To carry out a thorough cleansing, Berlos, the First Seat of the Beast Girls and the undisputed big sister, personally took action.
Berlos personally led Ancient Species Wyvern Girl Feixue and Dragonkin Girl Ella to inflict devastating destruction upon Fish-Man Island's historical archives and cultural centers.
Berlos believed that the seeds of hatred and resistance were often hidden within historical memory and ethnic pride.
She unleashed Hellfire, reducing all records documenting conflicts between fish-men and humans, as well as heroic deeds of the Fish-Man Tribe—including books, sculptures, and murals—to ashes.
Feixue and Ella, using their brute strength, continuously toppled stone monuments and other artifacts recording fish-man history, tossing them into the flames to be incinerated.
There were fish-men and even mermaids who couldn't bear to watch and spoke up to stop them, especially the stubborn old-timers who had lived on Fish-Man Island since childhood—they were utterly incensed.
To these old-timers of Fish-Man Island, the island was home, a sanctuary, a beacon of hope.
Having grown up listening to tales of the island's great heroes, how could they remain completely indifferent to such a scene?
Trembling as they stepped forward, not daring to fully resist, they merely hoped to reason with the Beast Girls, pleading for these precious records of Fish-Man Island's history to be spared.
This was the very root of their Fish-Man Island.
Unfortunately, their words were little more than hot air to the Beast Girls, who had no patience for idle chatter.
Ella, the most hot-tempered among them, grew irritated by the old-timers' nagging. Without another word, she grabbed one of them, lifted him up, and threw him into the fire to burn alongside the artifacts.
This bloody and brutal scene instantly terrified the island's stubborn old-timers into complete silence. They could only watch in agony, tears streaming down their faces.
For all the old-timers of Fish-Man Island, this day marked the complete shattering of their spirits.
They knew that the "backbone" of Fish-Man Island was truly being broken today.
Meanwhile, near the harbor area, at the Mermaid Café and Mermaid Coast—the main settlements of the mermaid tribe—two Snake Girls strolled in.
Poison Lizard Girl Aola knew that mermaid songs possessed powerful spiritual influence. If any mermaid used their singing to express resistance or mourning, it could easily reignite the flames of rebellion on Fish-Man Island.
Especially given the island's current tense state, no mermaid was permitted to utter any inappropriate sounds.
At the slightest sign of unusual movement from any mermaid, Aola showed no mercy, releasing terrifying toxins to paralyze their vocal cords and nerve centers. In this way, she silenced the entire mermaid population.
Any mermaid attempting to voice lament or defiance would immediately face Aola's attack, losing their beautiful voices entirely, ensuring absolute silence across Fish-Man Island.
The library area, Mermaid Beach, Mermaid Café—
One by one, Fish-Man Island's "famous landmarks" were swiftly cleansed, leaving no corner untouched.
During the cleansing, the Beast Girl Legion made new "discoveries."
The Ancient Species Beast Girls Tuan Rong and Coco discovered a secret communication station deep beneath the seabed of Ryugu Palace—a backup base established by the World Government for long-term infiltration.
Inside the base were four Navy intelligence agents dressed in black suits, hidden in the deep sea, attempting to activate a remote distress signal.
Faced with this situation, Coco directly displayed her astonishing ice powers. A gust of icy wind swept through, instantly freezing the entire secret base.
The four black-suited Navy intelligence agents were also frozen in an instant, and the communication station was completely destroyed.
The Mythical Beast Species Griffon Girl Griffin intercepted a vessel disguised as an ocean-going fishing boat outside the bubble of Fish-Man Island.
The ship was not only loaded with weapons and ammunition but also carried over a dozen highly skilled bounty hunters.
These individuals were clearly hired by the World Government or a certain Four Emperors faction, attempting to take advantage of the chaos on Fish-Man Island to either seize benefits or gather intelligence.
Griffin gave them no chance. Her Ultrasonic Wind Blades directly tore the fishing boat apart, and then, like a predator eagle, she shredded the bounty hunters one by one in the water, ensuring Fish-Man Island's absolute isolation.
The scene of rivers of blood had become the sole theme of Fish-Man Island.
Every street on Fish-Man Island was covered in blood, venom, or the remnants of flames, with countless debris and corpses floating in the seawater.
Brian used the most direct and brutal methods to carve the fear of death deep into the souls of every surviving fish-man.
Inside the main hall of Ryugu Palace, the atmosphere was as frozen as ice.
King Aegir and Prince Neptune knelt on the ground like walking corpses, their faces devoid of royal dignity, replaced only by deep despair and numbness.
They had witnessed firsthand how the power of the Rocks Pirates effortlessly crushed everything their generations had protected.
The flames of vengeance in Tiger and Jinbe's eyes had completely extinguished, leaving only endless sorrow for the fate of their people.
They knew that Brian had utterly won. Any further resistance would only bring more brutal slaughter. Their only value now was to live and carry out Brian's enslavement.
Brian stood before the high throne, not sitting down, but surveying the fish-man leaders kneeling on the ground.
He knew he had successfully tamed them.
"Aegir, Neptune, you now have two tasks," Brian's voice carried an irresistible pressure.
"First, immediately issue a public statement to the World Government, declaring Fish-Man Island's secession from its jurisdiction, condemning the World Government's long-term oppression and hypocritical protection of Fish-Man Island, and announcing that the Rocks Pirates will be the island's sole protectors."
"Second, within one month, select fifty thousand robust soldiers from the surviving fish-men across the island and conduct military training according to my requirements. Tiger, you and your men will be responsible for this."
He turned to Tiger and Jinbe: "If I hear any reports of disobedience or discover any failure to meet the required number of soldiers, I will execute ten times that number of your people as punishment for rebellion."
Tiger and Jinbe struggled to lift their heads but dared not meet Brian's gaze. They knew Brian meant every word.
"Y-yes, sir," Tiger's voice was hoarse, like broken stone.
Brian nodded in satisfaction, knowing that the will to resist on Fish-Man Island had been completely crushed.
"Once today's purge is thoroughly completed, Aegir, you should abdicate. You're old now; it's time to give the younger generation a chance."
After settling the relevant matters, Brian looked at the aged Aegir, who already carried a faint aura of death, and issued his final command.
Bearing all the hatred and consequences of the purge on Fish-Man Island would be Aegir's last remaining value.
He could now abdicate smoothly, making way for Neptune.
As for whether Neptune would remain obedient afterward, Brian wasn't worried in the slightest.
If he proved disobedient, he would simply be replaced—again and again, until someone compliant was found.
If it weren't for the fact that Neptune's existence was tied to Shirahoshi's birth, Brian wouldn't have bothered paying such close attention.
The only uncertainty was whether Shirahoshi could still be born smoothly after Otohime's loss. With history's automatic corrections, it should be fine—
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