Ryugu Palace.
Today, King Neptune hadn't gone out with Queen Otohime. Instead, he was listening to the Prime Minister's report.
"What? You're saying the treasury was broken into?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the minister said gravely. "This morning, I discovered clear signs that the vault door had been opened without authorization."
"What was stolen?" Neptune asked.
"The contents of the national treasure, the Tamatebako, were emptied out. Nothing else is missing."
"That one… Do you have any suspects?" Neptune's expression grew complicated. Of course he knew what was inside.
The item itself wasn't his real concern—what unsettled him was that a thief had slipped into Ryugu Palace itself. If such a person had malicious intent, if someone ingested the forbidden pills and ran amok inside the palace, the consequences would be disastrous.
The minister hesitated before saying, "The only outsiders who entered the palace yesterday were Mister Zhang Da Ye and his group, so…"
"No. It can't be them." Neptune shook his head firmly. He trusted his and the Queen's judgment. Zhang Da Ye's group didn't seem like the type who would do such a thing. "Do not make this public for now. Investigate quietly."
"Yes, understood. I've already planted explosives inside the Tamatebako. If the thief dares return, they'll be blown to pieces."
Neptune pinched the bridge of his nose. The box was already empty—why would the thief ever come back? To take a souvenir photo?
…
"Jinbei."
"Zhang Da Ye."
Introduced by Queen Otohime, Zhang Da Ye finally met the strongest fighter on Fishman Island. Their hands clasped in a firm handshake.
"This is actually my first time shaking hands with a fishman," Zhang Da Ye said with a smile.
"How does it feel?" Jinbei asked kindly.
"Well…" Zhang Da Ye hesitated before asking, "Would you let me touch your webbed palm? In exchange, you can touch Tom's paw pads."
"Meow?" Tom objected immediately.
"Hahaha, you're a funny man."
The group later sat together at the Mermaid Café to chat. Today's signature campaign had temporarily wrapped up, and Queen Otohime's smile hadn't faded once.
"About that Macuro gang incident, I must apologize," Jinbei said seriously when Zhang Da Ye brought it up. He even bowed his head toward Camie. "It must have frightened you."
"Eh? No, no, it's fine!" Camie waved her hands quickly. "I wasn't hurt at all. Actually, I admire you a lot, Jinbei-nii. I heard you even became a Warlord of the Sea to protect Fishman Island."
Jinbei shook his head, glancing at the Queen. "When I accepted the title of Warlord, I thought I could narrow the distance between Fishman Island and the World Government. I've caused Her Highness plenty of trouble before. Consider this some small form of repayment. Born in the Fishman District, I was useless aside from fighting. This was the only job I could take."
"Please don't say that," Queen Otohime replied. "You and Fisher Tiger both fought for the sake of our people. We simply chose different paths."
At that moment, a graceful, black-haired mermaid carried over coffee and snacks.
"Your Highness, Jinbei-sama, if you need anything else, just let me know."
"Thank you, Shyarly," Queen Otohime said warmly.
"Shyarly, how have you been?" Jinbei asked.
"Her Highness is the one who works hardest. But thank you, Jinbei-sama. Business at the café has been good," she replied.
Shyarly was the café's owner, and also Arlong's younger sister. Like him, she came from the Fishman District, but her attitude toward humans was completely different. Queen Otohime knew her mostly because of Shyarly's unusual profession—she was a fortune-teller.
At age three, she had predicted the birth of the Mermaid Princess awaited by the Sea Kings. At four, she foretold the coming of the Great Pirate Era. Her predictions of major world events had a one hundred percent accuracy rate.
She could only glimpse flashes of the future, sometimes knowing when and where they would happen, sometimes not at all. The randomness of it reminded people of the great toad sage from another tale entirely.
After exchanging pleasantries, Shyarly turned to Zhang Da Ye. "You must be the guest invited by the Queen, Mister Zhang Da Ye? You know, staring at people like that is quite rude."
"Ah, apologies. I was just thinking about the rumors of your prophecies," Zhang Da Ye said.
"Oh? You've heard of them too?" Shyarly raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. They say your predictions never fail. I was curious."
"In that case, since I'm in the mood today, I'll give you a reading." She turned to fetch her crystal ball.
Queen Otohime and Jinbei exchanged a glance. Both were eager to hear—knowing the future, even a little, meant they could prepare.
Rui Meng Meng, however, tilted her head. "Boss, do you really believe in fortune-telling? Isn't that just superstition?"
"Pfft." Zhang Da Ye laughed. "It sounds so grand when people call it prophecy, but you're making it sound like a street scam. Doesn't matter though—she's not charging us. Let's just enjoy it."
"Oh, right." Rui Meng Meng nodded. If it was free, why not.
Artoria, sitting nearby, didn't dismiss it so easily. In her world, strange powers certainly existed.
Shark Chili, on the other hand, scoffed. He believed only in science, nothing else.
Tom, however, was instantly convinced. When Shyarly reappeared holding her crystal ball, he remembered a dream he once had of an old witch. Back then, she'd tormented him endlessly. The dream felt so real that when he woke up, he'd actually learned how to fly on a broomstick.
Wait. Tom froze. I can fly?
He mulled it over for half a second before shrugging. Not important. The desserts on Fishman Island were amazing, and if he didn't hurry, Artoria would eat them all.
Shyarly placed a peach-colored cushion on the table and gently set her crystal ball on top. Then she held her hands above it, eyes locked on the glass as if peering into its depths. Minutes passed before she finally pulled back.
Zhang Da Ye frowned. No glowing lights, no swirling visions—he could only see his own reflection in the ball. Honestly, it was less impressive than Basil Hawkins' tarot cards.
Still, given her track record, he decided to wait and hear her out.
"I see Mister Zhang Da Ye surrounded by powerful enemies," Shyarly said solemnly. "Your companions are fighting countless foes at your side."
A battle? That wasn't too surprising. Zhang Da Ye could imagine it happening—maybe someone targeted Tom or Shark Chili, or maybe they accidentally provoked a notorious pirate. A fight wasn't unusual.
And being outnumbered wasn't a big deal either. Hadn't Mihawk once cut down dozens while chasing Krieg?
"But what happens next…" Shyarly's voice grew heavy. "You must prepare yourself."
Zhang Da Ye tensed. Did she see something truly bad? "What is it?"
Shyarly cast a pitying look at Tom before speaking. "Your cat… will die."
Zhang Da Ye: …
Terrifying. Was Tom really destined to die one day…?
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon com/GuessMyName33 for advanced chapters]