The Plan

Chapter 122: The Plan

Not long after, news spread throughout Fish-Man Island that Shirahoshi was heading to the Sea Forest to pay her respects to her mother. The entire island was buzzing with excitement. They all knew that Shirahoshi had been confined due to Vander Decken's actions, unable to even attend her mother's funeral.

Could it be that King Neptune had finally captured the villain Vander Decken?

Upon hearing this news, Vander Decken was overjoyed. "What?! Shirahoshi is finally willing to come out? Hehehe, Shirahoshi, I'm coming for you! I'll marry you right away!"

With these words, he eagerly grabbed the dilapidated Flying Dutchman beneath his feet and activated his Devil Fruit ability. His ship soared in a single direction.

"Captain!!!"

The crew on the ship let out a horrifying scream. Their captain's pursuit of Shirahoshi had reached an insane level. Due to fear of the Ryugu Palace's military might, he had never gone there directly. Instead, he used his ability to "deliver" a "love letter" to the princess every day. But now, upon hearing that the princess had run away, he had suddenly treated his ship as a projectile.

In the sky on the way to the Sea Forest,

The massive figure of "Shirahoshi," whose appearance could rival the world's most beautiful woman, Empress Boa Hancock, was reclining on a chair in a very unladylike pose. Her sweet voice, however, uttered words filled with a manly spirit. "Brook, if you keep staring at me like that, I'll twist your head off!"

Brook chuckled and removed his hat, saying, "My deepest apologies, Mr. Rodney. Although I know you're a man, may I ask if you could show me your panties?"

"You bastard! Die!"

"Mr. Rodney, please calm down! Calm down!" 

King Neptune immediately held Rodney back. It was still his daughter's face, and this attitude was quite unsettling to him.

"Um, Your Majesty," the real Shirahoshi peeked her head out from under a piece of cloth. Since the Mark-Mark Fruit could lock onto Shirahoshi, Rodney had to bring her along. It was an unavoidable measure.

"What's wrong, Shirahoshi? Are you scared? Don't worry, Daddy and your brothers will protect you," King Neptune said.

The three princes nodded in agreement. "Yes, Shirahoshi, you can rest assured. It's only natural for big brothers to protect their little sister."

"Well, I trust Your Majesty and my three brothers to protect me, and we also have Mr. Jinbei and Mr. Rodney here." 

Despite having the same voice, Shirahoshi and Rodney felt like two entirely different people.

"Haha, don't worry, I'll protect you, Shirahoshi. Robin, when we're done with Vander Decken, I'll accompany you to the Forest of the Sea."

"I'm not in a hurry, Captain. I just never expected, Captain, that you had this kind of hobby. Well, Captain, it seems you're a pervert."

Robin, with her wise eyes, looked at him as if she had seen through the essence of the man before her.

"What? Have you misunderstood something? I'm just disguised as Shirahoshi. Do you think I'm one of those cross-dressers like Ivankov?"

"Captain, didn't you have the ability to switch freely between men, women, and... whatever Ivankov is?"

"What are you thinking? I'm just a man, okay? There are three and a half men on this ship, got it?"

"Three and a half?" Leicester asked, puzzled. "Where's the other half coming from?"

"No, what I mean is, I count as two, you count as one, and Brook counts as half!"

"Why am I considered half?"

"Because you're just a skeleton, there's no gender to talk about anymore."

"Mr. Rodney, you're being quite harsh. This isn't what I expected," Brook wiped away a tear and said, "I'm so sad, so sad..."

The entire skeleton fell into a low-pressure state...

"Alright, Shirahoshi, later, please hide behind me. Mr. Jinbei, and the others, please hide too. It's easier to catch these guys with fewer people."

Rodney revealed a charming smile and said softly, "Leave the task of catching that guy to me, hehe." 

It was a completely different smile from Shirahoshi's—no innocence or kindness, but instead, it captivated everyone with its enchanting allure.

Robin whispered to Reiju, "It seems Captain actually enjoys transforming into a woman."

Reiju nodded and said, "Yes, I noticed that before. But today, Captain is really letting loose. Should we stop caring and just see Captain as a woman from now on?"

"That should be fine."

"Hey, what are you guys talking about? I heard everything!" Rodney said unhappily, "At least have the courtesy not to talk about it in front of me. What's the point of saying it where I can hear?"

"Oh, sorry, Captain Rodney, we won't discriminate against you!"

"You bastards! Don't arbitrarily define my sexual orientation!"

"Hehehe." The two women chuckled, clearly not taking Rodney's words to heart.

In fact, on the Black Pearl, Rodney's only title was "Captain." His status wasn't particularly high...

The Sea Forest was also known as the "Ship Graveyard." Many sunken ships were found here, all belonging to pirates who had dared to invade Fish-Man Island. After passing through the Bubbly Coral, the pirate's ship and the Bubbly Coral fused together and eventually fell into this place due to ocean currents.

The gentle sunlight from the Sunlight Tree Eve bathed this coral reef in soft light. Colorful corals sparkled beautifully under the sunlight, with vibrant and dazzling colors, like a paradise on earth. Fish schools and whales swam above, foraging and playing, creating a scene straight out of a fairy tale.

"What a beautiful place." 

Rodney gazed up at this sight, his face showing a rapturous expression. 

"This is a sight that only Fish-Man Island can offer. Although it's in the deep sea, there are places on land that can't compare."

He could guarantee that this was the most beautiful scenery he had ever seen in his life.

"Yes, Fish-Man Island has a rich history and is a truly beautiful place," Robin nodded. According to what Rodney had revealed, the historical poneglyph she had been pursuing was here. Once they dealt with the shameless guy, she was looking forward to finding out who had the audacity to hide it here.

"Captain, what's that over there?" 

Brook looked at the horizon, where a small dot seemed to be appearing and gradually enlarging.

"Yeah, I see it. Get ready, everyone. Let me handle that guy. Shirahoshi, King Neptune, please hide for now."

"Understood, Captain Rodney." Shirahoshi covered herself and King Neptune's group with the disguise cloths Rodney had provided, making them look like several artificial rock formations.

"Me-mero!"

The shark named Megalo swam around Rodney, ready for action. "Just stay by my side. No need for anything else. I'll protect you and the Shirahoshi. Jinbei, are you ready?"

On the other side of the coral, Jinbei assumed a Fish-Man Karate stance, ready for action.

"Then, here we go, Vander Decken!"

In the sky, the crumbling Flying Dutchman was gradually disintegrating due to its incredible speed. The mast had already snapped halfway, and this ship, with a history of several hundred years, was nearing its end.

"Shirahoshi! I've come to fulfill our marriage agreement!!"

At the ship's bow, a shark fish-man with four legs was shouting loudly, looking excited. One of his hands wore a red glove, marking the hand he had used to deliver "love letters" to the Shirahoshi. He hadn't washed it since. If he did, he'd lose his chance to deliver "love letters" to the princess.

"How audacious! Propagation Seal: Unseal!"

Bang!

A huge figure returned to its original size. Black patterns emerged from the diamond-shaped mark on his forehead, not fully unleashed but released to his forehead!

While not in full release, the Unseal allowed him to gather quite a bit of chakra.

"Let's start with this—Boil Release: Unrivalled Strength!"

He punched out a straight pillar of steam that rushed toward the Flying Dutchman.

"What?! My Shirahoshi, where is she?"

Vander Decken was alarmed and immediately shouted, "Charge forward!"