joy.

She never expected that this impromptu trip would lead her to meet a person of such high power.

She had actually heard of Luther's name before; the pirates who traveled to and from Fishman Island often mentioned his name.

Just from the pirates' accounts, Queen Otohime knew that Luther Saint was an extraordinary young talent among the Celestial Dragons.

However, Fishman Island was isolated from the outside world, and the Fishman Kingdom didn't have much contact with the outside world, so she had never seen what the other person looked like, which is why she didn't recognize him.

"There are two things I would like to ask His Highness Luther for his permission to do!"

Queen Otohime got up and bowed twice to Luther with utmost respect.

Seeing Princess Otohime's innocent appearance, even Luther himself had a strange expression.

Leaving aside the fact that they immediately believed his identity, treating him like a lifeline seems rather naive.

If he were interested in Queen Otohime, he suspected he could win her over in a day of chatting.

Unfortunately, Queen Otohime was not to his liking; he was more interested in her newborn daughter.

"Tell me about it."

Having always harbored ambitions towards Fishman Island, Luther's voice was also slightly gentle.

Of course, this is also related to Queen Otohime's attitude; her sincerity and simple emotions easily win people's favor.

If it were a sycophantic old king, Luther would have been lucky not to kick him out.

After Luther replied, Robin and Gion both looked at Luther with strange eyes, and then glanced at Otohime, who was less than 1.5 meters tall.

It's no wonder they had such suspicions; Luther had a long history of misconduct and more than one prior offense.

Feeling stared at like that, Luther glared at the two of them.

He doesn't actually have that kind of fetish; it just happened to be the right time, since he arrived a bit early.

"Your Highness, this is what happened..."

Queen Otohime was almost completely unsuspecting and had no idea what Luther and the others were talking about.

She kept in mind her mission and explained her purpose to Luther.

Chapter 186 Teaching a Lesson to the Naive Princess

"Your Highness, the first matter concerns the merfolk's request to relocate to land."

"I have obtained the consent of most of the residents of Fishman Island, and they are willing to migrate to the mainland. We are well aware of the differences between land and sea, but we yearn to integrate into land society and live with humans. We are willing to abide by the rules and laws of the World Government and contribute to it."

"We believe that through peaceful cooperation and understanding, fish-people and humans can jointly create a more inclusive and harmonious world. We request Your Highness's support and assistance to make the fish-people's migration to the land a reality, creating a better future for our descendants."

"The second thing I want is for you to help us liberate the mermaids and fish-men slaves of the Sabaody Archipelago."

"They suffered inhuman abuse, endured endless pain and oppression. They have the same rights to freedom and dignity as our fellow citizens."

"Your Highness, as the patriarch of the Celestial Dragons, you possess unparalleled influence and power. Your voice will be able to draw the attention of the world. I implore Your Highness to raise the voice of justice for these suffering beings and urge the relevant forces to cease their persecution and exploitation of them."

"At the same time, I hope you can secure the support of world governments for us, increasing their attention and aid to the Sabaody Archipelago. Let us work together to fight for the freedom and equal rights of these oppressed groups, so that they can regain their dignity and freedom."

Princess Otohime spoke of her thoughts with anticipation, and Luther did not interrupt her, nor did his expression change.

Robin and Gion, however, looked at Otohime with some strange expressions.

They never imagined that there could be such an innocent princess in the world.

Just hearing about it should tell you that it's impossible.

The fact that Otohime could speak with such composure and even determination struck Robin and Gion as somewhat absurd.

Even if Otohime had proposed these things, Luther might not have been able to succeed.

They really didn't know where Otohime got her confidence from.

But at this point, Otohime had already begun to boldly imagine a life where fish-men and humans could live in harmony, making her a complete idealist.

Thirty minutes later, Queen Otohime finally finished recounting the two matters in a long, drawn-out manner.

Luther waited for Otohime to finish speaking before calmly looking at her.

Instead of analyzing what was possible and what was impossible, he asked his first question:

Give me a reason to help you.

When she heard Luther's words, Otohime didn't realize the subtext of Luther's words, and instead replied from another angle:

“Your Highness, as someone who has witnessed injustice and suffering, I cannot stand idly by. I believe everyone deserves freedom and dignity, regardless of their race, background, or social status. As a queen, I know the hardships faced by fish-people living in the ocean, and I am aware of the difficult situation of mermaids and fish-people slaves—their imprisonment, exploitation, and torture. This has deeply touched my heart…”

At this point, Otohime changed the subject, her expectant gaze turning to Luther:

"Therefore, I believe that as the patriarch of the Celestial Dragons, you are a being even more noble than myself, and you are even more able to see the existence of these problems. So, I implore you to work with me to speak out for these suffering lives and give them hope and opportunities. Let us work together to build a society full of love and justice, so that everyone can freely pursue happiness and dignity."

At this moment, Otohime was like a saint full of love and compassion, radiating an unparalleled emotional appeal that touched those around her.

Even Robin, influenced by Otohime, showed a look of empathy.

Suddenly, a faint burst of Conqueror's Haki emanated from Luther's body.

It happened to interrupt Otohime's emotional elaboration, but did not have any other psychological impact on those around her.

This scene brought Robin back to her senses, and she looked at Otohime with lingering fear.

Whether what Princess Otohime said can be realized remains to be seen, but her ability to evoke emotions is enough to keep most people calm and listen to her, eventually resonating with her and agreeing with her words.

"Queen Otohime, that's not what I want to hear."

Luther gazed calmly at Otohime and said slowly:

"Do you know how much I'll have to pay to support the murlocs?"

"No matter the cost, it will be borne by the mermaids and fish-men. For our fellow fish and a better tomorrow, we are willing to do anything," Otohime said firmly.

She didn't actually use her innate Observation Haki intentionally; she didn't have a very good grasp of it either. She would use it involuntarily whenever she was emotionally agitated.

Hearing Otohime's words, Luther shook his head with amusement:

"Let's talk about the first thing you want to achieve: get the merfolk to migrate to the land."

"This is simpler than anything else. All you need is a habitable island, to fly the flag of the Ryugu Kingdom, and that will be the new Fish-Man Island. I'm sure you can figure that out, so you definitely want more than just an island..."

Luther was interrupted by Otohime's surprised voice before he could finish speaking:

"Hey! Can this method work too? Doesn't every island have its own owner?"

Upon hearing Otohime's reply, Luther showed an expression of being speechless for the first time, which made Gion and Robin cover their mouths and chuckle.

This was the first time they had ever seen Luther like this.

However, not everyone can accept Otohime's eccentric ideas.

"You want to relocate Fishman Island to the mainland, haven't you thought about how to do it?"

Luther looked at Otohime strangely, feeling that he needed to reassess the intelligence of mermaids and fish-men.

"Yes, I have!"

Princess Otohime straightened her back, and said with righteous indignation and conviction:

“As I said before, I have already collected the signatures of my fellow Fish-Man Island residents. I will take these signatures to the World Conference to propose the plan to relocate Luther. Once the World Government agrees, we can move to the island designated by the World Government!”

Upon hearing Otohime's thoughts, Luther fell silent.

It's not that it's wrong; this charter is a formal procedure written in the World Government Regulations, but there's nothing right about it either.

If the member states were all governed by someone as naive as Otohime, the Celestial Dragons could probably rule this world for another 8000 years... no, they could last until humanity goes extinct.

These days, who still follows the rules and regulations?

Not long ago, the white town of Frevans was also destroyed by war. It was also a constituent republic of the government. Now, the island is covered with the flags of other countries, entering the cycle of mining amber lead, discovering something was wrong, and being destroyed again.

"Is this your idea, or Neptune's idea?"

Luther was curious whether this was Otohime's personal idea or the will of the entire Ryugu Kingdom.

"His Majesty supported my idea, and we discussed and refined it many times before arriving at the current plan," Princess Otohime said matter-of-factly.

"In other words, this is the idea behind the entire Fishman Island."

Luther looked at Otohime with a strange expression, and seeing her nod in agreement, he mentally categorized the fishmen's minds.

There are long-standing rumors on the high seas that fish-men are ten times stronger than humans, but this extra strength comes at the cost of their intelligence.

Luther had some doubts about this statement before, but now he had to consider its veracity.

Chapter 187 Equivalent Exchange

"Ugh..."

Luther sighed softly.

Fishman Island is a very important partner in his future strategy.

In order to help this partner grow up as quickly as possible, it seems he needs to let Otohime know some things, those cruel unspoken rules of the human world.

"Queen Otohime, if your only wish is to relocate Fish-Man Island to the mainland, there is a settlement for Fish-Men in the ocean. It's simple; you just need to find a suitable uninhabited island and move your people there. But..."

Luther's tone shifted, causing Otohime's heart to clench.

Even though Luther didn't say anything, for some reason, she seemed to see in him the image of her own people dying tragically on land and being displaced.

"But what?"