Fish-Man Island Settled

"Wait!"

Neptune first comforted Shirahoshi, then pulled Cifer aside. "Mr. Cifer, others may not understand, but I know that fish-men and merfolk are coveted by nobles everywhere on land. Especially someone like my daughter!"

"She's still so young and has never seen the dark side of the world. I truly can't let you take her away. Please take back what you said about bringing her out to sea!"

As Neptune spoke, his eyes were already brimming with tears, and his tone unconsciously shifted from negotiation to pleading.

So this was... love?

Neither Cifer nor Ulquiorra had ever felt what it was like to be loved. Ever since arriving in this world, whether it was the Whitebeard Pirates or King Neptune weeping for his daughter before him, they had shown him that love existed.

"Don't worry, King Neptune. I won't take her away right now." Cifer looked toward Shirahoshi, who was chatting with the Princes nearby. "You know she is the legendary Poseidon, don't you?"

"How did you..."

Neptune's breathing quickened. Very few people knew that his daughter was one of the three legendary weapons, yet Cifer, whom he had only just met, knew as well!

"The reason Vander Decken has relentlessly pursued Shirahoshi is likely because of that. You can't even deal with Vander Decken."

Cifer shifted his gaze to Neptune and looked into his eyes. "There may be countless Vander Deckens targeting Shirahoshi in the future. The only safest place for her is by my side. I won't let anyone hurt her!"

"May I ask why? Why are you so insistent on Shirahoshi, Mr. Cifer?" At this point, Neptune had tacitly accepted Cifer's invitation to Shirahoshi. Cifer's strength was plain for all to see. If he wanted to take Shirahoshi by force, Neptune had no way to stop him. At the same time, he believed Cifer could protect her.

As long as he wasn't taking Shirahoshi away to do something bad, wasn't using her, and wouldn't hurt her, it would be fine! Besides, Cifer had said he was merely a traveler. He should be a kind person like Whitebeard, right?

"A reason?" Even Cifer himself could not seem to find a reason for wanting her as his companion.

Her beauty? Cifer certainly appreciated Shirahoshi's appearance, but she was still an innocent little girl. He was not that kind of person.

Poseidon? He himself possessed power enough to destroy everything. How could he possibly covet someone else's power?

Perhaps it was because she was a kind and adorable girl. Even though her mother had been murdered, she was willing to let go of her hatred for the sake of her mother's final wish. Loved deeply by the people of Fish-Man Island, she loved her people just as deeply.

If I stay with her, will I one day be loved too?

"I once searched for something. My intuition tells me that I will find the answer in Princess Shirahoshi." Cifer answered, though it did not seem like a complete answer.

But that was enough for Neptune. Cifer possessed overwhelming strength, and he had shown Neptune enough patience when it came to Shirahoshi. He believed Cifer would not mistreat Shirahoshi in the future.

"Hoshi, arrange a banquet. Tonight, Mr. Cifer and I will drink until we drop!" Neptune turned and swam toward the others. "Left Minister, send troops to patrol and see whether the disturbance earlier caused any damage."

"Yes!"

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

"Um... Lord Cifer, will you become a pirate, or are you simply going out to adventure?"

After gathering her courage, Shirahoshi finally asked Cifer her first question. In her mind, most pirates were probably bad people!

"Of course not. I'm just a traveler who does as he pleases. When you come with me in the future, we'll travel everywhere, go on adventures, and see things you've never seen before..."

Cifer shrugged. Naturally, he would not become a pirate, though whether he would end up with a bounty was another matter. To the World Government, a powerful person who did as he pleased was like a ticking time bomb.

Hearing that Cifer would not become a bad person, Shirahoshi completely let down the last trace of her guard and began chattering away.

"Has Lord Cifer gone on lots of adventures?"

"Are there lots of flowers and plants on land, as well as animals covered in fur?"

"At night, do the stars all climb into the sky?"

"And have you ever been to a forest that's completely green, Lord Cifer..."

Shirahoshi's curiosity about the land was like that of a baby who had just learned to speak, full of anticipation for the world. Cifer patiently answered every question without the slightest annoyance.

"At most, one year. When I return next time, I'll bring a way to solve the problem of your size. Then, whatever you want to see and wherever you want to go, I'll go with you." Cifer extended his right hand again, smiling at Shirahoshi.

"Lord Cifer~" At just a promise, tears as large as beans welled up in Shirahoshi's eyes again. Her flushed cheeks were as captivating as cherry blossoms. "Mm!"

She gently held out one finger and touched Cifer's hand. No one could have imagined that the Cifer Adventure Crew, which would one day become famous throughout the world, had taken its first shape at this very moment.

Before he knew it, Cifer had already stayed on Fish-Man Island for more than a week. Every day, he accompanied Shirahoshi as she explored the island, and the people of Fish-Man Island naturally came to know Cifer as their great hero. Their view of humans changed greatly as a result.

During that time, Neptune had brought Cifer to the royal treasury and let him take whatever he wanted. Yet Cifer only took a little over a million Belly and asked him to prepare a good ship instead. After all, money had never been Cifer's original goal.

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

"Here. This is for the coffee I owed you last time."

Outside the Mermaid Cafe, Cifer tossed a bag of Belly into Camie's hands. When she opened it, there seemed to be tens of thousands inside.

"Mr. Cifer, this is too much! A cup of coffee isn't worth much, and you're Fish-Man Island's great hero. How can you..."

Camie anxiously tried to return the money to Cifer, but he merely waved his hand and turned to leave. "Use the extra to treat Madame Shyarly and those children to a meal."

After walking a few steps, Cifer suddenly stopped. "The known future is merely the most likely possibility among countless unknowns. How could the future possibly remain unchanged exactly as predicted?"

With that, Cifer disappeared from Camie's sight.

"What an annoying little brat~"

Inside the Mermaid Cafe, Madame Shyarly, who had hidden herself away for some reason, slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke.

"Cifer-kun, the ship is completely ready! Are you leaving now?" Jinbe, who had been chatting with Shirahoshi, the Princes, and the others by the harbor, stood when he saw Cifer suddenly appear.

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

What greeted Cifer's eyes was a massive ship, nearly half the size of the Moby Dick. For Cifer alone, it was utterly extravagant.

The ship was likely worth far more than a hundred million, but after thinking about how Shirahoshi would accompany him on adventures in the future, it was only natural for Neptune, as her father, to give him the greatest possible support.

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

Ever since Vander Decken was no longer a threat, Shirahoshi had become much stronger after spending time with Cifer. She would no longer cry 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 become much brighter as well. He had even begun to enjoy teasing people.

With a light leap, Cifer jumped onto the ship over twenty meters above, and Jinbe followed close behind. He had promised Cifer that until Cifer found a helmsman, he would temporarily sail with him as his helmsman.

"Goodbye, Shirahoshi. Goodbye, Princes!"

"Goodbye, Lord Cifer!"

The anchor chain was raised.

"Set sail!"