The chefs of Ryugu Palace worked fast. In no time, they had prepared a massive spread of fish for Tom.
Even though Neptune's royal family were all merfolk and didn't eat fish, making the palace chefs less skilled with it, that wasn't a problem—they could always outsource.
With royal authority, Neptune only had to give the word to summon the best chefs from the island, and those chefs considered it an honor to cook for him.
Of course, Neptune didn't play favorites. Along with the fish, all kinds of other dishes kept arriving at the table nonstop.
After spending these days together, Neptune already knew how outrageous these people's appetites were. Even with his giant-sized body, he had to admit defeat.
But he was a man of the world. For the strong, having a massive appetite was normal. Food wasn't an issue for Ryugu Palace, and compared to the favors Zhang Da Ye's group had done, the cost of a few meals was nothing.
The chefs, though, were working hard. Neptune made a mental note to give them raises later.
Jinbei wasn't at the palace—early that morning, he had gone straight to Fishman Street with men to make arrests. He wanted to start by catching the most vicious criminals, test the reaction there, and maybe find leads on Vander Decken.
Neptune and Otohime were also busy with their own duties. They didn't sit in on every meal.
Zhang Da Ye and the others didn't mind at all. They were all familiar enough now that there was no need to stand on ceremony. So it was just them, happily gathered around the table.
Only Tom started getting cocky as he ate. He'd take one bite from this dish, toss it aside, then bite something else and throw that away too.
Zhang Da Ye pressed him back into his seat. "Tom! How many times have I told you? Don't waste food!"
Tom held a plate in one hand, pointing first at the table and then at Neptune with the other, meaning: "But it's not our food."
"Even if it's not ours, you still can't waste it!" Zhang Da Ye scolded, half angry, half amused. It was good Tom valued their own food, but ruining someone else's wasn't right either.
After another round of lecturing, Tom finally restrained himself. Though Zhang Da Ye suspected it wasn't because Tom understood wasting food was bad—only because he was obeying his master's words.
When behaving, Tom's table manners were actually very refined. He used a knife to cut his meat, then neatly ate with a fork.
But as they say, refinement never lasts long. Just as Tom raised a piece of meat to his mouth, a small package flew through the air straight at the back of his head.
Across the table, Shark Chili and Rui Meng Meng spotted it and shouted, "Tom! Behind you!"
Tom froze, turned to look—smack! The package landed squarely on his hand holding the fork.
The fork, meat and all, was jammed into his mouth, while the back of his head now had a perfect fork-shaped imprint, meat included.
Once it struck, the package fell to the ground with a thud, no longer under the effect of a Devil Fruit's power.
Tom coughed violently, spitting the fork out before snatching up the package in a rage.
As expected, it was labeled once again: "To Princess Shirahoshi."
Zhang Da Ye rubbed Tom's head as the cat shredded the wrapping to bits. The package wasn't even big—about the size of Tom's head—but he tore it apart until paper scraps littered the floor.
Zhang Da Ye didn't stop him. This wasn't a serious package or letter. Privacy didn't need to be respected here.
Inside was a dazzling golden bracelet, along with a messy love letter that essentially called it a token of eternal devotion for Shirahoshi.
"Wow, that bracelet's beautiful!" Rui Meng Meng's eyes lit up. No matter how tomboyish she acted, she was still a girl at heart.
"Looks expensive," Shark Chili said. He had some knowledge about fine jewelry and could tell both the material and craftsmanship were high quality.
Artoria had zero interest. She would rather carry two donuts in her pockets than wear such a thing.
Tom's eyes, meanwhile, turned into dollar signs—then quickly swapped to beli symbols. Surely this bracelet was his now, right?
Gold equals money. The math in Tom's head was quick. He smirked and reached for the letter he'd tossed aside.
If he just ripped it up, no one would know it was meant for Shirahoshi. Or he could eat it.
But Zhang Da Ye was faster, snatching up the letter before Tom could. The cat's expression was far too obvious—he definitely wanted to destroy the evidence and keep the bracelet.
Tom's heart was good. He loved sharing food and fun with friends. But sometimes greed made him think of bad ideas—like painting Jerry white to sell as a lab mouse. He still needed proper guidance.
Holding the letter high, Zhang Da Ye watched Tom jump around trying to grab it. But the cat couldn't jump high enough and didn't think to use props.
"Alright, Tom, we'll let Uncle Neptune know about this. If you want the bracelet, just ask him directly. I doubt he'd accept this so-called 'token of love' anyway."
Reluctantly, Tom handed over the bracelet.
"Let's get going after we finish eating. We can't keep waiting like this. Until we deal with Vander Decken, Tom won't even be able to eat in peace."
"Okay." Rui Meng Meng stood up quickly. She was very serious about helping Teacher Tom.
Shark Chili wiped his mouth neatly with a napkin, even rinsed his mouth—though with his sharp teeth always showing, it barely made a difference.
Artoria cleared her plate in seconds. When it came to business, she didn't waste time on food.
…
"So now he's sending packages instead? That bastard Vander Decken!" Neptune slammed the armrest of his throne, furious.
If it hadn't been Tom who got hit, today it would've been Shirahoshi's head! The thought alone made his blood pressure rise.
"These last few times, he's only thrown letters and gifts. But if he never gets a response, who knows? Next time it could be a weapon," Zhang Da Ye said. "That's why we're planning to go hunt him down ourselves."
Neptune fell silent for a moment before sighing. "This was all aimed at my daughter, yet it has dragged you all in as well. I'm truly sorry. If you need anything, just say the word. Even if it means assigning part of my army to you."
That was a huge show of sincerity. Normally, no ruler would let outsiders command their forces.
Before Zhang Da Ye could answer, Tom jumped out impatiently, pointing at the bracelet, then at himself. That was his request.
Neptune chuckled and waved his hand. "Of course. If Mr. Tom likes it, then he should keep it."
He didn't care for the sight of it anyway. A little gold meant nothing to him, and if Tom liked it, Neptune was already planning to choose more treasures from the vault to gift him later.
Zhang Da Ye pulled Tom—who was happily rubbing the bracelet—back to his side. "We don't need an army. What we'd like is a coated ship."
Ryugu Palace's ships were excellent, pulled by sea beasts, making them perfect for safe and easy travel in the deep sea.
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