The Fish-Man Island Affair Concludes

"Wait a moment!"

Neptune first comforted Shirahoshi, then pulled Cifer aside. "Mr. Cifer, others might not be aware, but I know that both Fish-Men and Mermaids are races highly coveted by nobles across the land. That is even more true for someone like my daughter!"

"She is still so young and has never encountered the dark side of the world. I truly cannot bring myself to let you take her out to sea. Please, I ask you to retract your offer to take her!"

As Neptune spoke, his eyes were filled with tears, and his tone shifted from a discussion to a plea.

Is this... love?

Whether it was Cifer or Ulquiorra, neither had ever felt the sensation of being loved. Since transmigrating, whether it was the Whitebeard Pirates or King Neptune, who was now shedding tears for his daughter, he had seen the existence of love.

"Rest assured, King Neptune, I will not be taking her away right now," Cifer said, looking toward Shirahoshi, who was chatting with the Princes not far away. "You know that she is the legendary Poseidon, don't you?"

"How do you...?"

Neptune's breathing hitched. Very few people knew that his daughter was one of the three legendary Ancient Weapons. To think that even Cifer, whom he had just met for the first time, knew about it!

"The reason Vander Decken has been pestering Shirahoshi is likely for this very reason, and you cannot even handle Vander Decken."

Cifer shifted his gaze to Neptune, looking him in the eyes. "In the future, there may be countless Vander Deckens eyeing Shirahoshi. Only by staying by my side will she be safest. I will not let anyone hurt her!"

"May I ask for the reason? Why is Mr. Cifer so fixated on Shirahoshi?" By now, Neptune had tacitly accepted Cifer's invitation to Shirahoshi. Cifer's strength was there for all to see; if he wanted to take Shirahoshi away by force, there was nothing Neptune could do to stop him. At the same time, he believed Cifer could protect her.

As long as he wasn't taking Shirahoshi to do something evil, wasn't using her, and wouldn't hurt her, then it was fine! Besides, Cifer had said he was just a traveler; he should be a kind person like Whitebeard, right?

"The reason?" Cifer seemed unable to find a reason why he wanted her to be his companion.

Beauty? Cifer certainly appreciated Shirahoshi's appearance, but she was, after all, a young girl who knew nothing of the world; he wouldn't go that far.

Poseidon? He himself possessed power sufficient to destroy everything; how could he possibly crave the power of others?

Perhaps it was because she was a kind and lovely girl who, even after her mother was murdered, was willing to let go of her hatred for her mother's dying wish. Deeply loved by the citizens of Fish-Man Island, she loved her people in return.

If I am with her, will I one day be loved as well?

"I was once searching for something, and my intuition tells me that I will find the answer in Princess Shirahoshi." Cifer answered, though it was as if he hadn't answered at all.

But for Neptune, it was enough. Cifer possessed sufficient power, and regarding the matter of Shirahoshi, he had shown enough patience. He believed that Cifer would not treat Shirahoshi poorly in the future.

"Hoshi, go arrange a banquet. Tonight, we shall drink until we drop with Mr. Cifer!" Neptune turned and swam toward the others. "Left Minister, send the troops to patrol and see if the commotion just now caused any issues."

"Yes!"

Neptune then pulled Jinbe aside to chat, leaving Shirahoshi and Cifer alone together.

"Um... will Lord Cifer be a pirate, or are you just going on an adventure?"

After gathering her courage, Shirahoshi finally asked her first question to Cifer. In her current way of thinking, most pirates must be bad people!

"Of course not. I am merely a traveler who follows his own whims. In the future, when Shirahoshi follows me, we will go on adventures everywhere and see things you have never seen before..."

Cifer shrugged. Naturally, he wouldn't become a pirate, but he didn't know if he would end up with a bounty. After all, in the eyes of the World Government, someone powerful and unrestrained was like a ticking time bomb.

Hearing that Cifer wouldn't become a bad person, the last shred of vigilance Shirahoshi had left vanished completely, and she began her incessant chatter.

"Has Lord Cifer experienced many adventures?"

"Are there many flowers, plants, and animals covered in fur on land?"

"Do the stars really crawl up into the sky at night?"

"Also, Lord Cifer, have you ever been to a forest that is entirely green..."

Shirahoshi's curiosity about the land was like that of an infant who had just learned to speak, full of anticipation for the world, and Cifer answered her one by one, never tiring of it.

"At most, one year. When I return next time, I will bring a solution for Shirahoshi's size problem. By then, whatever Shirahoshi wants to see and wherever she wants to go, I will accompany you." Cifer extended his right hand once more, looking at Shirahoshi with a smile on his face.

"Lord Cifer~" It was just a promise, yet tears the size of beans welled up in Shirahoshi's eyes again. Her flushed cheeks were as eye-catching as cherry blossoms. "Mm!"

She gently extended a finger and touched Cifer's hand. No one would have guessed that the Cifer Adventure Crew, which would one day become world-renowned, had its humble beginnings at this very moment.

Before he knew it, Cifer had stayed on Fish-Man Island for over a week. Every day, he accompanied Shirahoshi to play in various parts of the island. The people of Fish-Man Island naturally came to know Cifer as a great hero, which greatly changed their perspective on humans.

During this time, Neptune had taken Cifer to the royal treasury and told him to take whatever he wanted. However, Cifer only took about a million Belly and asked him to prepare a good ship for him; after all, money was not Cifer's initial goal.

Once he returned to the Grand Line, with his strength, he could have as much money as he wanted.

"Take this, for the coffee I owed you last time."

At the entrance of the Mermaid Cafe, Cifer tossed a bag of Belly into Camie's hands. When Camie opened it, she estimated there must have been tens of thousands.

"Mr. Cifer, this is too much! A cup of coffee isn't worth that much, and you are the great hero of our Fish-Man Island, how could I..."

Camie anxiously tried to return the money to Cifer, but Cifer simply waved his hand and turned to leave. "Consider the extra a treat from me for you, Madame Shyarly, and those children to have a meal."

Just after walking a few steps, Cifer suddenly stopped. "A known future is merely the most likely event among thousands of unknowns. How could the so-called future ever remain unchanged as predicted?"

With those words, Cifer's figure vanished from Camie's sight.

"What an annoying brat~"

Inside the Mermaid Cafe, Madame Shyarly, who had been hiding for some reason, slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke.

"Cifer-kun, the ship is fully prepared! Are you leaving now?" Jinbe, who was sitting by the port chatting with Shirahoshi and the princes, stood up when he saw Cifer suddenly appear.

"Mm, I've stayed long enough. It's time to head up to the surface."

What met Cifer's eyes was a massive ship, its scale nearly half that of the Moby Dick. For someone like Cifer, who was traveling alone, it was an incredibly extravagant vessel.

The value of this ship was likely far beyond one hundred million, but considering that Shirahoshi would eventually be joining him on his adventures, it was only natural for Neptune, as a father, to do everything in his power to provide the greatest support.

"Lord Cifer, I will wait for you on Fish-Man Island. When you return next time, we can go on adventures together!"

Ever since the threat of Vander Decken had been removed, Shirahoshi had become much stronger after spending time with Cifer, and she no longer shed tears so easily.

"Mm, Little Shirahoshi, spend more time with Neptune and the others this year. After all, once you start adventuring everywhere, you might not want to come home anymore."

During his time with Shirahoshi, Cifer had also become much more cheerful and had grown fond of teasing others.

Cifer gave a light leap and jumped onto the deck of the ship, which stood over twenty meters high. Jinbe followed closely behind; he had promised Cifer that until Cifer found his own helmsman, he would sail with him and serve in that role temporarily.

"Goodbye, Shirahoshi! Goodbye, Princes!"

"Goodbye, Lord Cifer!"

The anchor chain was hauled up.

"Set sail!"