Chapter 690: SFDI - 690
On Fish-Man Island stands the sole nation of Fish-Men and Merfolk—Ryugu Kingdom, ruled by King Neptune, who bears the title "Knight of the Sea."
Guarding the entrance are two Seahorse Merfolk soldiers of Ryugu Kingdom. Seeing the group swimming towards them, they cross their spears, blocking the entrance.
"Who are you?"
Drake stopped and said, "We are Fairy Tail. We’d like to sightsee on Fish-Man Island. Are there any procedures we need to follow?"
The two seahorse guards looked at each other, then lowered their crossed weapons and said, "Please wait a moment, we need to report this."
With that, the seahorse guards took out a Den Den Mushi encased in a bubble and initiated communication.
After the seahorse guards’ report, a flustered voice came from the Den Den Mushi, followed by the words that someone would be coming to greet them shortly.
Judging by the situation, Drake could roughly deduce the current state of Fish-Man Island.
Fish-Man Island is located ten thousand meters below the sea, essentially completely isolated from the world above.
This protects Fish-Men and Merfolk from slave traders and pirates, but it also separates them from the outside world.
After all, even the most powerful News Coo couldn’t deliver newspapers ten thousand meters underwater.
Therefore, the residents of Fish-Man Island have very limited knowledge of the outside world. Even though Fairy Tail is quite famous on the seas, the guards at the entrance showed no reaction upon hearing the group’s identity.
However, the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was clearly different. The higher-ups of Ryugu Kingdom would never cease acquiring information from the outside world, so upon hearing that the visitors were Fairy Tail, they immediately took it seriously.
Drake, meanwhile, was pondering who would come to greet them. Given his relationship with Whitebeard, it was highly possible he would meet Neptune, who was also an old friend of Whitebeard.
Speaking of which, this Sea Knight was not always a proponent of coexistence between humans and Fish-Men. Although he didn’t harbor extreme hatred towards humans like Arlong or Hody Jones, he believed coexistence was a shattered dream, impossible to achieve.
It was only after Queen Otohime’s death that Neptune inherited his wife’s dream and continuously strived for coexistence between humans and Fish-Men.
Even though he didn’t believe it was possible, he endured the grief of losing his beloved and the hatred, working towards his goal. Neptune’s confusion and inner turmoil were understandable.
Drake genuinely wanted to meet this man and share a drink with him. Perhaps his actions seemed foolish, but Drake greatly admired his resilience.
Drake and his group didn’t have to wait long before a large party came rushing towards them.
However, to Drake’s disappointment, the leader was not Neptune, but a plump, elderly catfish Fish-Man.
He wore a top hat, a monocle over his left eye, and held a horn-handled cane in his right hand. This appearance suggested he was likely Left Minister, a high-ranking official of Ryugu Kingdom.
Upon seeing Drake’s group, Left Minister immediately approached and said, "Esteemed guests, you have traveled a great distance. We apologize for not being prepared to welcome you!"
Left Minister’s politeness made Drake a little embarrassed, and he quickly replied, "Not at all, it was our sudden arrival!"
Left Minister made a gesture to lead the way and said, "We are truly sorry, His Majesty Neptune has gone on patrol of Fish-Man Island without informing us again. The three princes have gone to find him, so they cannot come to welcome you.
Please follow me for now, we will wait for His Majesty Neptune’s return at Ryugu Castle."
Drake then remembered that Neptune did indeed have such a habit. However, he did not accept Left Minister’s suggestion and instead said, "In that case, we’ll visit Ryugu Castle later. Since we’ve come all the way to Fish-Man Island, let us explore the island first."
Left Minister hesitated for a moment, then said, "Very well, I will be your guide."
Drake raised an eyebrow. Although Left Minister was very polite, it was clear he was wary, fearing the group might cause trouble on the island.
However, thinking about it, the people of Ryugu Kingdom didn’t know them, and Drake’s friendship with Whitebeard alone wasn’t enough to earn their trust.
Compared to their attitude towards the Straw Hat Pirates in the original story, this was already much better.
Drake had no intention of causing trouble, so he overlooked this minor issue and nodded in agreement with Left Minister’s proposal.
Thus, the group followed Left Minister into Fish-Man Island, beginning their sightseeing tour.
The architecture of Fish-Man Island was quite unique, mostly using shells of various sizes as materials and decorated with seaweed and coral.
The group looked around curiously. Both the distinctive buildings and the diverse array of Fish-Men and Merfolk captivated their attention. Left Minister also fulfilled his role as an excellent guide, introducing them to many unique aspects of Fish-Man Island.
"This is Coral Hill, our Ryugu Kingdom’s most prosperous port town. It has complete facilities like shops and restaurants. Would you like to take a look?"
Perhaps because Drake’s group had shown no signs of threat along the way, Left Minister’s guard relaxed somewhat.
Drake turned to look at everyone and said, "Everyone, feel free to explore any place that interests you! We’ll meet at the plaza we passed earlier later."
Everyone responded and then headed towards their chosen destinations.
Stella, Erza, and Lucy had already discussed where they wanted to go. Earlier, Left Minister had mentioned a famous fashion designer on Fish-Man Island, so they decided to visit the clothing store for some shopping.
Drake, of course, had no intention of joining the girls on a shopping trip and suffering through it. So he said to Left Minister, "I heard there’s a famous Mermaid Cafe here. Could you please take me there?"
Left Minister naturally wouldn’t refuse and led Drake to the Mermaid Cafe located somewhere in Coral Hill.
Drake pushed open the door and walked in. As a famous establishment on Fish-Man Island, it was quite lively inside.
Drake found an empty seat and sat down, with Left Minister sitting opposite him.
A genuine mermaid waitress, wearing a swimsuit and a float around her waist, swam over and handed them the menu.
Left Minister skillfully took it and ordered, clearly a regular customer.
Coral Hill was the place where Ryugu Kingdom had the most contact with the outside world. Merchants and pirates from the outside world would stop here to purchase supplies.
Therefore, neither the customers nor the staff at the Mermaid Cafe paid too much attention to Drake, a human customer.
Soon, the mermaid waitresses brought the dishes ordered by Left Minister.
Merfolk and Fish-Men were different; they did not eat fish or meat. Thus, the food offered at the Mermaid Cafe mostly consisted of desserts or dishes made from seaweed or shellfish.
The food here indeed had a unique flavor, but the desserts were a pleasant surprise for Drake.
It was no wonder that in the original story, after Whitebeard’s death, BIG MOM wanted to occupy this island—wasn’t it because she had her eye on the island’s desserts?
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