The Mermaid Princess in Hard Shell Tower

Aboard the Flying Pirates' ship, a massive figure labeled MEMBER OF THE FLYING PIRATES OONVUUPUU WADATSUMI (GIANT PUFFER FISHMAN) looms in the foreground. Speech bubbles read: HAS THERE STILL BEEN NO RESPONSE! HAS PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI REPLIED TO MY LETTER YETI!! THIS MUST BE THE WORK OF THAT DETESTABLE NEPTUNE!! THE FIEND MEANS TO FORCE PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI INTO A POLITICAL MARRIAGE!! I KNOW IT!! WHY ELSE WOULD HE LOCK HER AWAY FOR TEN LONG YEARS IN THAT STEEL TOWERI!!! AH, THE SHAME OF IT ALL!! DOES HE NOT SEEI! THE TWO OF US ARE IN LOVE!!! I KNOW IT!!! WADATSUMI!!!!!!! NOPE, NO RESPONSE YET, CAP'N DECKEN! HOW MANY YEARS HAVE I BEEN WAITING NOWI! UHHH... ABOUT TEN YEARS! AND STILL NO SIGN... MAYBE IT'LL SHOW UP SOON... In the lower panels, Vander Decken hurls an axe marked with a rose image while shouting ONCE AGAIN, I SHALL SEND HER... an axe embossed with the image of a rose...!!! The axe spins through the air as Wadatsumi reacts with shock.

Vander Decken IX stands dramatically on deck, labeled CAPTAIN OF THE FLYING PIRATES VANDER DECKEN IX (BULLHEAD SHARK FISHMAN). He throws multiple axes while declaring: IT CAME FLYING BACK THIS WAY, CAP'N!! YOU MISSED GOOD AND PROPER!! FOOLS!! I NEVER MISS A TARGET!! I KNOW IT!!! BAHOHOHO HOHOHOH!! IF OUR LOVE CAN BE FULFILLED, THEN SO BE IT!! BUT I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH ANOTHER!! IF THAT SHOULD HAPPEN... YOU MUST DIE!! SHIRAHOSHI!!! PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI!!! NO MATTER HOW I ROAM THESE OCEAN DEPTHS... I HAVE YET TO FIND ANOTHER WOMAN AS VAST AND BEAUTIFUL AS YOU!!! EITHER SWEAR YOUR UNDYING LOVE FOR ME!! OR CHOOSE DEATH!!! YES, YOUR LIFE IS A CHOICE... BETWEEN "DEATH OR MARRIAGE"!!! Axes marked with rose symbols fly wildly as crew members react in panic.

At the Ryugu Kingdom Royal Palace, Princess Shirahoshi cries out in distress, hands clutching her face as tears stream down: UWAAA AAAAAA AAAHHHH HHHHH!!! Her brothers react in alarm. Speech bubbles read: WHY IS NOBODY BY THE PRINCESS' SIDEI!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GUARDS AT THE TOWER ENTRANCEI!! THAT'S PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI'S VOICE!! SHE'S CRYING!!! IT'S COMING FROM SHELL TOWER!! I MUST APOLOGISE!! THERE WAS A MIX-UP WITH THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD!! FATHEEEER!! FUKABOSHI-ONIIISAAAMA!! HEY, HEY, HEY!! WHAT'S THE MATTERI! I'M JUST A PIRATE WHO WAS LOOKING FOR SOME FOOD!! A HUMAN HAS ENTERED MY CHAMBERS TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT ON MY LIFE!! MAAAN, SHE'S NOISY...! WHAT DO I DO NOW...I RYUBOSHI-ONIIISAMA!! MANBOSHI-ONIIISAMA!!! Luffy stands below her, looking up in surprise amid the chaos.

A mermaid girl with long hair stares in shock as an axe suddenly flies through the air. "EH...I" she gasps. The axe spins wildly toward a massive metal door marked with a rose-like crest. Luffy in his straw hat watches from nearby as the weapon slams into the lock. The door bursts open with a massive explosion of debris and force. "NNNGG HHAAAH HHHAHH!!!" someone screams amid the impact. The mermaid reels back in alarm. "!!I" Luffy is thrown by the blast as the door flies apart. In the aftermath, the girl looks on in horror while Luffy shouts in pain from the floor. "HNNNG GHHHH HHH!!!"

The massive door explodes outward in a cloud of rubble and smoke. Luffy and the mermaid girl stare in disbelief. "LOOK - THE DOOR IS OPEN!! WHAT'S GOING ONI!" Luffy yells. "PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI!!! WE ARE ON OUR WAY!!!" voices call from outside. "WHY IS THERE AN AXEI! WHERE DID IT COME FROMI!" the girl asks in confusion. "HAA... HAA..." Luffy pants. Guards and soldiers rush in through the wreckage. "ARE YOU ALRIGHTI!" one shouts. "PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI!!!" another calls. Megalo the shark swims forward with wide eyes amid the chaos as soldiers flood the room.

Soldiers with tridents burst into the room. "WAS THERE AN INTRUDERI!" one demands. "WE WERE SO WORRIED WHEN WE HEARD YOUR PLAINTIVE CRIES! WHO ON EARTH OPENED THIS DOORI!" another shouts. Shirahoshi struggles as Megalo holds her. "LET ME GO!!" she cries. "AHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOINGI!" Megalo yells. "SHHH! BE QUIET...!!!" Shirahoshi pleads. In the grand chamber, Shirahoshi sits on her bed looking downcast. "...I APOLOGISE FOR CAUSING YOU ALARM...!" she says. "IT WAS NOTHING, REALLY...!" "...I THINK... I MUST HAVE HAD A BAD DREAM, THAT IS ALL...!" A fish-man minister listens intently. "IT REGARDS THE PIRATE, STRAW HAT LUFFY, WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAVING MEGALO... THE SITUATION HAS BECOME RATHER COMPLICATED, YOU SEE...!" he explains. Another fish-man replies, "IF THAT IS THE CASE... THEN I AM MOST RELIEVED....I WAS SURE I HEARD SOMEBODY ELSE'S VOICE..."

The minister continues gravely. "...THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE TO CONFINE THE ENTIRE STRAW HAT CREW TO THE PALACE DUNGEONS. THE SWORDSMAN, WHO ARRIVED AT THE PALACE AHEAD OF THE OTHERS, HAS ALREADY BEEN APPREHENDED." Shirahoshi listens with a worried expression. "THE ONLY PROBLEM IS... THE CAPTAIN OF THEIR CREW, STRAW HAT LUFFY, WHO WAS LAST SEEN ENTERING THE PALACE ALONG WITH THOSE THREE CREW MEMBERS, SEEMS TO HAVE GONE MISSING...!" he states. "PRESUMABLY HE DISCOVERED OUR INTENTIONS TO APPREHEND HIM SOMEHOW, AND HAS CONCEALED HIMSELF SOMEWHERE IN THE PALACE. WE MUST ALL BE ON OUR GUARD!" In the throne room, the minister declares, "...AH... IT WOULD SEEM THAT FIVE MINUTES HAVE PASSED. IN THAT CASE, WE WILL BE LEAVING!!" He walks away with guards. "FEAR NOT; WE WILL APPREHEND HIS OTHER CREWMATES FROM THEIR VARIOUS LOCATIONS ACROSS FISH-MAN ISLAND AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR PROUD KINGDOM!! IT PAINS ME GREATLY THAT WE ARE FORCED TO GREET MEGALO'S SAVIOURS WITH CHAINS AND CELLS RATHER THAN THE PLANNED CELEBRATIONS."

Inside the Hard-Shell Tower, a small black figure perches on the mermaid princess’s palm as she speaks earnestly. “YOUR NAME… IS LUFFY-SAMA, YESI” she asks. Luffy replies with a puzzled “UH-HUH.” The princess continues, “STILL, I NEVER IMAGINED THAT YOU WERE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR SAVING MEGALO! I APOLOGISE FOR THE RUDENESS OF THE GUARDS JUST NOW… PLEASE FORGIVE THEM. I MUST THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH.” She then asks, “AND YOU ARE A PIRATE… DOES THAT MEAN YOU ARE A BAD PERSONI” Luffy answers confidently, “YEAH… BUT DON’T WORRY, THEY’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO KEEP MY FRIENDS CAPTURED FOR LONG!!” The princess explains the danger she faces: “FROM WHAT I GATHER, HE IS CURSED WITH A DEMONIC POWER BY THE NAME OF ‘MATO MATO’. IT ALLOWS HIM TO TARGET ME AT ANY TIME, NO MATTER WHERE HE MAY BE… AS SUCH, I AM NEVER PERMITTED TO LEAVE THIS SHELL TOWER, FOR IT WOULD BE FAR TOO DANGEROUS FOR ME TO BE OUT IN THE OPEN…!!” She adds that the culprit is “A MAN NAMED VANDER DECKEN-SAMA… HE SEEMS TO HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST ME BECAUSE I REFUSED HIS PROPOSALS OF MARRIAGE…” while recalling the axe that flew in earlier.

The princess continues sadly, “AND SO I HAVE NOBODY TO TALK TO BUT MY BELOVED MEGALO… HE IS MY ONLY FRIEND IN THE WORLD. SO THAT’S WHY YOU WERE GOING TO THROW A PARTY FOR US! …THOUGH I GUESS IT’S NOT GONNA HAPPEN NOW…” She notes, “…IT HAS BEEN TEN YEARS NOW… TEN WHOLE YEARSI! YOU MUST GET PRETTY BORED! WHAT IS MORE, MY FATHER HAS DECREED THAT EVEN THE GUARDS MAY NOT SPEND MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES IN MY PRESENCE…” Luffy, chewing loudly, blurts out garbled speech: “MNGLPHR MMBGLN, BRLPHHNG HRNGLG FRMLGRM NGLPMNGHL PHRNG!” The princess smiles gently, “YOU CERTAINLY DO EAT AN AWFUL LOT, LUFFY-SAMA. HUMANS ARE SO STRANGE… …STILL… FOR SOMEONE SO SMALL…” She then declares with a bright expression, “MY NAME IS SHIRAHOSHI!!” Luffy stares in shock, “HUH… THAT’S A WEIRD NAME. THOSE GUYS WERE CALLING YOU ‘PRINCESS’, RIGHTI SO ARE YOU THE MERMAID PRINCESSI!!”

Shirahoshi leans forward curiously, asking Luffy about flowers, hair-covered creatures called “animals,” green places called “forests,” the “sun,” and whether pirates go on “adventures.” Luffy, mouth full, protests, “TOO MANY QUESTIONS!! HOLD ON A MINUTE, I’M EATING!!” When she pokes his cheek, he reacts with a loud “BOK!!” and “DON’T DO STUFF LIKE THAT!! WHAT WAS THAT FORI!!” Shirahoshi exclaims in surprise at how stretchy he is. Overwhelmed, she suddenly bursts into loud tears, “UWAAAAAHHH!! NOBODY HAS EVER GOT ANGRY WITH ME BEFORE!!!” Luffy panics, “UWAAAAAHHH!! MAN, YOU’RE A REAL CRYBABY FOR SOMEONE SO BIG… WHOA, WHOA… I WASN’T TRYING TO MAKE YOU CRY! STOP THAT!” Shirahoshi sobs, “I… I AM SORRY…! PLEASE DO NOT SHOUT AT ME WITH SUCH A LOUD VOICE…! YOU ARE A SCARY PERSON AFTER ALL… LUFFY-SAMA…!!!”

Still crying, Shirahoshi pleads, “YOU ARE A TERRIBLE PERSON…!!! PLEASE, YOU MUST LEAVE ME AT ONCE…!! TH… TH… N – THAT’S SO HORRIBLE… N – NOBODY HAS EVER SAID ANYTHING SO HORRIBLE TO ME BEFORE…!!!” Luffy, cheeks puffed with food, laughs, “EHHHH HHHHHHI!I I DON’T THINK I LIKE YOU THAT MUCH!! AHAHA AHAHAHA!” Shirahoshi continues to sob while Luffy tries to calm her. He then suggests brightly, “WELL, OF COURSE… THERE ARE MANY PLACES SUCH… BUT… YEAH, THERE MUST BE, HUH…I HEY, LUFFY-SAMA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GOI PLEASE LEAVE…I STILL, TEN WHOLE YEARS IN THIS PLACE, HUHI DON’T THINK I COULD STAND THAT.” Luffy grins widely and declares, “IF ANYTHING COMES FLYING AT YOU AGAIN, I’LL SEND IT RIGHT BACK WHERE IT CAME!!! LET’S GO SOMEWHERE, THEN!! FOR A WALK!!!” Shirahoshi reacts with shock, “EHHHI!”

At the main entrance of Ryuuguu Palace, a soldier shouts, "IF YOU RESIST THEM ANY LONGER, YOU REALLY WILL BECOME CRIMINALS....!" Nami looks back with a worried expression. Another voice calls out, "USOPP-CHIN!! NAMI-CHIN, BROOK-CHIN!!" A guard yells, "HURRY UP AND CATCH THEM!! THEY'RE ONLY THREE HUMANS!!" Inside the palace, a fish-man in a top hat and fur collar declares, "IT'S THEIR FAULT FOR PICKING A FIGHT WITH US OVER SOME CRAZY REASON!" Nami, gripping her staff, replies, "IF WE DON'T RESIST, WE'LL JUST END UP AS PRISONERS!!" The fish-man counters firmly, "NEVERTHELESS, WE HAVE NO REASON TO SURRENDER, CAIMIE-SAN." Below, a large fish-man prisoner growls, "I'M NOT LETTING THEM CAPTURE ME FOR SOMETHING I HAVEN'T EVEN DONE YET!!!"

A fish-man soldier sweats and exclaims, "DID NOSEY USED TO BE AS IMPOSING AS ALL THATI!" Nami reflects, "SUCH A PITY... I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO SAMPLING THE PALACE WINE..." A guard notes, "THIS CREW HAVE CAUSED ALL KINDS OF CRAZY INCIDENTS... EVEN WITHOUT THEIR CAPTAIN, THEY'RE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH....!!!" Another offers, "SHOULD YOU SO DESIRE, I WILL GLADLY FACE YOU IN COMBAT..." Neptune shouts, "LEND US YOUR STRENGTH!!!" A soldier warns, "...IF YOU HADN'T ATTACKED US FIRST!!" Another adds, "...OH, THAT'S RICH! WE'D NEVER HAVE TRIED ANYTHING HERE..." The Minister of the Left commands, "DO NOT FALTER, SOLDIERS!! SEE THIS FOR WHAT IT IS - A PRELUDE TO THE TERRORS TO COME!!!" He continues, "TASTE THE POWER OF MY NEW WEAPON: BLACK KABUTO!!! THIS ARMY IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE GIANT INSECTS OF THE BOIN ARCHIPELAGO!! THEY MUST BE STOPPED AT ALL COSTS!! TO PROTECT OUR PROUD NATION!!!" A massive attack launches as Neptune thinks, "I FEEL UNSURE WHETHER IT IS RIGHT TO IMPRISON THEM FOR A FUTURE CRIME... I WOULD LIKE SOME TIME TO THINK THIS OVER....!!!"

A massive impact strikes with "SUCH FORCE....!!!" and "TAKE THIS!!!" The fish-man in the top hat is sent flying backward amid debris and shockwaves. Zoro appears with a grin, saying, "SO I THOUGHT I'D COME OUT AND PLAY!! I HEARD THE SOUNDS OF MERRY-MAKING..." Usopp and Nami react in shock, shouting "ZORO!!" and "ZORO... I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN THE DUNGEONS....!!!"

Hody Jones and Vander Decken IX shake hands in alliance. Hody declares, "THIS ALLIANCE BENEFITS US BOTH!! OUR GOAL IS THE SAME!!!" Vander Decken laughs, "BAHOHOHOH!! THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE!! HORDY JONES!!!" Hody vows, "TO CRUSH THAT DESPICABLE ARMY, WHO HAVE NONE OF THE PRIDE BEFITTING THEIR RACES!! TO TAKE THE HEAD OF 'SEA GOD' NEPTUNE!!! AND TO BRING ABOUT THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE RYUUGUU KINGDOM!!!!" Outside, soldiers spot the arriving ship and shout, "DECKEN!! DECKEN!!" "CAPTAIN!! VANDER DECKEN-SAMA HAS ARRIVED!" "YOU WAIT THERE, WADA-TSUMI." Vander Decken arrives saying, "SORRY I'M A LITTLE LATE... GOT CAUGHT UP IN A LITTLE VOLCANIC ERUPTION." A fish-man recognizes him: "SO... YOU'RE THE ONE, RIGHTI THE INFAMOUS FISHMAN KNOWN AS HORDY!! I KNOW IT!" Hody replies, "OH, YOU'RE PRETTY INFAMOUS YOURSELF... MAD CAPTAIN, VANDER DECKEN!!! IT'LL BE A PLEASURE WORKING WITH YOU..."

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