Chapter 132 Arson

Chapter 132: Arson

After Sharkler had showcased his super transformation, Jinbei agreed to teach him for a while.

Even though the transformation didn't last very long, having a normal form to use as a trump card was a good idea.

Furthermore, having an ordinary form didn't necessarily mean he couldn't use Fish-Man Karate. Sharkler had one trait in common with Jinbei, and that was immense strength.

Jinbei had once been famous for his incredible strength, and he believed that Sharkler's immense power shouldn't go to waste without some combat skills.

So, for the next few days, Sharkler stayed close to Jinbei, while Adrian followed Queen Otohime around the Ryugu Kingdom, giving speeches and collecting signatures.

Every day, countless signature papers were continuously delivered to the Ryugu Palace.

In addition to their official duties, they also spent half of their time sightseeing and exploring famous landmarks on Fish-Man Island.

Aside from traveling on the Ryugu Palace, they even experienced riding the Fish Bus and Fish Taxis, which were different aquatic creatures fitted with bubbles to transport passengers.

This experience made Adrian feel like he was dreaming of returning to modern society.

As for the famous Mermaid Cove, Adrian could confidently say that it was nothing special. It had slightly better scenery, a few more mermaids in swimsuits, nicer-sounding mermaid voices, prettier faces, better figures, and friendlier attitudes toward humans...

It was nothing extraordinary, and Adrian didn't even show the slightest bit of reluctance when leaving.

Of course, Adrian and the others weren't just there for fun. During Queen Otohime's speeches, they were responsible for her protection.

Adrian had already informed Neptunian soldiers about the possibility of people who might disagree with Queen Otohime's views resorting to irrational actions. That's why additional security personnel had been assigned to protect her, and among them was Hody Jones, a standout soldier in the army.

Adrian couldn't help but admire Neptune's excellent personnel selection. It was like entrusting Tom to protect his pet canary at home.

However, it made it easier for them to focus on monitoring potential threats.

This was the sixth day since Adrian and the others had arrived on Fish-Man Island, and Adrian felt that they had disrupted things long enough. It wasn't polite to overstay their welcome.

As for Queen Otohime's safety, they could entrust that to Sharkler and use his study of Fish-Man Karate as a reason for him to stay.

With his abilities, as long as they were prepared, he could even stop a bullet.

The weather was clear and sunny that day, and the beautiful sunlight always put the residents of Fish-Man Island in a good mood.

Queen Otohime was no exception. She took her four children with her when she went out to collect signatures, but she advised them not to get too close. She planned to take them to play somewhere else after she finished her work.

Sharkler and Jinbei were entrusted with protecting her. At the request of Shirahoshi, Adrian had asked Tom to keep her company.

Shirahoshi always became very lively when playing with Tom. In no time, they each wore a bubble-like lifebuoy and swam around in the air.

In the square, people watched the lively little princess.

Adrian, Artoria, and Rui Mengmeng were as usual, standing beside the princess and assisting with her speech. They occasionally helped organize the signature papers inside the three large signature boxes.

To improve efficiency, the princess had set up three signature boxes in front of the platform, and people naturally lined up in three queues to submit their signatures.

Queen Otohime and her four children went out together, so the security forces were not weak. There were almost guards every ten steps inside the square. Whenever they saw someone who looked a bit fierce, they stared at them attentively.

Comparatively, security around the outskirts of the square was much more relaxed. When a few squad leaders were discussing how to allocate manpower, they overlooked several suitable positions for snipers under Hody Jones's guidance.

Originally, Hody Jones didn't plan to act so soon, but Queen Otohime had been very active lately, and her efforts were paying off.

If she continued like this, she could collect enough signatures within a month, and it would be too late to assassinate her by then.

He had to eliminate her now and frame it on humans to reignite the conflict between Fish-Men and humans, giving him a chance to carry out his plans.

So, while the signature event was in full swing, three specially crafted bullets almost simultaneously hit three boxes.

These bullets seemed to be designed specifically for arson. The moment they hit the boxes, flames engulfed the signature papers at an incredible speed.

The scene fell silent for a second, then screams and shouts erupted:

"It's on fire!"

"Put out the fire quickly!"

"What's happening?!"

People in the square either wanted to run away immediately or rushed forward to help put out the fire. However, they were evacuated by Neptune's soldiers, even though the situation was chaotic.

Although the incident had occurred suddenly, the soldiers were all professionally trained and knew how to handle the situation.

Some people evacuated the crowd, some fetched water to fight the fire, and some approached the royal family to protect them during their evacuation.

At this moment, Adrian was alert and trying to locate the arsonist while also watching out for Hody Jones's covert actions.

Adrian didn't care about the signature boxes; they could be collected again later. What mattered most now was protecting the princess and obtaining evidence of Hody Jones's attempted assassination.

However, Queen Otohime was different. Without hesitation, she rushed toward the burning signature box, intending to save the signatures that hadn't caught fire yet.

To her, these signatures were the wishes of the people and the hope of Fish-Man Island. In the chaos, she didn't even think about collecting new signatures later.

Two soldiers quickly stepped in front of her and tried to persuade her, "Your Highness, please remain calm! Please evacuate immediately!"

"These are incredibly precious signatures that were painstakingly collected! They must be saved!"

Ignoring her frail body, Queen Otohime agilely evaded the soldiers' attempts to stop her and headed straight for the blazing fire.

In that moment when she moved away from the soldiers' protection, on a high vantage point outside the square, Hody Jones pulled the trigger with a ruthless expression.

"Ding!"

Artoria in her blue dress and silver armor appeared in the crosshairs of the assassin. A sword had already been waiting on the bullet's trajectory. The scene looked more like the bullet striking the blade with pinpoint accuracy than the sword intercepting the bullet.

The anime scenario: The arsonist used a lighter to set fire to the signature boxes, three in a row...

The soldiers on guard and the numerous onlookers at the scene didn't notice anyone taking action.

At that moment, both Adrian and Aladine were present. Even when Queen Otohime was shot, they watched her fall without any ability to stop it. None of them could even detect the true identity of the assailant...