"So cute~ and so spectacular!!!"
Following the sound, Nolan could hardly believe what he was seeing.
A pink-haired girl with baby-soft skin was swimming towards him, clinging to a shark wearing a bib and her cheeks flushed.
Her figure was undeniably alluring, yet her small face was filled with such an innocent smile that it would not inspire any inappropriate thoughts.
"It's been a long time, Shirahoshi."
Cifer opened his arms wide, completely unaware of anything wrong with it or what the consequences might be.
"Long time no see, Lord Cifer!"
Mekaro landed her in front of Cifer. Shirahoshi excitedly wanted to throw herself into Cifer's arms, but she ignored the difference in their sizes.
The result was that she ended up holding Cifer in her arms, while Nolan stood by, covering her mouth in shock.
"Um... Princess Shirahoshi, right? I think if you keep hugging her like this, you might suffocate Captain Cifer."
Nolan gently poked Shirahoshi's fair skin with his finger, pointing to Cifer buried in the giant object in front of her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"I just miss Lord Cifer so much!"
Shirahoshi seemed to realize that she was getting a little too excited, and quickly released Cifer from her arms, who was relieved.
"Yay! Hahahaha!"
Although it wasn't a big deal, Enel still enjoyed seeing Cifer get his comeuppance.
"It's been quite a while since we last met, Cifer-kun!"
A mature and steady voice came from behind the scenes; it was Jinbe, who had been protecting Shirahoshi from the shadows.
"What? Now you're not afraid of being implicated with me?"
Cifer joked, "Back then, this guy left in a hurry because I killed Celestial Dragons, leaving me to drift alone at sea."
"Hahaha~ Cifer, don't worry about what happened back then."
Jinbe laughed heartily, as if he had no longer felt the constraints he had once carried.
At the time, the Cifer powers were at the height of their influence, and it was a crowded and intriguing place near the Sabaody Archipelago, so Jinbe had no choice but to leave.
Now, this is Fish-Man Island, our own territory.
If there were World Government spies here, my relationship with my Old Man would have been exposed long ago.
Let's go!
The five people and one shark strolled along the street, with Fish-Man or mermaids constantly coming up to greet them.
Nolan and Enel once again witnessed how popular Cifer was on Fish-Man Island. Although he couldn't compare to Princess Shirahoshi, he was more than as popular as Jinbe.
As they walked, led by Jinbe, they entered the Ryugu Palace.
After chatting with Cifer and freely expressing her joy and longing, Shirahoshi unexpectedly became good friends with Nolan.
They all had one thing in common: an almost pathological yearning for and admiration of Cifer.
The two hit it off immediately. Nolan sat on Shirahoshi's shoulder and went to her bedroom to chat about random things, leaving the three men behind to walk toward the palace where Neptune was.
"Left Minister, go and arrange the banquet!"
Upon seeing Cifer and his entourage appear in his sight, Neptune immediately instructed a minister to prepare food and drink, and the minister, understanding the instruction, quickly left.
At the same time, he also took away the guards of the Ryugu Palace.
The king clearly had important matters to discuss, and it was not appropriate for too many outsiders to be in the palace. As for security, it didn't matter whether he considered it or not.
What are you trying to say?
Cifer naturally saw through his thoughts and roughly guessed what he was going to say, which would either be about himself or about Shirahoshi.
"Mr. Cifer, wasn't the time Shirahoshi had agreed with you still a few months away? How come it's already..."
Neptune rubbed his hands together, clearly a little nervous and embarrassed, but since it concerned his beloved daughter, he didn't want to beat around the bush.
Shirahoshi had already made an agreement with the person in front of her, and she herself had also agreed. Neptune didn't want to say anything more, nor did she want to disappoint her daughter.
But this man is, after all, someone the World Government fears most, with Bounty even higher than that of his old friend. It's impossible not to be worried at all.
In a state of extreme inner conflict, Neptune finally said that it wasn't time yet and he wanted to spend more time with his daughter.
"Don't worry, I didn't come here to take Shirahoshi away. I'm just here to check things out on my way into the New World."
"Also, I have some small gifts I'd like to give her."
Shirahoshi's size problem hasn't been resolved yet, Cifer plans to find Vegapunk to solve it after arriving in the New World.
After all, the Small-Small Fruit has not been found yet, and it may have been eaten long ago. Moreover, Shirahoshi is a mermaid, so it is indeed not good to let her eat the fruit.
If all else fails, the only option is to have a giant ship built that will be comfortable enough for her to live in.
Moreover, Shirahoshi is not suited for a world full of killing. Cifer wants to cause some trouble in the New World first, so that the New World can become a little quieter.
"That's good... that's good..."
Neptune's anxiety finally subsided, but he kept repeating those few words.
"Cifer, it may not be appropriate for me to say this, but Princess Shirahoshi, can you really adapt to life on your ship?"
"She is a princess who has never seen the outside world since she was a child. She only has a beautiful longing for the outside world. If she were to see those evil things... Moreover, she has no ability to protect herself and needs you to protect her."
Jinbe felt uncomfortable looking at the king's appearance. After thinking it over, he said something that even he himself found offensive.
Shirahoshi was just an innocent child, Jinbe couldn't imagine what it would be like for her to be wanted by the World Government after leaving Fish-Man Island, along with Cifer.
Most importantly, she is naive and innocent, and although she is huge, she has no corresponding fighting ability; it would be an exaggeration to say that she is frail and weak.
Neptune didn't interrupt, but he also pricked up his ears, waiting for Cifer's response. Jinbe's words truly struck a chord with him.
"Yay~ Hahaha~ What are you guys worried about?"
"Since she is our future companion, the God will naturally protect her."
Enel spoke first, accompanied by his signature loud laugh.
Since she is a companion, I will naturally not allow anyone to hurt her.
"Enel said is exactly what I was going to say. And as I said before, I'm here to give Shirahoshi a little gift."
Cifer reached into his pocket and pulled out a fruit with a special pattern.
"This is... Devil Fruit?! You don't mean to let Princess Shirahoshi eat Devil Fruit, do you?!"
Jinbe and Neptune's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. If she ate Devil Fruit, how would she ever be able to swim in the sea again?!
"This thing... is a bit special, and I can't explain it to you. Anyway, it's not Devil Fruit, but it can give Shirahoshi some special powers."
This is one of the purposes of Cifer's trip.
Shirahoshi was indeed too weak, but as his companion, he would naturally try to help him become capable of protecting himself on land.
"And you guys said you were afraid Shirahoshi would be disappointed if she saw the true face of the world?"
"It's simple, just make the world look like her ideal!"