"You came because of Shirahoshi?"
Neptune was so startled that he immediately rose from his seat, leaning halfway across the table and crushing some of the food in front of him.
Rayleigh was taken aback.
He hadn't expected Neptune to react so emotionally at the mere mention of Shirahoshi.
"Uh, yes, we're here for Shirahoshi. We wanted to—"
Rayleigh had prepared his speech on the way here, intending to explain the impending crisis facing Fish-Man Island.
Their goal was to persuade Neptune to entrust Shirahoshi—one of the Ancient Weapons known as the Poseidon—to their care.
With the Beast God Pirates' sudden rise to power, Rayleigh felt it was no longer safe to leave her on Fish-Man Island.
Though the secret of Shirahoshi being the Poseidon was known to very few—aside from Neptune and his close circle, only the remnants of the Roger Pirates and Luffy's crew were aware—Rayleigh was deeply wary of Caesar.
That was why he wanted to move Shirahoshi to Sabaody for protection.
However, as soon as Rayleigh broached the subject, Neptune became visibly agitated, his face a mix of surprise and excitement.
He flailed his arms and exclaimed, "That's wonderful! I never expected you'd come because of Shirahoshi's illness! How did you even find out that she fell sick shortly after returning from the Reverie?"
"Wait... what? Shirahoshi is sick?"
Rayleigh was stunned.
He immediately realized Neptune had misunderstood, but he didn't correct him.
Instead, he stood up and asked, "What illness does Shirahoshi have? Where is she now?"
Neptune sighed, his face clouded with worry.
"I don't know. The doctors on Fish-Man Island say it might be Land Adaptation Syndrome. Normally, when merfolk stay on land for extended periods, they experience minor discomfort symptoms. But this time, Shirahoshi's condition seems more serious."
As Neptune spoke, he stood up and walked outside.
"Come with me. Shirahoshi is resting in her room now. I've had my two sons take turns looking after her."
Immediately, Rayleigh, Gaban, Jinbei, and others like Fukaboshi followed Neptune toward Shirahoshi's room.
Shirahoshi's room wasn't far from the Ryugu Palace's main hall.
From the outside, it resembled a castle-like structure.
When everyone followed Neptune inside, they discovered a hidden world within.
A massive shell, as large as a table, lay open, revealing an enormous white pearl.
Strings of pearl curtains hung from the ceiling, and pink silk drapes adorned the walls as decorations.
The room was spacious enough to accommodate everyone.
Not only that, but inside was also a peculiar 25-meter-long shark wearing a scarf—Shirahoshi's pet, named Megalo.
"Father, you're here," said a tall, lanky, and somewhat unattractive fish-man sitting by a massive bed.
He stood up upon seeing the group enter.
"Ryuboshi, how is Shirahoshi?"
This was Neptune's second son, Ryuboshi.
Ryuboshi sighed. "No signs of improvement."
"Damn it, what kind of illness is this?!" Neptune groaned in anguish, punching the wall in frustration.
"We shouldn't have gone to that Reverie. If we hadn't, Shirahoshi probably wouldn't have fallen ill! Otohime, I've failed you. I couldn't protect our child."
Rayleigh stepped forward and saw Shirahoshi lying on the bed—nearly twelve meters long, with an extraordinarily beautiful and enchanting appearance, a voluptuous figure, and a long pink tail that added a unique exotic charm to the mermaid princess.
Yet this stunning princess now lay with her eyes closed, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, her massive body trembling faintly from time to time.
"What... what exactly happened? Neptune, when did Shirahoshi fall ill? If the Fish-Man Island doctors can't treat her, have you tried human doctors?"
Rayleigh turned to Neptune, who was lost in regret.
Neptune wiped the tears from his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
"It started a little over a month ago. Back then, Shirahoshi suddenly told me that a huge voice often echoed in her heart. But at the time, it was only occasional."
"But then, about ten days ago, she suddenly couldn't stand steadily. She said the voice in her heart was growing louder, similar to the voices of Sea Kings she usually hears—but much, much louder. As if... as if..."
Neptune swallowed hard. "As if an unprecedented, colossal Sea King was whispering in her heart."
Rayleigh frowned deeply.
"It started over a month ago? Got worse ten days ago, with the voice growing louder? Hiss... Could it be... Shirahoshi's identity as Poseidon has fully awakened?"
Neptune shook his head: "I've never heard of Poseidon needing some kind of complete awakening. I simply thought there might truly be a massive Sea King—perhaps the king of all Sea Kings—summoning Shirahoshi. But here on Fish-Man Island, we've never seen a Sea King larger than the one that appeared when Straw Hat came."
Gaban's expression darkened, as if recalling something, and he suddenly interjected.
"Rayleigh, didn't we once see a fish as massive as a mountain range?"
Gaban's words struck Rayleigh like thunder, causing his body to sway slightly.
His face paled, and he exclaimed in shock: "Caesar!"
That's right!
Caesar, that guy, had just awakened in Wano Country a little over a month ago.
Less than two weeks ago, he had been in Totto Land—even closer to Fish-Man Island!
And Caesar possessed the ability to transform into the largest creature possible among the Zoan-type Devil Fruits in this world.
The Mythical Zoan, Fish-Fish Fruit, Kunpeng!
Rayleigh remembered that day aboard the flying Oro Jackson, when Caesar, to block the ten meteorites Fujitora had summoned, first transformed into a golden bird that blotted out the sky, then into a colossal black whale that stretched from earth to heaven.
Even those ten meteorites had been swallowed whole, leaving not a single one behind.
That had been the largest fish they had ever seen—so immense they had mistaken it for a vast, winding mountain range!
Seeing Rayleigh's shaken expression, Neptune urgently asked, "Rayleigh, what about Caesar?"
Rayleigh took a deep breath and slowly explained, "Neptune, Shirahoshi's condition might be related to that Beast God Caesar I mentioned to you. His ability allows him to transform into the largest fish in existence."
Neptune's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock.