Chapter 275: Skywalk in the Deep Sea! The Jealous Navigator and Fireworks Filling the Sky
Under the lift of Tatsuya's majestic force field,
Princess Shirahoshi slowly floated out of that battered Hard-Shell Tower.
For ten years, over three thousand six hundred days and nights, this was the first time Shirahoshi was bathed unobstructed in the warm light shed by "Sunlight Tree Eve."
She widened her beautiful eyes, clear as water, greedily looking at the colorful giant coral reefs and the schools of fish swimming leisurely around her.
Everything in the outside world was so vivid to her.
Shirahoshi was so excited that she covered her mouth with her giant hands, her eyes sparkling with a dreamlike, crystalline light.
Even her breathing became cautious, for fear that a single breath would blow away this beautiful dream.
Tatsuya, like a light black feather, leisurely floated by Shirahoshi's side.
He tilted his head slightly, looking at Shirahoshi's appearance as a "giant cub" who was surprised by everything but didn't dare to speak loudly, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew deeper.
Tatsuya patiently controlled his Chakra, finely adjusting the gravitational field around Shirahoshi.
Allowing this massive mermaid princess to move as easily and gracefully in mid-air as if she were swimming in the seawater.
Meanwhile, the scene shifted to the dim waters on the outskirts of Ryugu Palace.
Vander Decken IX, hiding in the shadows, suddenly realized that the giant axe he had just thrown had lost the tracking sensation of the Mato Mato no Mi.
This unprecedented situation made him immediately realize that something had gone terribly wrong at the Hard-Shell Tower.
"My Shirahoshi!
"Who dares to touch my Shirahoshi!"
To intimidate Shirahoshi and force her to submit, Decken's ugly face twisted completely.
He frantically activated the power of the Mato Mato no Mi, his hands waving as if having a seizure.
He took all the swords, spears, halberds, and heavy iron balls from his giant pirate ship,
and even the giant thorny coral reefs and the rusty iron anchors of massive shipwrecks on the seabed, and threw them frantically towards Shirahoshi's direction, following the fruit's lock-on.
Above Ryugu Palace, the originally clear seawater suddenly darkened.
Hundreds of lethal cold weapons and heavy obstacles, pulled by the fruit's power, converged into a dark cloud of steel.
Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of tearing through seawater, this murderous steel rain poured down like doomsday upon Shirahoshi, who was walking in mid-air.
Feeling the lethal threat from above, Shirahoshi looked up and was immediately pale with fright.
She let out a scream of despair and instinctively wanted to close her eyes.
However, just as Shirahoshi was trembling with fear, a black afterimage flashed before her eyes.
Tatsuya didn't panic at all, instantly teleporting right in front of Shirahoshi.
He tilted his head slightly and looked at the trembling Shirahoshi behind him with a smile:
"Have courage, Princess Shirahoshi."
Just as he finished speaking, facing the overwhelming rain of weapons,
in Tatsuya's right eye socket, the ripples of that pale purple Rinnegan suddenly whirled, and an invisible force capable of shaking heaven and earth instantly awakened.
"Boom boom boom—!!!"
A miraculous scene played out in mid-air.
All the weapons, anchors, and boulders that entered the hundred-meter range around Tatsuya once again hit an insurmountable wall of repulsive force.
Under the terrifying repulsive force of Shinra Tensei, those hard swords and boulders couldn't advance an inch further, instantly shattering in mid-air.
The intense friction and collision of energy even generated incredible heat.
Those iron shavings and rubble ignited instantly, turning into golden sparks that filled the sky.
This dark cloud of steel was crushed right before Shirahoshi's eyes into a magnificent display of fireworks.
Shirahoshi was completely stunned.
She lowered the hands covering her eyes, her previous fear and despair vanishing at this moment.
In her beautiful eyes, which were like giant water lanterns, the falling golden sparks and Tatsuya's back were clearly reflected.
An unprecedented sense of security and admiration grew wildly in her heart, nearly overflowing from her eyes.
Meanwhile, a clamor of footsteps came from the ground below.
King Neptune, leading a large group of the Neptune Army, along with the newly joined Nami, Robin, Zoro, and others, finally arrived hurriedly beneath the Hard-Shell Tower.
Hearing the commotion above, Nami looked up immediately.
With her excellent vision as a navigator, she immediately caught sight of Tatsuya floating in mid-air.
And then, she saw the female figure beside Tatsuya, who possessed an exquisite face and was looking at him with full admiration.
The Cat Burglar's jar of jealousy was instantly overturned.
Gritting her teeth and clenching her pink fists, she cursed under her breath in annoyance:
"That bastard Tatsuya!
"He was only gone for a short while, and he's already out flirting again!
"And this time it's actually a beautiful mermaid!"
However, when Nami saw the full picture clearly,
when she saw Shirahoshi's exaggerated size, comparable to a small mountain,
and Tatsuya floating beside her, looking like a tiny black dot in comparison,
Nami's rising jealousy was instantly halted by this absurd visual impact.
Her mouth began to twitch uncontrollably, and she pointed into the air, shouting speechlessly:
"...This is just too big!"
"What a huge mermaid! Isn't this size difference a bit too ridiculous?"
Watching Nami's changing expression, Robin, standing nearby, couldn't help but cover her lips with her hand and let out a pleasant chuckle.
As the most mature woman on the ship, Robin's eyes, which saw through everything, naturally understood the situation.
And King Neptune, standing at the very front, was so shocked that his jaw dropped to the floor.
"My precious daughter... actually flew out of the Hard-Shell Tower?!
"And she didn't cry when facing Decken's attack?!"
At this moment, in the air above,
for the first time in this cruel world, Princess Shirahoshi felt an unprecedented sense of absolute security.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at the smiling Tatsuya beside her.
The cowardice faded from her eyes, replaced by a deep sense of reliance.
She hesitated for a moment, poking her two giant index fingers together, and made a request in a small, timid voice:
"My lord..."
"Could, could you take Shirahoshi to see the 'Sea Forest'?"
"Shirahoshi hasn't left the tower for ten years. Shirahoshi wants to visit her mother's grave.
"But... there are so many bad people outside. If Shirahoshi is alone, she'll be very scared..."
Hearing this pitiful plea, Tatsuya looked down and gazed quietly at Shirahoshi.
Just when Shirahoshi thought this gentle big brother would surely agree, Tatsuya did not nod as she had expected.
He still maintained that smiling expression, but his tone held an unquestionable firmness:
"I refuse."
"Eh?" Shirahoshi was stunned, a flash of bewilderment in her giant eyes as she stared blankly at Tatsuya.
"If you want to go, don't rely on the protection of others."
"Use your own tail and swim there yourself."
"Use your own eyes to take a good look at where your mother rests, and look at this real world."
Shirahoshi froze in mid-air.
She looked into Tatsuya's smiling eyes that seemed to see through her soul, and instantly understood his meaning.
The physical cage, I have already shattered for you.
But what truly traps you is the cage in your heart.
The courage to take this step and face the world must come from within yourself; no one can do it for you.
After a brief moment of bewilderment, Shirahoshi's eyes welled up again.
She bit her red lips hard, and tears poured out again like pearls from a broken string.
But this time, her tears were no longer from fear or weakness, but from realization and the emotion of being truly respected and expected of.
Shirahoshi took a deep breath and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, a hint of royal tenacity appearing in her gaze for the first time.
She gave Tatsuya a firm nod, revealing a smile brighter than sunshine:
"Thank you! I understand!"
"...Could you please tell me your name?"
Tatsuya smiled with satisfaction.
"Tatsuya."
"Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Crimson Lotus Victor."
Princess Shirahoshi's massive and beautiful body bowed respectfully in mid-air, responding with the most sincere voice:
"Yes! Lord Tatsuya!"
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