"Your Majesty, I'm innocent... don't kill me...", Holp spat out fresh blood, his chest pierced by a trident. Even in death, his face still carried a pleading expression.
"Die! Die! Die!", Neptune kept repeating this word, his face twisted with madness. Without the slightest hesitation, he charged at Rosse.
The death of Sabina by the hands of Otohime had already caused him to lose all reason.
Now, he only wanted to destroy everything.
"Your Majesty!"
BANG!
Before Rosse even acted, Neptune was blown away.
At this moment, Jinbe descended from the sky just in time, blocking in front of Neptune. He had seen everything that just happened.
Looking at the utterly crazed Neptune, Jinbe only felt sorrow.
The Neptune of the past was nothing like what he had become today.
He didn't know what had happened, 'But this kind of Neptune, I have to stop him.'
"Fish-man! DIE!", Neptune didn't recognize Jinbe, his eyes blood-red, continuing to charge toward Rosse.
"Your Majesty!", Jinbe's expression became serious, taking a stance in Fish-Man Karate.
Whether for righteousness or due to his own stance, he had to block Neptune.
"Let me do it. Don't waste time," Rosse's voice rang out. Jinbe only felt a stream of water strike his body, involuntarily pushing him back.
Then, Rosse lightly took one step forward and appeared in front of Neptune.
"ROSSE!", Neptune let out a roar, swinging his trident to strike him.
"Over here," Rosse smiled, stretched out his hand, covered it with Armament Haki, and easily blocked the incoming trident.
After blocking the attack, he grabbed the shaft of the trident and used a little force to pull it outward.
"AHHHH!!"
Neptune, feeling his weapon being taken, turned red in the face, clearly using all his strength.
Unfortunately, even though he had a large body and decent strength, there was still a qualitative gap between his strength and Rosse's.
Ka-cha~
A crisp sound of metal tearing rang out. Amidst the contest of strength between the two, the trident was forcibly torn into two pieces.
Neptune was left with only half a stick in his hand, while Rosse held the relatively intact half of the trident.
Rosse's expression was cold. He rotated the shaft, and Conqueror's Haki instantly wrapped around the trident.
At his level, weapons no longer mattered.
Even if it was just a slipper, he could use it like a Supreme Grade Blade.
Strictly speaking, although Neptune's trident had too much metal mixed in, reducing its hardness, it still counted as Supreme Grade Blade level.
Ssshhh!
Conqueror's Haki drew out streaks of red light, circling the trident, making it appear extremely powerful.
"Incredible power...", Jinbe, watching from the side, couldn't stop trembling all over.
Just by feeling the power of the trident in Rosse's hand, he actually felt a sense of fear.
One must know, even that earlier slash by Rosse which split mountains and seas hadn't made Jinbe feel like this.
He couldn't even imagine how powerful this next strike would be.
"It's over, Neptune," Rosse said flatly, and the trident fell without hesitation.
Facing the king of Fish-Man Island, he was still willing to give royal respect.
Although today wasn't the day of execution, but after today, aside from his physical life, nothing else would be left.
"AHHH!!", Neptune raised his broken stick, trying to block.
But facing an attack wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, even S-rank powerhouses would have to respond cautiously.
For Neptune, who hadn't reached that level, any resistance was futile.
BOOM!
The trident descended.
The broken stick in Neptune's hand was once again smoothly sliced through.
Immediately after, the trident struck his chest, sending Neptune's massive body flying backward with force.
BOOM!
Amid the sound of the heavens collapsing and the earth shattering, half the palace nearly collapsed.
After a long while, the noise finally settled.
Jinbe steadied himself and, looking at the scene before him, couldn't help swallowing.
Neptune's enormous body was nailed to the wall by the trident.
And that wall just happened to bear the emblem of the Ryugu Kingdom.
If it had been someone else's attack, Jinbe would have thought it was just coincidence.
But since it was Rosse, then it could only be a result he had premeditated.
'Strong... Too strong...'
Not just in power, but also in unparalleled control.
It wasn't only Jinbe who was shaken by Rosse's strength. The remaining merfolks who hadn't left were also dazzled as they looked at Rosse's back.
Whether mermaid or human, all admired the strong.
And the strength Rosse displayed would undoubtedly draw countless gazes.
Even with Otohime standing in front of all of them, there were still many who couldn't help but gaze expectantly at Rosse.
What if—
They couldn't become the main wife, maybe a concubine?
Couldn't be a concubine, maybe a handmaiden?
At worst, even being a slave was fine.
Fantasizing about Rosse lashing them, the merfolks couldn't help blushing all over.
After dealing with Neptune, Rosse turned and walked toward Otohime and Jinbe.
"Jinbe."
"Yes!", Jinbe bowed slightly to show his respect.
"Open the gates of the Ryugu Kingdom. Let everyone witness Neptune's fate," Rosse said calmly.
"Saint Rosse, how should Neptune be dealt with?", Although he shouldn't ask, Jinbe couldn't help but question.
He could feel that Neptune still had a breath of life. With his vitality, even without timely aid, he could still hold out for a few days.
"Wait for orders from the World Government. By rights, a Celestial Dragon dying on Fish-Man Island would trigger a Buster Call. I'll try to negotiate, only execute the main culprit. Conduct a public execution of Neptune," Rosse said calmly.
A public execution of Neptune, that was inevitable. It was also the most important thing for Otohime to rise to power.
As long as today's events were broadcast, Fish-Man Island would immediately abandon the Ryugu Kingdom.
The remaining diehards would have no impact.
"Understood!", Jinbe sighed, but then bowed and left.
Perhaps, this was already the best outcome. After all, a Celestial Dragon had died here.
"As for you all...", After watching Jinbe leave, Rosse turned his gaze toward the remaining merfolks.
Only now did the merfolks' hearts jump. Only now did they suddenly realize, Rosse didn't seem to be here to save them.
They were also witnesses to the Celestial Dragon's death.
"Your Highness, don't kill us!"
"We'll do anything you ask, we beg you!"
"..."
The cleverer merfolks were already starting to plead with Rosse.
No matter what happened to the other merfolks, they didn't want to die.
"According to the rules, since you didn't stop Neptune from committing murder, you should also be sentenced to death," Rosse said coldly, and his meaning was already very clear.
But at the same time, he gave Otohime a look. He didn't like playing the savior, but someone had to play the role. And best of all, that someone should be one of his own.
From the beginning, Otohime was that savior he had chosen.
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