Chapter 111: Princess Shirahoshi
"Is there also a mermaid kingdom in the East Blue?" was Neptune's first thought, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Perhaps her parents are merfolk or fish-men who were stranded in the outside world? Or is she just a Devil Fruit user?"
Beside Neptune, a thoughtful look also appeared on Jinbe's face. His thoughts were similar to Neptune's, but he leaned more toward her being a Devil Fruit user. However, seeing Uta's smiling face, which revealed none of the information they wanted, they did not press the matter.
On one hand, they were not the type of people who liked to pry into others' secrets. On the other hand, there was "truth" by Uta's side, and more than one. Jinbe inadvertently glanced at the figure completely clad in armor, with only a pair of black oni horns exposed. Louis aside, this person, known as the "Nation-Destroyer," was also an existence with a bounty of over 700 million Berries. Furthermore, the epithet given to her by the World Government made it clear what kind of things she had done.
"Destroyer of a nation."
In the depths of the New World, the last power to have achieved this bloody title was the Big Mom Pirates. It was precisely because of the presence of such a person that Neptune and Jinbe were being so cautious.
Soon, under the guidance of Neptune and Jinbe, Louis and his group passed through the sea channel and entered the royal palace area of the Ryugu Kingdom.
In a corridor rich with history, Yelena looked up. Her eyes, through the lenses of her gas mask, sized up the golden dragon-shaped statue coiled on the top of the building.
Luxurious, solemn—this was Yelena's first impression. She wondered, could the Canaan Palace, which lived on in the stories of her people, compare to this place? But the next second, she came to a conclusion. At its peak, Canaan was just a city-state kingdom with a population of only a few tens of thousands. The Ryugu Kingdom, on the other hand, was a nation with a population of over five million.
The group walked along the corridor and straight into a solemn and dignified hall. A rare banquet had been urgently set up inside. Besides some of Fish-Man Island's specialty delicacies, most of the food was suited to the human palate. It was clear that Neptune and his people were no strangers to hosting humans.
On the coral walls hung the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates, as well as a photo of Whitebeard himself and a photo of Neptune with Marine Hero Garp. The layout of the flags and photos with the various decorations on the wall was not harmonious; it was obvious they had been put up in a hurry. In the photo with Garp, even the dust had only been completely wiped clean on Garp's side.
To this, Louis mused that if it were another member of his clan here instead of him, they probably would have flipped the living room over in the next second.
Behind Louis, Daz Bonez, dressed in a suit, crossed his arms, his professional instincts kicking in again. His eyes began to scan the surroundings, past the two mermaid princes, contemplating where in the hall was suitable for an ambush and assassination, and then checking those positions one by one.
Then, under Neptune's arrangement, Louis and his group were seated, and beautiful mermaid attendants were brought in to serve them.
Beside Louis, Yelena's figure slowly grew a bit taller. A second pair of terrifying antlers grew from her head. She then reached up and slowly moved her hands toward her gas mask. Yelena's sudden movement made the fish-men present tense up. They subconsciously looked in her direction, their alertness raised to the highest level.
Yelena slowly took off the gas mask, placed it to the side, and revealed the bone-white skull, devoid of any skin.
"..."
Although Yelena had deliberately restrained her fear-inducing ability, her terrifying appearance still made the surrounding attendants turn pale and tremble.
"It's a Zoan type, a Deer-Deer Fruit—" This was the only useful piece of information Neptune and Jinbe could glean from Yelena.
Facing everyone's various gazes, Yelena appeared very calm. She opened the mouth beneath her bone armor and began to eat with refined movements, tasting the various delicacies.
Neptune saw this and gestured for the attendants to leave, freeing them from their terror.
As the banquet was nearing its end, Neptune took a deep breath and then asked with a smile, "Lord Louis, may I ask if this banquet is to your liking?"
After some thought, Louis gave an objective evaluation. "It's very good. The palace chefs have been very thoughtful."
Louis's words brought a heroic yet courteous smile to Neptune's face. "Hahaha! If you like it, I can have the chefs give you the recipes and a batch of the corresponding ingredients. How about it?"
Facing Louis and his group, whose dispositions he couldn't quite grasp, Neptune, as king, did not say foolish things like "stay a few more days if you like" or "come again." Instead, he took the most effective approach: giving them the means to make it themselves.
To this, Louis also went along with his words. "Alright, then we'll accept."
Neptune heard this and breathed a sigh of relief.
However, just as he was about to speak again, something unexpected happened.
Behind them, the door leading to the depths of the palace slowly opened, and a strand of pale pink hair poked out from the crack. Before they could react, a timid, clear female voice sounded from behind the door, clearly reaching their ears.
"Father, another letter has come—"
"There's a weapon this time..."
The clear and pleasant female voice was almost second only to Uta's, but it was filled with a deep sense of unease and panic.
The sudden voice made Neptune and his several princes' faces change slightly, a hint of lingering fear in their eyes.
"Shirahoshi!"
"Oh no! I was in such a hurry when I heard the news that I completely forgot about Shirahoshi!!"
Jinbe was also a little surprised at this moment. But after seeing the subtle expressions on the king and the princes, and the quiet, watchful gazes of Louis and his group, he sighed in his heart.
By the time Neptune and the others had turned around, the owner of the clear voice had completely emerged from behind the door. Louis and the others' gazes also passed over Neptune's group and fell directly behind them.
Princess Shirahoshi stood timidly in front of the door. Her wavy, light pink hair fell to her waist. Her upper body was dressed in a halter-style top. Her striped, red-and-pink fishtail was translucent, and her skin was fair and bright. A pair of round, blue eyes seemed to reveal a deep unease. She wore a taiyaki-shaped hair ornament in her pink hair. Although her body was massive, it exuded a sense of fragility. Her overall aura was as gentle and breakable as a cherry blossom blooming in water.
At this moment, at only seven years old, her size was already far greater than Louis's, second only to Neptune himself. And it was this seemingly fragile person who was now holding a letter and a sharp, giant axe.
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