Luffy felt helpless.
Suddenly, he returned to his original size, sat back at the table, and explained seriously:
"Getting bigger is just one of my abilities."
Shirahoshi blinked, a confused look on her face.
"Forget it, that's not important. Don't you want to go out for a walk? It must be boring staying in this room all the time."
Shirahoshi's bright eyes lit up with joy at Luffy's invitation, but quickly dimmed again.
"How long have you been trapped here?" Luffy asked.
"Ten years. Ever since a man named Vander Decken started sending me letters asking me to marry him, my father made me live here."
Shirahoshi curled up on her shell bed, wrapping her arms around her tail.
Because so few people talked to her, she unexpectedly shared her own story.
If you subtract ten years from sixteen, the answer is six.
At first, it was a marriage proposal letter. Then it turned into a threatening letter. Then into swords, weapons, and axes…
Luffy really wanted to beat up that Vander-whatever-his-name-was.
His goal wasn't just Shirahoshi herself, but the power she possessed.
But honestly, Shirahoshi's character was relatively innocent and easy to get along with.
To be hated by a woman like Shirahoshi… uh, a fish-woman?
Forget it, "mermaid" is more fitting.
But what made Luffy even angrier at that Vander-whatever was the fact that he had been sending marriage proposals to a six-year-old child.
"Don't be afraid. I promise you'll be safe with me."
While talking to Shirahoshi and keeping her entertained, Luffy pulled out the System's Awakening Fruit.
It was worth 10,000 adventure coins—an expensive item guaranteed to awaken the user's ability once eaten.
Luffy thought carefully about who should eat it.
Both Nami and Vivi had Logias, and he wasn't sure what effect awakening a Logia would have.
Aside from them, there was also Hancock—but he didn't know if her fruit had awakened. He'd ask her the next time he had the chance.
And then there was Law.
If Law's Ope Ope Fruit were awakened, it would also gain incredible power.
"Luffy, what's that?" Shirahoshi leaned her face close, curious.
The white fruit was about the size of an apple, but slightly smaller.
"Want to eat it? It's really tasty."
The System Fruit, never mind its special effects, was far too expensive to just give away!
"Can I eat it?" Shirahoshi's face lit up with joy.
"Nope."
Luffy opened his mouth and took a bite.
In an instant, the Shock Fruit awakened.
As if he had been born with it, he instantly mastered a brand-new kind of power.
"Humph!"
Shirahoshi puffed out her cheeks.
Luffy laughed and handed her the fruit, now missing the first bite.
"I was just proving it wasn't poisoned. Want it?"
After the first bite, the Awakening Fruit's effect would already be triggered, and it would work the same for anyone who ate the rest.
Hearing that, Shirahoshi immediately felt embarrassed, realizing she had wrongfully blamed Luffy.
"Sorry…"
She first apologized, then gracefully reached out her hands.
The Awakening Fruit, originally smaller than an apple, fell into her palm, and the unit of measure shifted from "piece" to "grain."
"Is it really delicious?"
"You'll know if you try."
Shaking his head, Luffy silently digested his new awakening power and reached for a pink coral stick beside him.
With half-closed eyes, he released the power of the Gura Gura no Mi. In the next moment—
The pink stick began to tremble slightly.
Luffy set it on the table, and the vibration didn't stop.
"The awakened Gura Gura can transfer quake power into other objects."
He thought to himself.
By fixing it onto external objects, he could naturally create a space filled with powerful earthquakes.
However, this obviously wasn't the right place to test such an ability, so Luffy dropped the idea.
"Delicious!"
Suddenly, Shirahoshi's cheerful voice reached his ears.
Luffy came back to his senses, looked at the girl, and smiled: "Of course, it cost ten thousand, after all."
"That's simply too little, Luffy."
Shirahoshi gazed at him with longing, clearly wanting more.
At that, Luffy could only spread his hands helplessly. Nothing he could do.
"Huh? This is bubble-coral, why is it shaking?"
Suddenly noticing the pink stick vibrating on the table, Shirahoshi curiously picked it up.
Luffy's expression instantly turned a bit awkward.
Bubble-coral was a unique item found only on Fish-Man Island. It looked like a coral with short branches. By pressing its top, a bubble capable of holding a person would appear, allowing the user to float within the island's boundaries.
When they had arrived at the palace from Fish-Man Island, Fukaboshi had even shown it to them.
Fortunately, the quake-power infused in the bubble-coral wasn't strong and quickly dissipated.
Otherwise, Luffy couldn't shake the feeling something about it was wrong.
(Did I just create a… vibrator?) Luffy thought.
"Come on, I'll take you for a walk outside. With this, you can go anywhere on Fish-Man Island. Where do you want to go?"
"I want to go to the Sea Forest…"
The two had gotten to know each other fairly well, and this time Shirahoshi was genuinely moved. She hesitated before saying:
"It's just… if I leave without permission, it will break my father's heart."
"Who said you were running away? Are you saying you want to run away with me?"
"Eh?!" Shirahoshi blushed.
"Shishishi~ Let's go to the banquet hall and tell your father. I'll explain that I'm taking you out for a stroll. I'm sure he'll agree."
"Really?"
"Really."
Luffy hopped off the table in a single jump, went to the door, and pushed open the heavy gate.
Immediately, sunlight streamed in, making Shirahoshi clutch the bubble-coral nervously in her hands.
For the first time in so many years, she saw the door completely open.
Joyfully, she pressed the button, and a bubble of air soon wrapped around her mermaid tail.
"By the way, you'd better put on a coat instead of just going around in a bra—it's going to cause problems for others."
Like, say, a certain pervert who might literally die on the spot.
"Yes~!"
---
Ballroom
After Robin's questioning, Neptune quickly confessed everything.
"Every few hundred years, on Fish-Man Island, a mermaid princess is born who can communicate with the Sea Kings… But Shirahoshi is by no means a weapon! Even if it costs me my life, no… you must not harm Shirahoshi!"
Neptune furrowed his brows.
He had learned about Poseidon from Roger.
More than twenty years ago, Gol D. Roger—before he became Pirate King—had come to Fish-Man Island and asked him similar questions.
At that time, Shirahoshi hadn't even been born.
"So Poseidon turned out to be a mermaid princess?" Robin was very surprised and sank into deep thought.
"Mermaid Princess!?"
Sanji immediately imagined the image of a mermaid in his mind. A normal mermaid was already adorable—so the Mermaid Princess must be…
"Rumor has it she's as beautiful as Boa Hancock," Law added.
"Ahhhhh, stop talking, Law! And you too, Sanji—quit fantasizing! Your nose will start bleeding again!!" Chopper yelled.
Seeing this, Neptune grew tense. "I won't allow you to meet Shirahoshi. Give it up…"
"Hey, Neptune, I brought your daughter."
Suddenly, Luffy entered through the door—Shirahoshi at his side.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."