What a luxurious palace. Maybe building a Void Palace of my own wouldn't be a bad choice either—once I had money!
Then Lord Cifer would sit high above the heavens, while youngsters like King Luffy and Ace could only bow their heads and submit. With one call bringing countless followers, he would wipe out the Celestial Dragons and replace the World Government's flag with a red one...
While Cifer's mind was wandering elsewhere, King Neptune and the three Princes had already come to stand before him.
"Father Emperor, doesn't this guy seem a little unreliable? Is he really Whitebeard's friend?" Hoshi, the eldest Prince, quietly asked as he looked at the distracted Cifer.
"Maybe... probably?" Neptune also felt that Cifer did not seem very dependable, but since the man claimed to be Whitebeard's friend, he still had to show him some respect.
As for whether he was an impostor, everyone believed that no one would dare pretend to be a member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Hello, Mr. Neptune. I came here to discuss a deal with you." Having come back to his senses, Cifer did not seem to care about their whispered conversation.
"Oh? What kind of deal does Mr. Cifer wish to discuss?"
"I heard that your Princess has been harassed by some insignificant clowns over the past few years. I can take care of them for you." Cifer raised one finger. "It will only cost one hundred million Belly. What do you say?"
Cifer did not know exactly how much buying power one hundred million Belly had, but recalling Water Seven, it probably was not a small amount. Besides, it was only a trivial task for him, so there was no need to ask for an outrageous price.
More importantly, he had only said he would charge one hundred million Belly. He had never said he would not accept anything else. Thinking of that, a smile crept across Cifer's pale face.
"A mere one hundred million Belly! If you can deal with that man for my daughter, Fish-Man Island will forever regard you as our greatest friend!" Without the slightest hesitation, Neptune immediately agreed to Cifer's demand.
"Take me to see Princess Shirahoshi first."
"Wait!" At that moment, a catfish merman wearing a purple robe and a black top hat jumped out. "Your Majesty! How can you agree to him so casually? What if he does something to Princess Shirahoshi?"
"Left Minister!" Neptune did not answer him. In his eyes, Shirahoshi had hidden inside Hard Shell Tower for years. He wanted to seize even the slightest chance.
"There is no need for the Left Minister or Your Majesty to worry. I will stay by his side." A mature voice came from behind them.
"It's Jinbe!"
As everyone turned to look, Cifer also saw this "Shichibukai": storm-like eyebrows and sideburns, a topknot hairstyle, a thick, short black beard on his chin, a lightning-shaped scar at the corner of his left eye, a massive body, and two large fangs protruding from his lower jaw.
"Let this old man accompany Cifer and deal with Vander Decken!" Jinbe's sharp gaze fixed tightly on Cifer. "I am also a good friend of the Whitebeard Pirates. Mr. Cifer should not mind, should he?"
"Of course not!"
Cifer shrugged. If he truly wanted to do something bad, even Whitebeard being here would not help.
Then, led by Neptune and the guards, Cifer finally arrived at Princess Shirahoshi's residence of many years—Hard Shell Tower.
The outer shell of Hard Shell Tower was embedded with all sorts of weapons. Anyone unfamiliar with the situation would think a fierce battle had just taken place here. Who would have thought it was the suffering of a tragic little girl?
Vander Decken really was disgusting. How dare he treat my future crew member like this? A fierce glint flashed through Cifer's eyes, yet it still shocked Jinbe beside him.
What a terrifying man!
A drop of cold sweat slid down Jinbe's face. That was the only thought in his mind. He had originally believed that if Cifer tried anything bad, he could stop him, but now it seemed this man was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
Jinbe, who had not contacted the Whitebeard Pirates for some time, could not be certain whether Cifer was truly their friend. He could only hope that everything Cifer said was true.
Meanwhile, aboard the Flying Pirates' ship.
"Shirahoshi~ Why have you refused to respond to my love all these years~" Vander Decken continued his daily routine of talking to himself and declaring his love.
"Accept my love, Shirahoshi!"
A massive battle axe over three meters long flew out along with Vander Decken's shout. It cut through the ocean and headed straight toward Hard Shell Tower.
"Shirahoshi, it's Father Emperor. Are you awake, Shirahoshi?"
Neptune gently knocked on Hard Shell Tower's door and waited for Shirahoshi's response, but no answer came from inside for a long time.
"Well... Vander Decken has been throwing weapons at Shirahoshi without regard for the time these past few days. She may not have rested well." Neptune scratched his head as he explained to Cifer. "How about we wait a little?"
"No problem. Disturbing a sleeping beauty is not something a gentleman should do." Cifer did not mind at all. He walked over to Hard Shell Tower, leaned against it, and sat down with his eyes half-closed as if dozing.
Cifer had always been so polite. Combined with his pale face and his somewhat thin frame despite standing over three meters tall, Neptune began to wonder whether he had trusted the wrong person.
"It's here!" Cifer suddenly spoke.
"Could it be?!" Neptune's eyes widened. He had clearly understood what Cifer meant.
"Armament Haki, Hardening!"
While everyone was still stunned, Jinbe had already leaped into the air. A black aura wrapped around his arm.
Sharkskin Crusher Fist!
The powerful strike instantly shattered the battle axe into more than a dozen pieces, but those fragments still flew straight toward Hard Shell Tower!
Cero.
A streak of emerald-green light shot into the sky, completely pulverizing the axe fragments.
"Disturbing a young girl's sleep is not good behavior." Cifer had already risen to his feet, killing intent in his eyes.
Cifer had originally planned to speak with Princess Shirahoshi first, trick her a little, and then deal with Vander Decken. But since Vander Decken was so eager to die, Cifer did not mind taking care of him first.
Vander Decken's aura remained on the battle axe. Cifer's Neural Scan began expanding outward, searching for a similar aura before tracing the lingering trail in reverse.
Although Neptune and the others did not know why Cifer stood there motionlessly, they could tell that he was angry and did not dare approach him.
"Just wait for me!"
In an instant, Cifer vanished from everyone's sight, drawing startled cries from Neptune and the others.
"Was that... Soru?!" The well-informed Jinbe thought of even more possibilities. "No, in my Observation Haki, he vanished completely!"
At that moment, Vander Decken aboard the Flying Pirates' ship felt deeply unsettled, as though something terrifying was about to arrive.
"Bald Sea Monster! Take me to Noah, quickly!" Vander Decken felt more and more strongly that something major was about to happen. Only Noah could give him even the slightest sense of security!
"Understood, Captain!"
On the seafloor, the eighty-meter-tall Bald Sea Monster, Mizunami, pulled the Flying Pirates' ship as he strode quickly toward Noah.
Meanwhile, Cifer, who was continuously following Vander Decken's aura with Sound Step, was already considering whether to use Resurrección.
In his current state, he could only trace the aura left behind by the flying battle axe in reverse. If he used Resurrección, he could probably expand the range of his Neural Scan directly onto Vander Decken himself. Then he could use Void Release and go straight to his side.
Unaware of all this, Vander Decken brought his crew aboard Noah and used his ability to sail the bubble-coated Noah directly above Fish-Man Island.
In his view, as long as the other party had come for Fish-Man Island, Noah hanging high above the island was his greatest safeguard.
"You are approaching me instead of running away?" Sensing Vander Decken suddenly appear within his detection range and move toward him, a teasing smile appeared on Cifer's face.
Before you continue