This is coming out a little late, but it's been a bit of a crazy week and I just couldn't satisfy myself with this chapter. It feels like a lot of fluff to me, but today is the day and there's a lot I still need to wrap up before the pirates leave Fishman Island. I know the next chapter has a lot more action and less setup. Either way, let me know what you think!

Thank you to all my wonderful Patrons: Alex P, Andrew Bohl, Animephilosopher1, Anna Khuu, Ant Franklin, Ant Franklin, Badmr7, Cam Bliss, Christopher Mitchell, Clark Kent, Claude Walker, Cory Johnston, CrazyMan, David Bowling, David Reynolds, Dean, EbayUserGreen, Emi Stafford, Eric Bandel, Eugene Malone Jr., EvilJelly, Fenrir ragnarok, Garvin Lee Nelson-Mathlin, Grim90, Illiasse Naji, Jacob McCarthy, JEP1010, Jkat, John Mekjian, Jonathan Moh, Jordanitos, Joseph Morrison, Josh Watson, Julien digot, Kari Winters, Kcx1, Kevin Calderon, Kieran Walker, Korakas, Kyo Anamoto, Lamont Hale, little greenmen, Loriane bourguignon, Marielle Orff, Markoos, Matthew Burley, McBanjo, Mcgin28, Michael Lessard Lagrange, Milagros Peres Davila, Milla, Nathaniel Oppegaard, Nicole Morris, Philippa Sale, Rafael Cardenas, Raghhh, Ranger Ellis, Reader45, Richard Barkley, Ricky Shaffer, Riley Bolerjack, Rohit ran, Ryuu, S.D,Gaines, Sebastian Gutierrez, SpiderBat, TheMedia_Ghost, Thomas Sanders, ToonTownTourist, Ty Chaos, ViewtifulSoul, X.P Xavier, and Григорий Сухотин !

Chapter 25:

Politics, Official and Otherwise

"I've got good news and bad news," Chopper said, never taking his eyes off his patient. "I don't have anything concrete yet from my preliminary tests and would like a second opinion from your castle's physician, but I think my conclusions are accurate. Which do you want first?"

"Give us the good news," Manboshi answered.

"He'll live, assuming you care for him. The first aide he received did enough to save his life. He's free of infection and likely can recover in time."

"Likely?" Ryuboshi asked, a waver in his voice. "What's the bad news?"

"He's alive but not responsive," Chopper replied, a wail coming from Shirahoshi with a fresh wave of tears. "I suspect his wounds reopened in the last view minutes. Between that and whatever fights he was in before, he's stretched himself to the limit and lost nearly half his blood. The loss of oxygen to his brain has sent him into a coma. It…" Chopper paused, but his Hippocratic Oath demanded he give them all the information.

"If he pushed himself too far, it may be permanent."

The throne room of the Ryugu Castle was quiet save for the hushed mutterings between Chopper and Doctor Goldie. The onlookers strained to hear what the medics whispered to each other over their patient, but still they were denied. It had taken a decree from the king for them to even be present, lest the consultation and physical be done where the rest of Fukaboshi's family could, and would, do nothing but pace and fret. Make no mistake, they were still worrying, but at least this way they could somewhat see the progress as it happened.

The room itself was flooded, partially due to a quick exchange between Chopper and Dr. Goldie about how best to work with Fukaboshi's punctured lung. (Chopper agreed that dealing with the light distortion the water caused would mean little compared to allowing Fukaboshi the ability to breathe through his gills.) Mostly, however, the throne room doors were still separated from their hinges, making maintaining air more difficult than usual. The water also showed where Fukaboshi's cuts were still bleeding, even if the discoloration obscured some things. A group of soldiers, needing something to remove their nervous energy, moved to produce a small current that would remove the blood leaking from their prince's cuts.

"Your Grace," the only remaining minister said, pulling the monarch's eye from where the doctors fussed over medical terminology. Until such a time as King Neptune could find a new advisor to take a position on his left, the Minister of the Right was the sole advisor to the king in matters not dealing with the army. If anything, it seemed the loss of the Minister of the Left to his injuries from Hody spurred Doctor Goldie further into his goal of healing the prince. "It is hard, but we must consider the flow of information. Because of Prince Fukaboshi's quick thinking, there was no one we know of to witness what transpired when Princess Shirahoshi and the Sea Kings landed in the plaza. No one on the island should know of his current state."

"What would you have me do, jamon?" the monarch demanded, one massive hand pointing to the table that held his eldest son. "One of my ministers was killed in an uprising and now my son and heir is in a coma, all because I was not strong enough to protect my kingdom from a bunch of upstart pirates. We had to rely on another pirate crew to deal with this problem, jamon! All around, this has been the worst showing in the kingdom's history. We survived on luck, jamon."

"But we cannot let the people know that," the minister responded, pain in his words. "We must convince them and the rest of the world that even though we are bloody, we still stand strong. If the people were to learn of the prince's state, they may start to take Hody Jones' words to heart. That we cannot protect them."

"And if there is truth in that statement?"

The minister floundered (as much as a seahorse could flounder) as he tried to form an argument.

"My Liege," the General offered. "This was a carefully-planned, two-pronged assault led by an individual with insider information. Hody Jones, as a former member of the army, knew our training methods and our weaknesses. There were also several unexpected factors that played into stretching our forces thin, Vander Decken's obsession and the Poseidon as the main examples. Such internal problems will not factor in in the future."

"But we must do something to move forward, jamon," the king said. "I would not call Vander Decken's obsession unexpected as we've known of it for a decade now. I'm afraid Poseidon comes as my fault as well. There has not been a Poseidon in the family line for several generations, but considering Fukaboshi's skill with the Dauntless Dragon, I should have considered that my prophesied daughter would carry the legendary power, jamon. In all, every failing here falls on my shoulders, jamon."

"Father…" Shirahoshi whispered, reaching out as if to rest her hand on Neptune's arm, but she hesitated. Her arm pulled back, the young woman holding herself close. "I'm s-sorry, father. If only I c-could have..."

"Could have what, my daughter? Because of Decken, you have had no chances to do anything. Even that is my fault. After the first sword, I should have taken the army and purged the surrounding waters of that disgusting legacy."

"Father, you are being too hard on yourself, la-ti-to~!" Ryuboshi objected

"He's right, akamambo!" Manboshi agreed. "Today was a hardcore song and dance, but I think it was a one-time performance, not a premiere showing. Half the populous watched Hody Jones wither away to nothing and the pirates that remain believe in survival of the fittest. With their captain dead, they agreed that the natural order deemed their philosophy wrong. We've won, akamambo!"

"It's not a song they're going to sing again, so-la-ti-do~! Although, a couple of the Straw Hats even struck a deal with one of Hody's officers to get him to come to our side."

"They what‽" the lone minister exploded. "The humans made a deal with one of those traitorous dogs‽ What right do they have…‽ After all those we have lost, all those the New Fishmen killed including a minister, the humans think they can promise redemption for one of those slimy, no-good, immoral…" His voice lowered to muttering, his eyes visibly tearing up even through the water.

"Which one?" the General asked, reserving judgment until they knew which of the officers took the deal. One or two could have uses beyond piracy.

"Zeo and Ikaros Much were captured alive while Daruma and Dosun were killed during the battle," Ryuboshi said. "The Pirate Hunter and the Tri-Horn proposed a salvation deal to the last one, Hyouzou of the Eight-Sword Style, after defeating him, do-ray-me-fa~!"

"That psychopath?" the minister growled. "He is an assassin and a blade for hire. None of the soldiers under his watch survived to be rescued."

"Ahem," a voice interrupted, the Fishfolk turning to Coby in a bubble. Grace trailed behind him, sharing his protective safety, but she did not seem interested in their discussion. Rather, she played with floating balls of paint, combining colors and comparing color combinations while muttering to herself. "May I step into this conversation, Your Majesty?"

"I would like to hear the terms of this deal you and your teacher made with this assassin, jamon," the king rumbled, his eyes narrowed. "Do you truly think he could be of any use to our kingdom?"

"I believe he has had a change in heart, sir. When Zoro-Sensei rendered Hyouzou powerless, he begged Zoro-Sensei to kill him, saying that it was the only way for him to regain the swordsman's honor he'd lost long ago."

"Then why didn't you?" the minister growled.

"To be honest, the deal wasn't so much for his benefit, but so we could avoid killing him after he was defeated," Coby admitted. "Captain Luffy wants us to avoid killing when possible and finishing off an opponent who no longer has the will to fight goes along with that. I think it's better for him to live and fight for forgiveness than to give him the death he wants. Besides, Hyouzou did not agree nor believe in Hody's genocidal ideals. He only fought for money. If the kingdom had offered him more, he would have changed sides in a heartbeat."

"So he's a sellsword with no sense of loyalty or honor."

"He was a sellsword with no sense of honor. Something Zoro-Sensei said to him in Sake Factory made him realize how low he'd fallen and he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory in the plaza. These swords" —Coby rattled the pair of blades at his side, reminding him that he needed to find out if they were stolen and find a way to attach them to the bandolier he'd used for his last pair— "were the strongest two he had. Hyouzou bet them on the fight. Without them, he's little more than a shell of his former self, pining for the honor he'd thrown away for money he couldn't really use."

Neptune's glare relaxed, one hand rising to stroke his massive beard. "And what, exactly, did you propose to him to regain that honor? Where is he now, jamon?"

"Last I saw, he was arrested with the rest of the surviving New Fishman Pirates. As for what, we suggested that he could find a place in the army, possibly training new recruits in swordsmanship."

"You cannot be serious," the minister spat before turning to Neptune. "My Liege, you can't possibly be considering this. That man is a greedy mercenary and a murderer offered a plea deal by pirates with no say in our political or bureaucratic process. He can't be redeemed."

"Perhaps not," Neptune responded, "but his swordsmanship is renowned and adding that to the kingdom's arsenal would be a boon, jamon. We would be able to keep an eye on him here, away from the public. I will think it over, jamon. Now, I believe there is another elephant blue-fin tuna in the room to discuss."

All the sentients in the conversation turned to the corner of the room where, on a chair of coral and in a bubble of his own, Garp slept without a care. The retired Vice-Admiral was slumped backward, his own snot bubble growing and shrinking in time with his snoring. For the humans of the group, his countenance was eerily similar to their captain. Before anyone could wake the old man, however, there came a knock from the remaining part-door at the front of the room. Attention turned there as a certain fishwoman with a red photophore made her way inside. Similar to a certain princess-obsessed pirate still at large, a bubble surrounded her. A trio of mermaids swam in her wake, silent.

Instantly, the guards and younger princes moved to block her sight of Fukaboshi, concerned of this local information mogul learning of his incapacitated state.

"Wha— How?" Coby gaped. "But, my Observation…"

"Well, well. Look what the catfish dragged in," Amy grinned. The minister looked distinctly more upset at the phrase. "If it isn't Madam Finwaters. That saves us the trouble of tracking you down."

"'Weightless Woman' Amy Palant of Green Bank," the fishwoman grinned, her fan hiding her needle-like teeth while her eyes roved over the assembled people. "'Long-Nose' Usopp of Syrup Village. 'Spring Wind' Kaku Savano of Thorbrun. 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy of Fusha Village. 'Cat Burglar' Monkey D. Nami of Cocoyashi. Monkey D. Ace of Weatheria. 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro of Shimotsuki. 'Tri-Horn' Coby of Mowan Island. 'Electric Devil' Gin of Vergio Island. 'Mood Painter' and 'Magpie' Grace Marigold of Green Bank. 'Monster Doctor' Tony Tony Chopper of Sakura, formerly Drum Island. 'Devil Child' Nico Robin of Ohara. 'Cyborg' Cutty Flam of Water 7. 'Ghost Ship' Going Merry, either of Gecko Island or Water 7 depending on one's metric. 'Soul King' Brook, former captain of the late Rumbar Pirates. 'Thunderbird' Billy the Duck of Meriville—"

"Wah‽" said bird blinked, perking up at the title.

"—'The Hero' Monkey D. Garp of Fusha. And, of course, the runaway prince of Germa 66, 'Black Leg' Vinsmoke Sanji."

"That's Madam Finwaters‽" Sanji gaped. The rest of the group could almost see the thought bubble with the original beautiful rendition he'd attached to the name form and shatter above his head. "The world is cruel…" he cried only to blink a moment later. "Wait, how the Hell do you know that‽"

"You're a prince‽" the rest of the crew —save Ace, Kaku, and Robin— squawked. The former exception slept soundly in his mother's arms, tired after all the excitement of the war which finished just in time for his regular naptime. The latter refused to raise her voice in surprise, but even her composure cracked in the face of this new information. The second, obviously, still could not speak, but his mouth and hands moved in time to asked the same question.

"You hag!" said apparent-prince yelled, his cigarette impossibly staying between his lips. "I'm not a Vinsmoke anymore and I refuse to be any sort of prince from that shithole of a place! That is not my family and I reject that name!"

"Oh dear," Finwaters giggled, batting her beady eyes in faux innocence. "Was that meant to be a secret? Oops~"

"You did that on purpose! I don't know how you got that information, but I swear to Goda—"

"You know, that explains your pompous, flirtatious attitude," Zoro heckled, the blond catching fire and turning on the swordsman. "Aren't all nobles moronic womanizers?"

"I will shove my steel-toed dress shoe so far up your ass that you'll be tasting leather for the rest of your life, Stupid Moss!"

"Bring it on, Fallen Noble!"

"Considering this revelation, mayhaps Sanji would be a better paramour than previously believed," Robin mused.

"Of course, Robin-chwan!" the cook agreed on one knee, his fire clearing instantly. "Clearly my royal blood proves I'm of higher standing than our moronic captain or the Stupid Moss over there!"

"You think you're better than me just because your daddy's some no-name king somewhere?" Zoro demanded. "Why don't I cut you open to see this royal blood of yours float off into the current, Swirly Brow!"

"I'd like to see you try, Cyclops!"

"Let's go right here right now. Noodle-Armed Shit Chef!"

All through this argument, Robin could not stop herself from smiling at the conflict her comment had fueled.

"King Neptune, an honor to see you again," Madam Finwaters said. She offered a short bow, ignoring the shouting match she'd caused, while her attendants mirrored the motion. The king studied her silently.

"W-Why are you here?" Usopp asked.

"To make good on my part of the deal," the woman answered, stepping toward the tagalong whose voice she'd stolen what felt like months ago. Kaku's eyes widened, the ex-agent jumping at the chance to speak again.

"So, how do I get my voice back?" Merry translated from Kaku's hand motions. Finwaters giggled again, stepping into the Zoan's bubble from hers. One of her hands reached forward, grabbing Kaku by the tie before pulling him in.

The Zoan's eyes —as well as the eyes of all those watching— bugged out as Madam Finwaters presser her lips into his. Kaku's arms flailed, the man trying to pull away. His attempts exposed that there was tongue involved on the fishwoman's part. Managing to get some semblance of his wits together, he pushed her away. As their lips disconnected, the rest of the room could see a silverly mist moving down the human's throat, the tail end passing between them.

"That's sexual harassment!" Kaku stated, wiping his lips with the back of his sleeve. "I… I can talk again! Goda, now I know how Fukuro felt, always needing to say what was on his mind. I'm feelin' chattier than a murder of crows! More than a swarm of parrots! I'd kiss you again if you weren't the one who put me in this situation in the first place."

"If you rethink that last one, do tell me." The fishwoman winked, sending a shiver down Kaku's spine.

"Madam Finwaters," the king rumbled. "Is there more to this unannounced visit of yours, jamon?"

"There is, My Liege," the uncontested matriarch of the Red-Light District answered, snapping her fingers as she returned to her own bubble. Her trio of attendants swam out the door, returning a second later with the bandaged, unconscious form of a blue fishman.

"Namur!" the pirates gasped. Luffy and Nami rushed forward to check him over.

"Namur and Hody Jones wrecked the Fishman District in their battle," Madam Finwaters explained. "Though Hody won, he was not strong enough nor observant enough to finish Namur off. My beauties here managed to recover him."

"He should awaken within the hour," one of the mermaids said. "He may never regain full motion of his left hand and the gills of his right side were mangled beyond traditional repair, but otherwise he will make a full recovery."

"I wished to bring him to you as a peace offering," Finwaters picked up.

"A peace offering, jamon?" the king parroted. "Why?"

"I take it you do not want word of Prince Fukaboshi's state to leak out to the public, yes? Who better to help with such than I?"

The knights bristled, only a gesture from the second prince keeping them from arresting Finwaters and her attendants then and there.

"Again, you show the amazing ability to know what you should not," the minister spat. "Do you want us to buy your silence?"

"Dear Minister of the Right," Madam Finwaters sighed, her photophore's red light brightening slowly. "If I wanted information of this kind to leak out to the island, I would have allowed it already. As it stands, my network has stifled such rumors, leaving you in my debt between this and delivering Namur to you. I am only here to help."

Manboshi blinked. "Help?"

"Indeed! That is what I said, youngest prince."

"You have not told us everything, jamon," Neptune noted, crossing his huge arms. Shirahoshi's eyes darted between her family members and the Anglerfish Fishwoman in confusion. "I can tell that you are withholding something, jamon."

"Oh my, you can be quite scary yourself, Your Majesty. There are a several contacts and services I am willing to utilize and perform to return Prince Fukaboshi to full health, but they will not be free. Nor, in the strictest form, legal."

Ryuboshi and Manboshi had leaned forward as she spoke, the possibility of rousing their eldest brother drawing them in like fish to bait, but the admission of illegality hit them hard. They recoiled as if slapped. Neptune's frown deepened, only visible by the way his bushy beard scrunched and his eyes narrowed.

"You intend to buy items through Challenger Deep," Amy realized. "You told us they were a smuggling group that could get nearly any item from the surface. You think they could find something that could help the prince."

"Namur used them," Sanji remembered. "He blackmailed one of their members into giving us a hot-air balloon so we could get to the palace during Hody's attack. I have no idea how they got some of those things down here."

"That's not the only thing," Finwaters said. "There was evidence near Namur that Hody used an item to heal himself before he returned to the island. I have reason to believe he got it through Challenger Deep and that the same item could help Prince Fukaboshi."

"What do you want in return, jamon?" Neptune questioned.

"You can't consider this!" the minister cried. "To debase the Ryugu name by interacting with a woman of such ill repute, much less with illegal trade—!"

"I would like a noble title and free reign over my district," Madam Finwaters interrupted. "Not that I don't already have the latter, but I wish for it to be official."

"You want me to start the process of turning my kingdom into a nobles' aristocracy, jamon?"

"Well, the island is not exactly a continent. Anyone else, myself included, would still have your overview, Your Majesty. But, in return, I will perform this service and act as the royal family's information and spy network."

"You believe we need such a network, jamon?"

"Would this incident have happened if you had one? Or should I say, one that was actually competent? I know your last spymaster has paid for the misinformation he received and you are in need of a new one."

"Do not talk about him like that!" the Minister of the Right exploded.

The pirates watched this back-and-forth as one observes a tennis match. Coby's lips pursed and Robin's head tilted. The rest remained impassive save for Zoro and Sanji, the two occasionally growling at each other now that Zoro had additional ammo to lobby.

"If you want all those things, then I need you to perform one more task while you are here, jamon," the king decided, much to the sputtering protest of his minister.

"What might that be, My King?"

"Clearly, you have some Devil Fruit power. Something that can give you control over others. Tell me about it, jamon."

"That is very sensitive information you ask for."

"Information I must know about if you intend to be working with me regularly, jamon."

"It's some kind of deal-making power," Amy piped up, smirking. "I remember, you said Kaku staked 'all is words' on us providing what we offered and you took them when we couldn't pay for the map. A map we didn't even need but you forced on us anyway after having stolen all our money."

Finwaters frowned, her grip on her handheld fan tightening as the human woman revealed what she had deduced. The anglerfish sighed. "That is correct. I call it the Deal-Deal Fruit. I can make and accept deals, bargains, and promises with people while setting some form of collateral. If one of us breaks our side of the deal, the other gets what was put forward. My girls and I have, however, found a useful loophole in these details that offer me information that could not be found anywhere else. Not that I wish to disclose my methods."

Neptune nodded, making his decision.

"We will complete this deal of ours tomorrow after creating a contract to be signed, jamon," he said. The muscles in his arms tensed, his fingers pressing into the skin in a motion that would be imperceptible if he weren't so tall. His eyes studied her carefully. "The extra service I ask you for is to make a deal of loyalty between Hyouzou of the Eight-Sword Style and myself so that, when he serves in our army as suggested by Tri-Horn, he cannot betray us for any reason, jamon. You can do this, right?"

"King Neptune," Madam Finwaters grinned. "We are going to make an excellent team."

"What just happened?" Coby asked with a blink.

"Politics," Grace grumbled beside him. "It's a disgusting game that slows everything down and stifles progress because everyone wants their own thing. It's one of the reasons the World Government is so corrupt."

"You sound like you have some experience."

"You could say that." Grace shivered, the phantom sensation of a ballgown falling over her shoulders and brushing against her legs. "Art is about emotion while politics are about a lack thereof. They are antithetical to one another."

"Personally, I find politics to be riveting," Robin commented. "Each individual becomes a puzzle one may attempt to solve, a mess of interests and contradictions to exploit with the correct assumptions. And, when one's interests align, progress is made, as we saw here."

"When you put it like that, it gives me some inspiration for a new piece of art," Grace said, pulling out a small sketchpad and pencil. Her eyes narrowed and her tongue popped out just a touch as she focused on creating all the details she wanted to keep while she still had them in her mind. Coby couldn't help but stare.

"It is also the politics of others that allow ne'er-do-wells like ourselves to slip through the cracks."

"Please don't call us ne'er-do-wells," Coby said, turning from the artist to the archeologist. "That makes it sound like we're the bad guys."

"Aren't we?"

"In the grand scheme of things, no."

"Not the platinum marshmallow!" Garp yelled, his snot bubble popping as he awoke, the man falling from his chair. "Oh, did I fall asleep? I guess that swim down took more out of me than it should have. Maybe I am getting old. Haha!"

"You were old a long time ago," Luffy laughed.

"Brat." Garp grumbled, but there was no heat behind it. He shook his head, stepping toward the center of the room. Madam Finwaters bowed to the king and withdrew, taking her leave with the promise to return tomorrow. Garp took the spot she'd occupied, completely ignoring the helpless New Whitebeard Commander not three steps away. "King Neptune, an honor to meet you."

"Garp 'The Hero'," Neptune replied. "A Vice-Admiral of the Marines and grandfather to Straw Hat. Word of your exploits have reached even here, usually through the scared lips of pirates. Why have you come?"

"I'm just here to meet my great-grandson," Garp grinned, again reaffirming to himself and bragging to the world of his family's expansion. "But while I'm here, I'd like to extend to you an invitation to join the World Government and attend the coming Revery."

Neptune's eyes widened, his arms going slack for a moment.

"The Revery?" Ryuboshi questioned. "Didn't Mom use to mention that, la-ti-do~?"

"The what?" Gin blinked.

"It's a meeting for a lot of royals, akamambo!" Manboshi explained. "Only members of the royal families of the World Government get to go, and they debate rules and laws that the Navy follows. Do you have the authority to get us in, sir?"

"I'm officially retired, but a lot of those young sprouts still listen to and respect me. Plus, you all were given and offer years ago, so it's still open anyway. I'm just giving you an extra voice inside headquarters."

"People respect him?" Merry thought aloud.

"Should… Should we be here to hear this?" Amy wondered. "I mean, we are enemies of the World Government."

"Officially, you aren't here," Ryuboshi reminded them. "That said, perhaps you all should turn in until later tonight, do-ray-mi-fa~!"

"Thank Goda," Nami sighed. "Come on, Luffy. I need to teach you how to hold Ace while he's sleeping. He's getting heavier everyday now that Sanji and Amy are feeding him and I can't hold him for this long anymore."

"Ok, Nami!" The couple walked off, their crew following in their wake save for Chopper. He and Dr. Goldie took their own cue, the two taking the chance to move Prince Fukaboshi and Namur into an actual medical office.

"Ah, but, wait…" Garp's shaking arm rose, the man unable to argue as the great-grandson he'd come so far to meet disappeared down the hallway. "Wait, I'll come too!"

"Vice-Admiral," the king said. Garp's muscles locked. "I believe we have more to discuss."

The old man closed his eyes, slowly relaxing as his body slumped. He shook his head, remining himself that the Straw Hats would still be around later in the day, before he turned back to the monarch.

"Yes?"

"Tell me more about the advantages we would gain for joining the World Government, which has spurred our attempts thus far."

"Officially, none of your paperwork ever made it in to be processed," Garp began quickly, falling into an old habit of defense. He shook the thought away and confirmed with his Haki that none of the pirates were listening in. "No, that's no excuse. Plenty of Fishfolk have claimed Fishman Island wished to become a member nation, but no officials ever wanted to risk the trek down to confirm. In truth, the slave trade that the Celestial Dragons support in addition to whatever internal politics you have had here has kept the Navy from interfering on your behalf. For that negligence, I'm sorry."

"That is a nice sentiment, jamon, but it does nothing going forward. Why should we join the World Government now?"

"The coming Revery will likely be the most important to date since the World Government's founding, assuming you come. Also, though stopping it completely at this time is impossible, your membership would slow the selling of Fishfolk being captured and sold into slavery. It would be important to note, however, that your membership would most likely be temporary at best."

Neptune's eyes narrowed, the giant merman leaning forward.

"Why?"

"The times are… changing," Garp admitted. "The World Government and the Marines have tarnished themselves in their pursuits of justice and peace. Many injustices we turned a blind eye to are coming to light and those who have lost faith grow in number each day. Bellum naturale cyclum… something. I don't remember the rest of the quote."

"Vice-Admiral Garp, why would we join an organization you yourself clearly do not trust anymore, jamon?"

"Because I can protect you," the human answered. "I'm retired, but I'm still allowed to take whatever missions I want, up to and including guarding royals en transport to Mariejois. As I told you, the Revery is coming and if we get your paperwork in, we can have a seat for you and your children there. Ryugu Kingdom will carry sway on the world stage, sway certain contacts of mine feel you will need in the long run."

Neptune leaned back, his children all but swarming around him with hushed conversation.

"It looks like you all need some time to talk about it," Garp noted. "I'll leave you be for now. If you'll excuse me, I want to go hold my brat's brat's brat in my arms again."

With that, Garp all but fled toward the hallway where most of the Straw Hats left, leaving the royals and their guards alone in the throne room.

"He is right," the king sighed. "We do have much to discuss, jamon."

Chopper arrived at the Straw Hats' assigned wing almost two hours later, a cool cloth draped over his neck. The mermaid servant directing him, a women of exceptional beauty by human standards that Chopper himself did not care for, gave him a short bow before swimming away with the assistance of her bubble tube. Because this wing had been offered for the pirates' stay, it was dry and filled with air unlike much of the rest of the castle. Chopper knocked (just in case since several incidents with Luffy and Nami had taught him to do so) before letting himself inside.

The knocking turned out to be unnecessary as the door opened to something like a commons room. This area was divided into two different parts, each containing its own table. The closer area was a sort of hang-out spot filled with a coffee table and various chairs for all sorts. Franky, Gin, Robin, and Brook filled this space, the former two discussing electrical currents while Robin had her nosed buried in a book and Brook fingered a tune on his violin. Billy was napping in the corner, the duck turned on his back with his legs moving as if he were trying to run. As a fellow animal, Chopper could understand he was dreaming of the deserts of Alabasta.

The section away from the door was a kitchenette complete with a refrigerator, table, and a complete set of cooking corals. That was where Sanji and Amy had made themselves at home, their hands a blur as they prepared a meal to revitalize the crew after their prolonged battle. An ear and mouth had grown from the icebox, chiming in on their talk with Robin's own comments. Where the two areas met was a hallway on the right side, said hallway lined with doors.

"Even the sidewalks were made of chocolate?" Chopper could hear Sanji asking. "That's… I mean, it's wonderful they have such a surplus of food, but that's so wasteful!"

"One would not consider such a surplus wonderful if they knew where it came from," Robin's mouth put in. "Amy, did you happen to learn of such during your time there?"

"Not really," the blonde answered. "Pudding-Senpai kept me up-to-date on a lot of things, but even she wasn't fully aware of what her mom did. She's only a pirate in title because of her family. Myu-chan, on the other hand, was more into the whole 'defending the country' bit but told me every time we spared that she wasn't allowed to tell an outsider about the missions she took outside."

"Considering they knew you were an outsider, I'd say you managed to learn a fair bit more than anyone else. My benefactor had a… tumultuous relationship with the Charlotte family wherein their goals could align or differ day-to-day. Suffice to say, they are not known for their charity in the New World."

"With Big Mom being one of the Four Emperors, I'm not surprised," Sanji nodded.

"To be honest, I think I've made her shitlist," Amy chuckled nervously. "They've got this whole 'Leave or Life' thing every year where the local tax is a month of your life for every year you live there, so Mama literally got her hands on a couple months of mine. The fact that I left in the middle of the night without accepting the terms of Leave…" She let the sentence hang, allowing the others to draw their own conclusions.

"I'd've taken that over where I went." The chef shivered despite the flair of burning alcohol in the pan before him. "Those freaks knew how to cook, but I almost lost my masculinity more than once. It was traumatizing."

"Traumatizing, you say?" Chopper jumped in. "Once you're done with cooking, I think we need to get started on the crew's psychological evaluations, and I think you should be the first one, Sanji."

"Fine, whatever." The blond turned, breathing out his smoke away from the food while tapping the ashes of his cancer stick into a tiny bowl away from the Heat Coral. "You're the doc, Chopper."

"So where is everyone else?" the reindeer asked, sniffing the room.

"Merry and Usopp went back to the plaza to retrieve the Sunny," Robin offered, through her actual mouth rather than the one on the fridge. She turned a page in her book. "You may recall she was quite disgruntled at our need to leave her behind when we returned to the palace. Zoro is napping in one of the rooms while the Monkey family is occupying another. Nami refused to allow Garp to play with little Ace-chan if she and Luffy were not there to watch."

"You sound annoyed," Brook chuckled.

"I wished to resume Ace-chan's lessons, but I cannot do so with a Marine present."

"Makes sense to me," Chopper nodded. "What about Coby and Grace?"

"Don't. Ask." Sanji and Amy hissed in tandem.

Chopper sniffed the air again, searching for a change in topic. "That smells great, Sanji. I'm starving."

"By your presence, I assume that your patients are in stable condition?" Robin queried.

"Yup. Namur actually woke up for a few minutes, but he went back to sleep after we had to knock him out with some drugs. He's still injured and needs his rest, after all. Fukaboshi still hasn't responded, but all his regular stimuli seems to react as normal for the most part. I can't say any more though. Patient confidentiality. Dr. Goldie will watch over them until tomorrow."

"We've got another three hours before the party," Sanji said, the man pulling his tie loose as he lowered the output for the Heating Coral. "Amy, this dish needs to simmer for another ten minutes and 34 seconds so it reaches the perfect balance of nutrients. I can leave that to you?"

"I've got it," his fellow blonde nodded. "Go get some rest, Sanji. You took the most damage out of all of us. I'll call everyone when the food's ready."

The man nodded, he and Chopper exiting into one of the empty rooms connected to the commons by a short hallway. Robin sighed, sinking into her recliner with a level of contentment and relaxation few in the world had ever seen from her. Her eyes —all of them around the area— studied her companions. She smiled.

"I," she began, "have missed this."

End of Chapter 25

Again, a lot of talk and setup but not a lot of action. Next chapter will include the party and the pirates' exit as they leave Fishman Island behind. After that, I'll cover Film Z before we get into Punk Hazard. So tell me, what do you all want to see in the future of this story? I can't promise all of it, but some ideas may truly come to pass. As always:

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods