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In the manga pages that followed, readers witnessed even more shocking events. After Saint Mjosgard was healed, he decided to leave immediately, but the anger and hatred on his face could not be hidden.
He certainly intended to take revenge, but Queen Otohime could not allow that, so she accompanied him to Marijoa to ensure she could convince him not to hold any grudge—and also to bring her dream closer to reality… At this moment, even the readers felt that this decision by the queen was reckless and irrational.
It was inconceivable to place your life in the hands of a Celestial Dragon who has no reason.
For that reason, neither King Neptune nor his sons—nor even Jimbei and the rest of the kingdom's inhabitants—could relax for the entire period that Queen Otohime was absent.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Chapter's Events:
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"Otohime…!!!" Neptune did not want Otohime to go to the surface with the Celestial Dragon.
"Have faith!!"
"Both in me, the wife whom you chose…and in the humans…!!" Otohime turned and said that with a smile.
"Such impudence!!" Saint Mjosgard's expression grew annoyed at the scene.
…
[Night after night of sleepless unease…]
[…wracked the entire Ryugu Kingdom…!!]
Neptune looked at his sad children and encouraged them. "It will be all right!! Cheer up, all of you!"
The children went up to Jimbei to ask him about the queen. "Boss Jimbei! Is there any news of the queen?!"
"We must wait patiently and believe in her…" he replied.
"I wish we could hear her speeches again…" People began to miss her daily speeches and even wished she would return quickly.
[And after a week that felt like many months…]
"Queen Otohime has returned!!!" The long-awaited day had finally come.
[After negotiations that spanned many days…]
[Otohime had finally been able to pacify the Tenryuubito…]
"Your majesty!!!"
"Thank goodness you're alive!!! That alone is enough!!"
"Welcome home, your majesty!!" Many among the common folk wept for joy at seeing the queen return safely.
[And the piece of paper that Otohime held in her hand…]
[…was a shining ray of hope for all of Fishman Island.]
The queen returned holding a sheet of paper, a happy smile adorning her face; it seemed this piece of paper was extremely important.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Upon seeing this scene, Neptune felt relieved; after all, he could not imagine there being a forgiving or changeable Celestial Dragon.
"It seems Otohime's pure nature can even turn stone into clay. After all, the Celestial Dragons are still humans in the end, and they can be negotiated with as well."
Neptune smiled in relief.
"Incredible… Queen Otohime may be the only one in history who managed to negotiate with and convince a Celestial Dragon of her cause…!!"
The two ministers felt their throats go dry; Queen Otohime's diplomatic skills left them in the dust!
The difficulty of persuading a Celestial Dragon to submit to her cause was literally at the level of hell!
How she did it remained a baffling mystery, not only to them but to all readers around the world.
…
"Impressive—Queen Otohime truly is an amazing figure," Fisher Tiger smiled, feeling an intense curiosity to know how she had done it.
"The Celestial Dragons are literal nonsense in human form! You can't talk to them with logic when they, before anything else, consider non–Celestial Dragons to be insects and lower beings! How can they negotiate with insects? How did the queen accomplish this unbelievable feat? I don't understand."
Jimbei scratched his head in confusion; he could not believe his eyes.
"Queen Otohime is special. No one else can succeed at that—but that doesn't mean it would necessarily be impossible for Queen Otohime."
Even though he knew her only as a character in the manga, Tiger understood Otohime's character completely; he saw through her and knew how much greatness was hidden behind that gentle face and weak body.
…
In Marijoa, the commotion here was no less than it was in the world below; the Celestial Dragons were shocked at Queen Otohime's ability to change Mjosgard's impression.
Even Mjosgard himself was astonished at that moment.
"Did you dare follow me all the way to Marijoa!?"
"Don't tell me that my counterpart, who returned empty-handed without his former slaves, didn't think to enslave Queen Otohime?"
The very idea frustrated him.
How could it be that the woman offered herself to him with complete sincerity, yet he refused her?
"What a foolish counterpart!"
Saint Mjosgard did not know how Otohime had managed to persuade his counterpart, nor how she had negotiated with him—and his small brain could not even guess—but he did not care at that moment.
He had yet to see the full picture; therefore, he still implicitly considered himself an "unbrainwashed" Celestial Dragon.
…
On the other hand, in the Hall of Power, the Five Elders did not care about Mosjard or Otohime; they were still focused on the matter of Shirahoshi.
"According to our latest information, Neptune is not yet married… he has no children, either…"
"Who would have expected the next Poseidon to be Neptune's daughter… It seems the world truly is heading toward the next great war… Is that the finale of the One Piece manga… a great war?"
"Rob does not want any great war—not because he hasn't learned the truth about Lord Imu yet, but because he wants to finish the manga first, right?"
"Then this manga would have no meaning if the ending never came someday…"
"Rob should not be underestimated, but to think that the next generation will be the decisive one—these seeds must certainly be eliminated!"
"Perhaps we won't even need to do anything. Didn't Rob—that villain who claims righteousness—marry Neptune's fated wife? How will Shirahoshi be born without both her mother and father together?"
"Neptune's next daughter may be the next Poseidon, whether she's Shirahoshi or someone else."
The Five Elders were steeped in curiosity, but their curiosity did not stop them from thinking rationally.
After all, the appearance of one of the "most distinguished" Ancient Weapons—the one that can control the Sea Kings—was not a good sign for the World Government; it was clear evidence that the final battle was indeed drawing near.
"Keep Neptune under surveillance from now on… and watch Vivi's father as well."
At that moment, a commanding voice issued from the Empty Throne, like a heavenly decree.
The Five Elders stood and bowed, receiving the lord's edict in obedience.
…
In Ohara, Otohime held a hand to her mouth as she followed the quickening pace of the events in the next chapter.
Seeing how popular her counterpart was and how beloved she was by the people on Fishman Island, Otohime truly felt moved to the point that tears spilled over.
Thousands of residents began to show their sincerest feelings of love for the queen by signing the petition that the queen had proposed.
A single box was no longer enough at that moment, as people urged her to add more boxes.
Otohime felt the same emotions as her counterpart at that moment; she could not hide her tears of happiness.
She was extremely happy for her counterpart, Queen Otohime.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 948: The Power to Drown the World!
Chapter 949: The Death of Queen Otohime.
Chapter 950: Jimbei's Words.
Chapter 951: Hody Jones Attempts to Seize the Throne.
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