Chapter 45: The Kidnapper and the Treasure
In the Hard Shell Tower, Shirahoshi had barely registered the mud dripping from her ceiling when the entire mass suddenly collapsed upon her.
The mud expanded with terrifying speed, swelling into a swamp larger than her own massive body. Before she could cry out, before she could even understand what was happening, the mud had enveloped her completely.
A thick hand formed from the sludge clamped over her mouth, muffling her scream.
"Mermaids? Treasure?" A voice hissed from within the mud. "Those are worthless compared to you!"
Caribou's face emerged from the sludge, eyes gleaming with insane greed.
"Those things just buy me money. But YOU..."
His grin stretched wider.
"You give me POWER! Real power!"
His tongue lolled out obscenely.
"And with power... I can have anything else I want!"
Shirahoshi trembled, tears streaming down her face.
"Just relax and let yourself faint, Miss Mermaid. This will be easier for both of us."
Caribou's head tilted, listening to something only he could hear.
"My brothers just sent word—they're waiting for me at the port right now."
He leaned closer.
"So you're coming with me to the New World, Princess!"
His tongue extended, reaching for her face—
"Hello."
The voice came from directly behind him.
Caribou whirled, furious at the interruption.
"WHO?! Can't you see I'm BUSY?!"
He saw Itachi standing there—tired, yes, but present.
"Oh. It's you."
He turned back to Shirahoshi dismissively.
Then froze.
Wait...
That was just now...
He turned back slowly, mechanical dread building in his chest.
Itachi hadn't moved.
But behind him stood Luffy. Zoro. Sanji.
All of them staring at Caribou with expressions ranging from mild annoyance to outright murderous intent.
"URGHHHH!!!"
The scream tore from Caribou's throat as something—probably Luffy's fist, though it happened too fast to track—sent him flying through the wall, through the bubble, and tumbling end over end into the deep sea beyond Dragon Palace.
Shirahoshi's restraints dissolved as the mud-user lost consciousness. She immediately grabbed Luffy with both hands, sobbing with relief.
"So scary, Luffy-sama! It was so scary!"
Sanji dropped to his knees, pounding the floor in anguish.
"If only I had been the one to rescue Princess Shirahoshi! The shame! The missed opportunity!"
Zoro ignored him completely, arms crossed.
"That guy... I don't remember seeing him since we landed on Fishman Island."
Itachi stood at the broken wall, watching Caribou's tumbling form disappear into the darkness.
"Based on the pattern... I suspect he's responsible for the missing mermaids."
At that moment, the Right Minister came puffing up the tower stairs, arriving far too late to be useful. He dropped to his knees immediately.
"We're too late—again! Thank you all for yet another rescue!"
Luffy, still chewing on a meat skewer he'd somehow kept through the entire encounter, waved dismissively.
"Ah, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."
The Right Minister pointed shakily toward a tower on the opposite side of the palace complex—a structure now leaning at a precarious angle, its upper half completely severed.
"Usually, not even a small fish can sneak into Ryugu Palace. But because of the war, the palace defenses are severely damaged. That thief must have entered through—"
Pappag suddenly pointed at Zoro.
"That tower was cut down by him!"
Zoro's fist connected with the starfish's head.
"Just blame it on that guy, huh?! You little—"
Pappag rubbed his sore head indignantly. "Lying is the first step to becoming a thief!"
Before the argument could continue, Nami arrived with Robin and Chopper. Her eyes immediately locked onto the Right Minister.
"Wait. What do you mean by 'thief'?"
The Right Minister blinked. "Thief? Exactly what the word means. That man—the one you just defeated—he stole all the treasures from the palace treasury."
Nami's eyes transformed. Literally. They became berry symbols—the currency signs of her deepest desire.
"ALL the treasure?!"
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji simultaneously flinched.
"Why," Luffy muttered, "do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"Same," Zoro agreed quietly.
"Ditto," Sanji added.
Itachi observed them with genuine curiosity.
What ominous premonition?
King Neptune arrived then, his massive form filling the corridor.
Nami practically flew to him.
"Your Majesty! Treasure was stolen! Why aren't you giving chase?!"
Neptune smiled benevolently.
"Ah, it's quite all right. The important thing is that my daughter is safe. Treasure can be replaced; people cannot."
"It IS important!" Nami's eye twitched.
She composed herself, adopting a sweeter expression.
"Then... if we were to recover the treasure..."
Before she could finish, King Neptune waved a massive hand.
"If you can retrieve it, I would gladly give it all to you. You are the heroes who saved our island, after all. It's the least we can offer."
Nami's pupils became berries again.
"REALLY?!"
She spun on Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—and her expression transformed from greed to fury in an instant.
"YOU IDIOTS! Why didn't you beat him unconscious and tie him up?! You just launched him into the sea!"
"Eh?!" Luffy's brain struggled to process the sudden shift.
"It was..." Zoro's eye darted around desperately, then landed on Itachi. "It was Itachi! He kicked him too hard!"
Luffy caught on immediately.
"RIGHT! Tear-trough Itachi did it!"
Itachi, arms folded, watching the scene with mild bemusement, slowly tilted his head.
...Didn't Luffy do the kicking?
Zoro's eye widened meaningfully at him.
Understanding dawned. Itachi nodded smoothly.
"My apologies, Nami. I struck too forcefully."
"DON'T THINK YOU CAN FOOL ME!" Nami's fury was undiminished. "Zoro's terrible lying face is completely obvious!"
Sanji, inexplicably, had begun spinning around them in ecstasy.
"Angry Nami is so beautiful! SWOON!"
The next second, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji each took a Nami fist to the face—and went flying through the bubble, tumbling into the sea beyond the palace.
"DON'T COME BACK WITHOUT THAT TREASURE!"
Itachi watched them disappear, then turned to Nami.
"So that's the ominous premonition."
Nami's demeanor flipped instantly. She became soft, warm, utterly charming.
"You just rest, Itachi! You're exhausted! We'll handle everything here!"
The transformation was so complete, so instant, that even Itachi blinked.
"I'm merely concerned they might cause trouble." He glanced toward where the three had vanished. "Luffy's approach to problem-solving seems... direct."
Nami waved dismissively. "Don't worry about them. They'll be fine."
At the Candy Factory, the situation had reached a boiling point.
The Right Minister stood before Pekoms, sweat pouring down his face, bowing repeatedly.
"Ah... this... as I was explaining, the factory machines were damaged during the civil war! We're currently repairing them, we're currently—"
Pekoms removed his sunglasses, revealing eyes that had shrunk to tiny, furious points.
"I've already told you! Your civil war means NOTHING to us!"
The surrounding murloc workers stared at Pekoms—specifically at his eyes.
"This..."
"The angry expression is so cute!" a female murloc factory worker whispered.
Pekoms ignored them completely, his focus entirely on the trembling minister.
"We signed a CONTRACT! Ten tons of sweets every month! In exchange, you fly the flag of the Big Mom Pirates!"
His voice rose.
"I said this before! I'm telling you again!"
He jammed his sunglasses back on, then immediately removed them again.
"I've always HATED having to say things twice!"
His eyes were tiny. Furious. And somehow, utterly unintimidating to the murloc onlookers.
"Because once you anger MAMA, there's only one possible outcome!"
He thrust a clawed finger at the minister.
"DESTRUCTION!"
He removed his sunglasses again for emphasis—tiny eyes blazing with rage.
The female murlocs behind him clutched their cheeks.
"His intimidating face is just so CUTE!"
(End of Chapter)
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