The Mermaid Princess, Shirahoshi
"Sir Sanders, we still have some matters to handle. For now, please rest in the palace. Your crew has already been settled in," Neptune said politely.
"Alright."
Sanders nodded and followed the guards out, not bringing up the matter of taking Shirahoshi with him. He had done his part. If Fishman Island dared to go back on their word, they would have to face the consequences of his strength.
After Sanders left, the Right Minister looked down at Hody Jones and asked, "Your Majesty, should we hold a public trial for this man, or execute him directly?"
Neptune hesitated before replying, "Execute him directly."
"Otohime has been gone for many years. There's no need to reopen old wounds."
At this point, Neptune had no interest in dealing with Hody's fate. He wanted to take advantage of this rare period of relative calm.
"Leave it to us," Shark Prince, the eldest of Neptune's sons, said with a dark expression. He and his two younger brothers took Hody away. It wasn't hard to imagine that Hody wouldn't meet a swift and merciful end. Perhaps Neptune chose not to hold a public trial because there were certain methods that couldn't be revealed to the citizens.
"Your Majesty, now that Hody Jones and Vander Decken IX are dealt with, there are still some matters to address in Fishman Street. I'll take my leave," Jinbe said to Neptune.
Neptune waved his hand, signaling his approval. After Jinbe left, Neptune headed for the Hard-Shell Tower.
"Open the gate!" Neptune ordered the guards.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The gates, riddled with the weapons Vander Decken IX had thrown, creaked open. Neptune walked in slowly.
"Father, you're here!"
A mermaid, standing around seven or eight meters tall, greeted him with delight. She had flowing, curly pink hair adorned with taiyaki-shaped accessories, shell-shaped earrings, and large, sparkling blue eyes. Her elegant features and her tail, a blend of light and dark pink, made her presence striking.
"Shirahoshi, did you have a good day today?" Neptune asked, his expression gentle.
"Now that you're here, Father, I'm very happy," she replied, her voice sweet and childlike, her smile radiant.
"Do you want to go outside for a walk?" Neptune asked, gazing at his daughter with affection.
"Really? Can I?"
Her eyes lit up with excitement, but the sparkle dimmed after a moment. She shook her head gently. "No, it's alright, Father. It's too dangerous outside, and I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."
Neptune's heart sank.
In the past, he had tried to take Shirahoshi out for walks. However, Vander Decken IX's persistent attacks made it impossible. Even with guards working tirelessly to block the weapons, there were close calls, including an instance where Ryuboshi, one of Shirahoshi's brothers, was injured.
Shirahoshi had since decided she would rather remain confined than cause harm to others.
"It's okay now, Shirahoshi. Vander Decken has been… dealt with." Neptune refrained from saying "killed." It didn't feel right to mention death in front of his child.
"You don't have to stay here anymore. You're free to go wherever you wish."
"Really, Father?!"
"That's wonderful!" Shirahoshi exclaimed, rolling around joyfully on her bed.
"Father, can I go to the Forest of the Sea to visit Mother?" she asked with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Of course," Neptune replied with a soft smile, though his heart grew heavy. In the past, visiting their mother's resting place had been a luxury his children couldn't afford.
He felt a pang of guilt. He wasn't sure he had been a good father.
Seeing the joy on Shirahoshi's face, Neptune's resentment toward Sanders lessened slightly. Regardless of everything, Sanders had brought back his daughter's smile.
"I also want to see the sun, green forests, all kinds of flowers, and furry, fluffy animals. I've never seen any of those before," Shirahoshi said dreamily, her eyes sparkling with anticipation for the future.
She had been confined to the Hard-Shell Tower for years, and her curiosity about the outside world was insatiable.
Listening to his daughter's wishes, Neptune felt a mix of emotions. He had been worried that telling Shirahoshi about her impending journey might sadden her, but to his surprise, she seemed to long for the surface so much that she might leap for joy upon hearing the news.
If he were to tell her now that she'd be heading to the surface with her second brother in just a few days, she might not be able to contain her excitement.
"What's wrong, Father?" Shirahoshi noticed the shift in Neptune's expression.
"Did I ask for too much? If it's a problem, I won't go to the surface. I'll just visit the Forest of the Sea instead," she said, her tone soft and full of guilt.
"It's not that, Shirahoshi. Your requests aren't too much at all," Neptune reassured her, stroking her head affectionately. "In a few days, I'll arrange for you to go on an adventure to the surface."
"Really?" Shirahoshi's eyes widened with surprise.
Her father and brothers had always warned her about the dangers of the surface, strictly forbidding her from going.
"Yes, you'll go with your second brother and… some humans."
"Humans?!" Shirahoshi exclaimed in shock.
Neptune nodded. "Yes, a human. He's the one who captured Vander Decken, allowing you to move about freely without fear of danger."
He hesitated before continuing, "He's a pirate, but a good man. He'll take you to many places and keep you safe."
The words felt bitter to Neptune as they left his mouth. That scoundrel Sanders stole my daughter away from me—how could he possibly be a good man? He's a treacherous rogue, a villain, a scoundrel!
Neptune silently wished a thunderbolt would strike Sanders down. Alas, Fishman Island was underwater, and lightning couldn't reach here. To make matters worse, Sanders was the wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, making him immune to lightning anyway!
Still, for the sake of not scaring Shirahoshi, Neptune kept his true feelings hidden.
And, to his frustration, apart from wanting to take Shirahoshi away, Sanders had done good things for Fishman Island.
"Are pirates not bad people?" Shirahoshi asked innocently.
"Well, some pirates can be good people," Neptune explained. "Look at Jinbe. He's a pirate too."
"Big Brother Jinbe is definitely a good person!" Shirahoshi nodded earnestly, her curiosity about the human who captured Vander Decken growing.
She had a habit of addressing everyone respectfully with "-dono" or "-sama," but for Jinbe, she used only his name, as if he were family.
"That person must be incredible," Shirahoshi said with a gentle smile. "He caught a criminal that neither you nor my brothers could catch!"
Neptune felt a pang of humiliation, almost wanting to bury his face in his hands.
That cursed Sanders! He's made me lose face in front of my daughter. Is being strong such a big deal?
…Yes. Yes, it is.
Meanwhile, Sanders, escorted by guards, arrived at the accommodations Neptune had prepared for him.
Inside, the members of the Thunder God Pirates were already gathered, waiting for their captain. As Sanders pushed open the door, all eyes turned to him.
"Captain.""Sanders.""God."
"You're back! Sanders, what did you and that Warlord of the Sea go off to do?" Nami asked, bounding over to him with curiosity.
"I went to handle a little problem for our new crewmate," Sanders replied with a grin.
He tossed a Devil Fruit into Wyper's hands.
"This is the Paramecia-type Target-Target Fruit. It's yours now. You can choose to eat it yourself or give it to someone in the God's Guard."
"If you decide to give it away, just tell me what type of Devil Fruit you'd prefer, and I'll keep an eye out for one that suits you in the future."
Sanders said to Wyper,"This fruit is quite powerful when developed well. In battle, once you touch your opponent, the weapons you throw will be unavoidable—they can only be blocked. If paired with Sea-Prism Stone weapons, it might achieve some unexpected results."
"Wow, Sanders, you've found another Devil Fruit!" Nami exclaimed in amazement.
The others looked at Wyper with envy. A Devil Fruit, the treasure of the sea, was worth at least 100 million Berries at the lowest. Yet their captain had casually given it away.
Without hesitation, Wyper swallowed the Target-Target Fruit in one bite. He trusted "God" completely and knew he needed the fruit's power to enhance his strength.
"Wyper has been training extremely hard recently. This is his reward," Sanders said. He then looked at the envious Pegin, Shaki, and the members of the God Guard and added,"If you train diligently, you too could have a Devil Fruit in the future."
Devil Fruits were countless. If Sanders wanted to, he could make his entire crew fruit users. However, he didn't have the time right now, so he chose to paint a big picture to motivate his crew.
Pegin and Shaki clenched their fists, eager to improve their strength. They had just endured the painful experience of being instantly defeated by Doflamingo's subordinates, and they were determined to get stronger as soon as possible.
"Sanders, how did you get King Neptune to agree to let his daughter join our crew?" Nami asked curiously.
The others also turned their attention to Sanders.
After Sanders had left, even Law and the others learned that their captain was planning to recruit the Mermaid Princess as a crewmate.
"How else? Through threats and incentives," Sanders said casually as he grabbed some undersea fruit from the table and sat down in a chair.
"Tch, makes sense. With the captain's 'notorious reputation,' King Neptune must have agreed to temporarily part with his beloved daughter for the sake of Fish-Man Island's safety. From this perspective, Captain, you really are a 'great villain!'" Nami teased with a playful smile.
Sanders rolled his eyes."You seem to forget that we're pirates! Pirates! In the eyes of ordinary people, we're already bad guys."
"Oh yeah, I'm also a notorious pirate with a bounty of over 30 million Berries!" Nami said proudly, tilting her head up.
Her words drew laughter from the entire crew.
"So, Captain, when do we get to meet our new crewmate? A Mermaid Princess! I've never seen one before," Nami asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Tomorrow," Sanders replied after some thought. "We need to give Neptune and his people some time to process this."
After all, today's events had been overwhelming for Neptune and his people: a pirate taking White Star away, the revelation of the true culprit behind the queen's death, and the fall of Vander Decken. It was a lot to digest.
"Alright then," Nami agreed.
The next day, Neptune prepared to take Shirahoshi to the Sea Forest.
He decided to keep things low-profile, as he didn't want the residents of Fish-Man Island to know that Shirahoshi could move freely now.
To ensure this, Neptune even announced that Vander Decken hadn't died but had escaped once again.
This was one of Sanders' mistakes—he shouldn't have taken Vander Decken out and about. But with Neptune's high status and influence, the residents quickly believed him, lamenting that Vander Decken had gotten away. Otherwise, they would have been able to see the adorable Princess Shirahoshi more often.
When Sanders learned that Shirahoshi was heading to the Sea Forest, he decided to bring Robin and Nami along.
Robin wanted to read the Poneglyphs in the Sea Forest, and Sanders thought it was a good time to meet Shirahoshi in person.
"So, this is the Mermaid Princess? She's so big and so adorable!" Nami exclaimed, her eyes shining as she looked at Shirahoshi.
Shirahoshi's beauty was said to even surpass Boa Hancock's, leaving everyone in awe.
Although Shirahoshi was still a child, her appearance was undeniably adorable.
"Hello, Lord Sanders. Are you the human who captured Vander Decken?" Shirahoshi asked, her large eyes curiously fixed on Sanders.
"That's me. My name is Sanders, captain of the Thunder God Pirates," Sanders said in a gentle tone. "This is our navigator, Nami, and our archaeologist, Robin."
"Hello," Shirahoshi greeted Nami and Robin politely.
"My name is Shirahoshi. Thank you for giving me the freedom to come outside." She smiled brightly. "Father says you're a good person."
Hearing this, Sanders couldn't help but glance at Neptune. The king discreetly rolled his eyes, causing Sanders to smile knowingly. He could tell what Neptune was thinking.
"Yes, I am a good person. From now on, we're friends. I'll take you to the surface. Have you ever seen islands floating in the sky? That's where I live. I'd love to invite you there for a while."
With a smile that made him look like a suspicious kidnapper, Sanders' demeanor amused Nami, who whispered something to Robin.
"Really? That sounds amazing!" Shirahoshi said excitedly. "We're friends now! I've wanted to see the outside world for so long, but I never had the chance."
Her happiness was evident in her voice. For years, her only companion had been a shark.
While Sanders and Shirahoshi chatted happily, Neptune's expression grew more strained. But whenever Shirahoshi's gaze landed on him, he would immediately put on a gentle smile and nod encouragingly at his daughter.
Their conversation filled the journey with laughter, and they soon arrived at the Sea Forest. Shirahoshi paid her respects to her mother, Queen Otohime, at her memorial there.
Meanwhile, Nami and Shirahoshi quickly bonded over their shared experiences and natural chemistry, as if they had known each other for years. They chatted enthusiastically, with Nami telling her stories about the outside world.
Robin, on the other hand, headed straight to where the Poneglyph was located.
Neptune approached Sanders as he watched his daughter's cheerful demeanor. With a solemn expression, he said,"As a father, I ask this of you: Please take good care of Shirahoshi. Don't let the light in her heart ever fade."
His eyes were filled with a pleading sincerity.
Sanders straightened up and replied earnestly,"King Neptune, I will do everything in my power to protect my crewmates. That is my promise to you—a bond between men."
Neptune sighed in relief. After a moment, he said softly,"Thank you, Sanders. If it weren't for you, who knows how much longer Shirahoshi would have had to stay locked away in the hard shell tower. And thank you for capturing the true culprit behind Otohime's death."
"No need to thank me," Sanders replied calmly.
At that moment, Robin returned.
"Captain, do you know about Joy Boy?" she asked. "The Poneglyph here mentions him. It says he made a promise to Fish-Man Island long ago but failed to fulfill it, leaving behind this apology."
She glanced briefly at Neptune.
"I know a bit, but not much," Sanders said. "He was likely the first pirate in history—a Zoan-type Mythical Beast user who had the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. He made a promise with the Mermaid Princess of that era to relocate the Fish-Men to the surface, but for some reason, he couldn't fulfill it and left this apology behind."
Neptune looked at Sanders, astonished by how much he seemed to know.
"I see..." Robin didn't press further, though she suspected Sanders knew even more than he let on.
The group left the Sea Forest quietly and returned just as discreetly.
The Thunder God Pirates continued exploring Fish-Man Island, while Neptune and his people began preparations for Shirahoshi's journey to the surface.
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T/N:
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