"So nostalgic..."
Looking at the buildings below, Shirahoshi's eyes began to shimmer.
How long had it been since she last came down here?
"Speaking of which... it's been ten years since you've seen the world below, hasn't it?" Meiser said.
"Yes, Meiser-sama!"
Shirahoshi first answered honestly, then said with a somewhat downcast expression, "Ever since that Vander Decken guy started targeting me, I haven't been able to come out."
Even... even her mother's funeral...
Thinking of this, tears began to well up in Shirahoshi's eyes.
"Why are you crying again?" Meiser said helplessly.
"I'm sorry, I just thought of something sad," Shirahoshi said, lowering her head.
After speaking, she tried hard to cover her mouth, as if she didn't want her crying to disturb Meiser.
Glancing down at Shirahoshi, Meiser shook his head helplessly and said, "You don't have to do that. If you want to cry, just cry."
Although he didn't know exactly why Shirahoshi was crying, it was best not to hold back tears when you felt like crying—it wasn't good for your health.
Hearing Meiser's words, Shirahoshi fell silent for a moment, then let go of her hand covering her mouth and began to sob softly.
Meiser sighed at the sound, then turned to look at the buildings below.
Seeing that no one seemed to notice them, Meiser created several Shadow Clones.
"Leave it to us!"
The Shadow Clones, understanding what Meiser wanted to do, nodded and then used the Transformation Technique to take on the appearance of the Fish-Man race.
After doing this, the clones jumped off Megalo and rushed toward the river bay below.
"I'm so jealous," Luffy said, staring at the clones gradually moving away below. "I wish I could use Ninjutsu too."
"Don't think about it for now," Meiser said, waving his hand.
If he could become a Six Paths Level figure, he might be able to distribute Chakra, but for now...
Don't even think about it.
"Alright."
Luffy didn't dwell on it too much. If he couldn't, then he couldn't.
Then he asked, "By the way, why did you make so many clones?"
"To investigate what's going on, of course," Meiser said. "You haven't forgotten what that seahorse Merfolk said earlier, have you?"
"It's the Minister of the Right," Shirahoshi whispered, having stopped crying.
"Alright, the Minister of the Right."
Meiser shrugged, not too concerned about the title. After all, it was just a form of address.
"You mean... his suspicion that we kidnapped Fish-Men?"
"Merfolk!"
Meiser corrected him. "Yes, exactly that."
"So I plan to send the clones down to take a look and see if they can find any clues."
"Then I'll leave it to you!" Luffy nodded.
He felt reassured leaving such matters to Meiser.
This time, Meiser nodded without saying anything more.
"Clone..."
Shirahoshi looked up and asked, "Is this also one of Lord Meiser's Ninjutsu?"
She had only heard before that Lord Meiser knew Ninjutsu, but she wasn't clear on what specific techniques he possessed.
"That's right, this is my Ninjutsu," Meiser said with a smile.
"So amazing!" Shirahoshi's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"It's alright, I suppose."
However... although Meiser said this, the corners of his mouth began to curl upward uncontrollably, clearly quite pleased with himself.
Just then, Luffy noticed the situation below.
"Hey, Meiser, are those Sanji and Chopper?!" Luffy pointed at the two figures by the seaside.
Hearing Luffy's words, Meiser immediately looked down and then laughed, "Yes, that's them."
Who would have thought they'd run into Chopper and Sanji here? What... luck!!
Thinking this, Meiser patted Megalo's body and said, "Megalo, head over there first."
Since they'd encountered them, there was no reason not to bring the two along.
"Shark!"
Tears streaming down its face, Megalo nodded, then struggled to swing its tail, slowly making its way toward Sanji.
"Hey, why are you grinning all the time?" Luffy looked at Megalo in confusion. "Did you think of something funny?"
Megalo: ???
Is there something wrong with this human's eyes?
Is this a grin?
This is crying!
With such a huge person stuffed in its mouth, how could it possibly be grinning?!
Meiser, on the other hand, gave Luffy a speechless look. This guy could be incredibly dense at times.
Oh... no, it was like this most of the time. Thinking about it, Meiser rubbed his temples with a headache.
Soon, thanks to Megalo's efforts, the group successfully arrived above Sanji.
"Hey, Sanji!"
"Chopper!"
"Huh?"
Hearing the voices of Luffy and Meiser, Chopper was stunned for a moment before looking up at the sky in delight. "It's you two!"
"Huh?"
"What's up with that pufferfish?"
Seeing the pufferfish covered in cold sweat, several question marks popped up above Chopper's head.
Why would Luffy and Meiser come looking for them riding such a strange creature?
"Are these your friends?" Shirahoshi looked curiously at the two people below. "A human man and... a tanuki!"
That's right, this tanuki looked exactly like the ones in the picture books!
"It's a reindeer," Meiser corrected helplessly before smiling. "Yes, these two are our friends."
"Reindeer?"
Several question marks appeared above Shirahoshi's head. She remembered reindeer not looking like this.
Was she mistaken?
Recalling the animal picture books her father had once given her, a look of confusion appeared in Shirahoshi's eyes.
No, she wasn't mistaken.
Reindeer didn't look like this.
As if understanding Shirahoshi's thoughts, Meiser explained, "Chopper is a Zoan Type Human-Human Fruit user, so he looks a bit different from a normal reindeer."
"Oh, I see."
Shirahoshi immediately showed an expression of sudden realization—no wonder the other didn't look like a reindeer; it turned out he had eaten the legendary Devil Fruit!
"Yes, that's right," Meiser nodded.
After saying this, Meiser once again turned his gaze downward.
But this time, he noticed something was off.
"The one lying on the ground... is that Hachi?"
Upon realizing it was Hachi, Meiser's expression instantly changed.
"Hey, Luffy, Hachi seems to be injured!"
"What?"
Hearing Meiser's words, Luffy froze for a moment before anxiously asking, "Where is he?"
"He's the one lying on the reef."
"Quick, let's go down and check on him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy grabbed Meiser and jumped straight off Megalo, adding, "We'll go down first—you guys catch up quickly!"
"Shark!"
Hearing Luffy's words, Megalo nodded with difficulty before slowly inching its way downward.
Meiser, meanwhile, wore a resigned expression. "I knew this would happen..."
If it weren't for his immense strength and undying body... he'd probably be done in by this guy sooner or later!
The next moment—
"Boom!!"
Landing steadily on the ground, Luffy rushed toward Sanji while dragging Meiser along, shouting at the Fish-men blocking their path, "Move aside, move aside!"
"This guy is the captain of the Straw Hat Crew—Straw Hat Boy, Luffy!"
"It's actually him..."
Upon hearing who had arrived, the Fish-men immediately backed away several steps in fear.
Luffy paid no attention to their reactions and quickly made his way to Hachi's side with Meiser.
After setting Meiser down, Luffy crouched beside Hachi and said, "It really is Hachi..."
"Hey, Chopper, how did he end up like this?"
Why is he so badly injured?
"I don't know either."
Chopper shook his head. "After I found him, he only said a few words before passing out."
As for how he got injured, Chopper had no idea.
Listening to Chopper's words, Meiser—who was brushing dust off his pants—looked up and asked, "What did he say?"
"He said Hody is about to attack this island, so we should leave immediately."
"Hody?"
Meiser's head immediately filled with question marks. Who was this guy?
Was he one of this generation's Supernovas?
But that couldn't be right—wasn't this generation's Supernova named Caribou or something?
Then who was this Hody?
"Could it be... a powerful pirate who came here from the New World?" Meiser wondered silently.
Trying to claim Fish-Man Island for himself to declare war on the BIG MOM Pirates?
That wasn't impossible either.
Thinking this, Meiser fell into deep thought.
"Who's that?" Luffy asked curiously.
"I'm not sure."
Chopper shook his head—he didn't know who this so-called Hody was either.
"Forget it, that doesn't matter right now," Luffy said, looking down at Hachi. "Is he okay at the moment?"
The priority was to treat Hachi properly. As for that Hody guy... if he dared to attack the Straw Hat Pirates, they'd just beat him up and send him flying!
"For now, he's safe," Chopper said. "But it's best to find a quiet place for him to rest and recover for a while."
Hachi's injuries this time were simply too severe, so it really was better for him to recuperate for a period.
"Recuperate for a while, huh..."
Luffy thought for a moment, then looked up at Megalo and said, "Then let's take Hachi away from here first."
After that, they could find a place where Hachi could rest quietly.
"Alright."
Chopper nodded; he had a similar idea.
"What's the deal with this Straw Hat Boy?" the surrounding Fish-Men gathered together and said. "Didn't he already take over Ryugu Palace? Why did he come down here?"
"They're a gang that specializes in kidnapping Merfolk, so it's normal for the captain to come down personally to catch people."
"Leaving their crew in Ryugu Palace... what a despicable bunch!"
"They probably want to find the Mermaid Princess, after all... the Mermaid Princess is the number one beauty of Fish-Man Island!"
"That may be true, but there's no way they'll find the Mermaid Princess," one Fish-Man shook his head and said.
That lady has been hidden by the king for ten years—how could a bunch of pirates possibly find her?
As for whether anyone in Ryugu Palace would lead them there... don't be ridiculous, the royal army would never do such a thing!
Just then, Megalo descended from the sky, picking up speed as he fell!
Seeing this, the Fish-Men exclaimed in surprise, "What's going on with this shark?"
"I remember this guy is the Mermaid Princess's pet, right? Why is he here all alone?"
Could he be out looking for the three princes?
That wasn't impossible.
But before they could say anything more, they noticed Megalo's body begin to struggle violently, as if he was enduring some unimaginable pain.
The next moment—"Boom!!"
"Pfft!"
Megalo, having crashed to the ground, spat Shirahoshi right out of his mouth.
"Huh?!"
"Whaaat?!"
Seeing the giant Mermaid Princess sitting on the ground, the Fish-Men were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
"Pri... Princess Shirahoshi?!"
Why was their Mermaid Princess here?
Huh?!?
"Um... well..."
Seeing the expressions on the Fish-Men's faces, Shirahoshi gave an awkward smile and said, "I... I've been discovered..."
"Is that the point?!!"
Wasn't the point why the Fish-Man Princess was here?
No... their Mermaid Princess had been kidnapped!!
Thinking this, everyone immediately cried out in alarm.
As if frightened, tears welled up in Shirahoshi's eyes, and she began to cry, saying, "I'm sorry... Luffy-sama, Meis... big brother, I didn't mean to."
"Dammit, they made Princess Shirahoshi cry..."
"Damn pirates, you're so evil!"
Taking in everyone's reactions, Meiser couldn't help but show a helpless expression and said, "This misunderstanding just keeps getting bigger..."
But he wasn't angry about it, because... from the Fish-Men's perspective, Princess Shirahoshi really did look like she had been kidnapped by the two of them.
Thinking of this, Meiser sighed helplessly.
"Is this the Mermaid Princess?"
Chopper stared at Shirahoshi in astonishment and said, "She's really huge!"
He couldn't tell if she was beautiful or not, but she was definitely huge!
"Princess?"
Hearing the voices from behind, Sanji, who had been examining Hachi's condition, froze instantly. His body trembling, he said, "Could it be... Could it be!!!"
As he spoke, Sanji prepared to turn around and catch a glimpse of the existence he had always dreamed of.
"Don't!"
Chopper immediately rushed over and clung to Sanji's leg, pleading, "Please, Sanji, don't turn around. You'll die, you'll really die!"
If an ordinary mermaid could make Sanji's nose bleed, then... this Mermaid Princess, hailed as the most beautiful on Fish-Man Island, would absolutely take Sanji's life!
"Chopper, is it really the legendary Mermaid Princess behind me?" Sanji's body trembled as he spoke. "If I turn around, will I see the legendary most beautiful woman on Fish-Man Island?!"
As he spoke, Sanji shakily lit a cigarette for himself, his expression looking as if he were about to face death.
"That's right, exactly," Chopper said, releasing Sanji and standing in front of him, his face filled with urgency. "But Sanji, you'll die!"
"Sanji, I think you should listen to Chopper's advice," Meiser said. "Because... this Mermaid Princess is truly beautiful."
Hearing Meiser's words, Sanji froze once again.
Even Meiser, who possessed the world's most beautiful woman, said such a thing. Just how beautiful must the Mermaid Princess be?
Thinking this, Sanji's gaze immediately hardened.
"Don't try to stop me, you two!" Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke and declared, "To fulfill my dream, I would rather choose death!"
"Huh?"
"Isn't your dream ALL BLUE?!" Chopper exclaimed in disbelief.
Wait... now wasn't the time to dwell on such things!
Seeing Sanji about to turn around, Chopper immediately charged forward, intending to forcibly restrain him.
But unfortunately... Sanji was faster!
Sanji: !!!
"This... this is!!!"
Looking at the young girl with tears glistening in her eyes, Sanji froze completely.
"My... my imagination is so impoverished..."
"What incredible beauty is this?!"
"This... this!!!"
Crack
"Huh?!"
Seeing Sanji suddenly Petrified, Chopper was dumbfounded.
"Pe... Petrified?!"
How did that happen?
Meanwhile, Meiser wore a surprised expression and said, "Could it be she's here?"
As he spoke, Meiser glanced around but didn't see Hancock nearby.
This left Meiser somewhat puzzled.
"If it wasn't Hancock... then how did this guy Sanji get Petrified?"
Glancing at the motionless idiot, Meiser fell into silent contemplation.
"Although I don't know what happened, at least he's not bleeding from the nose anymore," Chopper said with a sigh of relief.
He just didn't know if it was because of those two Okama.
"Can he be cured?" Meiser pointed at Sanji and asked.
If Sanji stayed like this forever, he would still die, wouldn't he?
"This is a new symptom, I'm not sure how to handle it either," Chopper said with a headache. "So... let's observe for a while first."
Maybe Sanji would recover on his own after some time.
"Alright."
Seeing Chopper say this, Meiser didn't press further.
Then, Meiser addressed the Fish-Man race slowly approaching them: "What do you intend to do?"
"Of course, we're going to capture you evil pirates!" a shark Fish-Man said angrily. "How dare you kidnap the Mermaid Princess... We won't let you get away with this!"
"That's right, seize them!"
"Ooh!"
The Fish-Man race roared and then advanced toward the group, armed with brooms and the like.
"Everyone, please don't do this," Shirahoshi said anxiously. "I came out with them willingly. It's not their fault."
"Damn pirates, how dare you threaten Her Highness into saying such things..."
"We won't forgive you!"
Meiser:
Why can't these people understand what's being said?
Or are they just a bunch of stubborn fools?
Thinking this, Meiser felt a headache coming on.
"What should we do?" Chopper asked.
Although he didn't mind knocking out the Fishman Soldiers, facing these Fish-Man Island citizens armed with brooms... he really couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Of course, we leave," Meiser said. "We can't just kill them all."
After all, these were just ordinary people unaware of the truth. Killing them all outright... was indeed something he couldn't bring himself to do.
So it was better to leave.
"Then let's go."
Luffy nodded, then glanced at Megalo and said, "Hey, shark, get ready. We're setting off soon!"
Megalo, who was still shedding tears, nodded with difficulty upon hearing this and began wriggling its body, clearly preparing to take everyone away from here.
Just then, something massive flew through the air.
"Hmm?"
As if sensing something, Meiser and Luffy simultaneously looked up at the sky.
"He's at it again," Luffy said with a furrowed brow.
"It seems so."
Meiser nodded, then moved to Shirahoshi's side, looking up at the enormous weapon growing closer in the sky. "Leave it to me."
"Hey, you two pirates, what are you talking about?"
"We're the ones capturing you now. Take this seriously!"
"Shut up, all of you!"
Meiser swept a glance over the chattering Fish-Man race and said, "Can't you see something is flying toward Shirahoshi?!"
The Fish-Man race, startled by Meiser's shout, paused briefly before angrily retorting, "Damn pirates, how dare you yell at us—"
Before he could finish, a female Merfolk's voice interrupted, "Wait, there really is something flying from the sky!"
At these words, everyone froze for a moment, then looked up at the sky.
Right at that moment, the enormous axe came hurtling down from above.
"There really is!!!"
"It's that bastard Vander Decken's attack!"
As if sensing the threat of death, Shirahoshi trembled and said, "B-Big Brother!"
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Meiser vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already high above Shirahoshi.
"Get... lost!!"
"Bang!"
"Boom!!"
A fist wrapped in Haki smashed fiercely against the blade of the axe, shattering it into pieces head-on!
Then, these axe fragments shot toward the sea like bullets in the blink of an eye.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
"Alright, now there's no—"
"Ahhh!!!"
"That hurts!!"
Meiser: ???
Hearing the screams, several question marks instantly popped up above Meiser's head. Where did those screams come from?
He had deliberately aimed at the empty sea.
Just as Meiser was puzzled, a massive figure emerged from the ocean, roaring angrily, "Who was it?!"
"Who the hell hit me?!"
He was hiding in the sea—why was he still attacked?
Glancing back at the wound on his buttocks, Watatsumi was furious.
"It's that guy we saw in the sea," Chopper exclaimed in surprise. "I remember Usopp called him the Bald Sea Monster!"
So this guy also lives on Fish-Man Island?
"Was it you?!"
Watatsumi looked down at Luffy and the others, his eyes blazing with anger. "How dare you hit me...
I won't let you off!"
"Oh no, it's the Sea God!"
Seeing Watatsumi raise his enormous fist, the Fish-men below cried out in terror.
They could handle pirates, but they were no match for a massive Sea God like this!!
Seeing this, Luffy instantly grew furious.
"What are you trying to do to my friends?!"
"Second Gear!"
Realizing Watatsumi's intent, Luffy immediately activated Second Gear without hesitation, then vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Watatsumi.
"Huh?"
Watatsumi blinked in confusion at the human suddenly before him. Why would this human charge straight at him?
Wasn't he afraid of death?
Though unsure what was happening, Watatsumi ultimately chose to swing his fist down, intending to crush Luffy along with the others.
But unfortunately... Luffy was faster!
"Gomu-Gomu Jet Pistol!"
Bam!
An incredibly heavy punch slammed into Watatsumi's face, forcefully lifting his body and sending him crashing backward into the sea.
Boom!!
The colossal creature, now with a broken tooth, began thrashing wildly in the ocean.
"Ahhh!!"
"My front tooth!"
"It hurts so much!"
"He knocked the Sea God flying with a single hit..." The surrounding Fish-men gulped nervously. "Is this the power of the Straw Hat Boy?"
They had actually considered attacking someone like this earlier... It really was overestimating themselves.
"Lord Luffy is this strong too?" Shirahoshi exclaimed, staring at Luffy in amazement.
"Of course," Meiser chuckled. "This guy's strength is no joke."
After training with Uncle Rayleigh for so long, Luffy's power was absolutely formidable!
"Hey, how's Sanji doing?" Luffy asked as he ran back.
"Huh?"
Meiser was momentarily taken aback by Luffy's question, then noticed that Sanji beside them had returned to normal.
"The petrification wore off..." Meiser mused, stroking his chin. "What a surprising change."
Could it be that Sanji really has some strange, special bloodline?
After recalling the scene of Sanji igniting his leg in seawater earlier, Meiser fell into deep thought.
The probability of that happening wasn't small at all.
"Although I don't know what happened to Sanji, at least he's out of danger now," Chopper said to Luffy. "And... he actually looks pretty happy right now."
Glancing at Sanji, whose body occasionally twitched, a drop of cold sweat rolled down Chopper's face.
"My dream has already come true..." Sanji said with a blissful expression. "Even if I die now, it's worth it."
"So... wasn't your dream supposed to be the All Blue...?" Chopper muttered in exasperation.
Could dreams even change like that?
Meiser also covered his face with his hand, at a complete loss for words.
"Alright, let's get out of here quickly," Luffy said, stretching his arms to gather everyone on the ground before carrying them all to Megalo's back.
At that moment, Shirahoshi grabbed Megalo's mouth to secure herself on its back.
Seeing this, Luffy nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand and declared, "Shark, let's go!"
"Shark!"
Megalo, its mouth held by Shirahoshi, nodded and began swimming through the air with its tail, swiftly flying toward the distant sky.
Looking down at Megalo, which seemed to have relaxed, Meiser chuckled. "This feels much better, doesn't it?"
"Shark! That's right, this position is indeed much more comfortable. Most importantly... this posture allows me to swim at the fastest speed!!"
With that thought, Megalo sped up and soon left the area behind.
"Princess Shirahoshi has left..."
The Fish-Man race members who watched them depart were all left gaping, momentarily speechless.
Why was their Mermaid Princess willing to leave with these pirates?
Weren't they the criminals who had kidnapped the mermaid girls?
Upon hearing their words, Watatsumi immediately showed a shocked expression. "Was that the Mermaid Princess who just left?"
He couldn't believe he had encountered the Mermaid Princess, whom Captain Decken had been longing for, right here.
Just then, they heard a man's agonized scream.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Damn human woman, I won't forgive you!!"
"Boom!!"
The next moment, the screaming man plunged headfirst into the sea beside Watatsumi, blasting a massive crater into the water's surface!
"Huh?!"
"Captain Decken?"
Seeing the familiar figure underwater, Watatsumi was utterly dumbfounded.
Why had Captain Decken fallen from the sky?
Vander Decken: ???
Seeing Watatsumi standing there motionless, Vander Decken immediately shouted, "You idiot, hurry up and save me!"
Although, as a member of the Fish-Man race, he wouldn't drown in seawater, the feeling of complete weakness was still unbearable!
"Oh, I'm coming, Captain Decken."
Receiving the order, Watatsumi nodded, then bent down to scoop the sinking Vander Decken out of the water.
"Phew... that's better..."
Back on the surface, Vander Decken let out a long sigh of relief.
It was definitely most comfortable when not in contact with seawater.
Then, Vander Decken turned to Watatsumi and yelled, "You fool, why didn't you catch me?"
"I didn't see you..." Watatsumi said pitifully.
He hadn't noticed Captain Decken jumping down from the air at all.
Vander Decken replied unhappily, "Then pay more attention to your surroundings next time."
"Understood, Captain Decken..."
After saying that, Watatsumi looked up at the sky and asked, "Captain Decken, why did you jump down from the air?"
"Of course it was because of those human women!"
Just mentioning it made Vander Decken furious.
"I originally planned to come out to search for Princess Shirahoshi, but I encountered a few humans blocking the way in mid-air."
"But before I could even attack them, they struck first with some strange white substance..."
Recalling how he had fallen from the coral due to his negativity, Vander Decken's face flushed red with anger.
This was too embarrassing!
"So that's what happened..."
Watatsumi nodded, then as if remembering something, said, "Oh, right, Captain Decken, I just saw the Mermaid Princess."
"What?!"
Hearing the words "Mermaid Princess," Vander Decken perked up instantly.
Then, he excitedly looked at Watatsumi and asked, "Where is she?"
"She ran off with a human male."
Vander Decken: ...
Listening to Watatsumi's words, Vander Decken was utterly petrified.
A moment later, Vander Decken knelt on the ground and said, "Is this the answer you give me, Shirahoshi..."
As if struck by a thought, his body began to tremble violently.
"Captain Decken?"
Watatsumi looked at Vander Decken in confusion, unsure what was happening to him.
"Damn it!"
Vander Decken suddenly raised his head, furious. "I waited for her for ten long years, and this is how she answers me..."
"She deserves to die!"
At that moment, a thought arose in Vander Decken's heart.
That was... he must kill Shirahoshi and that damned human!