The Princess's Tears · Poseidon's Lament

Inside the Hard-Shell Tower, the air circulation system hummed low.

Princess Shirahoshi's tears rolled down like pearls. When they touched the seaweed bedding, they did not break, but instead became tiny "teardrops" glowing with pale blue light.

Chopper immediately examined the teardrops. "Th-this is... highly concentrated 'Life Essence'? No, there's also some kind of... mental fluctuation? Like... 'Emotional Materialization'?"

Robin crouched down and carefully collected a teardrop in a specially made container. It remained spherical inside, as though a tiny ocean were flowing within it.

"Legend says the Mermaid Princess's tears are the purest substance in the world," she said softly. "They can heal any wound, and can even... communicate with Sea Kings."

Shirahoshi looked at Lin Yan, her voice trembling. "Are you... the 'heir to the sun' Mother spoke of? Before Mother Otohime died, she told me that if someone bearing the sun's flames came to Fish-Man Island one day, they would be the 'dawn' that would save us."

Lin Yan approached the bed-even curled up, Shirahoshi was far larger than a human. He looked up at the Mermaid Princess, keeping his voice as gentle as possible:

"I'm Monkey D. Yan, captain of the Flame Emperor Pirates. We came to stop Hody Jones's plot. Princess Shirahoshi, can you tell us what happened?"

Shirahoshi's tears flowed even harder.

"A month ago, Hody attacked Ryugu Palace with the New Fish-Man Pirates," she said through sobs. "They injected Father and my brothers with an 'Energy Steroids anesthetic' and locked them in the dungeon. Then... then they brought me here and injected me with a strange liquid every day."

"A liquid?"

"Yes." Shirahoshi held out her pale arm, covered in needle marks. "After every injection, I have nightmares... I dream of enormous Sea Kings crying, of the whole ocean bleeding. Then... I start singing against my will, and my song draws monsters from the deep sea..."

She suddenly clutched her head, her body shaking violently. "I can't control it! Those Sea Kings go berserk when they hear my song! Last time... last time I accidentally sang a single line, and three Island Whale-class Sea Kings came. They nearly shattered Fish-Man Island's bubble membrane!"

Poseidon's power was slipping out of control.

Hody had used the Energy Steroids Catalyst to force Shirahoshi's power to mature, but had destroyed its stability. Shirahoshi was now like a powder keg packed with explosives, ready to detonate at any moment.

"Your Highness," Robin asked gently, "you said Queen Otohime mentioned the 'heir to the sun' before she died. Did she say anything else?"

Shirahoshi tried hard to remember. "Mother said... Fish-Man Island and the Sun God's clan were allies eight hundred years ago. The Sun God Nika once left a 'token' here, saying that when the D Clan returned, that token could open the final seal in the Sea Forest and uncover the 'truth' sleeping inside."

She looked at the golden-red pendant in Lin Yan's hand. "That pendant... is part of the token, isn't it?"

"Yes." Lin Yan nodded. "This is the 'Earth Shard.' We also found the 'Sky Shard' on Sky Island. The third piece, the 'Ocean Shard,' should be here on Fish-Man Island."

"The Ocean Shard..." Shirahoshi murmured. "I think Mother mentioned it too... She said the shard was hidden in 'the place where the hearts of all the Fish-Man Race return.'"

The place where the hearts of all the Fish-Man Race return?

Everyone fell into thought.

Just then, Hack spoke up. "Could it be... the 'Fish-Man District'? No, Hody controls the Fish-Man District now. Then... 'Noah' in the 'Sea Forest'?"

Noah, that unimaginably enormous ancient ship, was said to be an ark built to carry the Fish-Man Race to the sunlit land on the "promised day."

"Noah is certainly possible," Robin reasoned. "But it's enormous, and tangled in giant seaweed. Searching it would take time. Our most urgent task is to rescue King Neptune and stabilize the situation on Fish-Man Island."

"Rescue Father..." Hope lit up Shirahoshi's eyes. "C-can you do it?"

"Yes," Lin Yan said firmly. "But we need your help."

"Me?" Shirahoshi looked lost. "I can't do anything... I'm just a useless princess who does nothing but cry..."

"No." Lin Yan looked at her. "Your song is the strongest weapon."

He pointed at the teardrops. "These tears contain the power of 'Poseidon.' Although you can't control it yet, we can use it to do one thing-"

"'Broadcast' the truth to all of Fish-Man Island."

Shirahoshi froze.

Lin Yan continued explaining. "Hody can use Visual Den Den Mushi to control public opinion, rewrite history, and make people believe he's their 'savior.' Then we'll use a more direct method to carry the truth into everyone's hearts."

He took the teardrop from Robin and placed it in his palm. Crimson-gold flames enveloped it, but instead of evaporating it, they began to "analyze" its internal structure.

[Analysis complete]

[Composition: highly purified mental energy + Life Essence + trace amounts of Seastone]

[Properties: can store 'memories' and 'emotions' and transmit them to members of the same race through 'resonance']

"Just as I thought." Lin Yan's eyes lit up. "The Mermaid Princess's tears are natural carriers of information. Shirahoshi, can you remember Queen Otohime when she was alive? Remember the times she taught you to live peacefully with humans."

"Yes..." Shirahoshi closed her eyes, and tears welled up again. "Mother... would always smile, hold my hand, and say, 'Shirahoshi, don't be afraid of humans. There are kind people among them, just as there are bad people among our Fish-Man Race. One day, the sun will drive away the mist, and we'll live alongside humans beneath real sunlight.'"

As she recalled those memories, her fresh tears shone more brightly.

Lin Yan used his flames to gather and refine the tears, finally condensing them into a fist-sized "Memory Crystal." Inside the crystal, Queen Otohime's faint image could be seen, along with her gentle voice.

"The next part is crucial." Lin Yan turned to Ace. "Ace, your Blue Flame has a 'penetrating' property. Can you 'implant' these Memory Crystals into the seawater?"

Ace thought for a moment, then nodded. "I can try. But the range will be limited. At most, it'll cover the Ryugu Palace area."

"That's enough," Lin Yan said. "Tashigi, you're responsible for protecting Princess Shirahoshi. Robin, Chopper, Hack, come with me to the dungeon to rescue King Neptune. Ace, once we've rescued the king, activate the crystal and spread Queen Otohime's 'last words' throughout Ryugu Palace."

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

Their roles were assigned.

Lin Yan looked at Shirahoshi one last time. "Princess, once the truth is broadcast, Hody will definitely lash out in desperation. He might come straight for you. So..."

He took out a crimson-gold flame emblem and pressed it into Shirahoshi's palm. It merged into her skin, forming a sun tattoo.

"This is my 'Life Flame Mark.' If you're in danger, clasp this tattoo and call for me in your heart. Wherever I am, I'll come immediately."

Shirahoshi clenched her hand and nodded firmly. "Thank you... Lord Sun God."

"Just call me Lin Yan." Lin Yan turned around. "Move out!"

Ryugu Palace dungeon, third underground level.

This place had originally held serious offenders, but now it held Fish-Man Island's king and three princes. Seastone cages and continuous injections of the Energy Steroids anesthetic had left Neptune and the princes terribly weak.

Outside the cell door stood four officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates: Dos the Hammerhead Fish-Man, Zeo the kissing gourami Fish-Man, Icarus the Eagle Ray Fish-Man, and Darma the Moray Eel Fish-Man.

"So boring." Darma yawned. "Lord Hody has us guarding these old guys while he's upstairs enjoying himself. If you ask me, we should just kill them."

"Shut up," Dos said coldly. "Lord Hody has a use for them-once he has complete control over Poseidon, he'll use their heads to intimidate the nobles who are still hesitating."

Just then, footsteps sounded at the dungeon entrance.

A figure in a guard's uniform entered with his head lowered, pushing a food cart.

"Food delivery," the figure said in a muffled voice. "Lord Hody ordered an extra meal for the king."

Dos frowned. "At this hour? Why wasn't I notified?"

"The order just came in." The figure pushed the cart closer. "He said to keep the king properly 'nourished' so they can extract the 'royal bloodline' for experiments later."

At the mention of experiments, Dos's expression shifted slightly. Hody was indeed conducting some forbidden research that required the royal bloodline, but only the higher-ups knew the details.

"Check the cart." He gestured to Zeo.

Zeo approached and lifted the cart's cover-inside were indeed fine dishes, along with a bottle of red liquid labeled "Nutrient Injection."

At the very instant Zeo lowered his head to inspect it.

The bottom of the food cart suddenly burst open!

It was not an explosion, but countless arms reaching out from within! Some grabbed Zeo's mouth, some covered his eyes, and others pinned his joints-Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit: Restraint!

At the same time, the "delivery figure" raised his head, revealing Lin Yan's face.

"Furnace Domain: Dungeon Restriction."

Crimson-gold flames erupted around him, but their range was controlled with extreme precision-they covered only the area occupied by the four officers, leaving the cage untouched.

The flames' temperature was kept at a level "just high enough to incapacitate them without killing them." Dos, Darma, and Icarus were knocked unconscious by the intense heat before they could even scream.

Zeo still tried to struggle, but Robin's arms twisted hard, dislocating his jaw with a crack.

The fight ended within three seconds.

Lin Yan approached the cage and gripped the Seastone bars with both hands. Crimson-gold flames burned in his palms, and the Seastone began to redden and soften-not melting, but having its structure altered through "Matter Reorganization."

Crack.

The bars snapped.

"King Neptune, we've come to rescue you."

Inside the cage, the weakened Neptune raised his head. Looking at Lin Yan and Robin, Chopper, and Hack behind him, his eyes filled with tears.

"You're..."

"The 'dawn' Queen Otohime was waiting for." Lin Yan helped him up. "Time is short. Let's get out of here first."

Chopper immediately injected the king and princes with antidotes and Nutrient Injections. Their strength recovered rapidly. Though still weak, they could now move.

"That bastard Hody..." Eldest Prince Fukaboshi gritted his teeth. "He actually used Mother's belongings to rewrite history and incite hatred!"

"Now isn't the time for anger," Lin Yan said. "Ace, get ready!"

Above the dungeon, Ace received the signal.

He stood atop Ryugu Palace's tallest tower, holding the "Memory Crystal" in both hands. Blue-white flames poured into it, and the crystal began to glow and vibrate, then-

It turned into countless points of light and merged into the surrounding seawater.

Those lights spread with the currents. Wherever they passed, the seawater began to "play" images and sounds:

Queen Otohime's speeches from when she was alive.

She held Shirahoshi's hand, smiling gently.

She said, "Children, hatred only breeds more hatred. What we must pursue isn't revenge, but understanding."

She said, "The Sun God's heir will come at last. When that happens, Fish-Man Island will welcome its true dawn."

The images and sounds spread throughout Ryugu Palace and even began reaching Fish-Man Island's residential areas.

The guards froze.

The nobles were stunned.

The ordinary people, the Fish-Men and merfolk deceived by Hody's lies, watched Queen Otohime's image appear in the seawater and listened to her familiar voice, tears streaming down their faces.

"It's Queen Otohime..."

"Is what she said true?"

"Lord Hody... rewrote history?"

Inside Ryugu Palace, Hody was discussing their next move with Vander Decken when he suddenly saw the images in the seawater. His expression changed sharply.

"What's going on?! Who did this?!"

"W-we don't know!" a subordinate said in panic. "The images seem to be coming from the dungeon! And... and we've lost contact with the dungeon guards!"

Hody smashed the throne's armrest with a punch.

"Someone sneaked in... and rescued Neptune..." Madness flashed in his eyes. "Fine. Very good. Since you want to play-"

"Then I'll play for the biggest stakes!"

He pulled out a red Remote Control and pressed the button.

"Activate the 'Final Plan'! Inject all the Energy Steroids Catalyst into the Hard-Shell Tower's circulation system! I'll make that girl Shirahoshi... awaken completely, right now!"

"Once she's a monster that does nothing but destroy, let's see how you save her!"

Shrill alarms rang throughout Ryugu Palace.

Shirahoshi's agonized scream came from the direction of the Hard-Shell Tower.

Poseidon was about to go berserk.