One piece: I,Akaino will not die easily

Onigumo lit a cigarette and asked, "Vice Admiral, while I was on patrol, I heard the Neptune Army mention that some Fishmen were also engaging in illegal activities. If we encounter them, how should we handle the situation?"

According to Sakazuki's usual habits, the simplest and most straightforward answer would be to kill them without mercy and resolve the issue. However, understanding the complex situation on Fishman Island, the Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral issued an arrest order—a rare decision.

To the Marines, there was essentially no difference between human pirates and Fishman pirates.

However, to the radical elements within Fishman Island, this was enough to serve as a strong excuse to accuse the human Marines of massacring Fishmen.

Coming from the 21st century, the transmigrator deeply understood the underlying tactics at play. Certain online media outlets and those with ulterior motives often used such methods of public opinion manipulation—turning uninformed civilians into weapons for their own interests, pushing them to "charge ahead."

Sakazuki could already imagine what the conspirators and extreme racialists lurking in the shadows were planning.

All they had to do was hide the identities of the slain Fishman pirates, selectively edit the incident, and distort the sequence of events, ultimately pushing the narrative that the Marines had killed Fishmen.

With that, the entire Marine force would be completely surrounded by the people of Fishman Island.

"Onigumo, if any criminal acts by Fishmen occur within Fishman Island, you must ensure that all arrested offenders are publicly handed over to the Neptune Army in front of the citizens," Sakazuki instructed. Still feeling this wasn't enough, he added, "This time, we don't have the World Government to handle crisis public relations for us. The only way to prevent issues before they arise is by making our records as thorough as possible."

Lindemann, who had been quietly listening, suddenly smiled and said, "The Vice Admiral is absolutely right. Even if our actions are just, the truth has never belonged to the majority."

Even though the Neptune Army and the royal family shared the same stance as Sakazuki's team, the Vice Admiral dared not underestimate the power of public opinion.

Although Lindemann's statement felt somewhat extreme, it was particularly fitting when describing Fishman Island.

Sakazuki couldn't help but add in his heart: Sometimes, the ocean of public opinion can even break the backbone of justice.

Even Neptune, with his immense prestige, dared not restrict the free speech of Fishman Island's citizens. Let alone the newly arrived human Marines? The only thing they could do was ensure that every action was meticulously recorded—avoiding mistakes was the only way to keep the Marines from unnecessary trouble.

With pirates no longer roaming the streets so openly, any searches of buildings would inevitably affect the daily lives of more residents. Because of this, Sakazuki's forces became increasingly cautious.

"Stop him! He's robbing me!" A mermaid wearing a bubble coating around her waist cried out in alarm.

A burly Fishman snatched the bag from her arm and sprinted toward the distance.

Just like on the Sabaody Archipelago, mermaids and some large marine creatures wore bubble rings around their waists when moving through dry areas of the island for easier mobility.

Fishman Island also utilized vehicles with bubble coatings for transportation. In his panic, the large Fishman thief leapt onto a stationary Grand Fish Bus at the side of the road.

"Nobody move!" He brandished a knife and menacingly gestured at the deep-sea fish driver in an attempt to intimidate him.

Without even glancing at the dead-silent passenger cabin, the anxious robber stuck his head out the window and watched as a Neptune Army patrol squad rushed toward him. "Drive! Now!"

As long as he could shake off these Neptune Army officers on this straight road, he could escape into the deep-sea tunnels at the next turn and slip back to his home in the water-covered area.

But when he turned back, he saw the bus driver staring at him with the expression of someone looking at an idiot. "What are you doing?! Drive the bus!"

The beer-bellied Fishman driver squinted his dull fish eyes at him, then casually pointed at the passengers. In an odd tone, he asked, "Are you sure about that?"

A series of synchronized metallic clicks echoed from behind. The sound of safeties being switched off was crisp and clear.

The thief turned his head to see rows of dark gun barrels and gleaming steel swords. His face twisted in despair.

"F-fake knife… not sharpened…" The Fishman thug, now pinned to the floor, desperately tried to salvage the situation.

But then, from above his head, a delicate female voice spoke—sweet-sounding even with traces of anger: "Marines, it's him! He stole my bag!"

Lindemann sighed. He had worked so hard to secure King Neptune's support and rent these Grand Fish Buses for Marine patrol squads, making it easier for them to operate in deep-sea areas where they couldn't breathe.

And before they could even warm their seats, they ran into a Fishman robbing a mermaid?

Technically, this was a dispute between citizens of Fishman Island, and since the Neptune Army was nearby, the Marines wouldn't even need to intervene for this idiot to get caught.

But this fool had jumped onto a bus full of Marine soldiers and even threatened the driver to speed away?

"Thank you, Captain Lindemann, and your Marines, for stepping in." The Neptune Army squad leader who arrived saluted respectfully after taking custody of the criminal.

"Alright, alright, we're handing him over to you guys for processing~" The Marine officer known as Foxy tilted her head, relieved that the clear evidence saved them some trouble.

"Let's move on. We still have three more locations to inspect." The Marine commander turned and waved goodbye.

Hearing this, the Neptune Army squad leader nearly wept with joy. Finally, they wouldn't have to explain everything away themselves!

"Oh wow, they're so cool!"

"Well done, human Marines!"

"How many incidents have they resolved already?"

As the bus drove away, the Fishman Island crowd that had gathered to watch voiced their admiration for the Marine unit.

"Tch, so what? They're still humans. Haven't their kind done enough harm to this island?" A tall and ragged Fishman muttered bitterly.

The mermaid who had her bag stolen frowned. "And what about your kind? Stealing in broad daylight? That makes them no different from those human pirates!"

"Exactly! You're from the Fishman District, aren't you, Chu? I heard Arlong is also a pirate now!" An older Fishman seemed to recognize the tall one.

"Arlong only targets those vile humans! He's never harmed our people!" Chu, the Fishman, hastily defended himself. But the Neptune Army officer raised a hand, cutting him off.

"I don't care what Arlong is doing, but let me say this—among our kind, there are criminals like this robber. And there are also Fishman pirates like Arlong. The same goes for humans. Have those Marines done anything wrong to us?"

The cute mermaid girl watched the Marines leave and sighed. "Many of my sisters were taken by human pirates and never returned."

The atmosphere among the crowd grew tense. Many of them had friends and family abducted by pirates and slavers.

They had endured discrimination and violence from humans for years, and her words struck at a painful truth deep in their hearts.

"We may resent humans, and rightfully so," she continued. "But we can't deny that these Marines we know are truly good people."

"She's right. I've seen them kill over a dozen human pirates myself!"

"Not all humans are bad, Chu. Some, like the Marines, are good people!"

Chu was already slipping away through the crowd. The impact of these Marines was undeniable—and that could not be good for their leader's influence.

He had to report everything to Arlong.