Chapter 290: The Wonderful Misunderstanding in the Sea Forest! Grandma's 'Approval'
The next morning.
Warm sunlight penetrated the giant bubble enveloping Ryugu Palace, quietly spilling into this luxurious and spacious guest room.
Tatsuya slowly woke up from his gentle slumber.
He turned his head and looked at the two people still sleeping peacefully beside him, his eyes tender.
Miss Navigator had worked very hard last night, and she was sleeping exceptionally soundly at this moment.
Tatsuya didn't wake Nami; instead, he leaned forward, preparing to wake Robin on the other side.
In the beautiful morning, a bit of intimate interaction between the two was naturally unavoidable.
Robin was awakened by his warm breath, a hint of laziness in her eyes that were like autumn waters.
She dissatisfactionly stretched out her fair arm, lightly hooking it around Tatsuya's neck, coquettishly telling him not to move around.
In this quiet morning tenderness, Tatsuya thoroughly enjoyed the unique gentle treatment of a mature older sister.
After some playfulness, Tatsuya reached out to embrace the slightly panting, flushed-cheeked Robin, softly asking her if she wanted to go to the legendary 'Sea Forest' together later.
That place was not only a sacred land of Fish-Man Island.
It also buried many unknown pasts of this country, perhaps containing the 'history' she had always been searching for.
Hearing the word 'history', Robin, as an archaeologist, had her eyes light up instantly.
She immediately nodded in agreement, leaving the warm embrace without hesitation, and quickly got up to tidy her slightly messy purple clothes.
Before long, the two were fully dressed.
Just as Tatsuya pushed open the heavy door of the guest room, he saw the end of the corridor not far away.
That massive and beautiful pink figure was anxiously swimming back and forth, her giant fish tail drawing arcs in mid-air.
The moment she saw Tatsuya walk out, Shirahoshi's movements came to a sudden halt.
A moving blush instantly flew onto her gorgeous cheeks as she swam quickly toward Tatsuya.
She took a deep breath, her giant hands nervously interlaced, her two index fingers constantly poking at each other.
Stuttering, she issued the invitation she had failed to complete in the plaza last night:
"Um... Lord Tatsuya..."
"Today... could you accompany Shirahoshi to the Sea Forest?"
Looking at this Mermaid Princess who had gathered all her courage, Tatsuya smiled and nodded, readily agreeing.
Receiving an affirmative answer, Shirahoshi immediately revealed a beautiful smile.
But immediately after, Tatsuya stepped aside and pointed to Robin beside him.
He asked the Princess with a light smile if he could bring along this historian who had quite a bit of research on history.
When Shirahoshi saw Tatsuya and Robin standing together, with an intimacy and understanding that anyone could see, she unconsciously pouted her rosy lips slightly.
She had originally been full of joy, wanting to spend time alone with Lord Tatsuya.
At this moment, an indescribable sourness and discomfort inexplicably welled up in her heart.
But being kind by nature, she still forced a smile and nodded obediently to show her agreement.
Robin, who had been standing to the side, naturally took in all the subtle micro-expressions on Shirahoshi's face.
She raised an eyebrow imperceptibly, laughing secretly in her heart.
It seemed this Mermaid Princess, who had been locked in the Hard-Shell Tower and was completely ignorant of the world, had likely developed some peculiar adolescent feelings for Tatsuya.
She was clearly mistaking the sense of security Tatsuya brought in her desperate situation for romantic love between a man and a woman.
But Robin looked up, sizing up Shirahoshi's exaggeratedly massive size, which was like a small pink mountain.
Then she turned her head and looked at the tall Tatsuya beside her.
In front of Shirahoshi's massive body, Tatsuya's height was only as big as one of her fingers!
Robin chuckled to herself: This is simply impossible!
This massive size difference, which broke physical common sense, simply could not be bridged.
Thinking of this, Robin completely set her mind at ease.
She was certain that after the Straw Hat crew finished their adventure and left Fish-Man Island...
As time passed, this Princess's delusion would naturally and slowly return to normal.
...
Tatsuya accompanied Shirahoshi, bringing Robin along; the group passed through beautiful coral clusters and arrived at the sacred land deep within Fish-Man Island—the 'Sea Forest'.
This was a quiet and solemn area of the sea, with beautiful coral trees scattered in an orderly fashion across the seabed.
It was also a giant graveyard of ships, burying countless shipwrecks, and the resting place of Queen Otohime, who gave her life for peace.
Here, they happened to encounter Knight of the Sea Jinbe and King Neptune, who were standing before the tomb with solemn expressions.
Jinbe and the King were currently having a headache over how to decipher an ancient stone tablet deep in the forest.
Meeting Robin at this time was perfect; knowing the knowledge of this Ohara survivor, they immediately invited her with high hopes to help decipher the inscription.
Hearing that it might be a poneglyph, Robin's intellectual and elegant face immediately showed an excited expression full of anticipation.
She gave Tatsuya a look and then followed them without hesitation into the depths of the Sea Forest to investigate.
Seeing these 'hindrances' leave one after another...
A sudden, inexplicably strong joy welled up in Shirahoshi's heart.
She had finally gotten her wish, coming alone with Lord Tatsuya to the Queen's grave in this quiet sacred land.
Shirahoshi put away her smile, her expression becoming solemn.
She pressed her hands together, placing them piously before her full chest, closed her beautiful large eyes, and began to pay respects to the mother she missed day and night.
Her lips moved slightly, as if she were whispering some young girl's secrets to her mother.
Halfway through the prayer, she actually peeked open one eye, guiltily stealing a glance at Tatsuya, who was standing quietly beside her.
Finding that he wasn't paying attention to her, she immediately closed her eyes and continued her low whispering.
Only this time, a clear sense of cheerfulness and sweetness that no one could hide was added to her soft voice.
Tatsuya stood to the side, hands in his pockets.
He felt that just staring blankly while the young girl was paying her respects seemed a bit impolite.
To show his respect for this Queen, he bent down and picked up a shell with a very beautiful texture from the nearby sand.
He stepped forward, gently placed the shell before the tombstone, pressed his hands together, and pretentiously muttered a few words of blessing and peace in his heart.
Just as Tatsuya finished muttering and was about to straighten up...
His gaze suddenly noticed something glowing in a coral crevice next to the tombstone.
He leaned in closer and saw that a very beautiful, quite large pink gemstone, emitting a soft glow, was actually stuck there.
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise in his eyes:
"Hmm?
"Such a large gemstone?"
"And this crystal-clear quality..."
"If I take it out to sell, it should be worth quite a bit of money."
Out of curiosity, he reached out to pry it from the crevice, holding it in his hand to examine it carefully.
Shirahoshi also happened to finish her whispering at this time.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Tatsuya holding a glowing giant pink gemstone in his hand, examining it, and she asked curiously what it was.
Tatsuya toyed with the gemstone in his hand casually, explaining offhandedly that he had just happened to find it in front of her mother's tombstone.
However, hearing the phrase 'found in front of mother's tombstone'...
Shirahoshi's cheeks instantly became as vivid as a ripe red apple.
She blinked her large eyes, staring blankly at the pink gemstone in Tatsuya's hand.
Shirahoshi's inner world began a tsunami-like frenzy of shouting and wild imagination:
"Could it be...
"Is it Mother's soul in heaven that heard my prayer just now?!"
"Is this gemstone the approval and blessing given by Mother?!"
"Thank you, Mother!"
"Shirahoshi will definitely be happy!"
With the power of her strong imagination, Shirahoshi took a deep breath; she, who was originally timid, now mustered the greatest courage of her life.
Blushing, with eyes full of immense expectation, she said softly to Tatsuya:
"Lord Tatsuya..."
"Can you... give that gemstone... to... me?"
Tatsuya looked at Shirahoshi's expectant gaze, completely failing to 'get' the romantic thoughts swirling a thousand times in this young girl's heart.
He simply thought that since this was something from her mother's grave, returning it to its owner was only right.
Moreover, he himself had no strong desire for these worldly jewels and ornaments.
Thus, with a slight movement of his fingertips, he casually controlled a weak gravitational force to gently lift the shining pink gemstone, causing it to float steadily onto Shirahoshi's outspread giant palm.
Shirahoshi held the gemstone in both hands, her heart jumping with joy.
She examined it closely with a very gentle gaze, as if holding the most precious, priceless treasure in the world.
Then, under Tatsuya's slightly puzzled gaze, she quietly reached out her other hand and carefully placed the gemstone on her ring finger.
She carefully compared the size of the gemstone and her finger, as if trying on a sacred token of love.
At this moment, a beautiful smile sweeter than sunlight overflowed from the corners of the Mermaid Princess's mouth.
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