One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

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"..."

Wright quietly signaled the people around him to stay calm. The surrounding princes, princesses, ministers, and Jinbe finally snapped out of their overwhelming shock.

"Rest assured! We will keep this a closely guarded secret!"

The Left Minister, as the kingdom's chief civil servant, immediately made a decisive call:

"I'll report this to His Majesty at once and issue an immediate gag order on the incident!"

With that, the Left Minister hurried off. Meanwhile, the Right Minister, in charge of security, gave a stern command:

"Jinbe! Princes! Protect Queen Otohime and Princess Shirahoshi at all costs. I'll gather the guards to track down the sniper's location!"

"Oh… about the sniper, I might've stumbled upon something interesting earlier…"

Wright, calming the three princes and Shirahoshi, who were profusely thanking him, as well as the stunned guards and citizens who had witnessed Queen Otohime's miraculous recovery, suddenly remembered something.

"When I was rushing over, I noticed something intriguing happening at that elevated platform over there…"

He pointed to the edge of the plaza.

"A palace guard appeared to be aiming a gun at a fleeing human pirate."

Seeing the prominent figures' eyes widen in astonishment, Wright continued, "Nearby, I discovered a sniper rifle positioned to target the plaza. However, that pirate was unarmed and fleeing for his life, unable to fight back, while the guard insisted on pulling the trigger to kill him…"

Noticing the contemplative look on Jinbe's face and the deep sadness and disappointment on Queen Otohime's expression, Wright added slowly:

"Perhaps you've heard Queen Otohime mention that I, too, possess the ability to discern the thoughts of others…"

"Thus, I confiscated their weapons and restrained the two of them—for now, retaining every piece of evidence, especially live witnesses, is absolutely critical."

"It's a habit of mine as a Marine… even if this is technically my vacation."

"Vice Admiral Wright, are you saying…" Jinbe hesitated in disbelief.

Glancing at Queen Otohime, Wright shook his head. "I said nothing of the sort… But folks, let's not forget—I am a human."

"For now, why don't you come with me and see those two individuals for yourselves? Queen Otohime will naturally uncover the truth."

Pushing up his sunglasses, which gleamed brightly, Wright remarked:

"After all, the truth is absolute!"

Jinbe and the Right Minister, accompanied by palace guards, escorted Queen Otohime, the princes, and Princess Shirahoshi as they followed Wright toward the elevated platform at the edge of the plaza.

Although Wright hadn't explicitly stated anything, his mention of his ability to discern thoughts, coupled with Queen Otohime's reaction, led Jinbe, the Right Minister, and the three princes to strongly suspect that the restrained human pirate and the palace guard had a deeper connection to the incident.

From afar, they saw two figures trapped within what appeared to be golden… coffins? No… cubes. They were held immobile, unable to move.

"Holy Light Confinement," Wright explained. The technique created a cube-like barrier using the principles of the Holy Light Wall, effectively sealing the targets within.

"That's… Hody Jones! A palace guard!" Jinbe exclaimed in shock.

Inside one of the Holy Light Confinements, Hody Jones was furiously struggling, attempting to break free of the radiant golden walls binding him.

Unaware of what had transpired in the plaza, Hody had prepared a defense for when he was inevitably questioned. However, when he turned and saw Queen Otohime safe and unharmed, Jinbe and the Right Minister stern-faced, the three princes furious, Shirahoshi terrified of him, and not a single other palace guard present, he realized his fate was sealed.

Queen Otohime's ability was something Hody Jones knew all too well. At this very moment—and likely long before now—she had already discerned the thoughts in both his mind and that of the human pirate he had failed to silence.

And the absence of other guards? That only meant one thing: information lockdown. His plan had no chance of continuing.

"Hody Jones."

Queen Otohime spoke, her voice calm yet laced with profound understanding:

"To assassinate royalty, and to frame humans in an attempt to shatter the fragile hope Fish-Man Island has so painstakingly built…

"Is your hatred truly so irreconcilable?"

"Humans!" Hody snarled, baring his sharp teeth at Wright. "Was this your doing?!"

The Fish-Man's rage surged as he glared at the human Marine. No one in the Fish-Man race had this kind of power; it had to be the human standing before him.

"Queen Otohime! Jinbe! How dare you collude with a human to trap me!"

"Oh, spare us the theatrics," Wright retorted, shaking his head. "Collude with a human? You overestimate your importance. No one would've even noticed you if you weren't up to something shady.

"Queen Otohime knows everything now. If it weren't for me, you might've succeeded.

"I must admit, your timing was impeccable. If this had worked, Fish-Man Island wouldn't have been able to stand proudly in the surface world for at least another decade."

"High and mighty Fish-Man, huh? Why should we bow to the lowly humans?!" Hody Jones, unable to break free, dropped all pretense, revealing his twisted face. Against Queen Otohime's ability, deception was futile.

"High and mighty? Lowly?" Wright chuckled. "That's just your arrogant delusion…

"As a human, I don't believe humans are inherently superior to other races. And Queen Otohime, as a mermaid, and Jinbe, as a Fish-Man, they don't see their own races as superior to humans, either…

"Every race has its strengths and weaknesses. None are perfect.

"Your ideology represents the resentment and anger of Fish-Man Island, but I've met someone else—Arlong—who shares your views. And yet, you're not even as good as him!

"At least Arlong cared for his kind. You, however, would go so far as to assassinate your own queen and deceive your people just to satisfy your hatred!

"As a Marine, even I find that disgusting. If one of my subordinates dared to harm their comrades or betray their superiors, I'd make sure they fully understand the meaning of 'love' and 'justice'!"