The Ryugu Palace Ship was a vessel reserved for the royal family of the Ryugu Kingdom. Considering Neptune's massive size and that of his children, the cabins inside were built unusually spacious. In fact, Neptune's chair alone was big enough for Zhang Da Ye to use as a bed.
Since it was their first time on Fishman Island, none of them felt like sitting quietly. After a few words of small talk, they all leaned against the windows, gazing at the scenery outside.
They watched the view, while behind them, others were watching them.
Four large children curiously studied the kindhearted humans their mother had spoken of. Shirahoshi, in particular, timidly extended a finger, wanting to poke one of them, but she didn't dare.
Queen Otohime began introducing landmarks around Fishman Island. "That over there is Coral Hill, and beyond it lies Mermaid Cove. Over there is the Mermaid Café… all beautiful places worth visiting."
While everyone was busy planning their sightseeing route, Artoria's gaze settled on a striking black flag fluttering in the distance. "That flag—it's a pirate flag, isn't it?"
Queen Otohime nodded. "Yes. That is the banner of the great pirate Whitebeard. At present, Fishman Island is under his protection."
"A whole kingdom, relying on the protection of a pirate?" Artoria muttered softly.
Neptune overheard and explained the island's past.
"Ever since the Great Pirate Era began ten years ago, countless pirates have poured in from Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line, into the New World. And since Fishman Island lies directly in their path, our people have suffered terribly.
Raids and kidnappings became commonplace. At one point, Fishman Island was even overrun by pirates. It wasn't until Whitebeard defeated them, planted his flag here, and declared the island his territory that things finally calmed down. If not for him, what you see today might have been nothing but ruins."
Zhang Da Ye frowned. "That doesn't sound right. In underwater combat, who could possibly match the Fishmen? All you'd have to do is guard the island's waters and break the coating on the pirate ships. Wouldn't every ship sink the moment it came?"
The question cut deep. For Neptune, the great knight of the sea, it was a painful memory. He answered in a heavy tone.
"If it were just one or two ordinary pirate crews, of course it would've been simple. But that time, many pirate crews joined forces. Our forces were limited, and we had few powerful warriors.
And the coating bubbles aren't that fragile. To break one, you'd have to slash a large enough opening or pierce multiple holes at once—enough time for them to strike back.
Later, they even discovered ways to fight briefly at the seafloor with their coating intact. The situation turned more and more against us. That was the darkest period in Fishman Island's history."
The group fell silent. But suddenly, Queen Otohime burst into tears.
She grabbed Artoria's hand, speaking through sobs. "Please, don't blame yourself! I can feel the deep regret and sorrow in your heart. The destruction of your kingdom was never your fault! You already did everything you could—you were the most outstanding of kings!"
Everyone blinked in confusion. Wait—wasn't it Neptune who had just been lamenting his failure to protect his nation? Did the queen grab the wrong hand?
"I'm fine. That just stirred up some old memories I'd rather not recall," Artoria said, gently wiping away the queen's tears instead. "But your ability really does feel like cheating."
Neptune, his children, and even the ministers were stunned. This little girl—she was once a king? And not just any king, but a remarkable one, if Queen Otohime's words were true?
Even Rui Meng Meng and Shark Chili were shocked. To them, Artoria was just someone who trained with her sword and ate endlessly, always cheerful and carefree. Who would have thought she carried such a past?
Naturally, Artoria never spoke of it. Zhang Da Ye knew a little, but it wasn't something he could casually share.
Seeing Queen Otohime weeping like this, no one could imagine just what kind of pain and despair Artoria had once endured.
Zhang Da Ye picked up Tom, whispered something in his ear, and then stuffed him into Artoria's arms.
"What are you doing?" Artoria looked between Zhang Da Ye and Tom, baffled.
Tom glanced innocently back at Zhang Da Ye, then at Artoria, before starting to wreak havoc on his own face.
He pulled his ears long, stretched out his cheeks, tied knots in his whiskers, stuck out his tongue to make faces, and even twisted his ears into braids on top of his head.
Artoria burst out laughing as she restored Tom's head to normal. "Thank you, Tom. And your shameless master, too. I'm alright now."
"How amazing! Are all cats from the surface this incredible?" Princess Shirahoshi asked, her enormous eyes wide with wonder.
"Only Tom is like this," Artoria explained quickly, not wanting to give Shirahoshi the wrong idea, then set him down.
Tom immediately eyed Shirahoshi's massive fish tail, drooling uncontrollably.
Zhang Da Ye hurried to restrain him. Biting her was absolutely out of the question. If she cried, the Sea Kings would level the whole island. The ones she could summon were all over five kilometers long!
Frightened, Shirahoshi ducked behind her brothers again, still shy and afraid of strangers.
"Oh right, we brought some gifts for you all." Zhang Da Ye pointed to six large chests that had been carried aboard earlier.
"These are wines for King Neptune. They're some of the most popular varieties from our tavern…" Zhang Da Ye glanced at Neptune's colossal frame and added sheepishly, "though I suppose it might not be quite enough."
"Hahaha, more than enough. It's the thought that matters!" Neptune laughed heartily, happy to be making human friends beyond Whitebeard.
"This necklace is for Queen Otohime." Zhang Da Ye presented a jeweled necklace glittering with colorful gems. It was once owned by one of Tom's past masters, elegant and fit for a noblewoman—perfect as a gift.
"Thank you!" Queen Otohime accepted it with a bright smile. More than the necklace itself, she was touched by Zhang Da Ye's sincerity.
"And these are for the three princes. May you grow into strong warriors." Zhang Da Ye produced a long spear and two swords as if by magic.
They were exquisite weapons from the palace where Tom once served as a guard. For the still-young princes, they would make fine toys—or treasures to grow into.
"Thank you for your gifts! We'll train hard!" the three princes said, thrilled. With a father like Neptune, their greatest wish was to become powerful warriors and protect their sister.
It wasn't just brotherly affection. Shirahoshi was far too special. Queen Otohime had always reminded them that as her older brothers, they must become strong enough to shield her from any harm or fear.
Finally, Zhang Da Ye turned to Shirahoshi. She peeked out from behind her mother, torn between fear and anticipation. Only after Otohime whispered words of encouragement did she step forward.
"Now then, watch closely… tada!" Zhang Da Ye stretched out his hand, and a tree over two meters tall appeared in the cabin.
It was Tom's family's Christmas tree, decorated with colorful lights and candies.
Compared to the earlier gifts, its value was modest. Yet, for them, it was the most precious of all.
For there were no trees on Fishman Island. No forests. Many had lived their entire lives without ever seeing a tree. In her lessons, Otohime's very first description of the surface world to her children had been about trees.
Strangely enough, even though the Straw Hats had managed to grow orange trees aboard their ship, no one on Fishman Island had thought to bring one down. Perhaps they saw no need—or thought it wasn't worth the trouble.
This tree, however, was different. Though potted, it was a Christmas tree from Tom's household. With care, it could live a long time. In fact, Zhang Da Ye suspected that even if he died, the tree would endure. Even if he withered, the tree never would.
"Eh? So this is a tree?" Shirahoshi exclaimed in delight, pressing closer. "So trees really do grow candy on them!"
A/N:
I've always found it strange that Fishman Island could be overrun by pirates. Even someone on Big Mom's level, falling into the sea, would be helpless, sometimes even losing her memory. Jack himself had to lie still on the seafloor waiting for rescue. So how could ordinary pirates possibly conquer Fishman Island?
But well… that's how the backstory was written. So I just have to patch it up somehow.
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon com/GuessMyName33 for advanced chapters]