Translator: PapaSmurf0700
"So… if my heart is strong, I can be strong too?" Shirahoshi pondered Luffy's simple words, her enormous eyes filled with doubt. "But can someone like me really do that?"
"How the hell should I know? That's your problem," Luffy said, hopping off her tail and stretching his rubbery limbs. He looked up at her, a grin spreading across his face. "But for now, let's get going."
"Eh? Get going?!" she squeaked, her voice trembling.
"Yeah. You gave me food, so I'll take you wherever you want to go," Luffy stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "That's your dream, isn't it, crybaby?"
"Crybaby! M-Mr. Luffy, you're calling me that already?" His blunt words struck her like a physical blow.
"Shishishi! Let's go!" Luffy laughed, already walking toward the tower door.
"But…"
"Don't worry," Luffy said without looking back. "Anything that comes flying at you, I'll just knock it out of the sky. I'll protect you, crybaby."
The words were so simple, so matter-of-fact coming from him. But to Shirahoshi, they were everything. For eight long years, ever since Vander Decken IX began his wretched assault, she had been a prisoner in this hard-shell tower, locked away by her loving but terrified father and brothers. For eight years, she had longed for the outside world, for the Sea Forest, for a chance to visit her mother's grave, but she never dared to ask. And now, this boy she had just met was offering her the one thing she wanted most in the world. How could she not be moved?
"Hurry up, crybaby!" Luffy called, waving from the open doorway.
Just then, an enraged voice echoed from the hallway. "LUFFY! YOU BASTARD!"
"Eh? Sanji! Why is everyone here?" Luffy looked on, confused, as the rest of his crew, along with King Neptune and his soldiers, came into view.
The next second, a furious Sanji was upon him, a fiery leg lashing out. Luffy dodged just in time.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE MERMAID PRINCESS?!" Sanji roared. As a chef who dreamed of All Blue, Sanji was also, quite obviously, a hopeless pervert.
"Mr. Luffy?!" A breathtakingly beautiful voice floated from behind him. It was so lovely that Sanji froze mid-rant, a sudden realization dawning on him: the legendary Mermaid Princess was right there. He smoothly pulled out a cigarette, lit it with practiced nonchalance, and turned around with what he hoped was a look of suave determination.
He was met with the sight of Shirahoshi's impossibly beautiful face, her features shifting with anxiety.
"I… can die with no regrets," Sanji whispered, and with that, his entire body seized up and turned to solid stone.
"SANJI! HE'S BEEN PETRIFIED!" Chopper screamed, rushing over.
"Yohohoho! She truly is the legendary beauty!" Brook shivered with excitement.
"Hey, Brook, you're having a nosebleed!" Chopper yelled. "How can a skeleton even get a nosebleed?!"
Ignoring the frantic reindeer, Brook glided over to the panicking princess, gave a graceful bow, and opened his mouth. "Excuse me, miss, but might I be so bold as to ask to see your…"
CRACKLE!
A bolt of lightning sent him flying. The Straw Hat Pirates' own superweapon, "Natural Disaster" Nami, had intervened.
"You will absolutely NOT say things like that to her!" she thundered, crackling with electricity, her presence so immense that Jinbe, standing nearby, gaped in awe.
"Is… is that… Conqueror's Haki?!"
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Back in the banquet hall of Ryugu Palace, the Straw Hats were gathered once more, with Princess Shirahoshi now joining them. Well, most of them were seated. Not far from the table, the charred bodies of Sanji and Brook lay twitching on the floor—the clear aftermath of Nami's judgment. She had learned of Shirahoshi's long confinement and had zero tolerance for the crew's two resident degenerates. If one looked closely, however, you could see faint, blissful smiles on their unconscious faces.
Luffy explained what happened, and no one in the crew objected to his plan to take Shirahoshi out. In fact, most of them thought he was the perfect person to guide her. King Neptune, though initially worried, was persuaded by Jinbe and the firm, hopeful tone in his daughter's voice.
With that settled, the banquet resumed, and Luffy began his third feast of the day. As he ate, the others made their plans.
"I will accompany Princess Shirahoshi to the Sea Forest," Jinbe declared. "It has been too long since I paid my respects to Queen Otohime."
"Guess I'll find somewhere to get a drink," Zoro grunted, already looking lost.
"AWOOO! I'll take the Merry to see an old acquaintance!" Franky said, striking a SUPER pose. "Master Tom told me he had a shipwright relative here on Fish-Man Island!"
"I'm going shopping for some new clothes!" Nami said, turning to the starfish fashion designer with a devious smile. "And Pappag, you're not going to forget your promise to me, are you?"
"Of course not!" Pappag preened, crossing his arms. "As the creator of the world-famous Criminal brand, my word is my bond!" He had no idea of the financial ruin that awaited him.
"Merry and I will go buy some supplies," Usopp announced, Merry nodding beside him. "The New World is a different beast. We need to be prepared."
"In that case, Chopper, you should come with me to the royal library," Robin suggested with her usual serene smile. "Who knows what secrets we might uncover."
"I promised I'd take Sanji and Brook to Madam Sharley's Mermaid Cafe," Camie added, handling her recovery mission for the fallen duo.
As for Bai Ye, he simply stated he had "somewhere to be," offering no further details. No one pressed him. On this ship, his word was enough.
After the banquet, the crew scattered.
"ALRIGHT! TO THE SEA FOREST!" Luffy yelled, perched atop his shark, Megalo, with Shirahoshi trailing nervously behind in her bubble.
As they traveled, the residents of Fish-Man Island stared in shock to see their reclusive princess out in the open. Their worry, however, quickly turned to relief when they saw she was flanked by the pirate Monkey D. Luffy and the Knight of the Sea, Jinbe. She was, after all, in very reliable hands.