The words, spoken in a very ordinary and plain tone, were dazzling in the eyes of Neptune and Jinbe.
They had seen Whitebeard, Neptune had even seen Roger, but they couldn't see the same imposing presence in either of them as Cifer.
The former exudes an aura of dominance; just by looking at them, one can tell that they will surely conquer the world and become heroes of their own empire.
If Cifer didn't show it, he would just be a seemingly gentle and refined young man.
But his words and actions revealed unparalleled confidence, an attitude that showed he didn't care about the world.
Neptune and Jinbe even wondered if such a person could really exist in this world.
The meeting at the Ryugu Palace did not last long, and both Neptune and Jinbe saw Cifer's attitude.
They also chose to believe that he had the courage and ability to entrust Shirahoshi to him, and there was nothing to worry about. Everyone tacitly refrained from mentioning it again.
"Lord Cifer, what are you talking about?"
Shirahoshi appeared in the palace at just the right moment, with Nolan following behind her. Judging from their expressions, they were clearly getting along quite well.
"I wonder if Shirahoshi will still be the same crybaby she used to be, always by our side."
Cifer turned around and looked at the joke with a serious expression.
"I'm not a crybaby, Lord Cifer is so mean~"
Shirahoshi puffed up her cheeks in anger, trying to hide behind Nolan, but even with her body hunched over, Nolan's small frame couldn't block her.
"Little Shirahoshi, this is the first mate of Captain Cifer I mentioned to you, Brother Enel!"
Nolan smiled, turned around, took Shirahoshi's finger, and led her to Enel, introducing her to him.
"Hello, Enel- sama..."
Shirahoshi seemed to have reverted to her shy demeanor, greeting her future first mate with a hint of timidity.
"Yay! Hahaha! The God are very satisfied!"
"Once you reach Blue Sea, the God will protect you."
Enel loved the feeling of being respected; God should enjoy this kind of treatment.
"Shirahoshi, this is a gift for you. Eat it."
Cifer a casual toss, the fruit flew into her hand.
"Wait a minute! I think we should be more cautious..."
Before Neptune could stop her, Shirahoshi had already thrown the grape-sized fruit in her hand into her mouth and swallowed it without even chewing it.
"It's alright, I trust Lord Cifer!"
Shirahoshi was naive enough, and since Cifer was the one who gave her freedom, she trusted Cifer unconditionally.
"Rest assured, King Neptune, Shirahoshi is my future comrade. How could I possibly do anything to harm her?"
"In other words, if I wanted to do something to her, I wouldn't need to beat around the bush at all."
Cifer's words were simple and reasonable, and Neptune couldn't find any rebuttal for a moment.
As everyone was talking, the banquet time arrived as scheduled. All of Cifer's companions were invited by the king to the Ryugu Palace, where an exceptionally grand banquet began.
"Delicious! ^_^~"
Bonney's eyes sparkled as she ate all sorts of dishes she had never seen before in the ocean, as well as all kinds of delicious desserts.
The Tyrant remained silent, simply handing her food while he ate slowly and deliberately. Bonney's boisterous eating habits, however, seemed adorable to him.
Enel and Lucci seemed to be competing with each other, frantically devouring the food on the table, while the chefs hurriedly cleaned the table and served a new round of dishes.
Chopper and Fujitora have learned to guard their food. The two of them used their arms to block Enel and Lucci from view, and ate their own portions with gusto.
The rest of the people were much more elegant; no one reached into Nolan and Cifer's bowls, Shirahoshi had her own separate portion.
Only Neptune and Jinbe, along with the other Prince, suffered. Enel's speed was so fast that they didn't even have time to react before their plates were empty.
After a hearty meal, only the royal family members, Jinbe, and Cifer's group remained in the palace.
"I wandered around today and saw some incredible things."
"Princess Shirahoshi, is that Poseidon?"
To Robin's surprise, there was also Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island, and she saw the information recorded on it about the Ancient Weapon "Sea King".
Ancient Weapon, actually mermaids?!
Her gaze swept over Shirahoshi before turning to Neptune; she already knew Shirahoshi would be her future companion.
"If I could, I would also like Shirahoshi not to be like that, but fate is not something we can decide."
Neptune sighed.
If she weren't Poseidon, perhaps she could have grown up healthy and happy like an ordinary mermaid.
"You don't need to worry, Cifer will never let anyone bully his companions."
Are there any other Poneglyph here?
Seeing the reactions of Cifer and Neptune, Robin knew that her captain already knew, so she didn't ask any more questions about it.
"Unfortunately, it's no longer available."
She was not discouraged when she received the answer she expected.
After all, if the Void Century of history were so easily answered, Ohara would not have disappeared.
"By the way, Lord Cifer, Father, and everyone else, I'd like to introduce you to my new friend!"
Following behind Shirahoshi, the group arrived above Fish-Man Island, where several colossal Sea King, stretching as far as the eye could see, were watching them.
"They are Little Blue, Little Gray, and Little Yellow, all of them are very obedient and good children~"
Shirahoshi pointed at the enormous heads of the Sea King, completely oblivious to how insane her words were.
"Wow... it's so big!"
Chopper's eyes widened, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground in shock. While the others weren't as shocked, their expressions were filled with astonishment.
Even though Fujitora couldn't see, the information conveyed to him by his Observation Haki was enough to startle him.
Even Enel's face was serious; he still thought the other party was just a frail little girl.
But now that I look at them, if these few creatures were in the sea, probably few people would be a match for them.
Of course, the God are never afraid of enemies in the sea.
"Shirahoshi, when did you...?"
There was no doubt that her power as the Ancient Weapon Poseidon was Awakening, and Neptune's voice trembled slightly.
"I've forgotten when it was, but it doesn't seem like it was that long ago..."
Shirahoshi scratched her head and playfully stuck out her tongue.
"Is this... 'Aquaman's' power? No wonder he's said to have the power to destroy the world!"
Robin was shocked and remembered what the Poneglyph said, and she became even more wary of the Three Ancient Weapons.
"That's great, Shirahoshi."
Seeing her expectant eyes, Cifer praised her and flew to her side, gently patting her head.
Shirahoshi closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the moment, like a child being praised by an elder.