Xi Yan's Surprise, Just How Much Does Galette's Family Love Sweets...

"This operation on Fish-Man Island is actually more dangerous than I imagined," Nami said, sounding a bit of a headache.

If it weren't for Xi Yan, they might have all drowned in the ocean currents.

Hearing Nami's words, Merry laughed and said, "But it's also very exciting, isn't it!"

That's what makes an adventure truly fun!

"That's true, but..." Nami rubbed her temples and said, "I hope there can be less of this kind of stimulation."

She was afraid her heart wouldn't be able to handle it if she did it too many times.

"That's difficult," Franky said, shrugging. "After all, our captain is Luffy."

With that guy around, a safe and peaceful adventure is practically impossible.

After all... what that guy loves most is unknown adventure!

Nami:...

Upon hearing Franky's words, Nami immediately pictured a certain adventurous idiot, and then silently sighed.

Yes, with a captain like that... it's impossible for them to have any peace and quiet.

After shaking her head, Nami stood up from the rock and said, "I'm planning to go to town and buy some things. Who wants to come with me?"

Having finally arrived at Fish-Man Island, we can't stay on the ship forever.

So... let's go buy some stuff!

"Me!" Merry said, raising her hand.

He looked as well-behaved as a primary school student.

"Good."

After ruffling Little Merry's hair, Nami looked at Nico Robin and Franky and asked, "Where are you two?"

"I'm not going," Franky said, shaking his head. "I need to clear out the Thousand Sunny first."

They might need their pirate ship at any time, so he needed to get the ship sorted out before then.

This was also part of his job as a ship repairman.

"Then the Thousand Sunny is entrusted to you."

"Leave it to me, Super!" Franky said, giving a thumbs up.

With his abilities, he could definitely handle the Thousand Sunny within a few hours!

Nami nodded, then turned her gaze to Nico Robin and asked, "And you?"

"I'm going to look around elsewhere," Nicole Robin said, her eyes deep. "Perhaps there's something I'm looking for on this island."

According to Uncle Rayleigh, there are some things on this island that record history, so... she wants to go and see them.

Nami paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "Okay, then be careful."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine on my own," Nicole Robin said with a smile.

Having lived alone in the Dark World for twenty years, self-preservation is absolutely not a problem for me.

"That's true." Nami smiled, then turned to Merry and said, "Merry, let's go to town and buy some nice clothes~"

"Profound!"

Little Merry immediately raised her little hand and said, "Then I want to buy a pretty little dress!"

"No problem~"

Watching the two leave with smiles on their faces, Nico Robin smiled too, then turned to Franky and said, "I'm leaving too, Franky, see you later."

"Profound!"

Franky, carrying his toolbox, waved his hand without looking up, then bent over and started doing his job.

Nicole Robin didn't seem to mind, nodded, and turned to leave.

"I wonder how Zoro and the others are doing," said Merry was floating beside Nami. "Are they with Xi Yan?"

"I don't know," Nami shook her head and said, "I was unconscious at the time, so I don't know if Zoro was with Xi Yan."

After saying that, Nami paused for a moment, then continued, "However... as long as someone stays with Zoro, he won't get lost."

"Perona, huh?"

Recalling the last thing she saw, Merry nodded and said, "With Perona by his side, Zoro shouldn't get lost."

After all... Zoro only got to Sabaody Archipelago because of Perona.

Nami agreed with this.

"Let's go explore first, then we'll go find them."

"Profound!"

Then, the two of them walked towards the street in the distance, laughing.

Meanwhile, Zoro, whom they were talking about, was walking in a special Coral Forest on the island.

"Damn it, where am I?!" Zoro said, somewhat exasperated.

Not only are all the roads exactly the same, but the area is also so vast... How am I supposed to get out of here?

After thinking for a moment, Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword and said, "How about we just cut down the road?"

Zoro's eyes lit up, as if he thought the idea was excellent.

With his skills, carving out a path would be no problem at all!

But before he could make a move, he heard a woman's voice.

"So, what exactly are you doing?"

Zoro:!!!

Hearing the familiar voice coming from above, Zoro's expression froze for a moment, then he casually loosened his grip on his sword hilt and said, "Just taking a walk."

"Walk?"

Perona, who floated down from the sky, tapped Zoro's forehead with a finger and said, "Do you think I'm a fool?"

"What kind of walk involves spending ten minutes within a range of a few dozen meters?"

Getting lost is one thing, but to call it a "walk"... How could he even say that?

Zoro:...

Seeing Perona's slightly disgusted expression, Zoro was immediately rendered speechless.

After a moment, Zoro said, "So, you were here a while ago?"

"Ah, you've been here for about ten minutes," Perona said, glancing at her watch. "And then I've been watching you wander around here for ten minutes."

If she didn't want to waste any more time, she Truth see how long this idiot would wander around here, and whether he would be unable to leave this Coral Forest area of a few hundred meters for a whole day.

Zoro blushed immediately after hearing Perona's words.

However, he didn't say anything more, but turned his head away from Perona, looking as if he was still sulking.

"You still have the nerve to throw a tantrum at me?" Perona grabbed Zoro's face and said, "Do you know how much trouble I went through to find you?"

She was only momentarily captivated by the scenery of Fish-Man Island when she turned around and found Zoro gone...

She was stunned; this was outrageous!

She then spent over two hours trying to find that jerk!

More than two hours!!!

Perona became even angrier at the thought.

"I won't get lost."

Zoro, whose face was being pinched, said somewhat disgruntledly, "We'll just take a walk and then go back."

Seriously, do they really think he has no sense of direction?

"Is this what you meant by 'going back soon'?" Perona pointed to the Coral Forest beside them and said, "If I hadn't come, would you have been wandering around here all day?"

Zoro:...

This person's mouth is still so sharp!

How could it be repaired!

"Hmph, from now on you're not allowed to leave my side, do you hear me!" Perona released Zoro and glared at him, saying, "Otherwise, if you get lost, I'll have to come looking for you."

After speaking, Perona summoned several Negative Ghost, which were quite intimidating.

"Okay, I know, you're so long-winded."

That simple sentence infuriated Perona.

"You bastard!"

"Um?"

Just as Perona was about to deal with Zoro, Zoro's expression suddenly turned serious, and he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Seeing this, Perona was stunned for a moment, then landed behind Zoro and asked, "What's wrong?"

Why is this idiot suddenly so serious? Could someone be coming?

"Someone's coming," Zoro said, squinting. "And quite a few of them."

As if to confirm Zoro's words, a large number of Fish-Man Race soldiers rushed out the next moment, surrounding the two of them with weapons in hand.

"So many?" Perona exclaimed in surprise. "Are they here to arrest us?"

These guys must be after their heads, right?

Although her head is worthless, Zoro's head, that idiot, is very valuable!

"Perhaps," Zoro said.

These guys might be arresting them because they didn't come in through the main entrance, just like... back in Skypiea!

"You must be Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter of the Straw Hat Crew," the leader of the Fish-Man said, looking at Zoro.

After speaking, the leader of the Fish-Man glanced curiously at Perona, who was hiding behind Zoro.

'This person has no Wanted Order... Is they a new recruit?'

There is no other possibility besides this.

Thinking this, the Fish-Man nodded to himself, then turned his gaze back to Zoro's face.

At that moment, Zoro calmly spoke up, "So what if it is?"

"That makes things easier."

"Shall we make a move?" Perona asked.

As she spoke, the ghosts floating beside her took flight, looking as if they were about to attack.

She herself remained behind Zoro.

"What the hell is that?"

"A ghost?!"

Seeing the ghosts beside Perona, the Fish-Man Race Taxi Soldiers were so frightened that they took several steps back, their eyes filled with terror.

"Hala hala hala~"

Perona, having taken in Zoro's reaction, burst into laughter. She then floated out from behind Zoro, one hand on her hip, and said, "That's right, this is my Ghost Power ~"

"Hala hala hala~"

"Gurgle..."

Hearing Perona's words, the leading Fish-Man subconsciously swallowed, then said, "Please don't misunderstand, we're not here to capture you."

"Huh?"

"You didn't come here to fight?"

Perona, who was laughing, suddenly froze. Why were they coming at her so aggressively if they weren't going to fight?

"Of course we're not here to fight," the leader of the Fish-Man said somewhat helplessly. "Even out of respect for the Blood-Eyed Ninja, we can't arrest you just for illegal entry."

Besides, they might not even be able to win.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Zoro asked, frowning.

"You guys saved a shark before, didn't you?" the leader of the Fish-Man said.

Yes, that's true.

"That's right." The leading Fish-Man waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to lower their weapons, and then continued, "That's our Princess Shirahoshi's pet, Megalo."

"Because you saved it, and considering what your partner, the Blood-Eyed Ninja, did,... our His Majesty the King wishes to invite you to dinner."

Perona:???

"So, you've come to invite us to a banquet?"

"Yes," the leading Fish-Man nodded and said, "And the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates have also been invited."

Perona was completely speechless. If they were there to invite them to a banquet, why bring so many people?

It looks like they're going to be arrested...

"Do you have any good wine?" Zoro asked, a look of interest on his face.

If there's good wine, he wouldn't mind going with these guys.

As for whether the other party lied to him?

Zoro, who has absolute confidence in his own strength, is not afraid of such things.

"Of course," the leading Fish-Man grinned. "Our His Majesty the King has brought out some of his most treasured wines to entertain you."

Recalling what His Majesty the King had said not long ago, he nodded again in affirmation.

"Then lead the way!"

Seeing that Zoro agreed so easily, Perona was a little dumbfounded and said, "Zoro, aren't you afraid they're lying to us?"

What if these guys have bad intentions?

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zoro said calmly, "If they dare to lie to me, I'll cut them down!"

Perona:...

That really suits your personality!

However, Perona calmed down after thinking about Zoro's current strength.

With this man around, there's really nothing to worry about.

Thinking of this, Perona nodded to the leading Fish-Man and said, "Lead the way!"

"Profound!"

Seeing that both of them had accepted their invitation, the leading Fish-Man breathed a sigh of relief; his mission was complete.

Then he smiled and said, "Please come with me, we're going to the Dragon Palace."

"Good!"

Meanwhile, on the other side...

After a short walk, Xi Yan and the others successfully arrived at the Mermaid Cafe.

Then, the group found Brook at the door.

"Brook?"

Looking at the guy standing in the doorway, Usopp laughed and said, "So you're the one the fortune teller was talking about."

I never expected that Brook would be the first person they found.

"Huh~"

"It's you guys~"

Upon seeing that it was Xi Yan and the others, Brook immediately showed a look of surprise and then smiled, "It seems that everyone has safely reached the shore."

"That's natural," Xi Yan said.

With his clones around, no one could possibly drown in the sea.

Brook nodded, then looked at Camie and said, "Miss Camie, it's been a long time."

"It's been a long time, dear Bone~" Camie said with a smile.

"Yohohohoho~"

"Miss Camie is still as attractive as ever!"

"So..."

After straightening his collar, Brook approached Camie and said, "Miss Camie, may I admire your plumpness...?"

"Shut up, you bastard!" Pappagu kicked Brook in the face and said, "And besides, she's a mermaid, how could she wear something like that!"

"Yohohohoho~"

Brook wasn't angry at being kicked; instead, he laughed even harder.

Pappagu shook his head speechlessly, then looked at Xi Yan with excitement and said, "Brook said, you... you..."

"Ah, it's me," Xi Yan said with a smile. "I'm still alive."

"That's wonderful!"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Pappagu burst into tears and threw herself into Xi Yan's arms, saying, "I thought you were really dead."

He was heartbroken when he saw that newspaper two years ago.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Xi Yan laughed.

"Um."

After confirming that Xi Yan was indeed still alive, Pappagu's emotions gradually stabilized.

Then he turned around and greeted Luffy and Usopp.

After finishing this task, Pappagu said, "Let's go, come home with me first."

Brook had already told him about Xi Yan, so there were some things he wanted to discuss with Xi Yan after he got back.

"Go home with you?" Usopp paused for a moment, then pointed to the Fish-Man café in front of him and said, "But we're already here, shouldn't we go in and take a look?"

This is Mermaid Cafe!

"You're not leaving today, what's the rush?" Pappagu laughed. "We'll come all over here together once everyone else arrives."

"Let's go, let's go to my place first, I'll treat you to some delicious Sea Beast Meat!"

Since Xi Yan and his group had gone to great lengths to come here, he naturally wanted to show them proper hospitality!

"Oh, let's go eat Sea Beast Meat!"

Upon hearing that he could eat Sea Beast Meat, Luffy's attention was immediately diverted.

"You actually eat Sea Beast Meat?" Usopp asked, looking at Pappagu in surprise.

This guy didn't used to only eat clams, did he?

"How could my wild nature be satisfied with just wakame and shellfish?" Pappagu said, raising his head.

He really likes Sea Beast Meat and the like!

"I see."

It seems that starfish have a very diverse diet.

Camie, as if remembering something, immediately took out a clam and exclaimed, "Ah, a clam!"

"Pappagu, here, these are the clams I brought you~"

Wow, delicious clams!

Seeing Pappagu eating shellfish, Usopp immediately remarked, "Doesn't that mean he still likes eating shellfish?"

And wild starfish...

"By the way, Brook, why are you with Pappagu?" Luffy asked curiously.

"I met him after I was rescued and brought ashore," Brook said.

After bringing him ashore, Xi Yan's clone gave him some instructions and then disappeared.

So he headed toward the town, where he met Pappagu was looking for inspiration by the sea.

And so, he told Pappagu what had happened to the Straw Hat Pirates, and also told him that Xi Yan was still alive.

After that... the two of them went to the Fish-Man Cafe together.

"I see."

"Let's go, let's set off!" Pappagu turned around and looked at the group, saying, "We're going to eat Sea Beast Meat!"

"Profound!"

After greeting the several beautiful Miss Mermaid, Brook left with Luffy and the Luffy.

"By the way, do you really have Sea Beast Meat here?" Xi Yan asked curiously, "I remember merfolk don't eat fish, right?"

He clearly remembered that Camie had said this, that mermaids don't eat meat.

"Mermaids do not eat fish," Pappagu nodded and said, "But Fish-Man don't have this concern; they eat both fish and meat, so there are still food supplies on this island."

This time, Xi Yan simply nodded and said nothing more.

Just then, Brook noticed the Wanted Order hanging on the wall.

"Huh?!"

"Isn't that Vander Decken?!" Brook exclaimed in surprise. "Why is Ghost wanted too?"

A bounty on a ghost that's been dead for hundreds of years?

Is this reasonable?

Hearing this, Xi Yan curiously came over, then stroked his chin and said, "The owner of that Ghost Ship we encountered before we came here?"

"Did you see what this guy looks like?" Usopp asked, glancing curiously at Xi Yan.

In that environment, only Xi Yan's eyesight would be able to see human figures.

"No."

Xi Yan shook his head and said, "No one came out of that ship at the time, so I don't know if that Vander Decken looks like that."

Usopp was somewhat surprised to hear this. If he didn't come out... how did this guy named Vander Decken manage to sail?

"You encountered this person?" Pappagu asked curiously.

I think so.

Usopp nodded and said, "When we were about 7,000 meters underwater, we encountered a guy who called himself Vander Decken. I don't know if it's him."

"That's for sure," Pappagu nodded.

Nobody else would use that name except for that guy.

Then, he frowned and said, "No wonder we couldn't find them at the Royal Palace; they must have gone to a place like that."

"Is the Royal Family of this country looking for him?"

"Yes."

Pappagu nodded and said, "This person is a very despicable underwater pirate, so the Royal Family has been looking for him."

"Just because he's a great pirate from the bottom of the sea, you keep looking for him?" Usopp asked curiously.

Of course not.

Pappagu shook his head, then glanced at the taxi approaching in the distance and said, "Let's go, the taxi's here."

After beckoning the fish with the word 'taxi' written on it to his side, Pappagu continued, "Get in the car first, we can talk about it then."

"Taxi..."

Looking at the fish with the strange device on its body, Xi Yan's lips twitched slightly, and he said, "The things from your Fish-Man Island are really quite unique."

"After all, this is Fish-Man Island," Pappagu laughed.

He then beckoned everyone to get into what he called a taxi.

After settling in, Pappagu took out a clam, ate a bite, and his expression became relaxed.

He then said, "If that guy named Vander Decken were just a pirate, the Royal Family wouldn't care about him."

"But the problem is... he's got his eye on the Mermaid Princess!"

"The Mermaid Princess?!"

"Yes, Mermaid Princess."

While eating clam meat, Pappagu said, "I heard that he fell in love with the Mermaid Princess Mermaid Princess at first sight after meeting her."

"After that... that bastard would send the Mermaid Princess a love letter every week."

"When they didn't get a response, they replaced the love letter with a small package or something else."

"And now... it's become a threatening letter!!"

"He really is a scumbag," Usopp said with a look of disgust.

"Yes, this guy is definitely a scumbag," Pappagu nodded and said, "So..."

Before Pappagu could finish speaking, Camie interjected, "So the Mermaid Princess's Father King was furious and ordered this guy to be arrested."

"The Three Princes we met earlier frequently led their armies to search for Vander Decken, but unfortunately they never found him..."

In the end, Camie sighed helplessly.

Who would have thought that despicable creature would be hiding in the ocean?

"Camie..."

Standing on his seat, Pappagu said, utterly dejected, "I was just about to explain this to them..."

Looking at the dejected Pappagu, Xi Yan shook his head helplessly. These two guys are still the same as ever.

Then, Xi Yan said with some curiosity, "The Mermaid Princess... I wonder what kind of person she is?"

"She must be very beautiful."

Usopp said, "Otherwise, that guy named Vander Decken wouldn't have taken such a big risk to do something like this."

He'd risk being hunted down by the entire nation just to pursue the Mermaid Princess...

I wonder how good-looking the other person must be.

"The Mermaid Princess is indeed very beautiful," Camie laughed. "At least that's what I've heard."

"Haven't you seen her before?"

"No."

Camie shook her head and said, "How could someone like me possibly meet the Mermaid Princess?"

She was just an ordinary mermaid in this country, and it was impossible for her to see the princess.

Having observed Camie's reaction, Xi Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "There will be opportunities in the future."

"Hmm~"

This time, Camie didn't argue; instead, she nodded.

"More than that, I'm concerned about Vander Decken himself," Brook said. "Isn't he a pirate cursed hundreds of years ago? Why..."

"The person you're talking about did indeed exist hundreds of years ago," Pappagu, now back to normal, laughed. "This person came to Fish-Man Island hundreds of years ago and then died here."

"And the person you met earlier... was his descendant, Vander Decken IX!"

"Oh, they're just descendants," Brook laughed. "I thought I'd really encountered a ghost!"

"Seriously, that almost scared the soul out of me."

As long as it's not a ghost~

Yohohohoho~

Luffy, however, looked disappointed and said, "What? It's not a ghost."

"What are you disappointed about?!"

Usopp chopped Luffy on the head and said, "Thank goodness you're not a ghost, you bastard!"

Even though they have a Ghost Princess on their ship, he really doesn't want to encounter a ghost!

"Hahaha~"

"Ghosts are interesting, aren't they?"

"No way!" Usopp roared, opening his shark-like mouth.

Unfortunately, these words had absolutely no effect on Luffy.

Seeing Luffy picking his nose and staring at Luffy, Usopp immediately deflated and sighed helplessly.

That bastard...

"Hold on tight, we're getting on the highway," Pappagu said.

Xi Yan:???

"Get on the highway?" Xi Yan asked in surprise, "Can Fish Cart from here even get on the highway?"

Could it be some kind of strange, cutting-edge technology?

"Of course," Pappagu said. "Fish-Man Island is so big that it would be difficult to see it all in one day without a highway."

"Ah, we've arrived."

Looking down at the Water Pipe, Pappagu laughed, "This is the highway!"

Seeing the special water flow made of bubbles below, Xi Yan was completely speechless.

This is what they call a highway?

It really is...

Just then, Usopp pointed to the Pirate Flag on the Dessert Processing Factory in the distance and said, "Hey, that design looks familiar."

"Ah, that's Dessert Processing Factory..."

"No, I meant that Pirate Flag," Usopp said. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."

"Pirate Flag, huh?"

Pappagu glanced at the direction Usopp was pointing and then said, "It's not surprising that you recognize this, because it's the Pirate Flag of Four Emperors of the New World."

"The Four Emperors?!"

Upon hearing that it was one of the Four Emperors, Usopp's expression immediately changed.

"It's the Big Mom Pirates, isn't it?" Xi Yan said.

After saying that, Xi Yan glanced at Usopp again and said, "You should have seen the Pirate Flag pattern at Shakky-jie's place."

"Oh, right!"

Remembering, Usopp slapped his palm and said, "I definitely saw it at Shakky's."

Xi Yan nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Pappagu and said, "Fish-Man Island is now under the protection of the Big Mom Pirates, right? What price do you need to pay?"

He had only heard that receiving the protection of the Four Emperors required payment, but he didn't know exactly what kind of payment it would be.

"We need to supply the Totto Land with a large quantity of desserts every month," Pappagu said. "That's the price we have to pay."

"That Factory we just saw was also built for this reason."

"You just need dessert?" Xi Yan asked in surprise.

He thought the Four Emperors would be like the World Government, needing the vast treasure of Fish-Man Island, but it turns out they only wanted dessert?

No, just how much does Galette's family love sweets...?

"At least that's what I know," Pappagu said. "As for whether the Ryugu Palace has reached any other agreements with the Four Emperors, I don't know."

He was just an ordinary top fashion designer on Fish-Man Island; he had no way of knowing such a secret.

"The Four Emperors..." Luffy said with some emotion, "I wonder if I'll ever get to see Shanks."

"We'll definitely meet him after we go to the New World," Xi Yan said with a smile.

"Um!"

Hearing Xi Yan's words, Luffy nodded happily.

By then... he would definitely be a very famous and powerful pirate!

Ha ha ha ha.

"Alright, Celebrity Street is just ahead." Pappagu said with a smile, "My home is right here."

Where? Where?

"That's the one."

Camie pointed to the largest building facing the Celebrity Street in the distance and said, "That's Pappagu's house."

"What?"

They were completely stunned when they saw the enormous building.

"You live there?" Usopp asked in surprise.

Isn't this building a bit too big?

"That's right!" Pappagu grinned. "As the top fashion designer on Fish-Man Island, it's perfectly reasonable for me to live there, isn't it?"

Hahaha~

As a famous designer on Fish-Man Island, he is quite wealthy!

So... living in this huge building is perfectly fine!

Looking at Pappagu, who was proudly holding his head high, Xi Yan said with some emotion, "You're even more amazing than I imagined."

To live in the biggest house in the most bustling part of an island... this guy must be incredibly rich!

It seems Pappagu was being modest before.

Hearing Xi Yan's praise, Pappagu smiled even more happily.

"It's not that amazing, just average," Pappagu chuckled.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, "Say it!"

"Come to my house with me!"

"Profound!!"