He stepped forward to the ship's rail, making himself visible to the Queen below, and raised his voice to carry across the water.
"First of all, I would like to greet Queen Mershala. And regarding the disturbance, allow me to explain."
Jake knew that if they initiated an attack, the shark-people would slaughter them. Their numbers alone made that painfully clear. For now, retreat was the wiser choice. It was what they needed most at the moment.
"The mermaids attacked us without provocation," he called out, his tone respectful but firm.
"We were searching these islands for someone else entirely—a surface criminal operating in these waters. When your servants surrounded our ship and began climbing aboard with weapons drawn, we defended ourselves. We meant no invasion of your territory and had no knowledge we were trespassing in claimed waters."
