"This…"
Otohime and Neptune honestly had no idea what to say.
The hall was dead silent.
Well—aside from the sound of Arakaki Jin chewing.
The only person whose brain was still working was Jango, and his one coherent thought was:
As expected. Boss' pull on little lolis is absolutely busted…
Neptune and Otohime swam over, looking mortified.
"Our apologies, Mr. White," Neptune said. "Our daughter is being rude."
"No big deal." Jin didn't even look up, still working through a mountain of food. "Just take her back to sleep. She's exhausted—that's the only reason she knocked out this fast."
"Alright!"
Neptune reached out to pick Shirahoshi up.
The moment Jin started to lift his wing, Shirahoshi's small hand tightened around one golden feathered edge.
"…Huh."
They tried several times, tried several different approaches.
Nothing worked.
The one time they actually managed to move the wing away, Neptune barely brushed Shirahoshi's arm before she burst into tears.
Not a normal cry, either—the full-on, can't-breathe, can't-stop kind of sobbing that shredded everyone's nerves.
In the end, Jin could only sigh and lower his wing back over her.
Shirahoshi quieted instantly, snuggling into place and dropping into a deep, steady sleep.
Jin stared up at the ceiling with an utterly flat expression.
He couldn't actually see the sky from down here, but his entire posture radiated one clear complaint:
How did I end up getting used as a mattress by a little mermaid…
After some frantic discussion, everyone reluctantly accepted reality.
There was no other way.
They would just have to trouble Mr. White for one night.
All unrelated personnel were dismissed. Only Neptune, Otohime, the two ministers, and Jinbe remained behind.
As for Jango, he'd used the excuse of "I should check on my boys" and bolted the first chance he got.
Jin, full and satisfied, let out a lazy burp, glanced down at little Shirahoshi—dead to the world—and shook his head.
Didn't even wake up once while I was eating. Tough little princess.
Forget it.
A full stomach made him sleepy too.
He coiled his tail around Shirahoshi's bubble and curled protectively, then dropped his chin to the floor and fell asleep right there.
You could call it an enormous heart or just total disregard for common sense—but the Golden Dragon snored through the night in the royal hall as if it were his own den.
At one point, Otohime noticed Shirahoshi roll over in her sleep, turning so her face ended up pointing toward Jin's dragon head before settling again.
Otohime and the others exchanged helpless looks as the two dozed peacefully.
They didn't dare leave.
So they simply stayed and kept watch over the dragon and the princess until morning.
—
By the time Jin woke, he greeted the day with a huge yawn, smacked his lips, and finally registered the warm little weight on his wing.
He tilted his head down.
Oh. Little Shirahoshi.
The mermaid princess slowly blinked awake.
The very first thing she saw was a massive golden dragon head staring straight back at her.
Fwsh—
Her face turned bright pink on the spot as memories of last night rushed back.
That strange tugging, the overwhelming sleepiness, her body walking over on its own… and then just collapsing against his side.
Jin couldn't resist poking at her.
"Sleep well, little princess?"
"Kya—!"
Shirahoshi snatched her hand away from his wing like she'd been burned and shot behind Otohime in a blur, tail flicking so fast it buzzed.
She tried to make herself as small as a four-meter-tall mermaid princess could be, desperately avoiding his gaze.
Neptune and Otohime both chuckled.
The moment she realized everyone was looking at her, Shirahoshi bolted, darting out of the hall—no doubt to hide under her blankets.
"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. White," Otohime said, bowing lightly.
"It's fine. I was just sleeping too. Didn't bother me," Jin replied. He shifted sideways so she couldn't bow directly to him.
"Would you like to stay for breakfast, Mr. White?" Neptune asked.
"Mm…"
Jin thought for a second, then shook his head.
"I'll pass. I've got a lot to do. I'll be off."
He rose, spread his golden wings, and shot out of the palace, a streak of light in the sea.
The royals watched his silhouette vanish into the distant water.
Dark circles ringed Neptune's eyes, and the Left and Right Ministers weren't looking much better.
Jinbe, meanwhile, seemed perfectly fine. At his level, a sleepless night was an inconvenience, not a problem.
"I'll go check on Shirahoshi," Otohime said. "You all should get some rest."
"Understood, Your Majesty. We'll take our leave," Jinbe replied, bowing before heading off with the ministers.
Neptune and Otohime swam down the corridor to their daughter's room.
"Shirahoshi," Otohime called softly.
A pink head popped out of a mound of blankets immediately.
"Mother! Father!"
"What's wrong, Shirahoshi?" Otohime asked, hiding a smile. "Are you feeling shy? After all, you went straight up and fell asleep on him."
"Ahh—Mother, please don't say it!"
Shirahoshi's entire face went scarlet.
She dove back under the covers, burying herself like an ostrich.
Her parents couldn't help laughing.
Once she'd calmed down a bit, Otohime sat by the bed and smoothed her daughter's hair.
"Alright, Shirahoshi. Last night you said something was… pulling you, remember? Tell Mother—what exactly did you feel?"
Shirahoshi peeked out again, trying her best to ignore her embarrassment.
"I… don't really know, Mother," she said honestly. "I was playing with my brothers when suddenly it just… happened. It felt like a power grabbed my heart and started pulling me. Very strong."
"I couldn't resist it at all. So I followed it. The closer I got, the stronger it became. When I finally saw Lord White, it was so strong I couldn't hold back anymore…"
Her voice gradually faded as her cheeks went red again.
"And now?" Otohime asked gently. "Do you still feel it?"
"Mm… no." Shirahoshi shook her head. "It's strange. When I woke up this morning, it was gone. And… it hasn't come back."
Neptune chimed in.
"Were you afraid of him?" he asked. "You know he's a stranger to you."
"Um… at the beginning, I was a little scared," she admitted. "He's a giant dragon, after all."
"But once I saw Lord White, that fear just… faded. And that power pulling at me kept telling me that he wouldn't hurt me."
"When I got close to him, I felt… peaceful. It's hard to describe. Just very, very safe."
She paused, then added brightly:
"And Father, Mother, I feel like I slept so well last night. When I woke up, all my tiredness was gone."
King and queen shared a long, heavy look.
They stayed with Shirahoshi through breakfast, then watched her happily swim off to play with her brothers, the previous night already turning into something dreamlike in her mind.
On the way back, Neptune finally spoke.
"Otohime," he said quietly, "Shirahoshi has that identity… so could that Marine also have some special identity?"
Otohime shook her head slowly.
"I don't know if he does," she answered. "But Neptune—when he hadn't suppressed his aura yesterday… didn't you feel anything?"
She remembered clearly.
That first moment, when the enormous dragon had descended on Fishman Island, she hadn't just felt fear.
Something deep in her bloodline had been pressed down, like some instinctive urge to kneel.
Neptune's expression tightened.
"I did," he admitted. "Very clearly. A terrible unease. Once he shrank, that feeling disappeared."
Otohime remembered how her husband had trembled at the time and couldn't help covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"Er, Otohime… don't tell Shirahoshi or the others about that, alright?" Neptune pleaded, blushing under his beard.
"I know. I won't," she promised.
Then she took a breath and voiced the bold idea that had come to her the day before.
Neptune's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"What?! That—that's impossible!"
"Why not?" Otohime asked calmly. "Look at how strong Mr. White is now. And he'll only get stronger."
"Look at Fishman Island. How much has changed just from following his advice?"
"We used to fly Whitebeard's flag, but merfolk were still hunted all the time. Compare that to now."
The more she spoke, the lower Neptune's head drooped.
"But even so… even so, it's still impossible," he muttered stubbornly.
He was a noble to the bone. Deep down, he still looked down on Jin's origins—on humans in general, on Marines in particular.
Otohime had long since seen through him.
Her husband always looked down at others. Never once did he consider who he was, stacked up against monsters of the sea.
One man could wipe Fishman Island off the map alone, and he still turned up his nose?
"There's nothing to discuss," Otohime said firmly. "When I find the right opportunity, I'll talk to Mr. White."
"Sigh… Otohime, should we at least think of Shirahoshi's feelings?" Neptune tried weakly. "She's still so young…"
He had run out of arguments and was clutching at the last excuse left.
Otohime was so angry she turned and left without another word.
Think of Shirahoshi's feelings? You blind fish. Didn't you see how she clung to him? Didn't you hear her say how safe she felt?
Shirahoshi's own heart had already given them the answer.
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