The Princess in the Hard-Shell Tower

The banquet proceeded as planned, Buggy, leaving the rest of his pirate crew behind, went alone to the Hard-Shell Tower of the Ryugu Palace, accompanied by the Right Minister.

In just a short while, we arrived in front of the Hard-Shell Tower.

The Hard-Shell Tower's sturdy doors are inlaid with all sorts of weapons—axes, spears, maces, and swords—some new, some old, looking worn and broken, yet indestructible, having withstood the escalating intimidation attacks from Vander Decken IX over the past eight years.

"We've arrived, Lord Buggy." The Right Minister instructed the soldiers behind him to unlock the gates of the Hard-Shell Tower. "Princess Shirahoshi is inside."

"Okay, let's go in."

Buggy reached out and pushed open the thirty- or forty-meter-high gate of the Hard-Shell Tower a crack, then went inside. The Right Minister quickly followed behind him. The tower was pitch black inside, with only a faint light shining through.

"Your Highness... Your Highness..." the Right Minister called out softly.

The lights inside the tower were turned on, illuminating the entire room. A timid voice came from the huge bed in front of her, "I'm here..."

At first glance, the enormous mermaid before me wore fish-shaped hair ornaments on her flowing long hair, had bright blue eyes on her beautiful face, and a huge pink fish tail below.

Upon hearing the Right Minister's voice, Shirahoshi felt relieved, but seeing the stranger Buggy enter, she couldn't help but shrink back in fear, and a crystal-clear tear involuntarily welled up in her eyes.

"Your Highness, this is Lord Buggy," the Right Minister quickly introduced, afraid that Shirahoshi might feel uneasy. "He is His Majesty Neptune ..."

As he spoke, the Right Minister paused, unsure of what form of address to use without offending or displeasing Buggy. Buggy then interjected, "Friend, I suppose."

"So he's a friend of my father's..."

Hearing Buggy's answer, Shirahoshi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Buggy timidly, "Lord Buggy... is there anything I can help you with?"

Just as Buggy was about to answer, he suddenly sensed something, glanced back, and saw a shadow flash by incredibly fast through the gap in the not-yet-fully-closed Hard-Shell Tower door!

He stomped his foot hard on the ground, leaped into the air, and kicked out at the side of the shadow, abruptly changing its trajectory. It slammed into the wall, embedding itself nearly a meter thick... a large axe engraved with roses!

The Right Minister was stunned for a few seconds by the sudden attack, cold sweat pouring down his face. He hurriedly took matters into his own hands and tightly closed the Hard-Shell Tower door before collapsing to the ground, panting heavily.

Shirahoshi's dilated pupils slowly converged, and a few tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes. She choked back a sob, her voice trembling with unease, "Buggy, Buggy... sir..."

"This is precisely why I've come here..." Buggy landed on the ground, glancing sideways at the large axe. "Princess Shirahoshi, you should know the owner of this axe, right?"

"I know, it's...it's a pirate named Vander Decken IX ..." Shirahoshi whispered, her voice filled with panic.

"He has been proposing to you in this way for years, you should know that, so I hope you can write a letter of acceptance and say yes to his proposal."

"Waaaaah... I don't want to marry that person..." Upon hearing this, Shirahoshi immediately covered her face and burst into tears. "I thought Lord Buggy was a good person, but why would you make me do such a thing? Father... Brother Fukaboshi... Please come and save me!"

"Don't cry, Your Highness, we... we have a plan, we... we...!" The Right Minister was so anxious that he was pacing around like an ant on a hot pan, but Shirahoshi's crying was so loud that his words were completely drowned out and could not reach Shirahoshi's ears at all.

"Shut up!"

Buggy mustered his strength and roared, his louder voice finally silencing Shirahoshi. Her sobs subsided, and she said timidly, "Please don't scold me so loudly..."

"Want to go for a walk? If so, do as I say..." Buggy said. "Once you write this letter, you'll be able to freely enjoy the warm sunshine... Don't worry, this is just a plan, it doesn't mean you'll actually marry him."

"Really... really!" Shirahoshi stopped crying. "I don't have to marry him, and I'll be able to freely enter and leave the Ryugu Palace and see my father and brother...?"

"That's right, your father and I discussed this matter together, there's no need to doubt it." Buggy gestured towards the Right Minister.

The Right Minister quickly had a soldier behind him hand him a letter the size of an ordinary bed and a pillar-sized pen. "Buggy said he was willing to help, so His Majesty agreed. Your Highness, as long as you write the letter, we will take care of the rest. We will do our utmost to arrest that madman Vander Decken IX!"

"I understand..." Shirahoshi took the pen, hesitated for a long time but didn't know how to start writing, and asked softly, "How should I write this?"

Buggy offered a suggestion. "Imagine your ideal white... White Fish prince, depict him as he looks, and let your burning love flow."

"Lord Buggy, you can't teach such things to Her Highness the Princess..." the Minister of the Right said, somewhat agitated. "She can't be in a relationship so young! She's only 14!!"

Shirahoshi thought for a moment, then looked at the Minister of the Right and said, "But I haven't seen anyone else in a long time. Can I use your appearance as a substitute?"

The Right Minister's face immediately turned red, and he said, his mouth dry, "No, you can't, you can't put this old man in this situation!"

Despite this, Shirahoshi ultimately regarded the Minister of the Right as her imagined lover and wrote a marriage proposal. After sealing the letter, the Minister of the Right instructed his trusted soldiers from the Ryugu Palace to deliver it to Vander Decken IX's hideout.

Although Vander Decken IX's whereabouts are uncertain, the massive figure of the Wadatsumi on the tugboat is easily recognizable, so finding him is not a problem.

"You've been locked up here for a long time, haven't you...?" Buggy asked, looking at Shirahoshi.

"Since my mother passed away, I've been staying here, but thankfully Megalo is here with me..." Shirahoshi gently stroked Megalo the shark's head. "I really wish I could leave this place and see the blue sky and white clouds outside again..."

Megalo chirped, echoing Shirahoshi's words.

Buggy said, "Don't worry... Vander Decken IX will be caught soon, and then you can do whatever you want with him."

Shirahoshi looked grateful. "Lord Buggy, you... you're such a kind person!"

After making his presence known to Shirahoshi, Buggy left Hard-Shell Tower with the Minister of the Right.

Fish-Man Island, Fish-Man Street.

"Those human pirates are currently at Neptune's banquet in the Ryugu Palace. Neptune intends to make them the protectors of Fish-Man Island, and they also plan to deal with Vander Decken IX. The plan is for Princess Shirahoshi to pretend to accept Vander Decken IX's marriage proposal, lure him out, and then capture him. This is the current situation. I will continue to monitor the situation in the Ryugu Palace."

The Den Den Mushi hung up, Hody Jones sat in his chair, his expression unpredictable.

Hardman stood in front of Hody Jones and said angrily, "That human Shichibukai is really courting death. We let him go once before, but he still dares to swagger around with the Fukaboshi brothers!"

"That guy's got some skill..." Hyouzou said indistinctly as he drank his wine.

Daruma revealed his sharp teeth, "How about we storm the Ryugu Palace and tear them and Neptune's family to shreds and eat them all, kaka?!"

"It's not time yet, it's not time to [liberate] Fish-Man Island..." Hody Jones gripped his wine glass, crushing it bit by bit into countless dust particles. "But this bastard is so arrogant, his haughty manner makes me want to rip his head off and beat him up. Humans... when did they become allowed to interfere in the affairs of Fish-Man Island!"

"What do we do now, Mr. Hody?" Hardman asked.

Hody Jones sneered, "He wants to deal with Vander Decken IX, but I'll make sure he doesn't get his way... Send someone to tell that idiot Vander Decken IX to be careful and not let that Red Nose bastard's scheme succeed!"

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away!"

The Flying Pirates, the Flying Dutchman.

"Shirahoshi has accepted my [rose], hasn't she!" Vander Decken IX gazed in the direction of the Ryugu Palace. "It's all that hateful Neptune's fault. The old man was determined to arrange a political marriage for Princess Shirahoshi —that's for sure. The proof is that the princess was imprisoned in the Hard-Shell Tower for eight years. How miserable! We love each other so much, yet he has always been the one to stop us!"

"Captain, Hody Jones has sent word," the Wadatsumi whispered in Vander Decken IX's ear. "It seems the royal family of the Ryugu Palace has set a trap to lure you Ryugu Palace and arrest you!"

"So noisy!" Vander Decken IX shoved the Wadatsumi away, patted his ear, and said, "Don't get so close, I can hear you!!"

"Captain, let's storm the Ryugu Palace and snatch Princess Shirahoshi!"

"These royals actually did such a despicable thing, it's utterly despicable!"

The men were indignant upon hearing the Wadatsumi's words.

"You all understand my predicament," Vander Decken IX said. "The road to love is so bumpy... Hehehe!"

"They're soldiers from the Dragon Palace!" The Wadatsumi suddenly spotted something, crouched down, raised his hands, and clenched his fists, ready to smash them down. "They're definitely up to no good, I'm going to beat them to a pulp!"

"Dragon Palace soldiers...wait!" Vander Decken IX stopped the Wadatsumi. "Bring them to me. I want to hear what they have to say!"

The Wadatsumi then transformed his fist into a hand and grabbed the two soldiers below, throwing them onto the deck of the Flying Dutchman. The two soldiers clutched the coated letter tightly. "Vander Decken IX, we're not here to cause trouble. We brought you a personal letter from Princess Shirahoshi!"

"A letter from Princess Shirahoshi?" Upon hearing his beloved's name, Vander Decken IX was overjoyed and eagerly took the enormous letter. He took a deep breath and said with a touch of ecstasy, "That's right, it smells exactly like the hand I used to touch Princess Shirahoshi back then. It's her unique fragrance, irresistible. Even after eight years, I still remember it vividly!"

Vander Decken IX opened the letter and read its contents, "My dearest Seahorse Prince (the Right Minister is a seahorse mermaid), your long lips are so captivating, your eyes so mesmerizing, your dorsal fin is like the warmest bed I've ever slept in. I am completely captivated by your charm. Please come tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you— Shirahoshi."

"Hehehe--" Vander Decken IX laughed wildly, "True love prevails... My beloved Princess Shirahoshi, you have finally fallen for my infatuation. No one in this world will ever love you more than I do. You will be happy for the rest of your life because of your right choice!"

"Captain, that's definitely a trap!" the Wadatsumi shouted, raising his arm. "Let me beat them to a pulp!"

"So what if it's a trap? It can't stop my passion for Princess Shirahoshi. My love has finally paid off. Even if it's a trap, I'm going anyway, hehehe--"

Vander Decken IX had waited eight years for Shirahoshi's reply, and now that it had finally arrived, his excitement was beyond words. He wouldn't listen to anyone else's advice anymore. The reward for such perseverance was so fulfilling and exhilarating!

"I'm meeting my beloved tomorrow, so hurry and prepare a magnificent suit for me!" Vander Decken IX said, glancing at the weapons on the deck. He spotted a huge black iron rod, laughed heartily, and declared, "I'll use this to encompass my rugged love!"

The banquet at the Ryugu Palace was finally drawing to a close. Neptune's hospitality was impeccable, and Buggy's crew, both captains and pirates, were all drinking to their hearts' content and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Just then, the Left Minister, who had received the news, suddenly stepped forward to report, "Your Majesty, people from the New World have arrived... They are subordinates of the [Four Emperors]!"

Neptune paused, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Who's here...? Is it someone from the Whitebeard Pirates?"

"It's not Whitebeard..." The Left Minister wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "It's Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors..."

"BIG MOM..." Neptune exclaimed in surprise, "We shouldn't have any connection with her... How... why would she suddenly send someone to Fish-Man Island?!"

The Left Minister said, "I heard that Jinbe joined Big Mom's pirate crew. They were invited to protect Fish-Man Island..."

"This..." Neptune hesitated, looking troubled. "Where are they now?"

We're almost at Fish-Man Island...

Neptune took a deep breath and said to Buggy, "Lord Buggy, as you've heard, the [Four Emperors '] subordinates have arrived on my island. As their host, I must personally greet them. I hope you won't take offense."

"It's alright..." Buggy's surprised expression gradually returned to calm. "I'll go with you too. I'd like to meet Big Mom's men as well."

"Hmm..." Neptune hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Since Buggy is willing to do so... then come with me."