80. The Call Of The Four Emperors

Shirahoshi's body shook a little, but she walked confidently and bravely into the dense sea forest.

Because her mother, the queen, lived there.

Luffy followed closely behind, keeping an eye on Shirahoshi.

This massive yet fragile mermaid still held an unexpected strength within her heart. Despite enduring dark times for years, her kindness and resilience remained.

"Cowardly has already gone in. You wait here for her. I'll check out another spot. If you need me, just call, okay?" Luffy said, patting the shark's head with a smile.

With his Observation Haki, he could cover the area, ensuring he could intervene if needed. Right now, he felt drawn to another part of the forest for some reason.

For some inexplicable reason, Luffy felt drawn to this sea forest. A voice, seemingly from the Sea Forest's King, called out to him in his mind.

With a puzzled expression, the shark watched Luffy head towards the Sea Forest from another direction, opposite Shirahoshi.

Passing through the Light and Shadow Path, where sunlight filtered through the coral, Luffy followed the elusive voice only he could hear.

Eventually, he arrived at a massive stone cube, ancient and covered in moss. One side bore strange inscriptions, while the others were smooth.

"This voice is coming from this historical text," Luffy thought, closing his eyes to listen. Though faint, the voice seemed to emanate from the engraved "080" text.

"Is it you?" Luffy hesitated, placing his hand on the stone.

"Felt sorry."

"Joy Boy."

"Liberation."

"Noah."

"Agreement."

"Poseidon."

The voices echoed from a distant age, indecipherable and shapeless.

Confused, Luffy withdrew his hand. Though he couldn't discern the words, he sensed a repentant energy from the stone.

"Is this what Rayleigh meant by 'listening to all things'?" Luffy pondered, recalling Rayleigh's words.

Deciding to leave it for now, Luffy resolved to bring Robin to investigate later, knowing she enjoyed such mysteries.

Suddenly, his expression shifted.

"Lord Luffy!" A voice of fear echoed in the distance.

In an instant, Luffy vanished.

Time rolled back ten minutes.

At Princess Otohime's tomb, amidst the vast coral formations, Vander Decken IX and his younger brothers lay in wait.

Vander Decken IX coveted Shirahoshi's power for a long time, conducting numerous investigations, including monitoring Princess Otohime's tomb.

Upon hearing that Shirahoshi headed to the sea forest, Vander Decken knew. She must have come to honour Princess Otohime. Positioned close to the Sea Forest, he set his ambush.

Waiting until Shirahoshi began her tribute and his younger brother confirmed the area was clear, Vander Decken emerged from the coral crowd, wielding a large iron chain.

"Be mine, Shirahoshi," he declared, hurling the chain with force. It snaked around Shirahoshi's body, binding her like a living sea serpent.

An eager smile crossed Vander Decken's face. Soon, the mermaid princess, capable of commanding Sea Kings, would be his. Neither the Four Emperors nor the Marines would stand in his way.

But before his smile could fully form, a figure cloaked in thick white steam burst forth, creating countless sonic booms, and materialized before the iron chain.

Boom.

A punch enveloped in Armament Haki soared, sending the heavy chain recoiling, demolishing coral formations in its wake.

Boom.

As the chain whizzed past his ear, a deafening roar followed a storm-like shockwave lifting Vander Decken, embedding him into a coral cluster.

"What manner of beast is this?" Vander Decken winced in agony, immobilized by the hard coral, feeling as though he had been struck by Sea Kings.

Beyond physical pain, fear gripped him. Peering through the steam, only the eyes of the looming figure flickered with a chilling red light.

Vander Decken keenly sensed the horror veiled within the monster's steam.

The harm inflicted wasn't from a direct hit but from the monster's instantaneous arrival, unleashing overlapping shockwaves that gravely wounded him.

Unable to withstand even the air pressure, Vander Decken trembled in terror.

"Escape," he wheezed, attempting to free himself from the coral, but before he could muster strength, the black figure vanished from the white steam.

His pupils dilated in terror.

Before him stood a man in a straw hat, radiating white light, hair ablaze like flames. Anger etched across his face, eyes capable of delivering death. The seething steam mirrored his rage.

"The Straw Hat Kid," Vander Decken realized, recalling the newspaper article depicting the pirate with a staggering bounty of 5.1 billion.

If Vander Decken knew this man trailed Shirahoshi, even with a hundredfold courage, he wouldn't dare to come within a kilometre of her.

"Hey, let me ask you something," Luffy said in a low voice, emanating an indescribable Haki.

Suspended mid-air, his fist poised, Luffy questioned, "You want to be my partner. For what?"

"No, Lord Luffy," Shirahoshi cried beside him.

Boom.

The fist halted just before Vander Decken's nose, unleashing a shockwave that obliterated the coral reef behind him.

Under the fist's pressure, blood streamed from Vander Decken's nose, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.

Even without a direct hit to the face, the sheer force was enough to render him unconscious.

"Why stop me, coward? Isn't this guy bullying you?" Luffy, now stepping out of Gear Fifth, asked Shirahoshi suspiciously.

Luffy never hesitated to retaliate against those who harmed his friends. If Shirahoshi hadn't intervened, Vander Decken would have faced Luffy's full force.

"It's him, the villain who tormented me for years, forcing me into seclusion," Shirahoshi sobbed. "But my mother always preached to live without hatred."

"In that case, why stop me?" Luffy tilted his head, puzzled.

"Because my mother implored us not to live in hatred," Shirahoshi explained through tears. "We made a pact, my mother and I, to forgive."

Luffy gazed at the weeping Shirahoshi, sensing the weight of her past.

"You kept your promise. That's commendable, coward," Luffy comforted, gently patting Shirahoshi's pink hair.

"Lord Luffy!" Shirahoshi sobbed, clinging to Luffy's face, her tears soaking him.

"Let go; you're drowning me," Luffy muttered, disgusted.

After a while, Luffy shook off the water from his body, repulsed by the immense tears.

"Sorry, Luffy-sama," Shirahoshi apologized, wiping the last tear from her eye.

Looking at Shirahoshi's apologetic yet friendly smile, Luffy couldn't help but see her as a gentle kitten.

"Just don't flood me with tears again," Luffy grimaced, putting on his wet clothes.

Walking away, leaving Vander Decken unconscious, Luffy's powerful Conqueror's Haki lingered in the air, far beyond Vander Decken's ability to resist.

"Master Luffy?" Shirahoshi watched Luffy with uncertainty.

"Although..."

"You have to honour the agreement. I can't hate this person, but as your partner, I should teach him a lesson so he never harasses you again," Luffy declared as he walked.

Approaching Vander Decken, Luffy activated Gear Fifth, grabbing Vander Decken's leg and hoisting him into the air. From this vantage point, Luffy could see the RyuguPalace City clearly.

"Since you enjoy throwing weapons so much, let's see how it feels to be thrown," Luffy chuckled, gripping Vander Decken's swollen arm.

In Gear Fifth, Luffy could manipulate his rubber ability to the extreme. His right arm swelled, gaining incredible strength, surpassing even his Gear Fourth's muscle balloon.

With a cheer, Vander Decken's body spun in the air, creating afterimages and emitting a violent sound as it sliced through the air. If Luffy had not altered Vander Decken's physical properties to make him more rubber-like, spinning alone would have been lethal.

"Let's take a flight," Luffy laughed, flinging Vander Decken towards the direction of the hard shell tower with force.

Boom boom boom.

Vander Decken soared through the air, trailing sonic booms, until he became a tiny speck in the distance.

At the hard shell tower in Ryugu Palace City, a loud crash reverberated, shaking the sturdy structure. Guards rushed to the scene, finding Vanderdecken's bloody form.

"It's Vander Decken IX!" they exclaimed, their initial shock giving way to cheers.

"The scoundrel is finally captured!"

"Princess Shirahoshi can finally live without fear!"

"Report this to King Neptune!"

Excitement buzzed among the guards. They pitied the gentle princess, who was confined to the tower because of Vander Decken's actions.

In the throne room of Ryugu Palace City, King Neptune stood in disbelief.

"Vander Decken IX captured? Shirahoshi doesn't have to live in the hard shell tower anymore," he murmured, tears welling in his eyes.

While the tower seemed like protection, it was akin to a prison for Shirahoshi, his beloved daughter.

"Thank you, Straw Hat," Neptune expressed his gratitude, knowing Luffy must have sent Vanderdecken there.

Vander Decken's strength was modest, but his ability to attack from a distance made him troublesome, especially since Fishmans were difficult to locate in the deep sea.

In the entire Fish-Men Island, besides Straw Hat, no one could capture Vander Decken. Neptune didn't know how Luffy did it, but he was grateful.

Just as Neptune rejoiced, the Den Den Mushi rang, disrupting the palace's tranquillity.

Neptune's expression darkened as he approached the ringing bug. It belonged to Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, known for her distinctive appearance.

With a heavy heart, Neptune answered the call, uncertain of the news Big Mom brought.

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