"What?" Neptune's voice showed a hint of concern.
"You want to take the little girl out? This..." Neptune felt a bit awkward. Although the boy before him was quite capable, taking princess out...
Neptune frowned, thinking about the troublesome murlock pirate. Shark and the other two princes also looked worried.
Arthur, seeing their reactions, felt a bit frustrated. It seemed that despite some changes in their opinions, adapting to new behavior was still difficult.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen. Even if it's Red-Haired Shanks, he's not better than me! Unless someone of the Four Emperors level comes, no one can harm princess while I'm protecting her."
"Well, I trust you, sir," Neptune finally said, nodding. "But just in case, let the three brothers accompany you."
Neptune pointed to the three Shark Brothers.
"No need for that. The reason I'm taking princess out is to make up for her unhappy childhood locked away in a tower and to fulfill some of her dreams. Also, I'm going to deal with that fool, once and for all."
Arthur spoke with a calm expression. To him, Vander Decken IX was just a minor nuisance.
"If that's the case, please go ahead, Mr. Arthur!" Neptune nodded, summoned a guard, and instructed him to take Arthur to the Hard Shell Tower.
Meanwhile, Neptune and the others had other matters to discuss.
As a Logia Devil Fruit user, Arthur was more than capable of protecting White Star. Plus, Arthur had already told them about his strength and his encounter with Red-Haired Shanks.
In the Hard Shell Tower, the mermaid princess, White Star, sat on her bed, hugging her large fishtail like a pillow. Her lovely face was filled with loneliness. "Megalo, the Lord Angel just now doesn't seem like an angel at all! My mother used to tell me stories about angels when I was a child."
The shark acting as a listener rolled his eyes.
He didn't think Arthur was a good person! The previous display of power was really frightening. It was best to stay away from someone like that, or risk being eaten!
"How did your queen tell the stories about angels?"
A deep, magnetic voice suddenly spoke in the bright, empty tower.
"Huh? Are you... an angel?" White Star was startled by the voice. She then saw Arthur standing at the door and asked timidly.
"My name is Arthur," he introduced himself.
"Yes, Master Arthur," White Star said, playing with her fingers and peeking at Arthur curiously. "Master Arthur, why are you here again? Did my father and the others do anything to you?"
Arthur nodded and smiled, "Of course, I'm friends with your father now, so they won't have any problem."
White Star's eyes widened in surprise, and she jumped with joy, "Really? That's great, Master Arthur."
"Yes," Arthur said with a smile. "I came here to take you out to have some fun."
"Huh?" White Star was surprised, then her mouth curved into a smile. Although she was small, her smile was quite large.
"But Lord Decken will attack me with weapons," White Star said, her voice full of worry. She couldn't understand why someone she disliked would try to hurt her.
Arthur felt a pang of sympathy. He looked at the sad little girl and said, "Don't be afraid. I'm very strong. That ugly monster isn't a match for me. You can go wherever you want on Fishman Island."
"Really? The place I want to visit most is the Forest of the Sea." White Star was immediately interested, forgetting about Vander Decken IX for a moment.
"Yes, let's go!" Arthur said, waving his hand and opening the door.
"Is it really okay?" White Star hesitated, looking at the open door with both fear and hope.
"Yes, I've already spoken with your father, and he agreed." Arthur spoke gently, unable to hide his kindness towards the little girl.
"Great!" White Star's eyes lit up. "Megalo, take me and Master Arthur out to play."
She turned to the shark hiding in the corner, only half of his head visible as he looked at Arthur in fear.
The shark, trembling, reluctantly swam out at the sight of his owner's gaze.
However, near Arthur, the shark circled nervously.
"Let's go," Arthur said, appearing briefly above the shark's head. The shark stiffened and broke out in a cold sweat.
Under the watchful eyes of many guards, White Star cheerfully rode her pet shark, Megalo, through the passage from Dragon Palace City to Fishman Island.
"Ah, Master Arthur, this place is so beautiful! I haven't seen the scenery here in four or five years," White Star said, cupping her hands over her chest and looking around with excitement.
It was Arthur's first time seeing Fishman Island from such a height, and he agreed it was indeed beautiful.
On the ground, the people of Fishman Island spotted the shark high above.
"Is that... Megalo? Isn't that Princess White Star's pet?" a male merman asked in surprise.
"Yes, I see Princess White Star sitting on it," another male mermaid confirmed.
The area went silent in shock.
"Eh!!!!???"
All the fishmen and merfolk stared in disbelief.
"Princess White Star has left Dragon Palace!"
"There's a man with her! That man must have kidnapped the princess! We need to rescue her immediately!"
Both young and old, the fishmen and merfolk were in a panic, feeling a mix of worry and anger.
At this moment, those observing from the air noticed the commotion below. Peering down, they saw a group of people waving up at them. They immediately raised their hands in response, tears streaming down their faces.
"Hey everyone, it's so good to see you again!" The people who had been smiling just moments before were now crying tears larger than basketballs.
Due to the high altitude, the people below couldn't hear them clearly and could only see the gestures and the large tears falling. They realized the tears were from the princess.
This misunderstanding caused chaos below.
"Oh my God, Princess White Star is waving for help! Look, she's crying in fear. Damn it! Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
"Woo woo woo~ I feel so useless. I saw Princess White Star crying for help, but I can't do anything. Damn it!"
"Uuuuuu~ We need to think of a way! Princess White Star is asking for help! Wuuuuuu~"
The merfolk and fishmen, feeling guilty for not being able to help the princess, were crying one by one.
Even Arthur didn't expect such a huge misunderstanding. He realized he needed to go down and have White Star explain the situation to calm everyone, or Fishman Island might face turmoil.
"Well, this is not good. I'll have to go down and let princess explain to them, otherwise, Fishman Island might get into trouble."
"Princess Otohime, White Star, the third prince, and Neptune are truly beloved," Arthur thought, reflecting on the misunderstanding below.
......
Meanwhile, in the deep sea outside Fishman Island, a four-legged, ugly mermaid held an unusually large dagger.
"Princess White Star, please accept my marriage proposal. This painful separation truly breaks my heart."
The ugly mermaid was Vander Decken IX. As he spoke, he threw the dagger.
"Um?"
Vander Decken IX's eyes lit up with excitement as he noticed the dagger had changed direction.
"She left Dragon Palace? Great, I'm going to propose to her in person now!"
------------
Support me on Patreon.com and leave a comment on this chapter if you like it or not. It will be more motivation for me.
And let me know if there are errors or mistakes.
You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04