Looking at Chiga in front of her, Shirahoshi was so startled she hid behind Megalo, poking her head out to ask timidly:
"Who are you?"
Chiga paused. Shirahoshi's reaction reminded him exactly why she earned the nickname "Timid-Hoshi" in the anime. He gave her a calm look and replied:
"I'm the guest your father, King Neptune, personally went to welcome. My name is Uchiha Chiga."
"Eh!? How rude of me, Lord Chiga!"
Shirahoshi's heart was incredibly pure. Hearing Chiga mention her father, she immediately believed him and quickly tried to apologize.
Chiga smiled faintly, then activated his Room ability. In an instant, he vanished and reappeared beside her.
Shirahoshi was awestruck by the teleportation and gasped, eyes wide:
"Lord Chiga is amazing!"
Without a word, Chiga sat cross-legged on Shirahoshi's massive bed. She stared at his legs, then asked curiously:
"Lord Chiga, are you from the surface?"
"Yes, why?"
"Then… have you seen sunlight? Flowers? Lots of animals?"
"Yes. All those things are very common on land."
"Really?! I'm so jealous... I wish I could go up there and see it all for myself."
Shirahoshi curled her pink mermaid tail as she spoke. She didn't mind Chiga sitting on her bed—after all, besides her father and brothers, almost no one else ever came here. Being able to talk to someone like this was rare, and she cherished it deeply.
Especially since Chiga was the guest her father spoke so highly of—she couldn't be rude again.
Chiga looked at the princess, her eyes full of longing. She had clearly been isolated here for too long, enough that even a stranger like him fascinated her.
After a moment's thought, he reached out a hand and asked:
"Shirahoshi, do you want to come out and see the world with me?"
Shirahoshi's eyes lit up with desire, but her face quickly dimmed. She wanted to leave the Hard-Shell Tower more than anything—but the moment she did, attackers would come.
She wasn't afraid of getting hurt, but she couldn't bear the thought of Chiga getting hurt because of her—or of ruining her father and brothers' efforts to protect her.
So she shook her head and whispered:
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Chiga… but I can't."
"Hmm? Are you worried about Vander?"
"Yes… If I go out, Lord Chiga, you'll get hurt too."
"Hahaha!"
Chiga suddenly burst out laughing, his voice echoing through the tower.
Megalo was so startled by the laugh he dove under the bed, trembling. Shirahoshi, on the other hand, just stared blankly at Chiga, confused by his sudden laughter.
After a moment, Chiga calmed down. He stood, walked over to her, and gently took her hand.
With a confident smile, he said:
"With me here, no one can harm you. Come with me."
Shirahoshi gazed into his deep, violet Rinnegan eyes. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable warmth, as though countless voices echoed in her heart:
"Trust him. Go with him."
Startled, she shook her head quickly.
Chiga raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"Lord Chiga… I just heard strange voices. They told me to trust you. To go with you…"
"Oh?"
Chiga's expression sharpened. He scanned their surroundings, confirming only Shirahoshi, himself, and Neptune and Jinbe outside the door. No one else was around.
He could only attribute this phenomenon to her identity—as the Ancient Weapon, Poseidon.
He didn't dwell on it. Instead, he repeated:
"Shirahoshi, come with me."
This time, she didn't hesitate. Whether it was the strange voices or the calm in Chiga's eyes, she chose to believe in him—and gently clasped his outstretched hand.
Her hand was much larger than his, which made the gesture look a bit awkward. But the meaning was clear.
Chiga gave her a reassuring smile. Then, with a thought, the two vanished from the room.
---
Whoosh!
At the entrance of the Hard-Shell Tower, King Neptune and Jinbe were standing on guard, alert for attacks from Vander in the distance. Suddenly, Chiga appeared before them—Shirahoshi standing safely at his side.
Neptune's eyes widened in shock. He quickly stepped forward and protectively pulled Shirahoshi behind him.
"Shirahoshi! Why are you outside!? Don't you know how dangerous it is out here!?"
Tears welled in Shirahoshi's eyes. She was terrified her father would be angry with her.
Chiga stepped in calmly.
"I brought her out."
"It's... it's Admiral Purple Kirin's doing. Thank you so much, Shirahoshi! Hurry and thank Admiral Kirin!"
Shirahoshi tilted her head in confusion. Her father had just been angry, and now he'd completely changed his tone. Question marks seemed to appear above her head.
Neptune, seeing her dazed expression, groaned inwardly and urged her again.
"Don't just stand there, thank Admiral Kirin!"
"Admiral Kirin? But Father… I don't know who that is…"
"Nani!? Then who brought you out?!"
"Huh? Lord Chiga did."
"…"
Neptune and Jinbe fell silent. They only ever dared refer to Chiga with his formal title, "Admiral Purple Kirin," but this girl was calling him by name?
Yet Chiga didn't seem offended in the slightest.
But before they could speak further, another spinning weapon came flying from the distance—aimed directly at Shirahoshi.
Fear flashed in her eyes. Instinctively, she stepped away from Chiga, not wanting to get him caught in the attack.
But Chiga immediately flashed forward, appearing in front of her. His violet eyes gleamed, and the projectile shattered into dust.
Shirahoshi stared at his back—the same back cloaked in the justice cape of the Marines. Though smaller than her father's and even her own, in that moment, it felt like the safest place in the world.
Chiga didn't even glance back. His Observation Haki had already locked onto Vander. He extended a hand toward the direction of the attack and muttered:
"Universal Pull."
Buzz!
"AHHH—!"
A shrill scream rang out as Vanders was dragged across the battlefield by an unseen force. He crashed through rocks and debris, bleeding and broken, until he landed in Chiga's grasp—choked firmly by the neck.
Vander looked at Chiga in pure terror, trying to speak—but Chiga interrupted coldly.
"Shirahoshi. Close your eyes."
"Eh? Okay, Lord Chiga."
She didn't question him, just closed her eyes with full trust.
A moment later, there was a deafening surge of crackling energy—followed by silence.
When Shirahoshi opened her eyes again, Chiga was standing before her with a calm smile.
Behind him, all that remained of Vander was a pile of blackened ash.
---
I went to check if we hit 100 Powerstones (so I could drop some bonus chapters)… and got hit with a shock instead,
So yeah… no bonus chapter for now (-_-;)