[Pirate] I! Orochimaru! I will never split! Chapter 198

Suddenly embraced, Orochimaru’s body subconsciously tensed, the unfamiliar touch making him uncomfortable.

And when Otohime’s whisper reached his ears, Orochimaru’s heart was like a stone thrown into a lake, rippling in layers, his thoughts drifting far away.

Jiraiya… those familiar figures flickered in the depths of his memory, seemingly sealed away by himself for too long.

He was somewhat stunned, his heart a mix of emotions. This feeling of being cared for, of being valued, was so unfamiliar to him.

So, without realizing it, had he changed so much?

So his heart was happy now? This was truly amazing…

Without much thought, Orochimaru’s figure flashed, and he disengaged from Queen Otohime’s embrace.

“Apologies… I have never liked physical contact with strangers,” he said calmly.

As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, the Straw Hats’ gazes focused on him in unison.

Their eyes concentrated on Orochimaru’s slightly reddened ears. He must be shy, definitely shy.

A group of people secretly scoffed in their hearts, saying this guy didn’t like physical contact with strangers.

Who was it that sat so casually on Smoker’s shoulder right after meeting him?

When he said that, did he not consider the feelings of those who were used as human cushions?

Ψ(・ω´・)Ψ Chopper stared blankly at Orochimaru, blinking his eyes, carefully observing Orochimaru’s ears.

“Orochimaru… your ears are so red… are you sick?”

Ah… a group of people looked down, somewhat incredulously at Chopper. Had Chopper always been so blunt before?

Hearing this, a gentle smile curled at Orochimaru’s lips.

He slowly squatted down, his gaze falling on Chopper.

“Chopper… have you been with savages for too long? You need to learn to integrate into human society.”

His hands seemingly gently rested on Chopper’s shoulders, but in an instant, they tightened sharply, gripping Chopper’s neck tightly.

Chopper’s neck was tightly squeezed by Orochimaru, and instantly, a piercing scream echoed all around.

“Ah!!! Help! A snake is trying to kill a deer!!!”

However, the surrounding group of people showed no tension at all, instead watching them frolic with smiles on their faces.

Just then, Luffy fell to the ground without warning, clutching his stomach tightly. His stomach kept rumbling, and he looked listless.

“So hungry… when will dinner be ready? What about the promised feast?” he mumbled, his face full of longing for food.

Neptune and the others heard Luffy’s shouts and suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing they had indeed delayed for too long here.

So, Neptune waved his large hand and shouted loudly, “Let’s go! Target Ryugu Palace, time for a feast!! Thank you to the heroes who saved our country!”

A group of people joyfully turned and strode towards the Sunny, discussing enthusiastically the delicious food they would enjoy at the feast along the way.

Zoro rubbed his chin and said with a hint of anticipation,

“I wonder if I’ll get to drink some new sake this time.” Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, scoffed disdainfully.

“Hmph, I heard someone got locked up for drinking. Truly a third-rate pirate.”

“Huh??”

Zoro and Sanji instantly glared at each other, sparks seemingly flying from their eyes, the atmosphere becoming tense.

Nami, seeing this, mercilessly punched each of them, knocking them down, then huffily dragged the two towards the Sunny, muttering non-stop.

“Don’t embarrass yourselves on Fish-Man Island, honestly.”

Franky, Robin, and Brook couldn’t help but mock the two.

Luffy, at the very back, got up from the ground, dusted himself off, placed his hand on his straw hat, and took a deep look at Queen Otohime.

“Hey, Shirahoshi’s mom, is Orochimaru really happy now?”

Queen Otohime wiped her red eyes and showed a very happy smile.

“Very, very happy. He… is very content.”

Luffy’s face instantly broke into a sunny smile upon hearing this answer. “Is that so…”

Watching the Straw Hats gradually depart, Queen Otohime, along with Princess Shirahoshi and the Straw Hats, headed to Ryugu Palace to prepare for the feast.

Neptune’s smile slowly faded, his expression becoming serious and solemn. He cast his gaze upon the awakened fish-men and pirates; a trial was about to begin.

Minister of the Right, Hippopotamus, looked at the released human pirates, his brows furrowed with worry, and said to Neptune,

“Your Majesty, by releasing those humans captured by Hody, will their hatred for Hody turn and be unleashed upon the entire Fish-Man race?”

King Neptune sighed deeply after hearing this, and said in a low voice, “That is another matter to consider.

This island is originally a tourist and resting place for pirates. They originally had no ill intentions, and we have no legitimate reason to detain them here.

Right now, what we need to deal with are the remnants of the New Fish-Man Pirates.”

The group of fish-men from Fish-Man District all looked panicked, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, and they kept begging.

“I don’t want to die… spare us,” a fish-man cried out.

“And we didn’t know that the Queen was killed by Hody… and isn’t the Queen alive now? We truly were unaware,” another fish-man quickly echoed, trying to excuse himself.

“They are truly all insane, they are the ones who did the bad things, it has nothing to do with us,” another fish-man urgently shouted.

“Exactly, exactly… it’s all those guys’ fault, we did nothing wrong!” The rest of the fish-men also argued vociferously.

Neptune’s expression was stern, his gaze slowly sweeping over the faces of this group of fish-men one by one. His eyes seemed to carry an invisible pressure, instantly silencing the fish-men.

The previously noisy pleas and arguments abruptly ceased. They didn’t dare to breathe, only lowered their heads in fear, awaiting the unknown judgment.

“I will make all of you live on this main island of Fish-Man Island,” Neptune announced sternly.

“Ah???” The fish-men, upon hearing this, immediately looked displeased and started shouting.

“Are you making us live under the rule of law?” a fish-man said indignantly.

“I… I don’t care, it’s much better than Hody’s rule,” some fish-men whispered, weighing the pros and cons in their hearts.

The residents of Fish-Man Island also protested upon seeing this scene, their faces filled with worry and reluctance.

“We cannot accept this, Your Majesty, with these guys wandering around in town,” a resident loudly said.

“It will scare us from letting our children go outside,” another female mermaid holding a child echoed, her eyes full of concern for her children’s safety.

Neptune, seeing this, slammed his scepter onto the ground with a loud “bang,” and everyone instantly fell silent.

“Of course, I will incorporate them into my army, for labor and service. I will assign them reasonable work, allowing them to utilize their strengths.

As for the inconveniently managed Fish-Man District, from today onwards, it will be completely sealed off.”

Neptune said with a firm tone, unequivocally setting this arrangement.

Thus, the invasion plan of Hody Jones, the pirate, on Fish-Man Island was completely crushed by the passing human pirate crew.