---
Otohime noticed the crew's unusual expressions. She knew what was going on.
Seeing this, Otohime stepped forward and began to preach her ideals to all the Fish-Men.
Her message was that Fish-Men and humans should live together in peace. Not all humans were bad. Fish-Men shouldn't transfer the mistakes and hatred of a few humans onto all humans. They shouldn't blindly hate all humans. They should be rational about this matter.
Otohime had her own purpose in preaching this theory here. It was to ease tensions with Buggy and his crew and to calm the Fish-Men down.
Many Fish-Men didn't take Otohime's words to heart. They had heard her say this many times before, but it hadn't reduced the harm humans inflicted on Fish-Men. So, Otohime's words were useless to them.
Other Fish-Men agreed to some extent, but they didn't fully agree. They were just showing respect for Otohime.
Buggy and his crew, on the other hand, changed their views on Fish-Men after hearing this. They learned from Otohime what might have happened. Perhaps some pirates who had passed through this area had done things that made the Fish-Men hate them. That's why the Fish-Men were so hostile towards them.
After Otohime finished speaking, Buggy led his crew off the Glory.
"Otohime, it's good to see you again."
Buggy still respected Otohime very much. Although her actions seemed naive to many, her instinctive kindness and her efforts for the future of Fish-Men were worthy of Buggy's respect.
She had devoted her entire life, even her life itself, to this path. Although she didn't achieve her ultimate goal, she planted a seed for reconciliation between Fish-Men and humans.
Hearing the voice behind her, Otohime smiled. She also knew that the person was indeed the old friend she remembered.
"Buggy, it's really you! I saw the picture on the bounty poster and thought I was mistaken. I didn't expect that the boy from back then has grown to this level. Truly worthy of being that man's crew member."
Otohime thought that it was inappropriate to mention Roger's name here. If she revealed it here, it would not only cause trouble for Buggy, but it would also make the Fish-Men even more hostile towards them. After all, Roger had started the Great Pirate Era, and because of him, more Fish-Men had been hurt. If they knew that Buggy was Roger's crew member, the conflict could be intensified.
"Hahaha, Otohime, you flatter me. Not just me, Shanks has also grown. His strength should be about the same as mine now."
Hearing Shanks's name, Otohime fell into thought. She also thought of that red-haired boy.
"Where is Shanks now? Did he also enter the latter half of the Grand Line?"
Otohime hadn't seen Shanks's bounty poster. She hadn't encountered Shanks on Fish-Man Island.
"Yes, he has entered the latter half of the Grand Line. He probably didn't enter through Fish-Man Island."
Buggy didn't know much about Shanks's itinerary. He only knew from Rayleigh that Shanks had gone to the latter half of the Grand Line. He didn't know where he entered the latter half of the Grand Line. He had previously thought that Shanks might have already come to see Otohime.
"Maybe we'll see him again someday. It's a shame."
Otohime felt very sorry that she hadn't seen Shanks. She also wanted to see Shanks now and witness his growth.
"Otohime, since you know this pirate, will he not harm us?"
Seeing Otohime talking to Buggy, the Fish-Men who had just calmed down became agitated again. They felt that since Buggy knew Otohime, maybe he wouldn't harm the Fish-Men on Fish-Man Island.
Hearing the voice behind her again, Otohime was about to say something, but Buggy spoke first. "Otohime and I are old friends. I have no ill feelings towards Fish-Men. I won't harm you. I also guarantee that none of us in the Red-Haired Pirates will harm you.
I know that some of you may have been persecuted by humans, but I also want to tell you that there are good people among humans. And those bad guys don't just persecute you Fish-Men. They don't even spare their own people. Even we humans despise them. And not all humans are hostile towards you. They just don't understand you."
Buggy said these words to help Otohime on her path. Buggy knew that many Fish-Men might not believe his words, but he said them anyway. And he wouldn't harm the Fish-Men in the future. This would definitely help Otohime's path. So, his words were not meaningless.
Hearing Buggy say this, a look of excitement flashed across Otohime's face. In the past, her speeches were just her talking to herself. She hadn't received any confirmation from humans. It was like building castles in the air. The Fish-Men didn't believe her much. But today, Buggy said this, confirming her words and proving their possibility. More Fish-Men would definitely believe her in the future. Maybe she could really achieve her goal.
"Buggy is right. We should believe him. I also believe that one day, we humans and Fish-Men will understand each other, and humans and Fish-Men will live together in peace."
After hearing Buggy and Otohime's words, many Fish-Men fell into thought. They were also recalling what Otohime had said before.
Although they didn't hear any words of agreement, Otohime saw the Fish-Men's current expressions. Her eyes were filled with joy. She knew that many people were thinking about her words. Maybe she was close to success.
"Buggy, let me show you around Fish-Man Island first. Then, I'll hold a feast for your arrival."
Some things, some matters, weren't urgent. It was also inconvenient to speak clearly about them here. Although Buggy had been to Fish-Man Island before, his crew hadn't. Otohime decided to show them around first. As for the matters, she would talk about them during the feast.
"Okay. Although I've been to Fish-Man Island before, it was many years ago. I'd like to see the scenery I remember again. My crew would also love to see Fish-Man Island's scenery."
Fish-Man Island was just a memory for Buggy now. He hadn't really seen it. He was happy to have the opportunity to see Fish-Man Island's scenery this time.
---
P@TREON
[email protected]/ShixT9