As the two tinued walking and chatting, Cudius eventually said, "Sengoku, once I've taken care of the mess in Mariejois, how about we meet at Sabaody Archipego?"

  Sengoku nodded. "I'll leave it to your arras."

  During the earlier meeting, Sengoku had successfully passed the responsibility for dealing with Fish-Man Isnd onto Cudius. Nusjuro had also agreed that Fish-Man Isnd was a logical starting point to make progress, an opening to begin "tearing a hole," as Sengoku had put it.

  The reasoning was straightforward: while Whitebeard's fg could be seen flying in various territories, there was no justification for it to be raised over a member nation of the Wover. That had to be addressed. Fish-Man Isnd was such a pce, and it had to be resolved.

  The meeting cluded with Nusjuro deg to reevaluate and reahe Wover's retionship with Fish-Man Isnd.

  In the inal timelihere was no such effort. Princess Otohime's pns were disrupted when she was captured by a Celestial Dragon ahat should still be two years away. That i straihe retionship between Fish-Man Isnd and the Wover even further, leaving it unresolved for years.

  Even ter, at the World Summit, Fish-Man Isnd still operated uhe prote of pirates, with Whitebeard's fg being repced first by Big Mom's and ter by Luffy's. The isnd's allegiance was dictated by strength, with one pirate group after another ag as its "guardian."

  Although the Five Elders had attempted to improve retions with Fish-Man Isnd, appointing Jinbei as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was merely a symbolic gesture with limited impact.

  But this time, things were different. Cudius, as Sengoku described, was an anomaly among the Celestial Dragons, much like ho was a disruptive force within Marine. Cudius could do things that the Five Elders couldn't or wouldn't, and he felt no qualms about breaking vention.

  The preliminary pn was for the Wovero free ohird of Mariejois' Fish-Man Isnd sves, fog primarily on the merfolk. It was a gesture of goodwill desigo show siy toward Fish-Man Isnd.

  This wasn't about morality or fairness, merely pragmatism. It would give the Celestial Dragons time to process the ges while demonstrating to Fish-Man Isnd that the Wover was serious about improving their retionship. The message was simple: "We're showing you good faith. Now it's your turn to meet us halfway, take down Whitebeard's fg, and we'll provide the prote you need."

  Of course, this pn applied only to sves from Fish-Man Isnd. It wasn't a b liberation effort, nor was it meant to address other types of svery. This was just one part of a rger strategy.

  The reason Cudius and Sengoku po meet at Sabaody Archipego was that the area had been designated for up as well. Unlike Mariejois, where freeing sves meant dealing with the Celestial Dragons directly, Sabaody was less plicated. The merfolk and fish-men there were mostly held by sve traders, who cked the untouchable status of the Celestial Dragons.

  The decision was clear: crush them pletely. Nusjuro and Cudius agreed to a no-tolerance policy, wipe out the sve trade in Sabaody reted to Fish-Man Isnd. Any mert caught traffig merfolk or fish-men would face absolute sequences. If they dared to repeat their crimes, they'd pay with their lives.

  Sabaody Archipego also held symbolic importance. Part of the pn was to establish a special zone on Sabaody where Fish-Man Isnd residents could e freely, providing them with a safe haven. This gesture was another way of demonstrating the Wover's itment to ge.

  After parting ways in front of the Social Square, Sengoku headed to the port to return to Marineford and make the necessary preparations, while Cudius returo his pace to set things in motion.

  As soon as Cudius stepped inside, he saw Nia waiting for him.

  "Nia, I need you to tact the Ministry of Internal Affairs and find out how many sves in Mariejois are from Fish-Man Isnd. They have three days to pile the information and send me a full list," Cudius instructed with a smile.

  Though curious about the sudden request, Nia refrained from asking questions and simply nodded. "Yes, Yhness. I'll ha immediately."

  Onia left, Cudius made his way to the courtyard. There, he spotted Lenny and Mero chatting with the three Boa sisters by the pool.

  "Yhness, you're back!" Lenny said cheerfully as she noticed him approag.

  "Yeah, I'm back," Cudius replied with a nod and a smile. However, there was a hint of mencholy in his voice as he tinued, "Lenny, Mero, it's time for you two to pack your things."

  The two mermaid sisters froze, clearly fused.

  "Are you sending us away, Yhness? Are you giving us to someone else?" Lenny asked nervously.

  Cudius chuckled and patted her head gently. "Of course not. What kind of person do you think I am? I promised you a long time ago that I'd set you free. In a few days, I'm heading to Fish-Man Isnd, and that's where you'll finally be able to go home."

  The moment Cudius finished speaking, Lenny and Mero's faces lit up with joy.

  Watg from the side, Hancock looked at Cudius in surprise. Though she had overheard this promise before, she had always thought he was simply pg the two mermaids. She never imagined he'd actually follow through especially so soon.

  Lenny, however, noticed the slight sadness in Cudius' expression. Feeling a pang of guilt, she hesitated before saying, "If we leave, Yhness will be lonely, won't you? Why don't we stay a little longer? You'll have another ce to visit Fish-Man Isnd iure."

  Cudius smiled warmly at her words, his mood visibly lifting. "No need. Every journey has its end, Lenny."

  After a brief pause, he added with a pyful grin, "Besides, I've worked hard for you merfolk this time. I just persuaded the Five Elders to implement some ges in Mariejois. Three days from now, we'll be freeing ohird of the Fish-Man Isnd sves in Mariejois. For Sabaody Archipego, the Wover will prioritize ing up the mermaid sve trade there as well. And that's not all, new legistion will be put io protect the personal safety of Fish-Man Isnd residents. From now on, anyone who harms or ensves merfolk will face severe punishment. It's no longer just empty formalities. How does that sound?"

  Though Cudius exaggerated slightly by taking full credit for these reforms, he didn't feel too bad about it. After all, he earheading the effort, so why not cim a bit of the glory?

  Lenny and Mero were ecstatic, their gratitude aement evident in their expressions.

  "My doors will always be open to you," Cudius added with a smile. "If you ever feel like visiting, you're always wele."

  At this moment, Hancock spoke up, her voice tinged with anticipation. "What about us?"

  "What about you?" Cudius asked, raising an eyebrow.

  " we be free too?" Hancock asked eagerly.

  Cudius burst into ughter. "Free? Hahaha! Don't even dream about it! You three will never escape my grasp!"

  ***

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