One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Look at you, all smug! Do you even realize how pathetic you are?"

The palace guards encircled the utterly bewildered Vander Decken IX and his two lackeys, while Wright and Jinbe stepped forward from the crowd.

"What… what's the meaning of this?"

Vander Decken IX's heart raced. He was no stranger to petty crimes. Though he bore the title of pirate, in truth, he was nothing more than a third-rate thug. His intelligence wasn't nearly enough to succeed in true piracy.

Up until now, Vander Decken IX had been little more than an irritant on Fish-Man Island. While his bounty poster was pinned up, he was generally ignored by the guards—let alone the palace's elite royal guards. But now, to be surrounded by such a force…

"Could it be that Princess Shirahoshi has finally understood my feelings? Has she realized my love and sent you all to fetch me?!

"Ah! And even sent Jinbe and a top doctor like you to greet me... Haha, my dear father-in-law, you're being far too gracious! Hahaha!"

"…"

A heavy, awkward silence fell over the scene. Wright, Jinbe, the palace guards, and even Decken's lackeys were all dumbfounded, staring at him as he basked in his delusional joy.

"Did he… not hear what you just said?" Jinbe muttered, incredulously.

"Selective hearing, I guess," Wright massaged his temples. "I've never seen someone this shameless in my life!"

"Captain," Lackey A whispered nervously, "I don't think they're here to welcome us."

"Yeah," chimed Lackey B, "Where's the carriage?"

"…"

Vander Decken IX's confidence evaporated as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"Could it be…?"

"That's enough. Don't waste any more time—tie him up and take him away!" Jinbe waved his hand wearily, cutting short Decken's bizarre performance.

The palace guards, who were now harboring a strange sense of respect for Decken's unmatched self-delusion, quickly moved to restrain him as he shouted protests of "It's all a misunderstanding!"

Watching the peculiar glow under Decken's feet vanish, Jinbe glanced at Wright with a curious expression. "Didn't think your ability could be used like that."

"Yup," Wright said, adjusting his sunglasses as they glinted with reflected light. "Observation Haki for perception, tag the target as an ally, activate the aura, and voilà—target found!"

"Just because they're tagged as allies doesn't mean they actually are," Wright added smugly. "A true power user knows how to innovate. From now on, call me Detective Wright!"

"…"

Jinbe shook his head, deciding to focus on arranging Decken's transfer to the palace instead. Wright was a good man, but his personality… certainly had its quirks.

With Jinbe personally escorting Vander Decken IX to the palace, Wright took the hint and decided to stay out of royal matters. After all, Queen Otohime would handle the interrogation just fine.

Strolling along a quiet beach, Wright pulled out a Den Den Mushi.

"Purururu… purururu… click!"

"Yo, Wright, you finally called back! I've been bored out of my mind training these three brats the past few days!" A familiar, booming voice rang out.

Scratching his head, Wright muttered, "Wait… I'm pretty sure I dialed Sengoku's line…"

"Garp! Get out of the way!" Sengoku's voice barked in the background.

Ah, there it was. Definitely Sengoku's line.

"Get back here already and help out! Without your healing ability, they keel over before I even get serious! This is no fun!" Garp hollered before being forcibly dragged away.

Finally, Sengoku's exasperated voice returned. "Ahem… Wright, how's the situation?"

"Well… there was a bit of chaos on Fish-Man Island over the past few days…"

Wright recounted the events since Queen Otohime's return, tactfully omitting key details about Princess Shirahoshi's unique ability and Vander Decken IX.

"So, Neptune agreed to let you set up a Lightforged Beacon on Fish-Man Island?"

"He agreed outright?" Sengoku sounded genuinely impressed. "That's a bold move… He must understand what it means to allow a teleportation device on his island.

"It seems King Neptune has immense trust in you, Wright. You've done an exceptional job—better than I could have hoped for."

"You've once again proven your keen judgment," Sengoku continued. "I can't imagine how things might have turned out if I hadn't sent you to escort Queen Otohime this time."

Wright snorted. "I bet the World Government didn't expect an internal conflict here, either. If I hadn't saved Queen Otohime, their plans would've gone up in smoke!"

"Ahem… speaking of surprises, I've heard some interesting news about Donquixote Mjosgard," Sengoku said, lowering his tone. "Apparently, he's released his slaves and even changed his entire demeanor.

"Queen Otohime's influence is terrifying. If Fish-Man Island unites under her leadership, achieving their dream might just be a matter of time.

"And with your rising reputation there…" Sengoku's voice hinted at scheming.

"Oh no, Sengoku. You're not thinking of recruiting Fish-Men into the Navy, are you?"

"Cough… well," Sengoku coughed awkwardly. "If the Navy can have giants, why not Fish-Men?"

"Ha! Giants? Are there even new recruits from Elbaf these days?" Wright shot back.

"… You've done your homework," Sengoku sighed. "Yes, after the Giant Warrior Pirates were defeated decades ago, the remaining giants were granted clemency by the World Government. That opened the door for them to join the Navy.

"Several giants enlisted, but subsequent events caused that opportunity to vanish. Since then, no new giants have joined.

"But Fish-Men… their addition to the Navy would be even more significant than the giants," Sengoku argued.

"Slow down, old man," Wright said sharply. "Fisher Tiger's actions are still fresh. Even with Queen Otohime's efforts, letting go of hatred isn't something that happens overnight.

"Besides, I'm still human. Bridging that gap requires more than just Fish-Man Island's efforts."

"Of course, these things can't be rushed," Sengoku conceded. "But consider it a long-term goal. If the opportunity arises, it could pave the way."

"We'll see," Wright replied after a pause. "For now, things on Fish-Man Island are stable. I plan to begin my vacation…"

"WHAT?!"

The Den Den Mushi's face morphed into one of incredulity. "You've been on vacation this whole time!"

"Resting is exhausting… so I'll take a few more days off!"

"…"

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