Seeing Senga in front of her, Shirahoshi was so frightened that she hid behind Mekaro, peeking out and asking,
"Who are you?"
Senga paused, realizing that Shirahoshi's reaction was understandable, given her nickname "Cowardly Shirahoshi" in the anime. He looked at Shirahoshi and said...
"I am the guest that Neptune personally greeted, as you just mentioned. My name is Uchiha Senga."
"Eh!? How rude of you, Lord Senga!"
Shirahoshi was incredibly innocent. When Senga said that he was the guest her father had gone to greet, she didn't doubt it at all and immediately wanted to apologize for her behavior earlier.
Senga smiled helplessly, then directly opened the room space, and with a thought, appeared next to Shirahoshi in the next second.
Shirahoshi was immediately captivated by Senga's teleportation ability, and she exclaimed in surprise.
"Lord Senga is amazing!!"
Senga didn't say much, simply plopping down on Shirahoshi's huge bed, crossing her legs. Shirahoshi, looking at Senga's legs, suddenly asked...
"Is Lord Senga from the mainland?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"Have you ever seen sunshine, flowers, and many other interesting animals?"
"Yes, I've seen them. What you're describing is very common on land."
"Really?! I'm so envious! I wish I could go to land and see it!"
Shirahoshi curled her pink fishtail up, showing no aversion to Senga sitting directly on her bed.
For her, besides her father and brother, there was almost no one else who could come here. Now that she had finally met someone, she was going to cherish it. Even just being able to talk to him would be great!
Moreover, since Lord Senga is the guest Father mentioned, we must not be impolite any further!
Looking at Princess Shirahoshi's longing expression, Senga couldn't help but think that she must have been locked up here alone for far too long, which was why she was so interested in the arrival of a stranger like him.
Thinking of this, he stretched out a hand to Shirahoshi and said,
"Shirahoshi, would you like to go out and have a look around with me?"
Looking at Senga's outstretched hand, Shirahoshi's eyes revealed a strong longing. Of course, she wanted to leave this Hard-Shell Tower and see the outside world.
But reality told her that this was absolutely not an option, because as soon as she stepped out of the Hard-Shell Tower, she would be subjected to wave after wave of attacks.
She doesn't care if she gets hurt, but if she does, Lord Senga might also get hurt because of her, and all the efforts her father and brother have made would be in vain. Shirahoshi doesn't want that to happen.
So she shook her head with difficulty, her expression somber as she whispered,
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Senga, but I won't be going."
"Hmm? You're worried about that Vander Decken, aren't you?"
"Yes... if you take me out, Lord Senga, you will also get hurt!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Shirahoshi curled up like a wronged baby, Senga couldn't help but laugh.
Mekaro, who was next to Shirahoshi, was so frightened by Senga's laughter that he immediately jumped under the bed and trembled inside.
Shirahoshi didn't react much; she just stared blankly at Senga, not understanding why he suddenly laughed.
After laughing for a while, Senga's expression gradually calmed down. He got up from the bed, walked to Shirahoshi, and took her hand without saying a word.
He looked at Shirahoshi, who was still in a daze, and said in a confident tone,
"With me here, no one can hurt you. Come with me."
Looking at those deep purple Rinnegan so close to hers, Shirahoshi felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity and warmth welling up from the depths of her heart, as if countless voices were echoing in her ears.
"Trust him, go with him!"
She thought she was hallucinating, so she quickly shook her head vigorously.
Seeing Shirahoshi's actions, Senga asked curiously, "..." (Tianlai Novel Network)
"What's wrong?"
"Lord Senga, I just heard some strange noises!"
"Strange sound? What exactly did it say?"
"They make me trust you and follow you..."
"Oh?"
Senga raised an eyebrow, momentarily confused by the situation. He sensed his surroundings and confirmed that, apart from himself, Shirahoshi, Neptune, and Jinbe outside the door, there was indeed no one else present.
After much thought, Senga could only attribute it all to Shirahoshi's identity as an Ancient Weapon, Poseidon.
Senga didn't dwell on the matter any further, but instead repeated herself.
"Shirahoshi, come with me."
This time, Shirahoshi did not hesitate. Perhaps influenced by those voices, or perhaps by Senga's Rinnegan that gave her a sense of familiarity, she chose to trust Senga and tightly grasped the hand that Senga extended to her.
However, her hands were a bit bigger than Senga's, making the overall look a little odd.
Senga knew that Shirahoshi had made up her mind. He gave Shirahoshi a reassuring smile, and then, with a thought, he and Shirahoshi disappeared from the room at the same time.
At the gate of the Hard-Shell Tower, Neptune and Jinbe were on high alert, guarding against an attack from Vander Decken in the distance, when suddenly, Senga appeared before them with Shirahoshi.
When Neptune saw his daughter outside the Hard-Shell Tower, his eyes widened in shock. He hurriedly shielded Shirahoshi in front of Shirahoshi, angrily shouting...
"Shirahoshi, why are you out here!? Don't you know it's dangerous for you outside!?"
When Shirahoshi saw that Neptune was angry, her eyes immediately filled with tears. She felt that her father was going to hate her.
Upon seeing this, Senga immediately spoke up.
"Alright, I'm the one who brought Shirahoshi out."
"Yes... so it was Admiral Purple Kirin's wish. Thank you so much, Shirahoshi! Aren't you going to thank Admiral Purple Kirin?"
Shirahoshi looked at her father, who had been furious just a second ago, and whose expression had completely changed the next second, leaving her with several big question marks on her mind.
Seeing his daughter lost in thought again at this crucial moment, Neptune said with exasperation, "You're such a disappointment!"
"Stop standing there, quickly thank Admiral Purple Kirin!"
"Admiral Purple Kirin? But Father, I don't know this person..."
"What?! Who brought you out?"
"Ah? He's Lord Senga!"
"..."
Neptune and Jinbe, who were standing beside him, were stunned upon hearing the name. Good Senga! These two elders only dared to address Senga as Admiral Purple Kirin show their respect, and this guy was calling him by his full name?
However, judging from this, Admiral Purple Kirin is really good to Shirahoshi, as he doesn't seem to have the slightest displeasure.
However, Neptune and Jinbe were just overestimating Senga; he never cared about such things.
Just as the group was talking, another sharp weapon flew in, spinning, its target Shirahoshi.
A hint of fear appeared on Shirahoshi's pretty face, but she still subconsciously moved a little further away from Senga, not wanting to implicate him.
Senga instantly teleported in front of Shirahoshi, his eyes flashing with purple light, and the weapon exploded again, disappearing into thin air.
Shirahoshi stared blankly at Senga's back, draped in the Justice Coat. Although Senga looked smaller than her, and even smaller than her father.
But at that moment, in her eyes, that figure was so majestic that it gave her an unparalleled sense of security.
Senga didn't turn to look at Shirahoshi. The Heavenly Net had already locked onto Vander Decken's location. He stretched out his hand in the direction the weapon had come from and whispered...
"Banshō Ten'in!"
"Ah!"
A continuous scream grew louder as it approached, and soon Vander Decken was gripped tightly by the neck by Senga.
Because he had been dragged along by Banshō Ten'in, this guy looked extremely miserable, with many pieces of stone and wood stuck in his body, and blood everywhere.
Vander Decken stared at Senga with fear in his eyes, opened his mouth to speak, but Senga spoke first.
"Shirahoshi, close your eyes."
"Yes, yes, Lord Senga!"
Shirahoshi didn't ask Senga what he wanted to do, but she obediently closed her eyes, now having developed a strong trust in Senga.
The instant she closed her eyes, a piercing crackling sound of electricity rang out, followed by a scream that abruptly stopped.
When Shirahoshi opened her eyes, she saw Senga smiling at her, and a handful of black ash on the ground behind him.