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Upon hearing that the shipwrecked vessel of a Celestial Dragon—a World Noble—sought entry to Fish-Man Island, Otohime immediately abandoned the plaza. Accompanied by her guards, she rushed toward the island's entrance without a moment's pause.
If a Celestial Dragon were to die on Fish-Man Island, any hope of peaceful coexistence with humanity would vanish. Worse, the entire island might be obliterated by naval fire, turning the sanctuary of the Fish-Men into a footnote of history.
Carrying a mixture of hope and trepidation, Queen Otohime and the Ryugu Kingdom's army successfully brought the Noble to the palace for treatment.
Several days later...
The shipwrecked Noble, Saint Donquixote Miosgard, recovered fully under the island's exhaustive care. To everyone's shock, this Celestial Dragon actually forgave the "insolent" Fish-Men for their earlier perceived offenses. Seizing the moment, Otohime requested to accompany him back to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Miosgard agreed on the spot.
A week passed, and Queen Otohime returned to Fish-Man Island unscathed. Most crucially, she brought back a document signed by the World Nobles themselves, expressing support for a friendly relationship between Merfolk and Humans. All that was left was to secure the signatures of the island's inhabitants.
Overflowing with excitement, Otohime began a massive signature campaign at Gyoncorde Plaza. Her speech was brilliant and vivid, reawakening the long-buried yearning within the Fish-Men for the true blue sky, the white clouds, and the magnificent Sun.
Few could truly understand the deep-seated sorrow of a race living 10,000 meters beneath the sea, never seeing the sun, or their desperate longing for the world above.
This time, the gathering at Gyoncorde Plaza included King Neptune, the three princes—Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi—and the six-year-old Princess Shirahoshi, who already stood over five meters tall.
Jinbe of the Sun Pirates had also returned from the Whitebeard sea. Nearby, Arlong, Hody Jones, and their cohorts watched with crazed, predatory eyes, plotting their malevolent schemes. Tucked away in a dark corner of the plaza, Vander Decken IX stared at the teeming crowd, his burning gaze fixated solely on Princess Shirahoshi.
..............
"Thank you! Thank you all!"
"With these signatures, Fish-Man Island can finally migrate to the surface!" Queen Otohime's face radiated a heart-warming smile as Fish-Men, one after another, joyfully handed her their signed petitions.
Years of persistence were finally bearing fruit. Her heart was light; every sacrifice she had made felt worth it.
"It truly wasn't easy. The Queen is finally on the verge of achieving her dream," the Right Minister, a seahorse Fish-Man, remarked with a sigh of relief to Jinbe.
"Yes—we may finally be free from the constant threat of passing pirates," Jinbe replied with a smile. The price he had paid for the island's safety was no less than Otohime's.
He had played the political game by joining the Seven Warlords and calling Whitebeard "Father," all while dealing with the fallout of his subordinates' clashes with the Thunder God Pirates. He still felt the immense weight of the pressure from Arthur, the Thunder Emperor.
As the mandatory gateway for all pirates entering the New World, Fish-Man Island was rarely peaceful. Even with a Warlord title and Whitebeard's flag, many pirates still sought to stir up trouble without provocation. It was a natural byproduct of the systemic discrimination between humans and the sea races.
If they moved to the surface, they would no longer be a bottleneck for the pirate era. They could avoid countless incidents and live under the sun they so craved. Even if human traffickers remained a threat, they were confident in their strength to defend their new home.
As signatures were piled high upon the stage, the residents began to fantasize about the legendary sun, the forests, and the land animals.
However, amidst this joy, the wooden platform holding the precious signatures suddenly erupted in a roaring blaze! The fire was incredibly fierce, spreading with unnatural speed until the entire stage was encircled by a wall of flame.
"Ah—!"
Panic seized the crowd. The Fish-Men screamed and scattered as the fire surged. Gyoncorde Plaza descended into utter chaos.
"What's happening??"
"Put out the fire, quickly!!" the guards roared, charging forward.
Otohime's smile froze. Despite her delicate appearance, her heart was made of iron. She immediately rushed toward the inferno alongside the guards.
"Queen Otohime, be careful!!"
"We cannot let the signatures burn! They are the future of Fish-Man Island!" Otohime's gaze was resolute, ignoring the searing pain of the heat.
Inspired by her, more guards joined the effort, carrying buckets of water to quell the flames. Princes Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi, alongside Princess Shirahoshi, watched with profound worry.
Just then...
BANG!!
A single gunshot rang out, plunging Gyoncorde Plaza into a deathly silence. Hidden near the plaza, Hody Jones and his gang had finally made their move.
Blood rapidly stained the front of Queen Otohime's robes. She looked down at the wound in her chest with disbelief, her face turning pale. Her body lost its strength, and she began to collapse backward...
"OTOHIME!!"
The sight made Neptune's eyes turn blood-red. His massive frame moved with unprecedented agility as he caught his falling wife.
"Queen Otohime—!"
"WAHHHHHHH!!!"
Shirahoshi, still a child and unable to process the horror of her mother being struck down, burst into a gut-wrenching wail.
In that instant, her cries seemed to contain a miraculous, magical power. A call that echoed throughout the entirety of Fish-Man Island, spreading outward like a shockwave. It rippled through the deep sea, the Grand Line, the New World, the Calm Belt—reaching every sanctuary of the Sea Kings.
Deep in the ocean...
One after another, super-colossal Sea Kings, whose bodies were larger than islands, opened their eyes from their ancient slumber. Honoring an archaic covenant, they began to move, swimming with singular purpose toward the source of the "Call"—Fish-Man Island.
Their rapid movement through the depths triggered unprecedented tsunamis across the globe. From every corner of the world, the Sea Kings were in open riot.
The Ancient Weapon "Poseidon"—Princess Shirahoshi—had officially awakened.
..............
"This is the power my ancestors sought for generations, isn't it? It has to be!"
Vander Decken IX—the current Captain of the Flying Pirates and descendant of the original Decken—stood with wide, crazed eyes. He stared into the darkness surrounding Fish-Man Island, where countless gargantuan eyes were now peering through the gloom.
To awaken the Sea Kings with a mere cry...
Decken was ecstatic. He remembered his ancestor's legend: that he had traveled to the undersea world specifically to find the Mermaid Princess who could command the Sea Kings.
"I will have her as my wife! Ahahahahaha!"
To fulfill the long-standing vow of his bloodline, he resolved to marry Shirahoshi at any cost. Taking advantage of the absolute chaos in Gyoncorde Plaza where no one was watching the shadows, Vander Decken IX crept forward.
Using his "Mato Mato no Mi" (Mark-Mark Fruit) ability, he reached out and touched Shirahoshi's tail, leaving his indelible mark upon her.
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