Deep beneath the sea, ten thousand meters below the surface, Fish-Man Island basked in the radiant sunlight, and Ryugu Castle remained as dazzling and bright as ever. The golden and green divine dragon still exuded an air of luxury and majesty.
The Minister of the Left, a catfish Fish-man, stood below and reported solemnly to King Neptune seated on the throne, "Your Majesty, we have made contact with Fisher Tiger. He said he will return to Fish-Man Island in at most three days."
"Is that so? What did he say? Is he willing to join the Marines?" King Neptune stroked his long, orange-red beard as he asked.
"Fisher Tiger's response was that he is unwilling. He said that with Jinbe and Aladine in the Marines, it is enough. He would rather join the Neptune Army and head to Sabaody Archipelago to protect our future brethren, ensuring they can live and play there in peace."
"Hmm."
After listening, King Neptune pondered for a moment before nodding, "Very well. The Neptune Army stationed at Sabaody Archipelago indeed needs a strong presence. We must communicate this with the Marines and explain the situation clearly to avoid any misunderstandings."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Minister of the Left responded respectfully.
"How is the situation at Sabaody Archipelago? Have there been any specific updates?" King Neptune continued to inquire.
The Minister of the Left replied, "Since this is the first time, the Minister of the Right has personally gone to oversee the operations. I've heard that the facilities in Area 62 are quite well-equipped and only require minor adjustments for us to settle in comfortably."
"They are currently familiarizing themselves with the entire environment of Sabaody Archipelago under the guidance of the Marines. Starting tomorrow, they will officially begin their patrol duties. According to the Marines, this is to help the island's residents get accustomed to the presence of Fish-men, preparing for the future reception of civilian Fish-men."
King Neptune nodded in satisfaction, "Good, very steady. I am growing more confident in our future cooperation. It seems the World Government is truly sincere this time!"
"Yes, ever since the Marines entered Fish-Man Island, they have dealt with over a dozen pirate crews attempting to kidnap Mermaids. Many Mermaids have been saved as a result, and now the citizens are gradually becoming more welcoming and enthusiastic toward the Marines," the Minister of the Left said with a pleased expression.
Previously, Fish-Man Island had struggled to deal with high-bounty human pirates due to a lack of strong fighters. But now, with the presence of Marine Headquarters officers, the pressure has significantly decreased.
Whenever the Neptune Army encounters pirates they cannot handle, they immediately request support from the Marines on the island, which has further strengthened the relationship between the two races.
"However, I still feel some unease about handing over the two Poneglyphs from the Sea Forest to the World Government. It feels like we are going against the wishes of our ancestors."
The Minister of the Left hesitated as he looked at King Neptune, "Is this really the right thing to do?"
"Sigh, I truly had no choice. I don't know how the World Government found out about this, but Vice Admiral Aokiji himself came to demand them, insisting on taking them along with the two hundred Fish-men joining the Marines."
King Neptune furrowed his brow and tugged at his beard, speaking with a troubled expression, "Tell me, could I have refused?"
The Poneglyphs are explicitly forbidden by the World Government to be studied or possessed. Before, when the World Government was unaware, we could keep it quiet. But now that they know, we had no choice but to comply and hand them over.
To be honest, the World Government has been quite lenient by not holding Fish-Man Island accountable for concealing and failing to report the truth!
"Your humble servant understands," the Minister of the Left sighed.
On the throne, the massive figure of King Neptune was momentarily lost in memories.
Over eight hundred years ago, Joy Boy made a promise with the Mermaid Princess of that time to use 'Noah's Ark' to bring all Fish-men and Mermen to the surface, allowing them to live forever under the sunlight.
However, due to an unforeseen accident, the promise was not fulfilled. As a result, an apology was inscribed on the Poneglyph, along with a prophecy that one day, someone would appear to fulfill this promise in his stead.
Only when that day comes will 'Noah's Ark' be given its true purpose!
This is the legend passed down through generations of the royal family of Fish-Man Island. Although they cannot read the text on the Poneglyph, they remember this legend vividly.
Thus, the dream of leaving the depths of the sea and enjoying the sunlight and forests on the surface has become the centuries-long aspiration of all Fish-men, and they have guarded 'Noah's Ark' generation after generation! But now, under the guidance of the World Government, the Fish-men's dream of living openly under the sunlight seems to be within reach, and it appears that 'Noah's Ark' is no longer needed, nor is there a need to wait for the appearance of someone who can replace Joy Boy.
This has left King Neptune with a complex mix of emotions.
Could it be that the legend is truly just a legend? Or has that person already appeared, but on the side of the World Government? "Well, we of Fish-Man Island can only trust the World Government and take things as they come."
King Neptune raised his head and looked upward, his deep gaze seemingly piercing through the ceiling, the roof, and the ten thousand meters of deep sea, reaching the Red Line Continent.
"Do not disappoint us, Celestial Dragons!"
Above the Red Line Continent, within the Holy Land Mary Geoise, Imu had now arrived alone at the deepest underground level of Pangaea Castle.
This was the 'Room of History'! The existence of the Poneglyphs was naturally known to the World Government, and there was a specialized team responsible for finding and recovering them, with the highest authority being none other than Marcus Mars Saint.
Over the years, they had managed to find some Poneglyphs and had stored them all in this cold, dark place. And now, the two new arrivals from Fish-Man Island were also placed here.
"An apology, huh..."
Imu stood before the deep blue Poneglyph, which was over ten meters tall, and sighed. As he gazed at it, memories surfaced in his mind, and the image of Joy Boy seemed to appear before him.
"Surely, you never imagined that the one who would fulfill your promise and grant Fish-Man Island sunlight, forests, and freedom would be none other than me, Imu, right?"
"The 'me' of that time personally destroyed the great kingdom where all races coexisted. Now, I will create a World Government that truly deserves to be called a place where all races coexist, and one that is even greater and more magnificent!"
In his view, the great kingdom of that time was good, but unfortunately, it was not a kingdom that belonged to him, Imu, and thus it had to be destroyed.
Breaking free from his memories, Imu's gaze shifted to the red Poneglyph beside him.
Over the years, the World Government had never found a Poneglyph with the nature of a road sign, and this was the first of its kind.
In this way, even if someone is still searching for the 'Road Poneglyphs' in the future, it would be useless even if they managed to gather the three outside ones.
To be honest, as a transmigrator, Imu doesn't think these Poneglyphs are of much use, except for the ones that record the ancient weapons.
In his view, the past is already behind us. Even if there were schemes and conspiracies during the wars, isn't it ultimately a matter of the victor writing history?
As long as the World Government can ensure that the majority of the people in various countries live comfortably, eat well, drink well, dress well, and maintain harmony, what does it matter if the past history is revealed someday?
How many people would abandon the food in their bowls, take off their fine clothes, leave behind their healthy children, and pick up swords to avenge the ancient kingdom by fighting against the World Government? No matter how dark the past is, it remains the past and can never overshadow the brightness of the future.
However, collecting the Poneglyphs isn't a bad idea either. He doesn't intend to stop this work. It's better to avoid trouble where possible. After all, his subordinates are the ones doing the work, and he only needs to reveal a few locations he knows about.
The most important task now is to retrieve the Poneglyph hidden in the 'Burial Shrine' of the Alabasta Kingdom. It records the location of the 'Dark King's' true form, which makes it a dangerous item. "But how should I explain this to them? Should I say that there's a forbidden item in your ancestral tomb and we need to send people in to retrieve it?" Imu couldn't help but laugh at his own words.
"Never mind, let's have someone talk to them first. It's best to reach a friendly agreement. After all, it's Alabasta, and I don't really want to resort to force. Vivi is quite beautiful, after all."