Neptune looked at Zhang Da Ye. "I've heard that the Sabaody Archipelago also has lawless zones?"
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "That's true, but unlike Fishman Street, it's not that they can't fix it—it's more like they don't want to. After all, Marine Headquarters is right next door. Even if they used it as an excuse for military drills and patrolled every now and then, it wouldn't be in the chaotic state it is now."
"Indeed, with so many factions intertwined there, the situation is even more complicated. In comparison, Fishman Street is relatively simple." Jinbe volunteered. "Why don't I lead a team and capture all the criminals?"
"Wouldn't that be too heavy-handed? Perhaps there's a way that doesn't require violence." The Left Minister, a catfish merman, was a natural mediator with notoriously poor judgment—he was the kind who'd try to sit down and talk even with pirates.
Neptune knew his temperament well and ignored him. "We'll go with Jinbe's plan. Just make sure the children and innocents are properly resettled afterward. As for the criminals, of course they'll get the punishment they deserve."
"Mother!" Shirahoshi swam over, with Tom clinging to her.
Rui Meng Meng, Shark Chili, and the three princes followed close behind.
"Shirahoshi? Mother is discussing serious matters with everyone. Can you come play later?" Queen Otohime stroked her daughter's head.
"But, I just received this." Shirahoshi handed her a folded piece of paper.
"What is this…?" Otohime unfolded it, only to gasp. "A love letter? Addressed to Shirahoshi?"
"What???" Gasps filled the room. Neptune bent down, pressing his giant head close to Otohime's shoulder to read each word. "Damn it! Who the hell is this Vander Decken IX? Shirahoshi is only six years old!"
The Right Minister, a seahorse merman, had heard the name. "Vander Decken? Isn't that the captain of the Flying Dutchman?"
"The Flying Dutchman?" The princes looked at him curiously.
The Right Minister explained. "Yes. The Flying Dutchman is a cursed ship, doomed to wander the seas forever without returning home. They say encountering it at sea means certain destruction. Its captain is Vander Decken."
"How scary…" Shirahoshi trembled in fear.
Tom trembled as well. Ghosts and curses were his worst nightmare. A ghost ship that spelled destruction? He clung tightly to Zhang Da Ye's leg.
"That's just a legend. In reality, he's only a pirate." Jinbe, ever reliable, debunked it. "The legend started because the first Vander Decken often ambushed ships in the deep sea. This Vander Decken IX is likely his descendant."
If he's only a pirate, then that was manageable. Neptune asked, "Who delivered this letter? Where is the messenger?"
Anyone who dared to write a love letter to his six-year-old daughter—Neptune wanted to smash that scum into true scum.
"No one delivered it," Shirahoshi said timidly. "The letter just… flew here on its own."
"Flew here?" Everyone was stunned. Neptune looked at his eldest son, Shark Star.
Shark Star nodded. "It's true. Shirahoshi was helping Mr. Tom catch fish and start a fire when the letter suddenly flew right in front of her."
Zhang Da Ye rubbed Tom's head hard. Merfolk don't even eat fish, and yet you tricked the princess into catching fish and grilling them for you?
Tom looked innocent. Do you know what it feels like for a cat to watch a bunch of fish tails swishing around in front of him all day?
The fact I didn't try grilling mermaids should already count as restraint!
Neptune ignored the grilling detail. "So what's going on here?"
Zhang Da Ye knew. "The Target-Target Fruit. Sounds gross, but its power is nasty. If the user touches someone with their hand, that person gets marked as a target. Afterward, no matter what they throw with that hand—no matter the distance—it'll fly straight to the target until it hits or gets destroyed."
"If the hand touches someone else, that person becomes the new target. Washing the hand removes the mark. Each hand can mark one target, so if an octopus fishman ate it, he'd really profit."
On the surface, the power might sound underwhelming. But in practice it was terrifying. Throwing doesn't just mean literally hurling something—just patting something counts. Even things far heavier than the user's strength could be thrown.
With this ability, one could theoretically throw a warship the size of half of Fishman Island. Tossing islands with bare hands was no longer just a dream.
Thankfully, the current user wasn't very smart. Otherwise, he could just kidnap a weakling, mark them, then have his underlings sneak close to the enemy. One slap later—an island flies in, or a giant sea king. Who needs ancient weapons like Pluton or Poseidon then?
"So it's an ability user. Since marking requires contact, did Princess Shirahoshi touch anyone suspicious today after we left to find Jinbe?" Zhang Da Ye asked. He was certain that while he was present, no stranger had gotten near her.
The three princes and Queen Otohime shook their heads. They had been there too, but saw no one suspicious.
"Yes, there was." Rui Meng Meng reminded them. "After you left, some citizens gathered around saying they wanted to protect the Queen."
"Then the ability user must have been hiding among them. Truly cunning." Shark Star turned to Shirahoshi. "Do you remember anyone strange touching you?"
Shirahoshi tapped her chin, thinking hard, before shaking her head. "No one touched me."
Could it have happened earlier? Zhang Da Ye patted Tom. "Do you remember anyone touching Shirahoshi?"
Tom shook his head. No one had touched her.
That was odd. If she had been marked earlier, letters should've started flying in long ago. He likely only got the chance during today's chaos.
"In that case, issue a nationwide order to capture Vander Decken!" Neptune declared. No point in discussing further—once captured, the truth would come out.
…
Meanwhile, aboard the Flying Dutchman.
The ship's sails were tattered, coated in resin, with a giant skull figurehead at the bow. The entire ship exuded an eerie, ghostly aura. No wonder people called it a ghost ship.
Vander Decken IX was a broad-striped tiger shark fishman. He had four legs and two arms, looking every bit the sloppy, greasy old man.
Because he had eaten a Devil Fruit, he couldn't swim—he would go limp in seawater. So even in the deep sea, he had to rely on a coating bubble to move around.
Though not very bright, he at least knew enough to run after doing something bad. The moment he marked Shirahoshi, he bolted back to his ship.
He decided that until Princess Shirahoshi accepted his marriage proposal, he'd keep a low profile and avoid Fishman Island.
He didn't even consider what he'd do if Shirahoshi actually tried to send him a reply.
"Bahahaha! Princess Shirahoshi must have received my love letter by now!" Vander Decken was already fantasizing about the wedding.
A/N:
A tiny slip of paper had flown all the way through seawater, unfolded normally, and the ink hadn't smudged at all…
Kind of like when I ranted earlier about how they clink glasses and drink wine underwater. Well, let's just ignore it again.
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