The ocean currents around Fishman Island were warm, but the Sea Forest was different. It was a place of quiet reverence, filled with the wreckage of ancient ships and forests of coral that stretched like skeletal fingers toward the filtered sunlight.
Luffy sat cross-legged on top of Shirahoshi's head. He was chewing on a piece of dried sea-king meat he had saved in his pocket.
"Are we there yet?" Luffy asked, crumbs falling onto the Princess's hair.
Shirahoshi swam slowly, constantly looking over her shoulder. "We are almost there, Luffy-sama. Please do not eat on my head. It tickles."
"I told you, just Luffy," he corrected her. "And you are swimming too slow. If a shark comes, you need to be faster."
"A shark?" Shirahoshi squeaked, stopping dead in the water. "Where?"
"I meant a bad shark," Luffy pointed forward. "Not that shark."
Ahead of them, resting near a massive shipwreck, was the Thousand Sunny. And standing next to it, coating a piece of timber with resin, was Franky. Sitting on a coral stump nearby, looking solemn, was the Knight of the Sea, Jinbe.
"Franky!" Luffy shouted, waving his arms. "Jinbe!"
Franky looked up, adjusting his sunglasses. "Ow! Captain! You made it!"
Jinbe turned, his face lighting up with a welcoming smile. "Luffy-kun! It is good to see you sa—"
His voice died in his throat. His eyes bulged. He looked at the colossal mermaid swimming timidly behind Luffy.
"P-P-Princess?" Jinbe stammered. He rubbed his eyes. "Am I hallucinating? Is this the stress?"
Shirahoshi hid behind a large coral reef, peeking out shyly. "Jinbe-oyabun... hello."
Jinbe's jaw hit the sandy floor. "Luffy-kun! Why is the Princess here?! Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? If Vander Decken sees her, she is dead!"
Luffy jumped down from Shirahoshi's head, landing on the sand in front of Jinbe.
"She wanted to visit a grave," Luffy said simply. "So I brought her."
"You brought her?" Jinbe waved his arms frantically. "You kidnapped the Royal Princess? King Neptune will declare war on humans! This is a diplomatic disaster!"
"It's fine," Luffy picked his nose. "I left a note. Or a hole in the wall. I forget which."
"A hole?!" Jinbe looked ready to faint.
"Calm down, fish-boss," Luffy patted Jinbe's massive arm. "Decken threw an axe earlier. I broke it. If he throws another one, I will break that too. She is safe with me."
Jinbe looked at Luffy. He saw the absolute confidence in the young man's eyes. It wasn't arrogance. It was a statement of fact.
"You have grown strong, Luffy-kun," Jinbe sighed, his shoulders slumping. "But this is reckless."
"It is necessary," Luffy said, his tone shifting. He looked at Shirahoshi. "Go on, Cowardly-hoshi. The grave is right there."
Shirahoshi nodded, wiping her eyes. She swam toward a beautiful, simple grave marker adorned with shells and flowers. It was the resting place of Queen Otohime.
Franky walked over to Luffy, wiping grease from his hands. "So, we are kidnapping princesses now? That is super hard-boiled."
"Is the ship fixed?" Luffy asked.
"Almost," Franky gave a thumbs-up. "The coating took a beating, but the Sunny is tough. I need a few more hours to reseal the hull integrity."
"Good," Luffy nodded. "We might need it soon."
"Why?" Franky asked. "Are we leaving?"
"No," Luffy looked up at the sky. The water above them was darkening. "But things are about to get noisy."
As if on cue, a massive projection appeared in the sky above the island. It was a broadcast, projected from the broadcast station to every corner of Fishman Island.
The image was grainy, but the face was clear. It was a Great White Shark fishman with cold, dead eyes and a pill-box hat. Hody Jones.
"Citizens of Fishman Island," Hody's voice boomed, distorted by the transmission.
Jinbe stiffened. "Hody..."
"I have an announcement," Hody continued, holding up a shackled figure. It was King Neptune.
Shirahoshi gasped, covering her mouth. "Father!"
"The reign of the weak Neptune Army is over," Hody declared. "King Neptune protected humans. He sought peace with the trash that enslaved us. That ends today. I, Hody Jones, am the new King of Fishman Island."
The camera panned out. Behind Hody, chained to pillars, were Zoro, Usopp, and Brook. They looked bored, but they were definitely captured.
"Zoro?" Franky blinked. "How did he get caught? He is strong."
"He probably fought underwater," Luffy said, watching the screen. "Or he fell asleep."
"We have captured the Straw Hat Pirates," Hody sneered. "And in three hours, at Conchcorde Plaza, we will execute King Neptune. After that, we will slaughter every human on this island and any fishman who sympathizes with them."
The broadcast cut to static.
Silence descended on the Sea Forest.
Shirahoshi burst into tears. "Father! They have Father! And the pirate-samas! It is all my fault!"
Jinbe slammed his fist into a coral tree, shattering it. "Hody! That fool! He intends to start a war with the surface!"
He turned to Luffy. "Luffy-kun. This is my fight. You must leave. Take the Princess and the ship and go."
Luffy didn't answer. He was staring at the spot in the sky where Hody's face had been.
"Leave?" Luffy asked.
"Yes!" Jinbe shouted. "Humans fighting fishmen here will only perpetuate the cycle of hatred! If you defeat Hody, the humans will be seen as violent conquerors again! You cannot be the hero here!"
Luffy looked at Jinbe.
"I am not a hero," Luffy said. "I am a pirate."
"It is the same thing to the public!" Jinbe argued. "Please, Luffy-kun! Listen to me! I have a plan to resolve this peacefully!"
"Peacefully?" Luffy laughed. It was a cold, dry sound. "Jinbe. Look at the screen. He has my crew. He has her dad."
He pointed at Shirahoshi, who was trembling.
"You think talking will stop a guy like that?" Luffy asked. "I know his type. He doesn't care about history. He doesn't care about peace. He just wants to break things."
"But the history—" Jinbe started.
"I know the history," Luffy interrupted.
Jinbe froze. "What?"
"Arlong. Fisher Tiger. Queen Otohime," Luffy listed the names. "I know about the hatred. I know about the pain. Nami told me about Arlong. I saw the mark on her arm."
He walked over to a large rock and sat down.
"But Hody isn't fighting for history," Luffy said. "He is fighting because he is empty. He has nothing inside him but hate he borrowed from other people."
Jinbe stared at Luffy. He felt a chill run down his spine. How... how does he understand that? Even I only realized that recently.
"So what will you do?" Jinbe asked quietly.
Luffy cracked his knuckles.
"I am going to Conchcorde Plaza," Luffy stated.
"No!" Jinbe stood in his way. "I cannot let you! If a human defeats Hody, the hatred will not end!"
"Then we will make it a show," Luffy said.
"A show?"
"Yeah," Luffy grinned. "We need a plan. A plan where you look like the boss, but I get to kick his butt."
Franky laughed. "I like the sound of that. A Super Plan!"
"Shirahoshi," Luffy called out.
"Y-Yes?" The Princess looked down, wiping her tears.
"Are you done crying?"
Shirahoshi took a deep breath. She looked at the grave of her mother, then at the image of her father in her mind. She clenched her fists.
"Yes," she said, her voice shaking but firm. "I am done."
"Good," Luffy stood up. "Then let's go save the King."
"Wait!" Jinbe raised his hands. "If we are doing this, we do it my way! We need to coordinate!"
"Fine, fine," Luffy waved his hand. "What is the plan, boss Jinbe?"
Jinbe took a deep breath. "First, we need to get yourself captured."
"Captured?" Franky frowned. "That sounds un-super."
"It is the only way to get close to the plaza without alerting his army," Jinbe explained. "He thinks he has the upper hand. We must let him believe that until the last moment."
Luffy smiled. "I get it. A surprise party."
"Exactly," Jinbe nodded. "But Luffy-kun. Promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Do not fight Hody until the citizens ask for it," Jinbe said seriously. "They must choose you. You cannot force your protection on them."
Luffy looked at Jinbe. He understood. It was about the heart of the island.
"Okay," Luffy agreed. "I will wait for the invitation."
"Then let us prepare," Jinbe said, his eyes narrowing. "We have a war to stop."
"Franky," Luffy said. "Call the Sunny. Can you use the Gaon Cannon on land?"
Franky adjusted his sunglasses, a manic grin spreading across his face.
"Captain," Franky said. "I can use the Gaon Cannon anywhere."
Luffy laughed. "Shishishi! This is going to be fun."