It took quite a bit of effort to explain to Shirahoshi that the candies hanging around were just decorations added later, and by that time the Dragon Palace was already in sight.
The so-called Dragon Palace was the royal palace of the Ryugu Kingdom, built at the highest point of Fishman Island.
On Fishman Island, the higher you lived, the closer you were to the sunlight, which represented a higher social status.
The Dragon Palace looked like a miniature Fishman Island itself, wrapped in double layers of bubble film and suspended in mid-air by unknown principles.
Its entrance was set directly underneath, with a water channel descending from the palace, wrapped in bubbles. By entering the bubble stream and swimming upward, one could reach the interior of the palace.
Since the Dragon Palace ship was coated with a complete bubble membrane, there was no worry of seawater leaking inside.
The ship sailed through the dim, narrow waterway and surfaced in front of the palace gates.
What greeted their eyes was a magnificent, dreamlike palace, adorned with coral and giant shells. Above the palace rested a vividly sculpted golden dragon.
Around the palace, colorful fish, turtles, shrimp, and crabs swam freely, keeping the scene lively.
"Is this the Dragon Palace from the East Sea?" Rui Meng Meng, who grew up with the story of Journey to the West, couldn't help but think of the Crystal Palace.
Tom's swimming spirit was itching to burst out, but with Zhang Da Ye holding him down, he was left with only the itching.
Artoria admired the rare spectacle with wide eyes. For someone who had only recently learned how to swim, visiting a palace ten thousand meters under the sea was a truly surreal experience.
"Because most of the Dragon Palace is filled with seawater, please use these." The Left Minister, a catfish merman with a monocle, handed out pink coral branches to Zhang Da Ye and the others.
"This is bubble coral. Pinch it and a bubble will appear. With this, you can move freely underwater."
"Seems fun enough." Zhang Da Ye pinched his coral branch, and a bubble expanded to cover his whole body. Once he released it, the bubble stopped growing—yet another piece of "nonsensical" equipment.
He quickly made one for Tom too, just to keep him busy and prevent him from attempting murder again.
Artoria and Rui Meng Meng each created a bubble for themselves. Shark Chili, however, shook his head. "I don't need one. I can move underwater just fine."
They followed King Neptune's family out of the ship. Swimming while wrapped in a bubble felt odd. The bubble was resilient, so arms and legs could stretch outward slightly while still being protected, but movement was clumsy.
Perhaps knowing their movements underwater would be restricted, the Left Minister summoned a mode of transportation. "Please ride the flatfish."
A large flounder swam over, letting everyone climb onto its back. It felt a bit like riding a magic carpet.
Zhang Da Ye immediately twisted a tongue twister to fit the moment: "From the sea's surface came Zhang Da Ye, with a flounder right under his rear."
Rui Meng Meng, recognizing the rhyme, complained, "Boss, that's awful. It doesn't rhyme at all."
"Wrong," Zhang Da Ye retorted. "It rhymes in another language."
"And which language would that be?" Rui Meng Meng asked.
Zhang Da Ye spread his hands like Tom often did. "How would I know? Ask Tom, he knows a bunch. He'd figure one out."
"Eh? Where did Teacher Tom go?" Only then did Rui Meng Meng notice that Tom was gone.
The Left Minister panicked. "This is bad—the Princess Shirahoshi is missing!"
Zhang Da Ye's heart sank. Don't tell me Tom kidnapped her?
Taking her out to play was one thing, but what if he tried to cook her? After all, this was the same cat who, when he snapped, would even try to cook himself.
Just then, the most composed of Neptune's sons, Shark Star, pointed upward. "Don't worry, she's there. I've been keeping an eye on her."
Sure enough, Tom was following a small fish. Whenever the fish wiggled, Tom copied it exactly. Shirahoshi, following Tom, flapped her tail in the same way.
Soon, Tom switched targets to a seahorse. He puffed up his belly, curled his tail forward, and swam upright. Shirahoshi mimicked him, happily curling her tail and copying his every move. A shark in clothes trailed behind her.
Three very different creatures, arranged by size, swimming in the same ridiculous manner—it was a sight both hilarious and oddly heartwarming.
Zhang Da Ye realized two things that day: first, that "a girl's laughter is like silver bells" was actually an accurate description; and second, that yes, sound really does travel underwater.
The Left Minister fretted. "This won't do, how can the Princess—"
"It's fine," Shark Star cut him off. "Shirahoshi hasn't been this happy in ages. We should be thanking Mr. Tom."
Whalestar and Mambostar chimed in too. "Exactly. Let her play."
The Left Minister fell silent. He knew how much the Princess had suffered since Queen Otohime's passing. Now wasn't the time to bring up etiquette.
Still uneasy, Zhang Da Ye called to Shark Chili. "Shark Chili, keep an eye on Tom. Make sure nothing happens."
Shark Star, thinking Zhang Da Ye worried about Tom's safety, reassured him. "Don't worry, Da Ye. There's nothing dangerous inside Dragon Palace. The shark you see is called Megalo, Princess Shirahoshi's pet."
Zhang Da Ye forced a smile. "Ah, I just worry Tom might misbehave, maybe bite the Princess or something."
How naïve. The world's most dangerous creature had just entered your palace, and you don't even realize it.
As they entered the palace gates, two rows of soldiers lined the corridor and shouted in unison, "Welcome back, Your Majesty, Your Highness the Queen!"
The display looked grand, though Zhang Da Ye thought they all seemed rather weak.
One soldier's face seemed particularly fierce, but otherwise unremarkable. Zhang Da Ye barely noticed and simply followed Neptune toward the banquet hall.
…
That soldier's name was Hody Jones. In Neptune's army, he held the rank of captain. He was also one of the few who did not wish for Queen Otohime's safe return.
Hody had grown up on Fishman Street, idolizing Fisher Tiger and Arlong.
Tiger was a hero among fishmen, while Arlong's cruelty toward humans perfectly matched Hody's worldview. He considered humans, unable to breathe underwater, as an inferior race. In his eyes, fishmen should rule through terror, forcing humans into submission.
What he didn't know was that ever since being crushed by Admiral Kizaru, Arlong had been keeping a low profile, quietly building a pirate crew to mess around in the Four Seas instead.
Hody, in short, was the type who had never seen the real world and thought himself invincible.
Recently, someone approached him with a plan to steal Ryugu Kingdom's national treasure, the Tamatebako. Inside it were said to be drugs and formulas granting immense power.
That someone was Vander Decken IX—a man of no small reputation, for his very name carried "the Ninth," proof of a family legacy.
His family had passed down a legend for generations: that the mermaid princess possessed the power to command Sea Kings.
Decken had once dismissed it as myth—until the day when World Noble Musgarud's ship wrecked and Queen Otohime tried to save him.
Instead, Musgarud took her hostage. Terrified, Shirahoshi broke down crying, and at that exact moment, a horde of giant Sea Kings appeared around Fishman Island, terrifying the Celestial Dragon into fainting.
Most people dismissed it as coincidence, never realizing Shirahoshi's role. But Vander Decken saw the truth: the legend was real.
Excited, he shared this with his two henchmen, Fishman A and Fishman B.
"Captain," Fishman A exclaimed, "if we get the Mermaid Princess, won't we be unstoppable?"
"Exactly!" Fishman B added. "If all the Sea Kings obeyed, we could even destroy the world!"
"Of course!" Vander Decken declared. "We must have the Mermaid Princess! First, I'll become her husband!"
Fishman A and Fishman B: "…Huh???"
And yes, their names really were Fishman A and Fishman B—their clothes had big "A" and "B" stitched on them.
As for Vander Decken—well, that was his genius plan. Writing love letters and proposing to a six-year-old Shirahoshi…
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