Rosse didn't speak, just looked at Otohime with a lightly provocative gaze.
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[Otohime]
[Overall Rating: B-]
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Otohime's strength rating was higher than Rosse had expected.
As expected, most of it came from the blessing of her status, plus the added points from her innate Observation Haki.
Otohime's innate Observation Haki was extremely lethal. She could use her emotions to influence others. As long as her voice could be heard, it could spread her influence, indistinguishable from indiscriminate brainwashing. Only those with firm will or Observation Haki themselves could be immune to this ability.
If speaking purely in terms of real combat strength, even a G-rank ordinary person would be stronger than Otohime.
However... B-... this rating was actually quite fair.
Rosse subconsciously looked at Otohime again.
Unfortunately, no matter how he looked, she didn't have a few extra ounces of flesh.
In terms of aura, Otohime was even more outstanding than Titi and Sora.
But unfortunately, they were approachable while Otohime was not so easy to approach.
But that didn't matter, Rosse considered himself a face-con, and everything else he could accept.
Just that, there was one thing he was a little curious about.
Merfolk reproduction, according to rumors, was like fish. Laying eggs, but he had truly never seen it. He was very curious what kind of scenario that was.
Princess Otohime, counting her tail, was only 2.5 meters tall, but Rosse had heard that King Neptune of Fish-Man Island's Ryugu Kingdom had a body and tail length of over 12 meters.
That comparison in size was honestly a bit exaggerated.
A 6:1 height ratio.
That exaggerated ratio was equivalent to the gap between a kitten and an average person.
After a long while, under Princess Otohime's increasingly nervous gaze, Rosse finally opened his mouth and said, "Eternally grateful? How grateful?"
Hearing this, Otohime pursed her small lips, her face slightly flustered.
In other situations, because she could sense others' emotions, she could often take the lead in conversations.
But ever since Rosse stood in front of her, she couldn't sense anything.
Rosse was like a calm lake, with no emotion at all.
At times like this, she couldn't know what Rosse was thinking, much less how to respond.
"Saint Rosse... I've always advocated for merfolk coexistence. I can feel your kindness, so I'm sure you have similar thoughts. I'm truly grateful to you from the bottom of my heart," Otohime cautiously tested.
"Merfolk coexistence?", Rosse chuckled softly, neither agreeing nor disagr eeing, asking rather casually, "Then in your view, what does merfolk coexistence mean?"
At this moment, the ship beneath them began to move. A warship led ahead, and Moria's giant sailing ship followed behind.
As for Moria, he had vanished without a trace at Rosse's signal. Around them, only Rosse and Otohime remained.
This place was far from the Holy Land, and with nothing better to do, he might as well witness the diversity of species.
Otohime didn't know Rosse' thoughts. Seeing that Rosse didn't refute her, she grew a bit bolder, "Saint Rosse, because the two races don't understand each other, many misunderstandings have arisen between them. So I hope both sides can come to understand one another, and mutually comprehend each other."
"No slavery, no killing, no harm, no hatred."
"In the world I hope for, humans can communicate and travel freely with fish-men or merfolk. Everyone is equal, caring for and looking after one another."
"..."
During this, seeing Rosse always showing a listening posture, Otohime's words became more and more fluent, freely speaking the thoughts in her heart.
These ideas, she had spoken of them to others more than once.
But unless she used her special ability, as soon as she started, regardless of whether it was fish-men, merfolk, or humans, they would show sneering expressions.
Not to mention the inner thoughts, most just showed disapproval.
Even King Neptune and others who supported her, though they appeared willing to listen, she could clearly sense the disbelief in their hearts.
Countless instances of mistrust made her somewhat disheartened.
Her ideals were so simple, why didn't anyone want to act on them?
No matter what it was, you had to try it to know whether it was suitable or not.
Someone like Rosse, who she had just met, yet was willing to listen to everything she said without interruption, this was the first time Otohime had seen such a person.
So in her heart, she felt even more favorable toward Rosse.
'Maybe, he is a like-minded man.'
After venting her emotions, Otohime stopped speaking and looked toward Rosse a bit anxiously, hoping to see his response.
On Rosse's end, whether on the surface or internally, there was no ripple at all.
What Otohime was saying were just age-old, well-worn topics. Just like those who advocated for racial equality in his previous life.
He had never denied anyone's ideals, always offering the utmost understanding.
After all, just having one's own thoughts already surpassed countless people who simply drifted along with the tide.
As for whether those thoughts were saintly or delusional, that was a matter for later.
As long as it didn't block his own path, Rosse didn't mind any of it.
And coincidentally, Otohime's views aligned with certain parts of Rosse' vision for ruling the future world.
Rosse wasn't some racial supremacist. He was just purely a face-con.
As long as the race looked good, he liked them all.
And coincidentally, merfolk were in line with his aesthetic.
As for fish-men, forget it.
"Princess Otohime, then for this, what efforts have you made?", Rosse asked gently.
In this world, there were plenty of strong people from all kinds of messy races.
And in the ocean, fish-men and merfolk had huge racial advantages.
Idealism looked at good and evil. Rosse, being a pragmatist, only looked at value.
If supporting Otohime could bring him value, then that would be for the best.
However, Otohime's thinking was still a bit naive.
Naively hoping for racial equality, and using actual strength to strive for racial equality, these were two completely different things.
The former would only be a burden to him.
The latter, more in line with his interests.
"Effort?", Seeing that Rosse not only didn't deny her but brought up practical matters, Otohime looked excited, "At the last World Conference, I proposed to call for a ban on the slave trade of fish-men and merfolk. It's just that..."
By the end, Otohime's voice had grown much smaller, with a bit of embarrassment, "In the end, it failed. Everyone rejected the proposal."
At this point, she looked a little saddened.
"You believe slave trade is a problem?", Rosse calmly asked.
"This world shouldn't have slave trade," Otohime gently frowned, "I think that if we want to achieve merfolk coexistence, then fish-men and merfolk can't be enslaved."
"Then do you think there are more human slaves, or more fish-men and merfolk slaves?", Rosse asked back.
"Eh?", Otohime froze for a moment.
This question, she seemed to have never considered it.
However, she did know that human slavery existed.
Thinking for a moment, Otohime responded uncertainly, "It should be humans?"
After all, the human population was so large. It had to be more than that of fish-men and merfolk.
"Then do humans not coexist with other humans?", Rosse asked again.
"Coexist... coexist?", Otohime was stunned, her eyes showing confusion.
She wasn't dumb, she immediately understood Rosse' implication.
Human slaves far outnumber fish-men and merfolk slaves, and yet humans still coexist?
So, whether slavery exists or not, has nothing to do with coexistence?
It couldn't be that even humans don't coexist with each other, right?
If humans don't even coexist, then isn't talking about merfolk coexistence even more meaningless?
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