Chapter 293: Responsibility and Bitterness! The Forlorn Princess and a Powerful Enemy Appear.
King Neptune's large hands were trembling uncontrollably at this moment.
He pointed at the mountain of empty boxes in the center of the hall, then his finger wobbled toward the round "Balloon Luffy" on the floor:
"What... what on earth is going on here?!"
"Minister of the Right! Explain this to me clearly!"
Minister of the Right fell to his knees on the cold floor with a thud, crying with snot and tears, completely lacking the dignity of a royal minister.
He sobbed, stuttering through his explanation of the fatal logic he had used to misjudge the situation to the King.
After hearing this absurd explanation, Neptune felt his vision go dark, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.
He roared frantically:
"You fool! Is that the kind of human you can judge with common sense?!"
"Look clearly, when Luffy eats meat, he doesn't even spit out the bones! You actually expected him to be full after eating two snacks?"
Just as the monarch and his subject were in despair, "Balloon Luffy" on the floor was still digesting, expanding and contracting with his rhythmic breathing.
He had no sense of the impending disaster, even lifting his arm with effort to give a casual greeting:
"Yo, Tatsuya, Robin."
"Uncle Neptune, you're back."
"Thanks for the treat, that chocolate tasted really good, I ate it all!"
The massive commotion in the hall naturally woke up the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates who were still sleeping in the guest rooms.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper rubbed their sleepy eyes and yawned as they arrived in the hall.
When they saw the mess of packaging boxes and their own Captain turned into a ball, they were stunned, as if struck by lightning.
King Neptune looked ashen, listlessly explaining to the Straw Hat Pirates the terror of one of the Four Emperors of the New World, "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin.
She was a monster who ruled the New World!
A madwoman who would unhesitatingly send troops to completely destroy an entire nation and bring suffering to countless lives just because she couldn't eat her favorite dessert!
And these ten tons of sweets, eaten without a trace, were the "protection fee" used to keep Fish-Man Island safe!
Hearing the spine-chilling words "Four Emperors" and "destruction," Nami, who had just been sleepy, instantly woke up.
Her hair danced wildly like Medusa's snakes, and she instantly transformed into a devil with sharp fangs.
"Luffy—!"
Nami roared, charging forward without mercy and unleashing a brutal "Barrage of Fists" on "Balloon Luffy's" head.
Under Nami's physical assault, several large bumps instantly rose on Luffy's head.
"You hopeless idiot Captain!"
"We just saved this country from the rebels, and you're immediately going to bring the Four Emperors' destructive wrath down upon it?!"
Nami grabbed Luffy by the collar and shook him frantically.
Usopp and Chopper clung to each other on the side, tears streaming down their faces, sobbing in despair:
"It's over, it's over, we're really going to die this time! The Four Emperors are coming to kill us!"
Luffy was grimacing from the beating, rubbing the bumps on his head while sitting cross-legged in the middle of the pile of empty snack boxes.
He completely ignored the terrifying atmosphere that had almost frozen over, instead thumping his chest righteously and shouting:
"Since it was me who ate the snacks, I'll take responsibility for it!"
"When that 'Big Mom' person comes, I'll just puff out my chest and tell them it was me who ate them, and that'll be fine!"
Nami was so angry her face turned red, roaring into Luffy's ear:
"You single-celled idiot! It's precisely because you'll tell them it was you that it's the most dangerous part!"
"The opponent is one of the Four Emperors! The Four Emperors!"
Luffy nodded, completely unconcerned.
He raised his head, his clear eyes filled with unparalleled determination, and smiled at the frantic Nami:
"The Four Emperors, huh?"
"It's okay, Nami, I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"
Looking at Luffy's expression, Nami took a deep breath, and with a "bang," she punched him heavily on his Straw Hat again.
Just as the hall was filled with endless noise, Tatsuya was sitting leisurely on a coral chair to the side.
He smiled and nodded, chiming in with a gentle tone:
"I also think Luffy is right. Since he ate them, he should just bear the consequences."
Hearing Tatsuya follow Luffy's "nonsense" at such a critical moment, Nami couldn't help but pout.
She turned around angrily and walked toward Tatsuya with heavy steps.
Tatsuya chuckled, not giving her a chance to lash out.
He reached out and pulled, naturally pulling the pouting Nami into his broad, warm embrace.
Seeing this, Robin also stepped forward, smiling and gently persuading her not to get angry, as they needed to find a solution now.
In the corner of the hall, Princess Shirahoshi was quietly watching this scene.
Watching Tatsuya naturally hold Nami in his arms, watching the profound bond and intimacy between Robin, Nami, and Tatsuya that no one else could break into.
The joy she had felt from her mother's blessing instantly vanished.
It felt as if a seasoning jar had been overturned in her heart, and a strong sense of bitterness welled up.
Shirahoshi's huge, beautiful eyes looked at the petite and lovely Nami, then at the intellectual and elegant Robin.
Finally, she slowly lowered her head and looked at her own mountain-like body.
Two...
Beside Tatsuya, there were already two such excellent, beautiful, and compatible human women.
And what about her?
No matter how hard she tried, the difference in size was an insurmountable chasm.
With this massive body of hers, she probably couldn't even do the simplest thing, like being gently held in his arms...
"As expected... is it impossible?"
A sharp pain pierced Shirahoshi's heart, and crystalline tears began to shimmer in her eyes.
She silently lowered her head, her huge hands hanging powerlessly at her sides, looking as lonely as an abandoned orphan.
Just as the atmosphere fell into a brief, strange state, Knight of the Sea Jinbe, having learned of the snack crisis, hurried to the hall in his wooden sandals.
After listening to the Minister of the Right's tearful account and the sequence of events, this Fishman hero, who had seen his fair share of storms, was now sweating profusely, his back chilled:
"Luffy, my friend, you've really made a huge mess this time...", "That is Charlotte Linlin, a name that even the New World fears!"
Jinbe knew just how terrifying the Four Emperors' methods were; he had no time to blame anyone, immediately turning to look at the despairing Minister of the Right and suggesting urgently:
"Minister of the Right, can you immediately order the snack factory to stop all other work and spare no cost to rush out a batch of sweets?", "Even if time is tight and we can only scrape together a portion, adding our sincerity to apologize might just be enough to get through the current crisis!"
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in the Minister of the Right's eyes, but before he could answer:
"Bang!"
A Neptune Army soldier crawled and tumbled into the hall, covered in wounds.
He was terrified, shouting with a desperate, tearful voice:
"Report... Report! Your Majesty! Lords!", "It's bad! The envoys... the envoys of the Big Mom Pirates have already started causing trouble at the factory!", "They discovered the sweets were gone and were furious to the extreme. Now they are coming toward the palace, murderous and aggressive!"
Hearing this news, which struck like a bolt of lightning, Jinbe's face instantly sank to the bottom.
This meant that their last shred of buffer and recovery time had completely vanished.
King Neptune leaned powerlessly against his throne, and the entire hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.
"Boom—!"
A deafening roar broke the silence.
The sturdy, thick, and magnificent gate of Ryugu Palace was forcibly smashed into pieces from the outside by a brutal, immense force.
Amidst the splashing wood splinters and choking dust, several Neptune Army soldiers responsible for guarding the gate screamed as they flew into the hall, crashing heavily to the ground and vomiting blood.
Under the gaze of terrified eyes, two strange figures, radiating terrifying pressure, appeared at the entrance.
Pekoms and Baron Tamago walked slowly into the Ryugu Palace hall, carrying biting murderous intent and monstrous fury.
Pekoms, the Lion Mink Tribe, pushed up the small round sunglasses on his face, opened his bloody mouth, and revealed bloodthirsty fangs flashing with a cold light:
"Gao—! I heard someone had the guts to eat all of Mama's favorite snacks?"
His fierce gaze swept over everyone in the hall:
"Which one of you has grown tired of living? Get out here and die right now!!!"
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