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Meanwhile, on Fish-Man Island—
After receiving a challenge letter from the Blackbeard Pirates, the Phoenix Pirates had Marco lead their main force toward the Grand Line. On the way, they stopped to resupply on Fish-Man Island.
There was still time before the scheduled battle with the Blackbeard Pirates, so Marco wasn't in a rush.
Besides, Blackbeard was far too cunning. Marco had no intention of arriving too early and giving him any advantage.
On top of that, the Phoenix Pirates were already at odds with Marineford—and even the World Government. Heading into the Grand Line too carelessly could mean a Marine interception or even an all-out war.
Marco's goal this time was simple: wipe out the Blackbeard Pirates and take care of that clown. He didn't want to stir up extra trouble or waste strength clashing with the Marines. So, for now, he chose to lay low and rest on Fish-Man Island.
After all, Fish-Man Island was the closest point to the first half of the Grand Line within the Phoenix Pirates' sphere of influence.
There was another reason as well: Marco intended to use this lull before facing Blackbeard to bring Shirahoshi under his control.
Strictly speaking, with Marco's own strength—and the system—he didn't really need Shirahoshi. But even so, he still wanted her with him.
It was the best way to prevent any unpredictable accidents.
At a banquet in Ryugu Palace, Neptune raised his glass and said, "Marco, on behalf of my daughter, I thank you. For the past nine years, my daughter has been greatly troubled by Vander Decken IX. Thanks to you, she can finally emerge from her room."
Marco lifted his own glass in response. "King Neptune, you flatter me."
Seated just below Neptune, the towering Shirahoshi also bowed her head gratefully. "Thank you for taking me to the Sea Forest, Marco-sama."
Hearing this, Marco's lips curled into a faint smile. "Forget the Sea Forest—I can even take you to see a real forest. Haven't you always wanted to go?"
"I really do want to go, but…" Shirahoshi trailed off, sneaking a nervous glance at Neptune and her three older brothers.
Marco's smile deepened. He turned to Neptune and said, "Neptune, I plan to take Shirahoshi out to sea to travel. You don't have any problem with that, right?"
"This…" Neptune faltered, taken aback.
Marco went on, "Don't worry. I'll have Jinbe and Namur serve as Shirahoshi's personal bodyguards. And if you're still uneasy, you can choose a few guards of your own to accompany and protect her."
Neptune found it hard to refuse after Marco went that far. But he knew better than anyone what kind of power Shirahoshi held. If someone with ill intentions ever targeted her, the danger would be unimaginable. He let out a slow breath and answered politely, "Well, Marco, Shirahoshi is still too young. She hasn't left her room since she was six years old, let alone gone out into the world."
Marco met his gaze and reassured him, "It's alright, King Neptune. I will absolutely guarantee Shirahoshi's safety."
The other members of the Phoenix Pirates jumped in as well, grinning. "That's right, King Neptune! Let little Shirahoshi come out to sea with us! We'll definitely protect her."
Neptune's heart grew even more tangled. He truly didn't know how to turn them down—especially when Fish-Man Island still relied on the protection of the Phoenix Pirates' flag.
With that in mind, Neptune glanced over at Jinbe. After a long moment of hesitation, he finally relented. "Alright. Since Shirahoshi wishes to go out, and Marco is willing to take her to sea, then I have no reason to refuse."
He then looked solemnly at Jinbe and Namur. Jinbe had once served as captain of the Fishman Royal Guard, and even now, as the Fourth Division Commander of the Phoenix Pirates, Neptune's trust in him had never wavered.
Namur, a fish-man orphan who had followed Whitebeard for many years, was also someone Neptune could rely on. No matter how far he'd gone, he was still a fish-man at heart and shared a natural bond with his own people.
"Jinbe, Namur," Neptune said seriously, "I entrust Shirahoshi's safety to you."
Jinbe straightened, voice firm. "Please rest assured, King Neptune. As long as I still draw breath, I will not allow anyone to harm Princess Shirahoshi."
Namur nodded. "Same here."
Neptune gave a slight nod in return, then addressed Marco once more, his tone earnest. "Marco, my daughter will be joining your pirate crew. I ask that you take good care of her."
"Mm," Marco replied simply.
At that moment, Yamato raised his glass high and shouted, "Alright, everyone! Welcome Princess Shirahoshi to our Phoenix Pirates! Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Everyone lifted their cups, and the lively banquet carried on in high spirits.
Shirahoshi, hearing that her father had agreed to her adventure, lit up with joy and lifted her glass with everyone else to celebrate.
Just then, a member of the Second Division came running over and called out to Ace, "Commander Ace, the transponder snail in your bag has been ringing nonstop for a while now!"
"Ah? What is it?" Ace slurred, cheeks flushed from drink as he hiccuped.
The crew member handed him the familiar single-shoulder backpack Ace always carried. "It's this one. The transponder snail inside keeps ringing. It seems someone's trying to reach you."
Still a bit drunk, Ace fumbled the bag open. Inside, along with his personal belongings, were several transponder snails. He quickly picked out the one letting out a constant "buruburu, buruburu," and his expression hardened at once. Only two people had this number: Luffy and Sabo.
Without hesitation, he answered. "Hello, this is Ace."
"Ace…" Luffy's ragged, urgent breathing crackled from the other end.
The sound sent a chill down Ace's spine. His drunken haze cleared, and he asked sharply, "Luffy, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
On Amazon Lily, Luffy was sprinting for his life, Gorum close on his heels. Gasping for air, he shouted into the transponder snail, "Ace, help! Rayleigh and I were training here on Amazon Lily, but I don't know how the Marines found us. Now Rayleigh, Hancock, and the Amazon Lily warriors are all under attack by the Marines, and there's a Celestial Dragon who looks a lot like Shanks—he seems to be an Admiral!"
Ace's face drained of color. Any trace of a festive mood vanished. He shot up from his seat, expression twisting, and roared, "Wait for me, Luffy! I'm coming to save you right away! You must survive!"
He turned immediately to Marco. "I'm sorry, Marco, I have to go."
"Wait, Ace—" Marco called after him.
"Don't stop me, Marco," Ace said, voice firm and unshakable. "I'm going to save my brother."
"No, no one's going to stop you," Marco said, shaking his head. His tone hardened as he went on, "But going alone is pointless. The enemy has Admiral‑level fighters. If it were just one Admiral, Dark king Rayleigh could handle it no problem. But clearly, they've got at least two Admiral‑class powerhouses. If you rush in by yourself, you might not even be able to reach Luffy."
Ace exploded, "Even if I can't save him, I still have to go! He's my brother!"
Jozu quickly tried to calm him down. "Calm down, Ace. Marco must have his reasons."
Marco met Ace's gaze and continued, "Didn't Luffy just say there was a Marine Admiral who looks a lot like Red‑Haired Shanks? That should be Figarland Gorum or Figarland Shamrock of the God's Knights. He's a Celestial Dragon, and I'm guessing he can use a magic circle to summon other God's Knights and even the Gorosei. That's why going alone is meaningless."
At that, Ace—who still remembered all too well how his last capture had led to the Marineford War—finally forced himself to cool down. "Then what should we do?" he asked.
"I'll go with you," Marco replied, his expression firm.
"Marco…" Ace stared at him, stunned and moved. Luffy and Marco barely knew each other, and yet Marco was willing to help rescue Luffy for his sake. The realization hit Ace deeply.
Marco turned to the rest of the crew and raised his voice. "Brothers, prepare to set sail."
"Oh!!!"
Then he faced Neptune. "King Neptune, it looks like we'll have to leave earlier than planned. Once we've dealt with the Blackbeard pirates, we'll come visit you again."
"Hmm. Alright," Neptune answered with a nod.
Before long, the Phoenix set sail. Once they were on board, Marco began explaining the plan to everyone. "After the Phoenix surfaces, I'll take Ace to Amazon Lily first. As for the rest of you…"
He paused, his expression turning grave. "The Calm Belt is an area where normal ships simply can't sail. Beneath it lurk massive Sea Kings… and Neptune Sea Kings."
Jinbe added, face serious, "That's right. The Calm Belt is one of the most dangerous seas in the world. Those giant Sea Kings are a threat even to us fish‑men."
Marco turned to Shirahoshi, his expression suddenly serious. "Shirahoshi, when the time comes, I'll need you to talk to those Sea Kings and ask them not to attack our ship."
"Me?" Shirahoshi, already seated on the phoenix's back, blinked in surprise.
Then her shoulders shrank. "But… I can't do anything," she said timidly.
Marco nodded, still solemn. "You probably haven't even realized your own power. You can communicate with Sea Kings. To them, you're their king."
At his words, Jinbe's pupils trembled, and the members of the Phoenix Pirates all reacted with shock. Yamato leaned forward, confused. "Captain Marco, did you just say Little Shirahoshi is the King of Sea Kings?"
Namur frowned as well. "Even if Fishmen can talk to fish, there's no way to communicate with Sea Kings!"
"That's just something you can't do," Marco replied calmly, meeting Namur's gaze before looking back at Shirahoshi. His tone hardened with certainty. "Shirahoshi, you can definitely speak to those Sea Kings and give them orders. Because inside you is the power of the Ancient Weapon… Poseidon."
"Poseidon?" The word rippled through the crew like a shockwave. Everyone stared at the timid, fragile Shirahoshi, unable to connect her with the legendary Ancient Weapon.
Jozu stepped forward at once. "Marco, is that for real? Is Little Shirahoshi really the legendary Poseidon?"
"Yes." Marco gave a slight nod and addressed everyone. "Poseidon is actually a mermaid princess. Once every few hundred years, a princess is born who can communicate with large Sea Kings and even Neptune Sea Kings—and command them. Shirahoshi showed the power of the Sea King when she was just a child, didn't she, Jinbe?"
Jinbe nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. When Princess Shirahoshi was young, she once summoned large sea kings.
"I… I did something like that?" Shirahoshi asked in astonishment.
"Yes. It was likely an unconscious act," Jinbe explained gently, looking at her. "And the reason Vander Decken IX has been hounding you all these years is probably because he witnessed that power back then. That's why he went mad proposing to you."
Jozu couldn't hold back his excitement. "Marco, when you told Kaido before that you had Poseidon in your hands, I thought you were just bluffing him! So it was actually true!"
Marco didn't respond to the question and instead went on, "However, Shirahoshi's power has too many unknowns. We still need to discuss this with Kaido and Big Mom. If something unexpected really happens, we might be facing another big battle."
At his words, the mood grew heavier. Ace lowered his head, shame written all over his face. "I'm sorry, everyone. Because of my brother, I've dragged you all into this. I'm really sorry."
Harta let out a hearty laugh. "Don't say that, Ace! Luffy helped us a lot back in the Marineford War. You can think of this as a favor the Phoenix Pirates owe him."
Hearing that only made Ace feel more conflicted. Marineford had been a war to save him. They'd lost countless comrades there, and even their old man. And now, because Luffy was in danger, his comrades from the Phoenix Pirates were sailing to Amazon Lily to save Luffy for his sake. The thought filled Ace with a deep, quiet happiness. Joining the Whitebeard Pirates and then the Phoenix Pirates had given him so many family members…so many comrades.
"…Thank you."
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