One's Kindness May Be Seen as Foolish by Others

"Go to the Sea Forest? That Vander Decken IX was wrong. How could an emperor who rules the New World be helpless against a mere Ghost Ship captain?"

Coming to his senses, King Neptune waved his hands repeatedly, his eyes filled with guilt towards Shirahoshi.

"Six years ago, after the Queen Otohime died at the hands of humans, the despicable Vander Decken IX has been constantly harassing Shirahoshi, and the child has not been able to see her mother one last time until now."

"After that, I intentionally or unintentionally chose to ignore the proposals regarding fish-men and mermaids moving to live on land."

"Huayue, what exactly are you..."

"Who told you that Queen Otohime died from a human's gun?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted and stood frozen in place. The Merman Three Princes King Neptune was shocked, and Hody Jones, who was standing among the crowd, felt a tightness in his heart.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could a mere human being know the truth of what happened back then?"

"Even the Four Emperors, even the Emperors of the Sea, are nothing more than inferior creatures, lower than fish-men. How could they possibly know that secret? I have already secretly dealt with all those who knew!"

However, an unintentional eye contact triggered a frantic warning from Hody Jones's sense of danger, sending chills down his spine.

Run! Run! Run!

Bang, whoosh whoosh whoosh...

The next moment, ignoring everyone's astonished expressions and those cold gazes, Hody Jones fled frantically, breaking directly out of the Ryugu Palace.

"Who?"

"Your Majesty, it's Hody Jones of the Neptune Army. Why did he rush out of the palace like this? What's going on?"

"Why, why would Neptune Army's soldiers act so out of line? Wait, could Queen Otohime's death be related to Hody Jones?"

The Right Minister spoke in disbelief, Huayue, with a deep gaze, addressed King Neptune before her.

"You should know that deep within the Sea Forest, there is an Apology Letter inscribed with Poneglyph, expressing remorse to the Mermaid Princess from eight hundred years ago..."

"What I'm about to tell you sounds like a fantasy, but it will actually happen in this world. Have you ever heard of the Blue Sea?"

New World Transit Station, deep in the ocean, inside a dilapidated Deep Sea Ghost Ship.

"Ah, Shirahoshi, my dream bride, six years have passed in the blink of an eye, and you have become so charming. It is this unique fate that has bound us together so tightly, hehehe!"

Wearing a yellow top hat, a bright yellow cloak, and sporting a comical mustache, Vander Deiken IX gazed at the almost exaggeratedly enlarged poster before him, his eyes revealing a deep sense of bewilderment.

He is a descendant of the First Vander Decken, the current captain of the Flying Pirates, and Target-Target Man cursed by the Target-Target Devil. He has an almost obsessive desire to possess Shirahoshi as she grows up.

Ever since he was a child, after witnessing Shirahoshi's cries and summoning those terrifying Sea King that were over 5,000 meters long, he has never been able to forget Shirahoshi.

Six years have passed, and the little girl who used to cry has become as beautiful as Phoebe, even more stunning.

"Now, what gift should I give to my future wife?"

My gaze shifted to the ground below, where huge axes, meteor hammers, solid cannonballs, and all sorts of other things were laid out.

In fact, ever since King Neptune led three mermaid princes to attack him six years ago, Vander Decken IX has never stopped threatening Shirahoshi.

First came love letters, then threatening love letters, and finally, real weapons.

"Hmm... this is it. It will convey my love to Shirahoshi, hehehe!"

Just as his right hand, still bearing the Shirahoshi mark, touched the weapon below, the unexpected flight direction immediately caught his attention.

"This direction leads to the Sea Forest... Ah, my beloved Shirahoshi, my future wife, the lover with whom I will spend my life, have you finally left that tower that blocks our love?!"

Bang!

A flustered figure rushed into the Ghost Ship. Upon seeing his boss still looking completely absorbed, the newcomer immediately shouted.

"Something terrible has happened, boss! The brothers lurking on Fish-Man Island have discovered... discovered that all the weapons you threw... no, the props of love have been blocked outside the border of Fish-Man Island!"

In an instant, Vander Deiken IX, who was still immersed in the so-called love, woke up as if from a dream, his eyes cold and dark.

"Is that so? I see... No wonder Princess Shirahoshi was able to walk out of the Hard-Shell Tower. That wretched King Neptune has found an ally for Shirahoshi!"

"I only want Shirahoshi to belong to me alone. I will never allow her to spend her life with another man, you despicable bastard, you bastard, you bastard!!!"

Beings who are obsessed often become unusually clear-headed in certain moments of crisis. After entering the bubble, Vander Deiken IX shouted.

"Bald Sea Monster, hold the ship steady and follow it! We're going to kill Princess Shirahoshi right now! I've endured this for six years, and now I'm going to marry Shirahoshi directly! I absolutely will not allow her to spend her life with another man!!!"

Standing eighty meters tall, with a black beard and red fins, the pufferfish-man shouted loudly.

"Yes, Captain, can we go to Fish-Man Island?"

"Go on, tear that man next to Shirahoshi to shreds! I want to see which bastard it is!"

During the conversation, the Target-Target Fruit touched the Ghost Ship beneath it again, and it flew straight towards the Sea Forest at high speed.

Meanwhile, Hody Jones, fleeing in a disheveled state, glared fiercely at the Tamatebako in his arms.

"That bastard saw right through me! How is that possible? How could anyone know what happened in the past!"

"You despicable inferior humans, I'll definitely kill you completely later. I'll use this Energy Steroids to prove to the world that fish-men are the noblest race in the world!"

Fish-Man Island, Sea Forest, in front of Queen Otohime's grave.

"Mom, how are you doing in the world over there? Today I saw the sky, the forest, the flowers, and the real sun, even though it was in a dream..."

Beside her, Huayue waited patiently, her gaze deep and unfathomable, but when she turned to Shirahoshi, it softened once more.

"Shirahoshi, actually... you've always known who the real culprit was who killed your mother, haven't you? You're such a brave child, silently guarding the secret until today."

At this moment, Shirahoshi, who had been alone inside the Hard-Shell Tower for six years, enduring loneliness and fear, couldn't help but burst into tears.

"But... but Mom said we must never hold grudges against others, and we must never punish the murderer. I... I..."

"Sometimes, your kindness will be seen as foolishness by others, especially when the other party is making moves. Keep that in mind, Shirahoshi."