"Ah, I've waited so many years." On a tattered pirate ship, Vander Decken IX couldn't help but narcissistically lament, "That damned Neptune, keeping the princess locked up in Hard-Shell Tower for years just to keep us apart. It truly breaks my heart. We love each other so much. I love you like no other, no matter how much I wander this deep ocean. There isn't a single woman as noble and beautiful as you. I will not allow you to be with another man. If that day comes, then you shall die. Your life is meant to be either with me or end."
Vander Decken IX finished his passionate speech.
One of his underlings, accustomed to his antics, said as he watched a long sword being thrown, "Captain, you seem to have aimed in the wrong direction again."
"Idiot!" Vander Decken IX chuckled, "There's no way I could miss. This has to be it!"
Just then, the sword he threw spun around, changing direction and zoomed back towards Hard-Shell Tower.
Hard-Shell Tower
After turning on the lights in her room, Shirahoshi saw three strangers before her. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she nervously asked, "Who are you? Why are you here? You're here to take my life, aren't you?"
The more Shirahoshi spoke, the more she began to lose control of her emotions.
Though taken aback by how gigantic the Mermaid Princess was, Kaku took out his weapon, Evil Spirit, and pointed to a sharp blade embedded halfway into the wall, explaining, "We mean you no harm. I don't know exactly what's going on, but that blade seemed aimed at you. If we were here to kill you, would I have bothered to deflect it?"
Hearing this, Shirahoshi glanced at the sharp object lodged in the wall. Seeing no deception in Kaku's eyes, her urge to cry subsided a little.
"You... you really aren't here to harm me?" Shirahoshi, wiping her tears, asked hesitantly. "If you're not here to take my life, then what is it that you want?"
"Uh, well," Kaku scratched his long nose, then glanced at Takumi and Enel, both seemingly lost in thought. "We're guests of your brother, Prince Fukaboshi. We only came to see the legendary Mermaid Princess, that's all. You can rest easy. As long as you don't threaten us, we won't harm you."
"You're... invited guests of my brother?" Shirahoshi's tears quickly turned into a smile. "That's wonderful! If you're invited by my brother, then you must be trustworthy people. Ah, I'm so sorry for misunderstanding you."
Kaku smiled, as if comforting a child, "It's alright. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared."
"See?" Enel said smugly. "I told you, this Mermaid Princess would be huge. What's the matter, Kaku? Got nothing to say now?"
Kaku glanced at Enel, scoffing, "What's there to be proud of? It wasn't a bet or anything. Still, despite her size, the Mermaid Princess is indeed very beautiful."
Looking towards Takumi, Kaku smiled and asked, "Captain, what do you think? Setting aside her size, is she your type?"
Before Takumi could reply, Enel answered on his behalf, "You're so shallow, Kaku. Nobody knows Takumi better than I do. He likes women with twin tails. This princess isn't his type."
Takumi: "..."
Takumi knew exactly why Enel was saying this.
It all stemmed from that casual comment he had made back at Coral Apartments: that a beautiful mermaid with twin tails would be fine.
Did that really imply that he only liked that kind of woman?
Before he could ponder more, a long sword suddenly flew through a gap in the large door, speeding directly toward Shirahoshi.
Just as the sword passed by Takumi, he unhesitatingly drew the Sandai Kitetsu, and with a swift motion, chopped the sword into two, letting its pieces clatter to the ground.
Right on cue, a system notification rang in his mind.
[Ding! You have saved Princess Shirahoshi. Sign-in progress +30%. Observation Haki level +1. Current Observation Haki level: Lv7.]
Instantly, countless sounds rushed into Takumi's mind.
For a fleeting moment, he experienced an intense headache, a sensation he'd encountered before.
However, having faced this before, he quickly recovered, with only a slight furrowing of his brows.
"What was that?" Kaku looked at the sword Takumi had cut in half, surprised. "I think I know why so many weapons are embedded in the door. No wonder it was kept closed..."
Shirahoshi, covering her mouth in fear, started tearing up again, "Thank you... Can I know your names, esteemed sirs?"
"Before that, let's close the door," Kaku pointed to the still-open door. "Otherwise, if another weapon comes flying in, it's going to be really annoying to deal with repeatedly."
"Thank you... Thank you so much." Shirahoshi blushed as she politely expressed her gratitude, once again wiping her tears.
Enel observed Shirahoshi curiously and asked, "With your size, you must be hundreds of years old, right?"
"Huh? Hundreds of years old?" Shirahoshi's expression changed, clearly hurt, as tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm only eleven, w-wahhh..."
"What? Eleven?" Enel was shocked. "You're kidding, right?"
"No, Shirahoshi wouldn't lie." Tears formed again in Shirahoshi's eyes, and she began sobbing. "I really wouldn't lie to you."
Enel's face twitched, still skeptical.
Takumi, in a calm tone, said, "She isn't lying."
With Takumi saying it so matter-of-factly, Enel, though initially doubtful, began to find it plausible.
Seeing Enel staring at her again, and his naturally stern look, Shirahoshi couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, "Wahhh, so scary!"
"Hey, why are you crying?!" Enel shouted angrily. "Don't think for a second that crying will make me comfort you. Stop it right now, you big crybaby! Hey, did you hear me? If you keep crying, I'll hit you!"