266 The prestigious name of Whitebeard

"Father-sama, brothers-sama"

Shirahoshi clasped her hands in the Hard-Shell Tower, praying for them.

Shirahoshi was well aware that if she came out, she would undoubtedly end up in misery.

Although Van der Decken IX has always claimed to like Shirahoshi, constantly confessing his feelings and pursuing her.

However, not to mention that Van der Decken IX's original temperament is rather cruel, Shirahoshi would never agree to his confession.

Moreover, Van der Decken IX's so-called love has long been distorted; it is purely possessive.

Or it has evolved into a desire for revenge. So, Shirahoshi knew that as soon as she went out, Van der Decken IX would undoubtedly torture her.

However, faced with Van der Decken IX's verbal threats, Shirahoshi couldn't simply ignore them.

For her, her mother is gone, and her father and brother are the only family she has left.

If Van der Decken IX actually killed her father and brothers, she would be left alone, and that wouldn't be life she wanted

"Impossible, my father has such a high reputation. He wouldn't dare to harm father" 

Shirahoshi reassured herself in her heart.

"Shirahoshi, I'll give you one last chance. Are you really not coming out? Let me show you something." 

Van der Decken IX finished speaking and then pulled out a piece of fish scale from his body with some flesh and blood on it.

The smell of blood quickly spread, reaching even Shirahoshi, who was hiding in the Hard-Shell Tower.

"This is..." Shirahoshi's heart suddenly began to beat violently. 

This is unmistakably her brother's blood!

A mermaid possesses a very keen sense of smell in the sea, especially for her close relatives. When in contact with blood that is closely related to her own, she experiences a heightened sensitivity.

At that moment, Shirahoshi was certain that this was the blood of her eldest brother, Fukaboshi.

"How? Do you recognize it now, or are you still questioning what I said?" 

Van der Decken IX smiled with a hint of bitterness.

This piece of flesh and blood scale was obtained by Van der Decken IX during his previous confrontation with the rebellious shark.

At that moment, Van der Decken IX had this idea in mind, hoping to make Shirahoshi believe his words.

"What happened to my brother? What did you do to him?" 

Shirahoshi shouted loudly from inside the Hard-Shell Tower.

She had fallen into Van der Decken IX's trap, and now she was extremely anxious and worried.

In this state, Shirahoshi had completely lost the ability to think.

Van der Decken IX smiled triumphantly, believing that the plan he had concocted was a success.

"Come on, come out. They are in my hands now, and they're not dead yet. But if you continue to stubbornly stay inside, then I can't guarantee their safety"

Van der Decken IX urged.

"Okay, I'll come out. You promise me you'll let them go," Shirahoshi cried.

"No problem, I promise you," Van der Decken IX suddenly smiled, feeling victorious in his plan.

Shirahoshi took a deep breath and began to unlock the Hard-Shell Tower, preparing to step out of that place.

But just as the Hard-Shell Tower opened little by little, suddenly, a heavy force rammed into it, slamming the tower closed again.

Facing the sudden change, Van der Decken IX's expression changed abruptly. He looked, and to his surprise, it was Shirahoshi's pet shark, Megalo.

Megalo kept sounding warnings, and Shirahoshi also heard its meaning.

"Megalo, are you trying to tell me not to go out?"

"But, I can't help it now, both my father and brother will be in danger"

Shirahoshi said, feeling distressed.

Megalo continued to make sounds, steadfastly refusing to let Shirahoshi come out. Simultaneously, the shark displayed strong hostility towards Van der Decken IX.

"That damn guy dares to interfere with my good deeds!" 

Van der Decken IX suddenly burst into anger.

At that moment, Megalo rushed frantically toward Van der Decken IX, trying to attack him desperately.

Shirahoshi heard the commotion outside and suddenly shouted: "Megalo, run away! You're not his opponent!"

Although Megalo had a huge body, it was only a pet after all. Faced with someone with Devil Fruit powers, it couldn't stand a chance in a fight.

"Hmph, just a pet, daring to resist me. You don't really know how to live and die!"

Facing Megalo's attack, Van der Decken IX effortlessly dodged and touched it with his hands. Then, he activated his Devil Fruit ability.

Once he touches the opponent, Van der Decken IX can leave a mark on his hand, and the launched attack will completely lock onto the opponent.

Even if the opponent fled to the ends of the earth, this attack wouldn't stop.

Van der Decken IX controlled a massive seabed rock and smashed it onto Megalo, the impact causing a powerful wave in the water.

As Megalo was a shark, despite its fast straight-line speed, its agility was limited. It couldn't even dodge the first attack.

Faced with the imminent collision of the massive rock, Megalo seemed to give up resistance and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, a fast impact from a distance shattered the rock into nothingness.

Megalo opened its eyes in surprise, and Van der Decken IX also displayed a shocked expression.

"Who is it?" 

Van der Decken IX looked around cautiously, and only a few figures gradually appeared in the distance.

"That is..." 

Van der Decken IX suddenly opened his eyes wider, gazing intently at the figures.

He saw Fukaboshi swimming over quickly and then cried out with concern, "Sister, are you okay?"

"Brother? Why are you here? Did they catch you?" 

Shirahoshi was overjoyed when she heard the voice of Fukaboshi and then asked with concern.

"Of course not. I'm here to protect you. Now, you don't have to worry"

Fukaboshi assured her.

"It's you. Did you forget that you were a defeated man?" 

Seeing that it was Fukaboshi, Van der Decken IX breathed a sigh of relief and spoke confidently.

"No, you're wrong. Take a good look," Fukaboshi pointed behind him and said.

"Unknown Rats, you should value your life." 

Whitebeard's voice echoed faintly, and then his figure gradually became clear.

"Whitebeard, you are Whitebeard." 

Van der Decken IX's voice trembled suddenly, and he didn't even choose to escape out of fear.

"Since you know my name, you should also know that this Fishman Island used to be my territory?"

Whitebeard said coldly.

"Whitebeard-sama, I was wrong. I hope you will let me go" 

Van der Decken IX immediately abandoned all resistance and begged for mercy.

When Van der Decken IX came into contact with Whitebeard at such a close distance, he felt a strong pressure in his heart. It was the weight of a true king's presence.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

________________________

I put an advanced chapter at P@treon, you can read 110+ chapters ahead of everyone. 

Link : patreon.com/MoonEater18