Hard-Shell Tower.
"Waaahhh~"
Shirahoshi had already sensed the malice outside the tower and was bawling her eyes out. Despite her enormous size, she was only an eleven-year-old girl.
"Shirahoshi, stop crying. I've already found someone to help you. Vander Decken IX will never harass you again." Neptune frantically tried to comfort Shirahoshi, but he still could not stop the bucket-sized tears from splashing onto the ground.
"Crybaby, stop crying. Be quiet for a moment. You'll be free soon." Yake rubbed his brow in frustration. The crying was too loud and irritating, making it impossible for him to focus on using Observation Haki to search for Vander Decken IX.
The crying grew even louder...
"Sorry, my tone was a little harsh just now. Miss Shirahoshi, I'm here to help you beat up the bad guy. Can you save your tears for later?" Yake came over to Shirahoshi and comforted her softly.
"R-Really? You'll help me beat... beat up the bad guy?" Shirahoshi calmed down slightly, though tears still hung from her eyes. It seemed she would start crying again at the slightest disturbance.
"You're so cute. How could I bear to lie to you? Just wait here." Seeing that Shirahoshi had calmed down, Yake immediately activated his Observation Haki.
His Observation Haki continued to spread outward, and the voices of every Fish-Man on Fish-Man Island entered Yake's senses. He swiftly filtered through them, but found no trace of Vander Decken IX within Fish-Man Island.
With no other choice, he expanded his Observation Haki again. At last, he discovered something unusual not far outside Fish-Man Island.
Aboard the Flying Dutchman, Vander Decken IX had just used his ability to fling out a spinning battle axe.
"Captain, you threw it in the wrong direction..." the bald sea monster said in a muffled voice.
"Shut up! This captain's attacks will never miss!!" Vander Decken IX roared. He had a lecherous and bizarre appearance, and had always believed that he and the mermaid princess were truly in love, even when she had only been six years old.
I'm really jealous of him. He's so ugly, yet so confident.
"Found you!" Yake smiled and raised a hand, firing a huge mass of electricity into the sky.
"God's Judgment!"
Outside Fish-Man Island.
"Captain, what's that?" The bald sea monster spotted a blue-white sphere about the size of his head rapidly approaching.
"Oh no, it's coming for us! Hurry and pull the ship away!" Seeing that the object was clearly headed for their ship, Vander Decken IX hurriedly ordered the sea monster to drag the ship away.
However, just as the lightning sphere was about to collide with the Flying Dutchman, it shot straight upward.
"Wasn't the target us?" Vander Decken IX wiped away a cold sweat.
The next moment, a massive, dazzling pillar of lightning swallowed the Flying Dutchman, reducing it to dust in the sea. The high-voltage current instantly knocked out the bald sea monster pulling the ship from the front, and the legend of the Flying Dutchman came to an end.
Yake kept his Observation Haki trained on the area for roughly ten more minutes. Only after confirming that no one besides the sea monster had survived did he deactivate it, and the lightning mass in his right hand, prepared to finish the job, dispersed as well.
As for the bald sea monster, it still had other uses. He would spare its life. Why bother arguing with an idiot?
Yake clapped his hands and let out a relieved breath.
"All right, Vander Decken IX will never come harass you again, little Shirahoshi."
Neptune said in disbelief, "Could it have been that ball of lightning from earlier?"
Yake nodded and pointed at the Hard-Shell Tower.
"This can be torn down now. If you're still worried, leave it up for a few more days."
Ryugu Palace was especially lively today. Besides the royal family attending the banquet, the mermaid princess Shirahoshi, who had lived in the Hard-Shell Tower for nearly six years, had finally been freed from Vander Decken IX's threat and attended the feast. Jinbe, one of the Shichibukai, had also come to the banquet.
"Lord Yake, I will forever remember the kindness you have shown Fish-Man Island. I have long wished to deal with the trouble that was Vander Decken IX, but I could never find his whereabouts, so I had no choice but to give up."
"If you ever need my help in the future, please do not hesitate to ask. I will do everything in my power to assist you!"
Jinbe was the first to express his gratitude for what Yake had done.
"However, how do you explain taking the lives of Hody Jones and his group for no reason? Although they hated humans, their crimes..."
"Wait!" Yake interrupted Jinbe.
"Hody Jones killed Queen Otohime. Didn't you know? He said it himself, and your soldiers heard it too, didn't they?" Yake pointed at the guards nearby.
"My apologies, Lord Yake. We had not yet had time to notify King Neptune when Vander Decken IX attacked Princess Shirahoshi, so..." the Fish-Man soldier said, drenched in sweat and filled with panic.
"I see. In that case, I was mistaken about Lord Yake." Jinbe was about to bow in apology when Yake stopped him.
"All right, Brother Jinbe, you didn't know either. If you insist on apologizing, help me collect the Poneglyphs. Rubbings will do." Yake spoke without concern. Jinbe was loyal and righteous, worthy of being called the Knight of the Sea. Once Jinbe found Poneglyphs in the future, he would certainly make a rubbing for him instead of handing them directly to Big Mom.
That would save Yake from having to search the entire world himself.
"Mm, don't worry. I'll definitely keep an eye out for them." Jinbe said with a solemn expression.
Reiju and the others gathered around Shirahoshi, whispering together. The considerate Reiju immediately noticed Shirahoshi's discomfort. It was because Shirahoshi had been trapped in the Hard-Shell Tower for too long and had not interacted normally with others, so Reiju helped the pitiful mermaid princess blend into the atmosphere as quickly as possible.
After the banquet ended, everyone enjoyed themselves. Yake and the others followed Neptune to the location of Fish-Man Island's Poneglyph, the Sea Forest.
It was a vast coral forest, as well as the burial site of Shirahoshi's mother, Queen Otohime.
Deep within the Sea Forest stood a massive, ancient stone tablet.
"As expected, it really is a Poneglyph." Robin's gaze was completely drawn to the stone tablet before her, and she ran over to it on her own.
"Joy Boy? Who was he apologizing to?"
Neptune's eyes widened, just as Cobra, the king of Alabasta, had done before.
"You can read these words?"
Robin folded her arms and replied openly, "That's right. I'm a survivor of Ohara. My purpose in living in this world is to seek the truth of history!"
"Sigh... If that's the case, then I'll tell you." Neptune sighed and looked toward Queen Otohime's grave.
"This passage is Joy Boy's Apology, written for the mermaid princess of that time."
"Joy Boy was a real person who existed during the Void Century. He failed to keep an agreement with the mermaid princess, so he left behind this apology."
"What agreement?" Robin pressed.
"I do not know the exact details, but one day, someone will appear to fulfill the agreement in Joy Boy's place. That is also a legend passed down through our royal family for generations..."