Chapter 142: Ready to Clean Mariejois!

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Ready to Clean Mariejois!

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

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

During the earlier meeting, Sengoku had successfully passed the responsibility for dealing with Fish-Man Island onto Claudius. Nusjuro had also agreed that Fish-Man Island 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 flag could be seen flying in various territories, there was no justification for it to be raised over a member nation of the World Government. That had to be addressed. Fish-Man Island was such a place, and it had to be resolved.

The meeting concluded with Nusjuro deciding to reevaluate and reorganize the World Government's relationship with Fish-Man Island.

In the original timeline, there was no such effort. Princess Otohime's plans were disrupted when she was captured by a Celestial Dragon an event that should still be two years away. That incident strained the relationship between Fish-Man Island and the World Government even further, leaving it unresolved for years.

Even later, at the World Summit, Fish-Man Island still operated under the protection of pirates, with Whitebeard's flag being replaced first by Big Mom's and later by Luffy's. The island's allegiance was dictated by strength, with one pirate group after another acting as its "guardian."

Although the Five Elders had attempted to improve relations with Fish-Man Island, 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. Claudius, as Sengoku described, was an anomaly among the Celestial Dragons, much like how Garp was a disruptive force within Marine. Claudius could do things that the Five Elders couldn't or wouldn't, and he felt no qualms about breaking convention.

The preliminary plan was for the World Government to free one-third of Mariejois' Fish-Man Island slaves, focusing primarily on the merfolk. It was a gesture of goodwill designed to show sincerity toward Fish-Man Island.

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

Of course, this plan applied only to slaves from Fish-Man Island. It wasn't a blanket liberation effort, nor was it meant to address other types of slavery. This was just one part of a larger strategy.

The reason Claudius and Sengoku planned to meet at Sabaody Archipelago was that the area had been designated for cleanup as well. Unlike Mariejois, where freeing slaves meant dealing with the Celestial Dragons directly, Sabaody was less complicated. The merfolk and fish-men there were mostly held by slave traders, who lacked the untouchable status of the Celestial Dragons.

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

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

Claudius 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 playful grin, "Besides, I've worked hard for you merfolk this time. I just persuaded the Five Elders to implement some changes in Mariejois. Three days from now, we'll be freeing one-third of the Fish-Man Island slaves in Mariejois. For Sabaody Archipelago, the World Government will prioritize cleaning up the mermaid slave trade there as well. And that's not all, new legislation will be put in place to protect the personal safety of Fish-Man Island residents. From now on, anyone who harms or enslaves merfolk will face severe punishment. It's no longer just empty formalities. How does that sound?"

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

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

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

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

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

"Can we be free too?" Hancock asked eagerly.

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

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