The reckoning in the Fishman District was over.
Shark stayed behind. He began handpicking the fishman thugs who still had fire in their blood, preparing to reorganize that mob of rabble into the Eclipse Pirates' formal underwater forces.
Ace took the other officers, along with King Neptune, Jinbe, and Shirahoshi, and followed the waterway back to Ryugu Palace.
The atmosphere in the bubble car on the way back was a little strange.
"Those fishmen are as stubborn as they come."
Enel floated cross-legged in the air above the carriage, his mouth twisted with irritation. "Our captain personally extended an invitation, and he's still hung up on that old fossil Whitebeard. Honestly, we should have just blasted that ragged flag over Ryugu Palace to pieces while we were at it."
"Don't be stupid, Enel."
Sabo adjusted his hat with a grin. "The sea is short on fools who weigh gratitude and honor heavier than their own lives. If Jinbe turned his back on Whitebeard the moment he saw the Eclipse's firepower, that kind of weathervane would be useless to the captain even if he joined."
"Exactly! A man who guards his principles for the sake of a promise earns the right to be called a true warrior!" Urouge bellowed in agreement, his brutish face creased with admiration.
Leonora looked thoughtful. "Still, Shark's move to absorb the Fishman District was a brilliant play. Thousands of fishmen with freakish natural strength. If we drill them in combat and discipline, they'll be a trump-card army that dominates underwater in every major battle against the Four Emperors or the World Government."
"Yeah, yeah. Man, I wish we could breathe underwater too," Chopper chimed in.
The bubble car soon arrived at Ryugu Palace.
To celebrate the end of the nightmare that had haunted Shirahoshi for six years, and to thank the Eclipse Pirates for not only sparing the Fishman District but actually cutting out its cancer, King Neptune ordered the highest-level state banquet the palace could offer.
The great hall roared with noise. Pirates danced with mermaid waitresses, singing and laughing.
Ace sat in the seat of honor, working through a platter of roasted sea beast meat, a deep-sea specialty. He turned toward Princess Shirahoshi, who sat beside him, still a little timid but visibly glowing with joy.
"Shirahoshi."
Ace swallowed his bite and spoke.
"Y-yes! Lord Ace!" Shirahoshi nearly jumped. She hastily set down her pastry, her enormous hands fidgeting together.
"You've spent the last few days getting used to how this crew operates."
Ace looked at her, his tone as casual as asking about the weather. "How about joining the Eclipse Pirates as a provisional member?"
"Eh?!"
Not just Shirahoshi. Even King Neptune and Jinbe, who had been mid-toast, froze. The king's goblet tipped right over onto the table.
"J-join a pirate crew? Me?" Shirahoshi's huge eyes went wide with shock and disbelief. But right behind that came something she couldn't hide: a spark of pure excitement. "But... I'm so weak, and so clumsy. I can't even fight..."
"You're still too young right now."
Ace cut her off. "First, make a contract with Carina and join the Eclipse chat network as an external member. You'll stay on Fishman Island, learn and grow. When you're a little older, you board the ship and come with us to conquer the world."
"External member?" Shirahoshi tilted her head, puzzled.
"Carina." Ace gave a slight nod.
The intelligence officer immediately understood and stepped over. She hopped onto the massive table in front of Shirahoshi and pressed her hand to the princess's forehead.
"Shirahoshi, I'm planting a communication imprint on you now. From then on, you'll be able to talk to all of us inside your head anytime you want."
Carina's purple eyes sparkled playfully. "And whenever you're bored, I can share someone else's field of vision with you. Or the view from the seabirds we have flying all over the world."
"Really?!"
Shirahoshi's tears burst out instantly. "I'll be able to... see the sun and the open sea every day from now on?!"
"Of course." Ace smiled. "And that's not all. I found you a bodyguard. That bald sea god, Wadatsumi. He'll stay on Fishman Island and follow your orders from now on. He's not the brightest, but he's big enough to make a perfect shield."
Shirahoshi was so overwhelmed she couldn't find words. She just nodded frantically, tears splashing down into the plate in front of her like rain.
King Neptune opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a burst of wild shouting.
"Captain! I'm back! I struck it rich! I'm filthy rich, hahahaha!"
Accompanied by an utterly unhinged cackle, Buggy burst through the main doors, covered head to toe in mud.
His detached hands were hauling a massive, waterproof treasure chest, heavy with rust and deep-sea barnacles.
"Buggy, did you actually go digging through garbage?" Sabo stared at him, half speechless.
"Garbage?! This is sunken treasure I dug up from the deepest silt of the Sea Forest!"
Buggy, drunk on his own glory, flipped open the chest.
Inside was a fortune in gleaming ancient gold coins and jewels. And at the very bottom, buried under the treasure, lay a leather pouch sealed tight with special waterproof tape.
"Look! I peeked inside on the way here. It looks like some ancient archaeologist's top-secret manuscript! My gut tells me this thing's worth more than the gold!" Buggy thrust the pouch at Ace like a man presenting tribute.
Ace gave it a casual glance at first.
But when he opened the pouch and saw the descriptions and illustrations on the parchment, pages about colossal Sea Kings, a sovereign capable of communicating with them, and methods to channel the power of Poseidon.
Even Ace's composure cracked. A flash of shock passed through his dark eyes.
The author of this manuscript was clearly an archaeologist from centuries past, someone who had pursued the ancient weapons. Their ship must have been attacked by giant Sea Kings near the Sea Forest and sunk. But this priceless manuscript on awakening and guiding the power of the Sea King had been preserved perfectly.
And Buggy had dug it up?!
"Buggy, you absolute bastard. The sea really does love you," Ace said, half cursing, half laughing.
He closed the manuscript and stood.
He walked over to Shirahoshi and placed the ancient parchment into the giant princess's hands.
"Lord Ace... what is this?" Shirahoshi asked, confused as she took it.
Ace looked at her, then at Neptune and Jinbe, who were equally bewildered. He didn't hide it. He laid the world-shattering secret bare, right in front of Ryugu Palace's highest leadership.
"It's a manuscript."
Ace's voice reached the few of them with perfect clarity. "A manuscript on how to awaken and control a power capable of sinking the entire world."
"Shirahoshi."
He met her eyes, his tone carrying a gravity she had never heard from him before. "You are not some fragile princess who needs protecting. Your gift is beyond imagination. You are the one the legends speak of, the one who commands all colossal Sea Kings. You are Poseidon, the Sea King."
Clang!
This time, Neptune and Jinbe didn't just drop their glasses. Both shot to their feet, staring at Ace in stunned horror. How did he know Fishman Island's greatest secret?!
"I'm... Poseidon?" Shirahoshi stared blankly at the parchment in her hands.
"That's right. So stay on Fishman Island. Protect yourself well. Don't let any bad people carry you off."
Ace looked at the future queen of the deep sea. "And while you're at it, keep an eye on those auxiliary legions in the Fishman District for me."
Shirahoshi clutched the manuscript tight. Something in her eyes, soft and timid for so long, finally showed the first glimmer of transformation.
She wiped her tears and nodded at Ace with all her strength.
"I understand! Lord Ace! I will work hard and become stronger!"
In her heart, Shirahoshi swore a silent oath. The day she grew up, the day she could control this power perfectly, she would go out to the sea. She would become a companion who could truly stand at Ace's side.
Two days later.
The inlet of Fishman Island.
The Eclipse, that massive black warship, had been fully resupplied and now hovered silently in the seawater.
King Neptune, Jinbe, and Shirahoshi stood on the shore, watching the demon ship that had turned Fishman Island upside down prepare to depart.
Behind them, thousands of fishman citizens and soldiers filled the shore, their eyes brimming with awe and gratitude.
"Captain Ace! Smooth sailing!"
"Lord Ace! Thank you!"
Amid the thunderous cheers rising from all sides.
Ace stood at the prow, his dark gaze fixed on the deep-sea channel ahead, the path that led to the other side of the Red Line.
"Eclipse, full speed ahead!"
Ace's voice rang out over the ship, carrying an unstoppable momentum.
"Destination. The New World."
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