One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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"My lord, she truly didn't hear your inner voice in her memory."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, memories don't lie. I'm confident."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing, I'm happy to serve you."

Queen Otohime gradually regained consciousness and vaguely heard the conversation between two people.

She recognized the male voice as that of Marine Fleet Admiral Akira.

The other female voice, however, was unfamiliar to her—a stranger.

'Memories don't lie? It seems this woman read my memory.'

'To think that someone like me, who can always hear others' hearts, would be treated like this one day…'

Otohime smiled bitterly in her heart.

At this moment, she regretted talking so much about her ability to hear people's hearts. But at the same time, she was surprised at how quickly Fleet Admiral Akira reacted.

From that single sentence, he immediately guessed that I might be able to listen to his thoughts.

Even though I really didn't hear anything.

But that doesn't matter!

The most important thing is, she knew she had completely angered him.

This terrified her.

She didn't know if people would hate the Fish-Men because of this incident.

If given a choice, Otohime truly wished she didn't have this ability.

This ability was innate, and it had brought her so much trouble since she was very young.

That's all there is to it.

But the most important thing is that she felt wronged at the moment.

She swore to herself, from the moment she arrived until now, her ability had remained dormant.

She was very unskilled in its use and never thought of developing it further.

That's why she couldn't hear the thoughts of particularly powerful individuals.

And Fleet Admiral Akira was certainly one of the most powerful.

…

'Fleet Admiral-sama, please don't hate the Fish-Men because of me.'

With these thoughts, Queen Otohime's consciousness slowly returned, and she began to regain control of her body.

She quickly opened her eyes, stood up, and loudly explained:

"Fleet Admiral-sama, please believe me. I really didn't hear anything from your heart."

Akira had already returned to his chair and was sitting down.

He slightly lowered his eyelids and waved his hand to the side.

"Alright, you may go."

Pudding lifted the hem of her skirt, curtsied, and then transformed into a leaf with a puff.

Queen Otohime's mouth opened in surprise.

On Fish-Man Island, which was often isolated from human society and lacked news, she, a woman who mostly stayed in the palace, was unaware of many things.

So when she saw Pudding's transformation, she was shocked.

'Is the woman who just read my memory the same one who turned into that leaf?'

'This… this is unbelievable!'

Queen Otohime murmured in disbelief.

Knock, knock, knock.

But in the next second, the sound of Akira tapping on the table immediately brought her back to her senses.

"Queen Otohime, I'm not in the mood to beat around the bush, so let's get straight to the point."

"You Fish-Men want to integrate into human society so that all humans will no longer discriminate against or harm you, right?"

After listening to what Akira said, Queen Otohime nodded eagerly, "Yes, exactly."

Akira continued, "I can help you, but respect and assistance go both ways. Do you understand?"

Queen Otohime quickly responded, "I understand. Whatever you need us to do, we are willing to do it."

"Very well. The Marines currently lack a large number of soldiers who are skilled in underwater combat."

"How many positions do you need?"

Queen Otohime responded without hesitation. After Akira had spoken so directly the previous day, she had discussed it with Neptune. They were aware that the Marines wanted Fish-Men fighters to join their ranks as soldiers. So, she had already prepared herself mentally before coming here today.

"As many as you can give."

"I understand. Please give me a few days, and I will convince our people."

"Yes, but make it quick," Akira said in a serious tone.

Every day, countless warships are sunk worldwide, resulting in enormous losses of berries. The sooner the Fish-Men fighters can take their positions, the better.

"Okay!"

Queen Otohime paused but couldn't resist asking, "How do you plan to help us?"

Akira understood that to get the Fish-Men to fully commit, they needed to see a tangible hope for the future. Otherwise, they might harbor resentment and even turn against the Marines in the future. After all, the historical grievances between humans and Fish-Men had persisted for hundreds of years.

Even now, there were still many people openly hunting and selling mermaids. Despite Fish-Man Island being a member nation, the World Government largely ignored this issue.

Akira took out a cigar, lit it, and then looked at her before speaking slowly:

"First, your Fish-Man warriors need to take their positions and show their commitment to justice in front of both soldiers and the public."

"Only then will people truly accept the Fish-Men."

"And they'll recognize the goodwill of your kind, especially in this era of great pirates."

"Meanwhile, we'll flood the newspapers with stories, broadcasting the heroic deeds of the Fish-Men."

"We'll even create fictional stories of Fish-Men heroes fighting side by side with human heroes against notorious pirates."

Akira was confident in his ability to sway public opinion through the media. In this Pirate World, when it came to controlling narratives and changing people's perceptions, Akira believed he was unmatched.

As for how to ensure the Fish-Men would be fully integrated into human society without being hated, he had already devised a plan.

To be honest, this era of great pirates was indeed a prime opportunity for the Fish-Men.

Ninety-nine percent of humans were under attack by pirates.

If at this time, a "self-propelled army" made entirely of Fish-Men, resembling a group of dragons, began helping to repel pirates across the world for free, there wouldn't be a need for Akira to make any special efforts at all.

People's perceptions and impressions of the Fish-Men would change instantly.

After all, no one would harbor negative feelings toward a hero who saved their life, even if that hero belonged to a different race.

"As Fleet Admiral of the Marines, I will also propose to the Five Elders to enact a law prohibiting the sale and purchase of mermaids."

"Of course, it would be wise to ensure that the Fish-Men you send to join the Marines are of good character and morals."

"Otherwise, this could all backfire."

After Akira finished speaking, he made sure to emphasize this point.

"Fleet Admiral-sama, please don't worry. I will be very careful in selecting them."

Queen Otohime was trembling with excitement. Listening to Akira's plans, she could easily envision a brighter future.

In such a scenario, the Fish-Men might truly be able to forge a genuine friendship with humans.

At that moment, a soft light appeared nearby.

Akira and Queen Otohime turned their attention to it.

They saw Shyarly, who had somehow woken up, sitting on the ground, turning her hands around a crystal ball while speaking confidently.

Soon, several images appeared within the crystal ball.

One image showed a Fish-Man on a warship, charging at pirates alongside Marine soldiers. After the battle, the Fish-Man and a Marine sat back-to-back, laughing and sharing a drink.

Another image showed a group of Fish-Men walking through a human village on a small island, chatting and laughing. The human villagers seemed unbothered by their presence and even greeted them warmly as they passed by.

In yet another image, human children and Fish-Man children sat together in a classroom, quietly listening to the teacher.

Queen Otohime became more and more enthralled as she watched.

This was the world she had always dreamed of—a world where Fish-Men and humans coexisted peacefully.

She had heard about Shyarly's powerful and accurate divinations, and even tested her abilities the day before. Now, seeing this vision in the crystal ball only solidified her belief that Akira would fulfill all the promises he made to her and the entire Fish-Man race.

Suddenly, the images in the crystal ball flickered out and disappeared.

Queen Otohime looked at Shyarly.

"I'm sorry, my lord, I've exhausted my strength and can only foresee the future of our Fish-Men."

Shyarly looked drained, her face pale from the effort.

Queen Otohime knelt down and hugged her, full of concern, "Good girl, thank you for your hard work. For the sake of the Fish-Men, you'll stay with the Marines and listen to Fleet Admiral-sama's orders."

"Yes, Queen-sama, I'll do my best."

Shyarly clenched her fists and responded with determination.

Queen Otohime patted her head gently, then stood up and faced Akira.

"Fleet Admiral-sama, I want to return now and gather the Fish-Man warriors."

"Alright, go ahead."

Akira hadn't taken his eyes off Shyarly and the crystal ball in her hands, his words were almost an afterthought.

Seeing this, Queen Otohime didn't hesitate any longer. She quickly turned and ran out the door.

The office fell silent.

Akira stroked his chin, his eyes glinting with thought.

Shyarly hugged her crystal ball tightly, biting her lip, standing still, and not daring to move.

"Gulu Gulu..."

The sound of Shyarly's stomach growling snapped Akira out of his thoughts.

"Hungry?" Akira asked with a smile.

At this time, Shyarly was still quite young, probably around the same age as little Robin. Although many children in the One Piece World are very mature for their age, her youthful appearance was still evident.

The chubby Shyarly had not yet grown into the calm and dignified Madam Shyarly that Akira had in his memories. She was still quite cute.

Akira thought so to himself.

"I-I'm not hungry!" Shyarly stammered, her face flushing with embarrassment. She seemed to feel that the growling sound her stomach made was shameful and instinctively denied it.

Akira didn't press the issue, but his experience with Robin had taught him how to handle kids like this.

Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~

He picked up the Den Den Mushi next to him, entered a series of numbers, and dialed.

"Moshi moshi, is that you, big brother?" Robin's cheerful voice came through, clearly recognizing who was calling from the image transmitted by the Den Den Mushi.

"Yes, come to the office. I have something for you."

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

After hanging up, it took less than a minute before Robin came trotting in from the corridor.

"Her name is Shyarly, and she'll be staying with us from now on, helping out under my command," Akira explained. "Take her to try the food in the cafeteria, and then show her around the headquarters and the mansion."

"You two are about the same age, so you should get along well."

Robin, being clever, quickly understood Akira's intention and took the initiative to hold Shyarly's hand.

"Hi Shyarly, I'm Robin."

"I see you're younger than me, so you can call me Sister Robin from now on."

"Wow, you're a mermaid! What a beautiful tail."

Shyarly, still a bit shy, let herself be led out of the office by Robin.

Akira watched them go before leaning back in his chair, thoughtfully pinching his chin.

"A 100% accurate divination ability?" he murmured to himself.

To be honest, the divination that Shyarly had performed earlier had shocked him. Those images had looked incredibly real. Knowing about such abilities from the original story was one thing, but seeing them firsthand was another.

Most importantly, Akira suddenly had an idea.

If he asked Shyarly to help with a divination regarding his ultimate mission, what would the result be?

Akira swallowed hard and took a deep breath to suppress the growing excitement in his heart.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Focus on the task at hand."

He turned his attention back to another document that needed his attention.

"If everything goes according to plan, the issue of warships being sunk should be resolved soon."

"Then it'll be time to consider the boats."

A large number of replicas were being produced around the clock and were gradually being sent to various bases. Given a bit more time, every group of soldiers would have access to these transformation leaf weapons.

So, once they were well-equipped, the next step was to set out to sea and eliminate every pirate they encountered.

But there was a snag—no boats!

Even without requiring Marine warships, the current problem was that there weren't even wooden sailboats available.

It was ironic that just as the era of the Great Pirate was on the verge of being resolved, everything had to come to a halt because of a lack of ships.

Once the ship issue was resolved, all Akira would need to do was wait for the system rewards to arrive.

As for shipbuilding, the biggest hurdle was money—berries.

With enough money, they could purchase massive amounts of wood.

With enough money, they could hire a large number of shipbuilders to work around the clock, constructing ships for the Marines.

"We'll have to see about securing funds from Big Mom's territory."

"However, before Big Mom's resources come through, we can start the preparatory work."

Akira let out a long breath, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and made a call to the staff.

Once the call was connected, without any hesitation, Akira ordered:

"Arrange for a meeting with the heads of all the shipbuilding companies in Water 7. I want them to come to headquarters as soon as possible."

"I have a business deal to discuss with them."