Issho and Wyper turned their gazes toward the two approaching figures, shock briefly flickering in their eyes.
"Princess Vivi, Princess Shirahoshi, what are you doing here?" Issho asked with obvious concern.
Wyper quietly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and added, "That's right. Mr. Issho and I can handle this. Why are you two here? This situation is extremely dangerous."
Shirahoshi lifted her head gently and answered, "Peach Garden is my home now, and I have a responsibility to protect it."
Vivi nodded in agreement from the side, clenching her small fists, "That's right. Don't think of us as merely women. We have strength of our own."
Since arriving in Peach Garden, Vivi and Shirahoshi had both begun training in physical combat and Haki. Although Vivi had not yet seen real battle, Rolan had once said her strength exceeded that of many Marineford Vice Admirals. She could even compare to some stronger ones.
Issho shook his head with a sigh, "Please, leave this old man and Wyper to it. You don't need to involve yourselves."
Despite their bravery, Issho knew both girls were strong, but in comparison to the combined forces of Kaido's Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, their power was still far inferior.
Moreover, they were Rolan's partners and residents of Peach Garden. How could Issho allow them to risk their lives?
If something went wrong, how would he explain it?
Issho believed that with his and Wyper's strength, combined with a senzu bean, they could stall the enemy until Rolan returned from Marineford.
Kaido muttered quietly to Big Mom, "It seems we struck gold here. Their powers aren't fully awakened yet."
Big Mom wiped a greedy drool from her lips as her gaze darted between Shirahoshi and Vivi.
"Mama, is that one of these two women some kind of weapon?" she asked.
Kaido's brow creased in suspicion. In One Piece lore, the three Ancient Weapons — Pluton, Uranus, and Poseidon — are enormous powers tied to the world's most terrifying forces. Poseidon, as the legendary weapon of the sea, is not an object but a mermaid princess who can communicate with and command Sea Kings.
Could one of these girls be the key to the Sea King's power?
Kaido asked aloud, "Wouldn't it be faster to capture them? Whoever holds the key to the Sea King could control it, no matter where it is."
Big Mom's eyes lit up instantly. "Mama, you're right. They're just two naive girls!"
Shirahoshi frowned slightly upon hearing this whispering. She clearly heard every word — because recently her Observation Haki had awakened alongside her Sea King command ability. It was stronger than ever and even capable of detecting subtle intentions in others. Only Rolan truly knew the extent of her Haki's growth.
Issho also heard Kaido and Big Mom's murmurings and a thought struck him: Wait — wasn't it Shirahoshi's power that stopped that Giant Sea King earlier?
He had seen only a glimpse of it before, but could her ability be connected to that feat?
He shook his head, unwilling to ponder further, and positioned himself in front of Vivi and Shirahoshi.
"Princess Vivi, Princess Shirahoshi, please return to safety. Leave this to us."
At that moment, Big Mom's voice echoed out across the field:
"Mama, you're Issho, right? If you hand these two girls over to us right now, we will retreat immediately."
She gestured toward Vivi and Shirahoshi, her expression betraying outright greed.
Issho shook his head firmly.
"Heh heh. Your powers are impressive, but not enough to make this old man back down. I still believe Wyper and I can keep you from invading Peach Garden."
Wyper already positioned himself beside Issho, raising his voice with confidence, "The era of adults has passed. Your reputations only scare the younglings now."
He formed a protective angle with Issho, shielding both girls.
Shirahoshi spoke softly, her voice gentle yet resolute, "Lord Issho, Lord Wyper, Shirahoshi is strong enough to protect herself."
Her words carried weight. The Sea Kings themselves were intelligent and perceptive creatures, more than mere animals. They possessed their own sensing ability, similar in nature to Observation Haki, allowing them to perceive intentions and danger. A Sea King would never tolerate harm to its own kind or to Shirahoshi, whom they revered.
Though powerful, the Sea King sensed that Issho and Wyper's strength was considerable. Even it could handle only one threat at a time.
Still, Shirahoshi's own ability was not fully awakened, and confronting the Yonko forces directly was far beyond her current reach.
The mighty Sea King turned to Shirahoshi, its voice resonating far deeper than sound, only audible to her.
"Lord Sea King, these two have ill intent. Should I escort you to the Sea King Palace until this is over?"
Shirahoshi shook her head, "No! This place is my home. I want to protect Peach Garden!"
The ancient creature let out a low sigh in its heart, then replied, "Very well… old one will remain."
"Um, Lord… can you at least scare them rather than harm them?"
Only Shirahoshi and the Sea King could hear this quiet exchange.
Kaido, growing impatient, shouted, "Since you won't hand them over, then we will take them ourselves!"
He surged forward toward Shirahoshi and Vivi with terrifying speed.
Just then, a chilling aura snapped onto him.
He turned abruptly to see the enormous pupil of the Sea King fixed on him.
The Sea King's massive maw began to part, and a colossal jet of water shot forth at blinding speed. It resembled a cannonball of high‑pressure seawater.
Kaido's pupils constricted slightly, and he dodged sideways more than ten meters away. The high‑speed water barely grazed his nose before launching skyward into the horizon.
"This beast… I'll have to deal with you before I go after those two girls," Kaido growled.
He snapped an order to his Beast Pirates crew, "Hey, focus on taking down this creature first!"
"Aye, Lord Kaido!"
"We've got this!"
"Fire the cannons!"
"Don't worry, this Sea King is enormous but we kill Sea Kings all the time!"
"Hahaha, watch my latest plague bomb!" Queen boasted, shouldering a cannon and firing round after round toward the Sea King's massive body.
At the same time, the Big Mom Pirates also opened fire, their ship belching cannonballs in unison.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Soon, the entire Sea King was shrouded in rolling smoke from the relentless bombardment.
Then came a feral roar.
A mist rose up from the sea, clearing the thick smoke.
The Sea King's colossal head reappeared clearly before everyone's eyes.
"Nani!?" came shouts of disbelief.
"It didn't take any damage!?"
Under such intense cannon fire, the Giant Sea King stood unscarred, utterly untouched.
===
If you want to read more, check out my patreon.
Patreon.com/ _Zeph