Chapter 424 - 263

Chapter 264: The Speech Incident (Part 1)!Meanwhile, the Fishman District, located in the heart of Fish-Man Island, was already bustling with noise and activity.A temporarily constructed yet exceptionally magnificent and solemn white platform stood in the center of the square, overlooking the surging crowd below.A long, bright red carpet stretched straight down from the stairs in the center of the platform, extending all the way to the edge of the square.On both sides of the carpet, the Ryugu PalaceRoyal Guard, dressed in the finest armor, stood in neat rows, their expressions solemn and their gazes sharp as they maintained order, separating the excited crowd from the core area.Rows of seats covered in luxurious brocade were set up closest to the platform.The Straw Hat crew, King Neptune, and core members of Ryugu Palace such as the Ministers of the Left and Right were already seated, becoming the center of attention."Look! That is the Straw Hat Pirates!""It is true! They are the benefactors who quelled the Hody rebellion yesterday and saved Ryugu Palace!""Is that Boss Jinbe? Has he officially joined them too? How reliable!""Thanks to them, otherwise who knows what kind of chaos would have ensued...""But what big event is King Neptune announcing to all the island's residents today?""Who knows! But looking at this setup, it must be something significant!"In the square, various Fishman and merfolk residents were jostling, pushing forward desperately in an attempt to see more clearly.The noise of clamor, discussion, exclamations, and the excited shouts of children all merged together, impacting the sky above the square like waves, the scene almost boiling over with enthusiasm."Tsk, that hopeless Perverted Cook..."Zoro sat with his arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the group of mermaids not far away, which was noticeably more "colorful" and full of chirping voices than other areas, and the corner of his mouth curled in disgust.Sanji's signature blond hair and attentive figure were looming among them, surrounded by a large group of beautiful mermaids with blushing faces and eyes filled with gratitude and admiration.During yesterday's riot, Sanji had "saved beauties" everywhere like a knight, and his "heroic deeds" had long since taken on a legendary quality through the word-of-mouth of those he rescued.As a result, he had gained an astonishing number of female fans overnight and was currently immersed in the "heaven" he had always dreamed of, too happy to think of home."Speaking of which, why hasn't Luffy come yet?"Uta sat in the front row, pouting her beautiful lips slightly, her willow brows knitted, her purple eyes carrying a trace of impatience and hard-to-detect curiosity,"The speech ceremony is about to start, isn't he supposed to speak as the 'hero representative'?"She had... vaguely seen Nami sneak into Luffy's room last night?Although she didn't see exactly what they were doing, but..."Eh? Nami isn't here either!"Yamato, hearing this, opened her clear amber eyes wide, looked around, her tone simple yet tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction,"They... could they be hiding away to eat something delicious by themselves?! How could they not call us if there's good food!""Pfft."Robin, sitting to the side, covered her mouth and chuckled elegantly, her mature and beautiful face carrying her usual composure, though deep within her profound eyes, a trace of extremely subtle, hard-to-capture resentment seemed to flash by.She spread her hands and said softly in a tone that was half-smiling and thought-provoking:"Well... who knows? Perhaps our Captain and the Navigator are 'discussing' some important 'course' issue."Soon, a distant, sonorous, and highly penetrating bugle call slowly overwhelmed the noisy voices in the square."Woo— woo—"The cheers and discussions, which had been churning like boiling water, gradually subsided and died down following this ancient horn sound announcing the start of the ceremony.However, thousands of gazes became even hotter, tightly locked onto the platform.Under the focus of countless eyes, the huge and majestic figure of King Neptune slowly appeared from behind the platform, and along the red carpet, steadily "swam" to the center of the platform.He held the golden trident symbolizing royal power, his long orange beard and thick eyebrows appearing particularly striking under the soft light around the square.He stood still, his gaze sweeping over the dense, silently waiting citizens below like the deep sea, and his deep voice clearly spread to every corner of the square through the amplification device:"Citizens of Fish-Man Island— I am your King, Neptune!!""Today, I have summoned all the citizens of the country here just to announce two major matters concerning the past, present, and future of Fish-Man Island!!""The first matter... is about my late wife, who is also deeply loved by many of you... Queen Otohime!!"The moment the name "Queen Otohime" was spoken, a silent ripple seemed to sweep across the entire square.The slight commotion that had existed just moments ago disappeared completely, replaced by a nearly frozen silence.On the faces of countless Fishman and merfolk residents, expressions of grief, nostalgia, and confusion emerged simultaneously."After the overnight investigation and repeated verification by the Ryugu Palace guards and relevant personnel... it has now been finally confirmed—"His voice rose sharply, carrying an unquestionable firmness:"Queen Otohime did not die at the hands of a human!""The real murderer is— Hody Jones!!""Boom—!!""At the time, the truth of the matter was...""Yo, you beaming Perverted Cook, have you finally decided to crawl out of your 'paradise'?"Zoro held his arms in front of his chest, tilted his head, and squinted at Sanji, who was bubbling with pink bubbles, with his signature look of thirty percent mockery and seventy percent disgust."I think your soul has almost been hooked away by those mermaids, why not just get off the ship and stay here as a 'protector of flowers'! Save yourself from polluting the air on the ship."Unexpectedly, Sanji, who was currently on cloud nine and seemed to be surrounded by happy bubbles, had an exceptionally high tolerance at this moment.Not only did he not jump up to fight back as usual, but he just glanced at Zoro lightly, with a hint of superiority in his eyes.He elegantly adjusted his suit collar, his gaze began to scan the seats, and his brows then slightly knitted:"Hmm? Where is my dear Nami? Why don't I see her beautiful figure?"His tone immediately switched from drifting to earnest."Tch, you idiot swirl-brow,"Zoro sneered, raised his chin, signaling him to look again,"Can your lecherous eyes only see Nami?""Do you want to take a closer look, which other most important guy is also missing?"Sanji was stunned, and quickly scanned again... Luffy's exclusive seat was indeed empty!An unbelievable speculation instantly formed, causing the flush on his face and the floating feeling from just a moment ago to disappear as quickly as a receding tide, replaced by a gray defeat:"C-could it be... Nami is... is with that rubber idiot... gone to have some alone time together?!""No—!!!"He seemed to have his spine pulled out instantly, slumping into the chair, with dark clouds seemingly floating in the background, like a different person from his high spirits just moments ago.Just then, Jinbe walked over with steady steps.He looked at Luffy's empty seat, a trace of helplessness appearing on his broad face."Hasn't Luffy arrived yet?""According to the procedure, after King Neptuneannounces the first matter, it will soon be his turn to speak as a representative... This is going to be a bit troublesome."The Straw Hat crew shook their heads in unison, indicating that they didn't know where their Captain and Navigator had run off to."I see..."Jinbe pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the core members of the Straw Hat Piratespresent,"Time is tight, I'm afraid we can't wait. Could I ask one of you to be elected to stand on stage in place of Luffy for a few words?""The content doesn't matter, just express it simply; the main thing is to let the citizens feel the friendship and determination between our two parties."As soon as he finished speaking—"Then leave it to me!!!"Sanji, who had been slumped in his chair in a gray state a second ago, bounced up instantly as if injected with a stimulant!His eyes gleamed, his voice was a bit off-key with excitement, an unnatural flush appeared on his face again, and his whole body was even trembling slightly from excessive excitement.He stared fixedly at the dreamlike "ocean" formed by beautiful mermaids of various colors under the stage, his heart pounding uncontrollably.Under the spotlight of everyone, facing the entire Fish-Man Island, especially facing so many beautiful mermaid ladies to give a speech...This was simply a once-in-a-lifetime, heaven-sent opportunity to maximize his likability! How could he let someone else have it?!"Absolutely! I must firmly grasp this opportunity in my hands!!" He shouted wildly in his heart."Hey! You Perverted Cook!"Zoro saw Sanji's appearance, which looked like he was about to ascend to heaven on the spot, his eyelids twitched violently, and a bad premonition welled up in his heart.He stood up abruptly, his hand already pressed on the hilt of his wado ichimonji, veins bulging slightly on his forehead, and warned in a grim tone:"I'm warning you, you idiot cook! If you dare to talk nonsense on stage, saying anything shameful or blackening the name of the Straw Hat Pirates... I will absolutely slaughter you on the spot! Did you hear me?!"