Chapter 178: Princess Akatsuki
Night fell upon Marineford, headquarters of the Navy, but even in the dead of night, the lights still blazed and many were on duty.
Tap tap tap! A Navy captain hurried down a long corridor and quickly arrived at an office still lit. Without time to knock—bang!—he pushed the door open, panic written across his face.
"Vice Admiral Garp… Vice Admiral Garp! Cole the BeastmAnne and several companions of the Blue Demon have been spotted in the Sabaody Archipelago. The Blue Demon himself hasn't been seen yet. There are also two unknown individuals with them, one mAnne and one woman."
The captain knelt on one knee, his voice anxious as he relayed the intelligence.
"Mm. Got it," Garp nodded from behind his desk and handed the captain a cup of hot water. "Here, calm down. Have a drink."
"Ah, thank you, Vice Admiral Garp." The captain hurried forward and took the cup with both hands, taking a deep sip before asking, "Vice Admiral, should we set out immediately to suppress the Blue Demon's group?"
"Eh? Hahaha!" Garp burst out laughing, looking upward. "As long as the Blue Demon himself hasn't shown up, forget it. Capturing Cole the Beastman alone would only provoke the Blue Demon into a frenzied retaliation against the Navy."
Bang! He slapped his hands on the desk, his gaze suddenly sharp. "Are you saying you want to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of sailors?!"
"Ah—no, sir!" The captain was scared stiff. He had only come to report, not to suggest sacrifices. Now it felt like he might become the sacrifice.
"That's enough. Unless the Blue Demon shows up himself, don't take any action—unless something truly serious happens. Dismissed," Garp waved.
"Understood, Vice Admiral Garp!" The captain snapped to attention and bolted from the office, as if afraid a heavy cap would come flying at his head.
Once the captain had left, Garp stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the distant lights, lost in thought.
"You suddenly appeared in Sabaody—what's your goal? Are you after those absurd bounties too? That's not like you at all, Blue Demon brat."
The others might not know who the extra mAnne and woman were, but Garp knew very well—it was Luo Han and…?
"Seems I forgot to ask if that unknown woman is small or tall," Garp muttered awkwardly. If it was the tiny race he saw at God Valley, it would confirm it was the Blue Demon.
Sigh. After a long while, Garp returned to his seat and looked at the black market intel on the bounty for the mermaid princess. He sighed helplessly. "I hope you all on Fish-Man Island can get through this."
…
10,000 meters under the sea, there was a massive island. While it was nighttime on the surface, down here it was bright and sunny.
The towns were overflowing with joy—everyone holding drinks and wine, clinking glasses, singing unknown songs, and reveling in wild celebration.
This had gone on for seven days, ever since Garp was hailed as the Navy's hero.
Nearly all the fish-men and merfolk on the island had flushed faces from drinking, especially one who was almost purple from intoxication.
He held a large cup of juice and stumbled up to a shark-like fish-man.
"Big bro Aru, is it true the Rocks Pirates have really disbanded?"
Drunken Aru pulled the red fish-man into a headlock and bellowed, "That's right! The Rocks era is officially over! No more pirates will come attacking Fish-Man Island. In a few more years, you can go on adventures, Tiger! Excited?" He tightened his grip.
"Whap! Whap!"
Red-faced Tiger raised both hands and smacked Aru's arms—he was suffocating.
"Ah! Sorry, Tiger! Your face was so red I didn't realize you couldn't breathe," Aru quickly let go and apologized.
Gasping for air, Tiger finally caught his breath.
He gave Aru a tired look. "It's been seven days, big bro. You still haven't gotten a handle on your emotions? This isn't the first time either."
"Haha! Almost there, almost there!" Aru scratched his head in embarrassment. He didn't know why, but whenever he thought about the Rocks Pirates disbanding, he just couldn't contain his joy.
"Sigh. I wonder when Princess Akatsuki will be allowed out, so she can take us exploring," Tiger looked longingly toward Ryugu Palace and sighed.
Whap! Aru smacked Tiger's head and laughed. "Don't worry about Princess Akatsuki. No one needs to worry about her! She's the smartest princess on the island. The king will let her out eventually!"
"If only the king had let Princess Akatsuki lead us to the surface back then… we'd already have a new Fish-Man Island built." Aru grew more animated, hands wandering again.
"Stop, big bro Aru!" Seeing him get excited again, Tiger quickly intervened before he got choked again.
"Haha, almost done! Almost done!" Aru laughed again.
Tiger was speechless. You said that already, and now you're repeating it.
He once more gazed at Ryugu Palace and whispered, "Princess Akatsuki, I hope you'll regain your freedom soon."
…
Ryugu Palace—the royal residence of Fish-Man Island.
Deep within the palace stood a towering structure topped with a giant shell, connected to the palace by a five-meter-wide path. It was called the Shell Tower.
Along that path, a massive merfolk figure slowly floated forward.
He held a trident and stood several meters tall, his face obscured beneath thick orange curly facial hair that covered everything below his nose.
Soon, he arrived at the great door.
"Your Highness!" The two guards at the gate straightened and saluted.
The prince waved a hand, and the guards responded immediately, "Understood, Your Highness," and left. Clearly, this wasn't the first time.
Alone now, the prince pressed his hands to the stone door and spoke softly, "Akatsuki, it's your brother."
"Brother Neptune, you've come early today. It's not mealtime yet. Is something the matter?" came a crisp, composed woman's voice from within. Clear diction, questioning tone, but the kind that expected an answer.
"Uh… Akatsuki, just call me 'Brother.' No need to say my name," Neptune tried to correct her.
"Okay, Neptune."
"…Fine, suit yourself."
Neptune gave up, sighed, and said, "Today is the seventh day. According to the surface's calendar, it's already the eighth."
"Is that so?" Akatsuki replied calmly. "That means fewer pirates are arriving at Fish-Man Island these days."
"That's right, Akatsuki. Since the mighty Rocks Pirates were defeated, the number of pirates heading for the New World has dropped dramatically. Few now reach Fish-Man Island," Neptune said.
"It seems the New World isn't so easy to survive in. But we don't have to go to the New World. The world is vast. I believe there's a place where we can live in peace. We just need to find it—not wait for some so-called 'promised one' to lead us to the surface," Akatsuki's calm voice continued.
Neptune stiffened. He didn't know how to respond. Every time they reached this point in the conversation, he couldn't argue back. He didn't want to wait for any 'promised one' either.
His sister, Princess Akatsuki, had always dreamed of leading their people to the surface and even proposed forming a 100,000-strong pirate crew just for training. If they managed to take over an island, that'd be a bonus.
It shocked everyone at the time—but many, especially from the Fish-Man District, became her loyal followers.
Naturally, her father rejected it. Akatsuki then proposed exploring other seas instead, to find a safe island to settle. But even that was rejected.
Their father harbored doubts about moving to land now. He insisted on waiting for the promised one. Fearing her ideas would spread, he forbade her from leaving and imprisoned her in the Shell Tower—for almost four years now.
"Sigh, Akatsuki… You know Father won't let you leave, let alone live on land," Neptune said helplessly.
"I know. But I still believe that only by relying on ourselves can we protect our home. Only by being strong ourselves can we create our future."
Her emotionless words filled Neptune with despair.
He still hadn't convinced her to abandon her dream. He still hadn't gotten her out of that prison.
Sigh. Neptune let out another soft breath, turned, and floated away. But after just a few steps, he turned back.
"Sister… won't you change your stance? Even if it's just to deceive Father a little… If you keep this up, he'll never let you out."
Silence was her only response—but it was enough to say she wouldn't budge. Such a stubborn sister.
"…Then I'll be going. I'll visit again in a few days."
Neptune floated away. As he reached the corridor's center, he froze.
Two guards were pushing a huge food cart toward him—it was Princess Akatsuki's meal.
"Your Highness, visiting Princess Akatsuki again?" said a lovely voice beside the cart as a beautiful mermaid bowed to him.
"Ah… yes…" Neptune suddenly seemed like a flustered child, unsure how to reply. His eyes were glued to the mermaid, who barely reached half the height of the food cart.
"Hehe, could you please let us through, Your Highness? We need to deliver the meal," said the golden-haired mermaid with a smile.
"Ah! Yes." Neptune stepped aside woodenly—but his eyes didn't move, still focused on that graceful figure.
Only after she disappeared with the cart did he look away, then left contentedly.
(END CHAPTER)
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