Chapter 116: Mermaid Princess - Uta
In a corner of Shyarly's prophetic vision, a behemoth that looked as if it were composed of countless crystals and covered in innumerable cannon muzzles was positioned high in the troposphere. Along with it were several hundred women of normal human size, with wings on their lower backs and halos above their heads. Their leader was a special individual with a single horn on her head and long pink hair.
While Shyarly was lost in thought, Neptune and Jinbe gradually came back to their senses, looking out the door with complex expressions.
"Will Louis be the one to unite many races and establish a powerful empire?"
Hearing this, Shyarly also awoke from her contemplation and shook her head very directly. "I don't know. I cannot see any prophecies related to him."
"..."
Jinbe's brow furrowed tightly, and he asked again, "The empire you saw... how does it compare to the Big Mom Pirates' Totto Land?" He had been thinking that Shyarly's description sounded somewhat similar to that country in the depths of the New World. He even thought that perhaps Louis would take his entire pirate crew and join the Big Mom Pirates, bringing other races with him.
To this, Shyarly slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and said distantly, "I've heard some of our people describe Totto Land, but it's different from what I saw."
Hearing this, Jinbe's brow did not relax, but furrowed even deeper.
Beside him, a look of joy appeared on Neptune's face, a hint of hard-to-detect excitement flashing in his eyes. His thoughts were not as complex as Jinbe's. If possible, he was unwilling to let go of this chance to fulfill his wife's dying wish. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't know how an empire with so many special races could be born under the nose of the World Government, Neptune might have lost his composure even more.
Suddenly, his reason gradually returned. He realized something was off and subconsciously asked, "Wait, I haven't remarried since Otohime died. Where did the two princesses who eliminate humanity's prejudice against fish-men come from?" He felt he had been wronged. He was very faithful to his wife; it was impossible for him to marry another!
To this, Shyarly did not answer, but instead looked thoughtfully out the main gate.
Seeing this, a strange expression came over Jinbe's face. If he remembered correctly, when the girl named Uta had transformed into a mermaid just now, she had looked very similar to Princess Shirahoshi. And right now, she seemed to be trying to teach Princess Shirahoshi the basics of music.
"..."
After a brief silence, Jinbe felt he had perceived the truth. In the future, if Shirahoshi and Uta were to appear on stage together, it was indeed possible that the two, who looked so much alike, would be presumed to be sisters.
Neptune followed Shyarly's gaze. A moment later, he too fell silent. But soon, a strange light appeared in his eyes.
Neptune felt that, although he didn't know how they would do it, he could at least help facilitate this matter. However, just as he took a step, Jinbe reached out and stopped him.
Neptune was taken aback and looked at Jinbe with some confusion.
Jinbe shook his head at Neptune and explained in a serious tone, "Your Majesty Neptune, please think twice. Once you do this, it means you will have a weakness in the hands of the World Government. Uta and Lord Louis will be heading to the New World; the World Government won't find them easily. But you and Fish-Man Island are always here. We cannot run away."
"Even if another country were to grant a pirate the title of princess, it would surely be called into question at the World Council. Not to mention us, whose status is already quite awkward. The consequences of doing this could be very serious."
Jinbe believed that for an existence like Louis, whose second bounty was as high as 1.8 billion Berries, his crewmates could not possibly remain unknown forever. Moreover, just based on Uta's speed, which seemed to be ten times faster than a mermaid's, she could not be a simple character. Jinbe would not be surprised no matter how high Uta's bounty became in the future. Therefore, Jinbe felt that Neptune's plan to make Uta a mermaid princess was not appropriate.
To this, however, Neptune slowly pushed Jinbe's hand away, his expression solemn. "We haven't attended the World Council in many years. If they want to condemn us, let them."
Neptune firmly believed in Shyarly's prophecy and felt that Uta would, together with Shirahoshi, eliminate humanity's prejudice against merfolk and fish-men. Moreover, he wanted to personally bring this about. Compared to that, the small risk was nothing compared to the benefits this matter would bring.
Then, Neptune stepped forward again, swimming straight toward Uta and Shirahoshi.
Seeing this, Shyarly exhaled another puff of smoke and, without a second thought, followed him.
Jinbe let out a long sigh and, in the end, also went over.
The approach of Neptune and the others made Uta and Shirahoshi stop their lesson. They looked with puzzled faces at Neptune, who had an unreadable smile.
"Father?" Shirahoshi was a little confused by the smile on her father's face.
"?" Uta tilted her head, watching Neptune with an uncomprehending gaze.
Not far away, Louis ended his discussion with Yelena and looked thoughtfully at Neptune.
Then, once again under everyone's gaze, Neptune bowed and asked Uta with a grin, "Uta! Would you like to become the second princess of the Ryugu Kingdom?"
Uta: "..."
"Father, is—is that really okay?" Shirahoshi was first taken aback, then an expectant look appeared on her gentle face.
Not far away, Louis and Yelena looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"Did he overhear us?" was Yelena's first reaction after a brief silence. Then, Yelena tugged on Louis's sleeve again. "Louis, what's going on?"
To this, Louis also shook his head with a completely baffled expression. In a non-dangerous environment, he usually deliberately suppressed his senses to avoid hearing things he shouldn't and invading others' privacy, which would lead to awkwardness for both sides. But soon, Louis noticed the young merman next to Jinbe. The blue top with the hood, the shark tail, the short black hair... "Is that Madam Shyarly?" Louis raised an eyebrow, and after carefully observing her expression, he had a rough guess of some of the information.
On the other side, Uta looked up and met Neptune's eyes, making an "X" with her arms with a look of disgust. "No way! I have a father! It's impossible for me to become your daughter!"
Neptune was taken aback, then let out a heroic laugh. "Hahaha~ You don't need to become my daughter. I hope that you and Shirahoshi can become sisters."
"???" Uta heard him, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She tilted her head and asked, "Why? Shirahoshi has three older brothers. She's not lonely."
To this, Neptune shamelessly rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Haha, that's because Shirahoshi really likes spending time with you. And you look a bit like Shirahoshi, like you could be sisters, so I want to bring you two closer."
To this, a suspicious look appeared in Uta's eyes. "Really?" she asked doubtfully.
"O-of course!" For some reason, as Neptune looked into Uta's mysterious eyes, he felt inexplicably flustered.
Uta's gaze swept over the speechless Jinbe, the inscrutable strange merman, and then at the somewhat expectant Shirahoshi beside her. Then, Uta shifted her gaze to Louis and Yelena, her eyes locking with Louis's, a mysterious light shining within them.
In the end, a faint smile appeared on Uta's face. "I see. In that case, I agree!"
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