Bepo led the way through the Pluton's corridors, his white fur brushing against the dark alloy walls. His paws padded softly against the deck plates, and his ears swiveled with each word he spoke.
"Yeah, and they're giving us three mini-subs too."
Law's eyes narrowed, his shirt shifting with each stride. "Why would they do that?"
Penguin shrugged, his hands shoved into his pockets. "Something about Marya's uncle."
Shachi scratched his head. "Who is that?"
Law's jaw flexed. "Shanks."
Bepo jolted, his ears flattening. "What? Really?"
Law nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yeah. His emblem is on their solar sail."
Shachi's brow furrowed. "What's a solar sail?"
The door burst open.
Zola stumbled out with Ikkaku, her pink hair a chaotic nest of mechanical pencils, her violet eyes wide behind her glasses. She looked up at Law, blinking rapidly.
"Oh! Hello there."
Ikkaku interrupted, pointing a thumb over her shoulder. "Hey, Captain. About time you got back." She grinned, grease smeared across her cheek. "Want to see what's new?"
Law nodded. "Yeah."
They filed onto the bridge.
The Omni-Resonance Bridge stretched before them, a circular amphitheater carved from the matte-black alloy. The walls hummed with a low, resonant frequency that vibrated through the deck plates. At the center, the elevated concave depression ringed by ancient glyphs pulsed with a faint blue-white glow, casting dancing shadows across the faces of the crew.
Jean Bart and Hakugan paused, looking over their shoulders. Jean Bart nodded, his massive frame blocking most of the doorway.
"Hey, Captain."
Jean Bart looked to Bepo. "You want to show him?"
Bepo nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" He glanced at Law, his dark eyes gleaming. "All you have to do is call out her name. Melinoë."
Law's eye narrowed. "Melinoë?"
The air above the central ring shimmered.
Melinoë materialized, floating in the air like a ghost made of sea foam and sorrow. She was projected as a striking holographic mermaid, her sleek black-and-white Orca tail drifting lazily in invisible currents. Her long hair floated around her head as if she were submerged in deep water, and her expression was permanently locked in a state of profound, soul-crushing existential gloom.
"Oh," she said, her voice flat and monotone. "You must be the captain I have heard so much about."
Law scowled. "What is this?"
Melinoë interrupted, her deadpan gaze fixed on Law. "I am an interactive learning and operating system. Not that anyone asked."
Zola pointed a finger in the air. "If I may—"
Law raised a brow. "And who are you?"
Zola cleared her throat, pushing her glasses up. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zola Newton, Consortium Physicist." She gestured toward the floating mermaid. "This is one of three AI systems the ship is equipped with."
Melinoë's tail swished lazily. "I assist with navigation, training, system maintenance, defense and weapons systems, life support, and whatever else is needed to keep the ship from sinking." She paused, her monotone voice somehow growing even flatter. "Not that anyone was concerned about my wellbeing."
Ikkaku snapped, "Oh, give it a rest. We figured it out. Eventually."
Hakugan pressed a button on a nearby console. Melinoë's form flickered.
"Whenever she gets on our nerves, we just turn her off with this button," he explained.
Law nodded slowly, his expression caught somewhere between fascination and horror.
Bepo announced, his voice bright. "Come on, Captain! We should go to the engine room!"
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