Chapter 351: Everyone Is the One Who Made the Promise
Tom, who had successfully saved the Seven Water City and retired after accomplishing his mission, had regained the lifelong wish he always wanted to fulfill. That was to connect all the islands with the sea train he designed, making the sea routes that were once difficult to cross become smooth and unimpeded!
Eric and Tom had made a pact that once they had their own territory, they would definitely invite Tom to build the sea rails.
Eric also made a request, hoping that Tom could improve the design of the tracks during this time to make them stronger and more durable.
Tom slapped his belly, making a sound, and said it was no problem.
Eric left some Sea Kings Stones for Tom to study whether they could be incorporated into the tracks.
Dan stood beside his brother, feeling emotional as he said, "The multiple suggestions he made to Princess Otohime have revitalized Fish-Man Island. The construction of the sea tracks will benefit future generations. He—maybe he can really fulfill the promise of bringing the fish people into the sunlight."
"Yes," Tom said, his chest swelling with emotion.
"Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be the promised one passed down through the royal family of Fish-Man Island..."
"Hmm?" Tom glanced at his brother. "Does it matter so much whether he is the promised one? He can bring hope to the whole world. He can lead the fish people to a bright future. With just these two points, that's enough."
Dan chuckled silently. "…You're right. I've been too concerned with the promised one."
Until the members of the Dawn Pirate Crew disappeared from their sight, Tom turned around and left.
"Brother, where are you going?"
"I'm going to improve the track design." Tom squinted his eyes, "Eric entrusted this heavy task to me, I must complete it with great success!"
"Still following your beliefs." Dan crossed his arms and followed, "Let me help too."
"Thanks!" Tom stretched out his right hand and pulled his younger brother's shoulder tightly.
◇
"Bang."
Vander Decken, handcuffed with Sea Kings Stone handcuffs, was thrown to the ground by Lant.
"He's the one who has been throwing weapons at Princess Shirahoshi, trying countless times to kill her," Eric stretched out his foot and stepped down hard on Vander Decken's head.
The young Shirahoshi shrank in fear behind King Neptune, her sparkling eyes showing her fear:
"Lord Vander Decken..."
Akame bluntly spoke, "Princess Shirahoshi, there's no need to add 'Lord' to such a villain."
"But, Lord Akame ..."
"My name doesn't need 'Lord' added either, Princess Shirahoshi," Akame smiled and said, "Otherwise, that word will lose its value."
"B-but... the Dawn Pirate Crew saved me..." Princess Shirahoshi's soft, timid voice, along with her shy, weak demeanor, immediately triggered a wave of motherly love among the female crew members.
"This bastard, he dares to bully such a cute little sister." Erza glared fiercely, "Esdeath was too gentle with him during the interrogation!"
Miku lifted and dropped her foot repeatedly, a few times. "I don't even want the soles of my shoes to touch this disgusting guy, but I really want to kick him... Darling, you need to think of a way for me."
"This is easy, I'll kick him for you."
"Plop, plop, plop," the sound of a rubber duck came from the bathtub.
"Shirahoshi..." Vander Decken lifted his head, "My fiancée... quickly answer me, marry me..."
"Plop." Eric slammed his head back into the floor.
"Don't listen to him, Princess Shirahoshi." Eric gave what he thought was a charming and confident smile, "It'll pollute your ears."
Shirahoshi pulled her head back behind King Neptune...
"It's okay, brother-in-law." Kurome comforted Eric , who was quietly shedding tears inside, "Your actions just now were very handsome!"
"Thank you, members of the Dawn Pirate Crew," Princess Otohime stepped forward to express her gratitude, "I truly didn't know what to do without you."
The right minister of Ryugu Kingdom was a seahorse mermaid, holding a spear and with a sword at his waist. He stepped forward and said, "I will lock him in the prison tower right away..."
Eric raised his hand to stop him. Honestly, he didn't trust these people.
In the original story, Hody Jones and his group gathered an army of 70,000 people! Adding the 30,000 human slaves they captured within a few months, they had a total of 100,000 troops to attack Ryugu Kingdom.
And in a country with only 5 million people on Fish-Man Island, this ratio was unimaginable!
Moreover, Hody Jones's army included: Sea Beast units, Sniper units, Shell units, Air units, Thousand Needles units, and Poison units—six different combat teams, even more complete than the Ryugu Kingdom's own military.
Which gang boss would have thousands of standard troops under their command, and yet those holding high office in the country know nothing about this?
The number of pirates passing by here in recent months had sharply decreased, and they hadn't noticed. The population census and civil management system were a mess!
Even the treasure room of the Fish-Man Palace had been invaded by thieves, and the treasures in the jade handboxes were replaced with explosives, the security system in Ryugu Castle was also despised by Eric .
This caused Eric to lose all trust in them.
"We'll handle him, you don't need to worry," Eric waved his hand to tell the right minister to step back.
"Uh..." The right minister was speechless, glancing back at King Neptune and Princess Otohime.
"Then it's trouble for you, Eric -sama," Princess Otohime said with her head lowered, "There is no one more trustworthy than the Dawn Pirate Crew."
Perona and Porche scratched their heads, embarrassed, "Not at all..."
The right minister then stepped back, joining the left minister, the catfish mermaid with poor judgment.
"Shirahoshi... marry me..." Vander Decken was still relentless.
"Well..." Shirahoshi stretched her neck, peeking out from behind King Neptune, gently opening her cherry lips, Speaking in a voice barely louder than a mosquito, "Vander Decken... sir, you're not my type."
Although her voice was as faint as a mosquito's, it echoed through the vast Ryugu Castle, "You're not my type," "Not my type..."
The sound of cracking glass filled the air as Vander Decken froze in place, his skin turning a dark purple.
"Ha..." It was hard to tell who started it, but soon everyone from the Dawn Pirate Crew laughed together.
"Dragon him away." Eric ordered, and Gin and Lant stepped forward, each grabbing a leg and dragging Vander Decken away like a mop, leaving behind a trail of blood and tears.
Princess Otohime sincerely thanked them, "Thank you for everything you've done for Fish-Man Island and Ryugu Castle. Fish-Man Island will always be your friend!"
"By the way, Princess Otohime, King Neptune, I need to discuss something with you." Eric turned to the three princes and added, "Also with Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi."
King Neptune froze, exchanging a look with Princess Otohime, and nodded in agreement.
"What is it, Eric -sama?" King Neptune asked.
"It's about Princess Shirahoshi's ability," Eric lowered his gaze and spoke of their concerns, "You all know, Shirahoshi has the ability to control the Sea Kings."
"Uh..." Princess Otohime nodded sadly, "Yes."
"Why is Princess Otohime sad?" Eric asked, "Isn't this a good thing?"
"But Shirahoshi is bearing a burden she shouldn't have to bear."
"Princess Otohime," Eric said slowly, "You should be grateful that it's the kind-hearted Princess Shirahoshi who has the ability to control the Sea Kings. At least you don't have to worry about her using her ability recklessly."
"...That's true."
"And Shirahoshi's ability will definitely help you, bringing peace between the fish people and humans, and bringing the fish people into the sunlight."
"I!" Fukaboshi spoke first, "We three brothers are enough, no need for Shirahoshi to sacrifice her kindness..."
"Exactly." Ryuboshi and ManboYoshino dded repeatedly, "Shirahoshi just needs to grow up happily!"
"..." Eric chuckled softly, "Shirahoshi is truly lucky to have such loving parents and brothers."
"However, you'd better still help Shirahoshi, so she can master her abilities," Eric said in a serious tone, "Weapons may be unnecessary, but they must never be absent!"
"!" The other five were stunned.
"While knives and guns can take lives, they can also become tools to protect those important to you, it just depends on whether the user's heart is good or bad, don't you think?"
"…"
"I'm just making a suggestion, whether you act on it is up to you," Eric shook his head, "But at least don't let Shirahoshi expose her ability to the outside world, or Fish-Man Island will never know peace, and the World Government won't just stand by and watch the revival of ancient weapons. They will definitely send people to capture Shirahoshi."
"I understand, Eric -sama," Princess Otohime's throat tightened.
"And there's one more thing," Eric continued, "Your civil management on Fish-Man Island is a bit..."
Eric honestly couldn't think of a word to describe it, "Fish-Man Island needs to record the population, gender ratios, species of fish people, types of work, and the number of pirates passing by."
"What... what's the use of this?" Ryuboshi cautiously asked.
"Census, for the sake of managing Fish-Man Island," Eric responded irritably, "By tracking the number of pirates, you can understand what's happening in the outside world. Communication with the outside is very inconvenient here, right?"
"No wonder, Eric -sama, you even thought of this," Princess Otohime clapped her hands happily, "I'll make sure to implement it!"
"That's all I had to say, Princess Otohime." Eric stood up, "The ideal of peaceful coexistence between the two fish people races is not something that can be accomplished overnight, don't rush."
"..." Princess Otohime's gaze darkened for a moment before she immediately perked up again, "I'll do my best!"
'There are so many fools here, but they're not unpleasant.'
At that moment, King Neptune looked at Eric deeply and finally spoke, "Eric -sama, are you— the promised one?"
According to legend, eight hundred years ago, a human named Joy Boy made a promise with a mermaid princess who could control the Sea Kings, but Joy Boy didn't keep the promise with Fish-Man Island. He left behind a letter of apology engraved on a stone tablet, which was kept deep in the Sea Forest.
The royal family of the Fish-Man tribe passed down a legend from generation to generation:
Someday, someone would come to fulfill the promise Joy Boy failed to keep, and the Sea King "Poseidon" had already arrived in the world, now only the "promised one" was needed to come to Fish-Man Island to fulfill this ancient promise.
"I'm not Joy Boy." Eric narrowed his eyes, "And I don't want to replace anyone."
King Neptune's breath hitched.
"Even Joy Boy himself couldn't fulfill the promise, but left behind a commitment that someone would replace him?" Eric shook his head a smile , "Seriously keeping a promise, guarding the Noah ship for generations..."
"…"
"If you think I'm the promised one, then I am," Eric continued.
King Neptune and the others were momentarily stunned.
"The important thing is to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence between the fish people races, not the person," Eric went on, "Princess Otohime is not the mermaid princess who controls the Sea Kings, but she has always worked hard to let the fish people migrate to land."
"As long as you are working toward that ideal, anyone can be the 'promised one'!" Eric 's voice rang out powerfully, even infecting Princess Otohime, who had a special Observation Haki.
"Waiting for the elusive promised one, or steadily moving forward to achieve the ideal—does this really need to be a choice?"
"Yes," Princess Otohime nodded in agreement, "Nothing happens overnight, so that's why I keep working on everything."
King Neptune relaxed his tense body. Yes, was the promised one really that important?
...
"Why don't you stay for a little longer, members of the Dawn Pirate Crew?" Princess Otohime reluctantly said, "I still have a lot of questions I want to ask Eric -sama..."
'If I keep digging into this, I'll have nothing left!' Eric forced a smile , "I need to hurry up and move forward. Princess Otohime, you have a lot of work to do, don't wear yourself out."
"I must thank Dr. Da Vinci for the surgery!" Princess Otohime rolled up her sleeves, "I'm even stronger than King Neptune now."
"..." King Neptune was struck by a black line on his forehead.
"Ugh..." Young Shirahoshi clung tightly to the ship's railing, having made friends with several of the female crew members.
"Don't cry," Erza comforted, "We'll meet again someday!"
Shirahoshi sniffled, "Really, really?"
"Of course!" Erza confidently put her hands on her hips, "I always keep my promises!"
Wendy smiled and said, "Erza's personality is like a boy's."
Shirahoshi held out her pinky finger, "Then we've made a promise."
"Oh!" Erza also extended her pinky, touching Shirahoshi's finger, "It's a promise!"
"Then I'll join too."
"I want to too!"
"Can I too, Four?"
Everyone went forward to pinky swear with Shirahoshi, who showed a happy expression.
"You need to grow up quickly and stop crying so easily~"
"I still feel like the captain is up to something bad."
"I'll beat you up!" Eric reached out to pinch Perona.
"Ugh... Captain... you're so scary, boo..."
"Sorry, I was wrong, please stop crying," Eric had no way of dealing with crying children.
"Will you come visit again, Dawn Pirate Crew?" Princess Otohime waved as she said goodbye.
"Okay!"
"We need to set sail for the New World and fight those Four Emperors." Esdeath got excited, "I wonder what color their blood is."
"Red," Scáthach replied flatly, "After all, they are living creatures."
"..."
"How annoying!" Porche tried to open the air door to escape, "Let me go, I want to stay on Fish-Man Island!"
"Stop dreaming." Kurome grabbed Porche's shoulder, "You're not escaping."
In the sound of their bickering, the Indomitable passed through the circular gate of Fish-Man Island and dived back into the dim depths of the sea.
(END CHAPTER)
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