Your group, consisting of Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Brook, Keimi, Pappug and you, climbed on top of Megalo. Said animal made weird sounds of 'Shashasha', before it followed King Neptune and the whale. You departed from the city to the sky where there was another bubble floating at the top.
On your way there, you couldn't help but watch below the sight it delivered. It was no doubt beautiful, but you quickly felt sick in a matter of minute. Your stomach growled, and your face took a light shade of green. Noticing your expression and unease, Brook sent at you a worried look:
"(y/n)-san? Maybe you should sit in the middle" suggested the skeleton, and you hummed in displeasure.
"It won't make a difference..." you grunted.
"But it'll be better than at the edge"
You froze as the musician lifted you with ease, and put you in said position. You'd never admit out loud but it was indeed better than where you once stood.
"What's wrong with you, old geezer? Those yells are ridiculous" commented Luffy with a chuckle at the king who kept repeating the word 'Jamon' while swinging himself left and right.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! QUIT BEING RUDE!" screeched the starfish, running to climb on top of your captain's shoulder. "STRAW, YOU'RE SCARY! YOU'RE HONESTLY SCARING ME!"
"That shark there...He's my daughter's pet, and she cares a lot about him-jamon. When Megalo didn't come back, she wouldn't stop crying" frowned sadly King Neptune. "So he'd been attacked by the Kraken. That was really dangerous, and I'm thankful that you saved him-jamon"
"Sha! Sha!" nodded the shark.
"Well, it was just a coincidence, but yeah, good thing we managed to save him" said Luffy.
"Oh, so he's the Mermaid Princess's pet..." spoke Pappug.
"Hm? Pappug-san, did you not once say that you and the Mermaid Princess were best friends?" inquired Brook, and the starfish quickly hushed him down. "Either way, it sure is a shame about Sanji-san. He wanted to meet the Mermaid Princess more than any of us"
"He was just born under an unlucky star" shrugged the sniper. "I think. Still , if the princess has a shark as a pet..."
"Is it really okay?" asked Keimi, cutting Usopp's train of thoughts about how the Mermaid Princess looked like. "For us to come along to the Ryugu Palace"
"He did say 'Your friends are quite welcome too-jamon', so what's the problem?" said Usopp, imitating the king.
"Most people never get to go there, right? Since you have the chance, you should enjoy it" smiled Nami.
"To tell you the truth, I sent my sons out to fetch you, but they still haven't returned-jamon. So I decided to go myself. After all, I too am looking forward to the feast, and wish to start eating soon-jamon!" exclaimed King Neptune.
"I'm looking forward to it too!" drooled your captain.
So much that you were receiving it in the face because of the wind. Thick marks covering your forehead, you slammed your fist on top of the young man's head, and he was almost knocked out from the shark.
"I forgot to mention, but one of your friends has already been taken there" the king wiped the drool. "He's a swordsman. He began drinking already"
"Why am I not surprised...?" you muttered with a sweatdrop, deadpanning.
"These feasts are more fun if everyone's there. What a selfish man. I believe his name was...Zori"
"IT'S ZORO!" shouted in unison Nami and Usopp.
However, by standing abruptly they were caught by the wind and pushed off from the shark. Fortunately for them, they caught its tail before falling toward their deaths. Sighing, you summoned a Realm and used the dragon claws to put them back on the shark.
"The guards are looking for your companions and will invite them all to the castle, so don't worry-jamon"
"Nami, do you know where they went?" asked Luffy.
"Franky went to search for a relative of his late shipwright master, while Robin explored the area for a valuable fragment of history. So we split up again" she answered. "You haven't had any trouble, right?"
"Well, you could say we have, and you could say we haven't..." sweated Usopp.
"By the way, old man. We're ten thousand meters under the sea, so why is it so bright in the area around Fishman Island?"
"It's not that the area surrounding Fishman Island is bright. This is the only place on the ocean floor where the sun shines, so fishmen started living here long ago. That's how Fishman Island was founded. The roots of the Treasure Tree, Eve, reach down to these depths. They transfer sunlight directly from the surface to the bottom of the sea" responded the merman.
"Transfer sunlight? So you are saying this tree has glowing roots that reach ten thousand meters below the sea?" you raised a brow.
"Indeed. The scientists keep making new theories for how this can be but it is a mysterious tree that receives light at the surface and emits it from its roots-jamon. And its respiration supplies air to the sea floor as well"
"So it's like the big boss of the Yakukiman Mangroves on Sabaody?" said Usopp.
"Hey, shaggy old guy, I'm hungry!" complained Luffy, his stomach growling.
"We are almost there-jamon"
A few minutes after, you arrived at the entrance of the royal palace. King Neptune pushed the button for the intercom, and a voice demanded to identify himself. By doing so, the staff lowered a path to reach the other bubble. The king then handed to you a small coral, which was a tool used to create bubbles.
Since the castle was mostly filled with water, your group needed it to travel inside. Upon passing the blue tube that led to the kingdom, your eyes landed on a majestic and large building. A golden statue of a dragon hovered the rooftop of the palace.
"So...beautiful" you commented, breathless.
"This is so cool!" cried out Luffy.
"It makes Pappug-san's mansion look as small as a flea" said Brook.
"DON'T COMPARE THEM!" snapped the starfish.
King Neptune led you to the gates of the royal palace, and the soldiers immediately opened them to let their king and his guests in. You descended the shark and followed the others as they examined their new environment. The interior's designs was as beautiful as the exterior.
"It is my place-jamon! Make yourselves at home!" stated the merman.
"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! YOU DID IT AGAIN!" snarled suddenly a fish that reminded you of a seahorse. "You just went into the kingdom on your own without considering your position again! You can't just go down to the surface without even bringing an escort!"
"What are we to do?" added another.
"I will be more careful in the future-jamon" sulked the king like a scolded child while your comrades beside Luffy eyed him in disbelief.
"If something happened to you, it'd be too late for apologies! Do you even realize the situation our country is in?!"
"Can't we get started on the feast already?" whined your captain, clutching his growling stomach.
You blinked when you saw the ebony male sniffing the air like a dog, and suddenly ran out of the room. You whispered his name harshly, going after him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. And you weren't sure of the latest.
"Luffy, come back!" you barked.
You were able to get your hand on one of his sleeves, and tugged on it so your captain would stop floating away from your bubble. They emerged together, forming a bigger one. You glared at the young boy as he pouted at you like child:
"(y/n)...There's food over there! It's mixed with the scent of the water!" he said and you rolled your eyes.
"You're in somebody else's home, and a king to add!" you retorted. "You can't just go on your own like that!"
"But I can smell it down here! Come!"
He grabbed your hand and this time you were the one being dragged. Luffy was fast on his two limbs, floating in the direction where the smell of food came from. You couldn't help but grow a little anxious since you were both getting farther and farther away from your group.
In fact, you felt a little lost here after turning corners, mounting or descending staircases. You and Luffy blinked when your bubble disappeared when you passed a doorway leading to a long corridor. Your captain continued to sniff the air, and you saw a soldier closing the doors of a room before leaving with a cart.
"The scent disappeared. It must be behind that door!" drooled Luffy, running that way. "Maybe this is where they're hiding the feast? They said Zoro was already here, didn't they?"
"I don't think...so..." you trailed, eyeing the huge doors where many weapons were stuck in them. "The wall looks really sturdy too....Like the ones in Impel Down"
"What kind of delicious food do they have inside?!" exclaimed the ebony male, his eyes turning into stars and saliva dripped all over his shirt.
"Luffy!" you snapped while he started to open the doors.
However, once he opened them to reveal what's behind, you saw that it was a pitch black room. There's no way that it was the room to hold a feast. Though, it didn't stop your idiotic captain to enter and examine it in search of food.
"Luffy, come back here" you whispered. "We aren't supposed to be here"
"But they have some food that smells really nice here!" whined the boy. "It most be the storage room!"
"You-"
You were cut by Luffy suddenly stretched his arms and leaped above an object to land on a platform. Your captain then noted that whatever he landed on was soft and squishy. He advanced forward, and grunted when he collided with something and bounced back.
"What's this? There are corals wherever I go on this island, huh?....It's so soft..."
He climbed the strange object and jumped on it like a trampoline, a bouncing sound resonating. You grew mortified when you finally realized what this 'coral' was, and it was too late to inform your stupid captain.
"Is somebody there?!" cried out a high, feminine voice.
The lights came on, and Luffy let out a surprised yell when the object who was standing on suddenly lifted itself in a sitting position. The young boy fell on a mattress, and your eyes adjusted to see a mermaid....A HUGE mermaid that looked more than afraid of the intruders.
"What is i-it?!" she squeaked, tears on the verge of falling. "What are you doing on someone else's body?! Who might you be?!"
"What?! It was a huge person...No, a mermaid?!" said in disbelief Luffy.
"Y-You've come to take my life too, haven't you?! B-But I'm not afraid of you!" the young mermaid tried to sound brave, but was failing miserably. "After all, I'm the daughter of Neptune...So I'm not...I'm not...!"
Her tears dropped on the sheet of her bed, and she commenced to sob loudly. She cried for her father and brothers, her wails becoming louder and louder. So much that your ears were stinging a little. Luffy tried to avoid the droplets of water:
"H-Hey! What's wrong?! I'm just a pirate who came here to get some food!" said Luffy, as if it would be enough to calm her down. In fact, she seems to be more in hysteric. "Oh, shut up...What a pain"
"Humans came to take my life, and have made themselves inside my room!" the pinked haired mermaid cried.
"Hey, that's not it! I was just hungry, and didn't know this was your food!"
Your senses sharpened as you felt something coming fast toward the room. As you turned around, you saw an axe aimed at the Mermaid Princess's chest. You jumped in front of her and stopped the weapon with the blades of your guns. You groaned slightly at the strength used in this throw, and tossed the axe in another direction.
The mermaid gasped in shock, gazing at the thing that could have ended her life if you didn't do anything.
"An axe? Where'd it come from?" sweated Luffy.
The Mermaid Princess studied the two of you silently, still in shock about the fact you saved her life. There was a lot of commotion outside her room, with the voices of the soldiers coming closer. She extended her hand, and grabbed both you and Luffy to hide behind her back.
"Are you alright?" inquired a voice. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?! You were screaming louder than usual, so we were worried"
"N-No..." stammered the mermaid.
"What are you doin-" exclaimed loudly Luffy, but you clasped your hand around his mouth to prevent him from talking any further.
"Who opened the door?!..."
"Is there an intruder here?!"
"I-I'm sorry to have made you worry. I must have had a nightmare"
"H-Hey!" tried again your captain, and this time you choked his neck.
"Don't make a sound" you whispered.
"Hmm? I could have sworn I heard a voice"
"O-Oh, hmm well.... I-it was the sound of my stomach!" explained the Mermaid Princess with a shaky voice.
You heard the sound of Megalo's voice, and the shark entered the room to stand beside her mistress. The soldiers redeemed their weapons when they came to the conclusion that no one as entered this forbidden area.
"Oh, and speaking of which, there something I must tell you. It's about the pirate Straw Hat Luffy who apparently rescued Megalo earlier. Some mermaids have gone missing, and we suspect he has kidnapped them"
"Mermaids?" you repeated with a raised brow.
"Also, due to a prediction by Madame Shyarly, we've decided to confine the Straw Hats to the dungeon as there is a good chance that they will cause trouble in the future. The swordsman who came to Ryugu Palace a little while ago fell asleep after drinking too much, and we have already placed him under arrest"
"As if it was possible" you thought, sweatdropping.
"The three members of Straw Hat's crew who arrived just now have probably been captured too. However, their captain, Straw Hat, and their master gunner who came here with them must have realized what was going on...and somehow, they'd disappeared. We believe they may be lurking somewhere in the castle, so please be careful. We will also make sure we capture the rest of his crewmates on the island. We will protect the country's peace at all costs! In any case, it's really quite a shame that we had to restrain Megalo's saviors"
Your lips formed a thin line when your eyes met with Megalo's, and the shark started to panic. The mermaid hushed him before he alerted the others of something suspicious.
"Uh, Princess? You're acting very strange...What are you h-"
"Minister of the Right, Sir. We should be going" cut a soldier.
"Oh, right...It's already been five minutes. We will be leaving now"
Once they closed the doors, she released you and Luffy. Said male took a large intake of air after you almost suffocating him so he could stay silent.
"Thank you very much" the princess nodded her head at you. "I really was quite rude to you both earlier. Please, forgive me. I didn't know you were the ones who saved Megalo's life"
"Sha sha!" grinned the shark.
"May I call you Luffy-sama and (y/n)-sama?"
"Sure" responded Luffy, not that bothered with that title.
"Since you are pirates...does that mean you are bad people?" she wondered.
"Dunno. Decide that for yourself"
"Okay. B-But what about your crewmates? They've been captured by our guards"
"There's no way that you would actually capture them" you sighed. "But never mind that. What was with that axe? And all those weapons stuck in the wall outside?"
"What kind of superman could have thrown that, and from where?" added Luffy.
"I know...who did it. It's a man named Vander Decken-sama" replied the mermaid, gazing back at the axe. "He did it to get revenge, since I refused to marry him. That man...The Devil placed the curse of 'Mato Mato' upon him. Because of this, he's capable of targeting my life from anywhere at any time, since he has set me as his target. That's why it's dangerous for me to go outside. I'm not even allowed to take a single step outside Koukaku Tower"
"A Devil Fruit user..." you muttered, and stopped at the loud growl that escaped from Luffy's stomach.
"I'm hungry..."
"You're incorrigible" you barked.
The Mermaid Princess lifted the young boy and showed him the plates of food that the soldiers brought to her for dinner. He started to dig in while you watched with an exasperated expression, letting out a disgusted sound at all the mess he was making.
"By the way...If that guy wants to marry you, why is he trying to kill you?" asked Luffy while munching breads. "He's not making any sense!"
"He has been doing it for ten years" the mermaid sighed. "And on top of that, my father has decided that the guards can only be in here for five minutes at a time. And so, Megalo is the only one I can talk to. He's a valuable friend of mine"
"No wonder that you wouldn't stop crying after not returning" you said, gazing at the dancing shark. "That's why they wanted to hold a feast just for saving him"
"That kinda got ruined, though" stated your captain, gulping down seaweeds.
"Imprisoning people we're indebted to...What are they thinking? I've heard rumors that Madame Shyarly's predictions are frighteningly accurate. Perhaps it's unavoidable that everyone is afraid?"
She blinked as Luffy sipped on the seaweed like some kind of vacuum, a loud slurping sound resonating in the room. You facepalmed as his cheeks were becoming puffy:
"Eat slower, damn it!"
"Regardless of that, you humans certainly do eat a lot for your size" commented with a grin the Mermaid Princess.
"Your old man said we'd have a feast...but he just kept getting yelled at for so long. I couldn't wait any longer, so I came here, following the smell. By the way, they called you 'Princess', right?"
"Yes"
"So you're the Mermaid Princess?"
"For Realm of God's sake, just slow down already!" you spoke, grabbing Luffy's red shirt by the back and tugging him away from the drink, only to return to the spaghetti.
"Yes. I am the daughter of King Neptune. My name is Shirahoshi" the mermaid introduced herself with a smile.
"Huh? Shirasu?" blinked Luffy with puffed cheeks, his stomach so big that he looked like a balloon.
"Shirahoshi, you damn moron!" you slapped his arm.
"That's really hard to say. Ah! I want to taste that too!"
"You don't seem like bad people to me at all" giggled the princess. "Since you are pirates, have you gone on adventures and such?"
"Yeah..." you groaned at the sight of Luffy eating a whole plate of pastry.
"Oh, right. And have you see the sun? When nigh falls, one can see stars floating in the sky, right? And there are many different kinds of flowers, and animals with fur all over their bodies! Have you ever been to a green place called the 'forest'?"
"Wait, wait! You're asking too many questions! Wait a second!" stopped Luffy.
"It's too much for him since he is simple-minded. But the answer is 'yes' to all of them" you replied.
"Alright" she beamed, and blinked at the size of Luffy's cheeks. "My, what large cheeks you have"
She extended her hand and pushed one stuffed cheek with her finger. Luffy paused before spatting out everything he had in his mouth at that moment. The young boy whipped his head at her:
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP THAT!" he barked.
"O-Oh, n-no...." Shirahoshi's eyes became teary, and turned so her back faced him. "Please don't yell at me so loudly. Luffy-sama...You really are scary...after all"
"Sha sha sha! Sha sha!" panicked Megalo when she started to cry loudly.
"Why are you crying? Cut it out!"
"Nobody has ever..scolded me before" the mermaid whimpered, trying to dry her tears away.
"Even though you're so huge, you're just a weakling and a crybaby, aren't you? I don't like you!" said bluntly your captain with a smile and continued to eat.
You glared at him with a mortified expression, mouth agape as both Shirahoshi and Megalo froze at his words. Shirahoshi went into another fit while the shark shouted at Luffy angry 'Sha sha!'.
"What an awful thing to say, Nobody has ever said such a thing to me" sulked the mermaid, hiding under her covers. "You're just awful...Please leave. I...I can't take this anymore!"
"Just calm down!" you said, jumping on her bed and walking to where her face was situated at. "He's just an idiot. Don't believe everything he says!"
"He...was lying?" she sniffed, and you nodded.
"Yes, yes. Now, you seriously need to work on all this crying business. First, straighten your back!" you ordered firmly, and Shirahoshi winced in fear before she did as told, the covers falling from her shoulders. "You need to be a strong mermaid. It doesn't mean that you should never cry, but don't do it that much for simple things! Dry those tears away, and woman up!"
"Y-Yes, (y/n)-sama!" the princess said, more determined.
"You've been in here for ten years, huh? I'd probably get ill from that" said Luffy after he finished with the meal. "Say, is there anywhere you wanna go?"
"Huh....? Of course...There are many places"
"I bet they are. Then, let's get out of here!" grinned your captain.
"What?!"
"Let's take a walk!" said Luffy, about to jump but the mermaid stopped him.
"No wait! I can't do that"
"Come on, let's go! If anything else come flying at you, me and (y/n) will just blow it all away!"
"EHHH?!" squeaked with wide eyes the princess and the shark.
"I like how you always put me in the same boat as yours" you drawled in sarcasm, and Luffy simply grinned at you.
"No problem!"
"THAT WASN'T A GOOD THING"
"Then hurry and get ready!" Luffy told her. "Let's go outside, right now!"
"What? R-R-Right now? But I...I'm not...This is all so sudden....I'm not....well...sure what I should do yet" blushed brightly Shirahoshi. "Please give me some time"
"It's just a walk, what's the big deal?" sighed your captain, flopping down on the bed. "Make it quick, then! I really don't like you!"
Cue the Mermaid Princess to stiff, and sob loudly like a baby. You grew agitated, and slapped the back of Luffy's head hard. He faceplanted against the covers of the bed, a large bump with steam coming out of it appeared on top of his head.
"Don't cry!" you slapped her tail, and she muffled a surprised cry. "We'll wait, so make up your mind"
"O-Okay..." she sniffed once more.
"Hey! Are you don thinking yet?" asked Luffy. "Let's go outside!"
"I'm so sorry. I really...can't" frowned sadly Shirahoshi.
"Why not?! You said there were places you wanted to go, right?"
"But if I do something so selfish, I'll be causing trouble for everyone in this castle"
"If I'd been locked up in here for ten years, I'd have gone crazy. This is to thank you for the food. We'll be there with you, so where do you want to go?" asked again your captain.
"Um...Well....To the Sea Forest!" she responded, tears cascading down her cheeks, and she quickly whipped them away. "No, but...that's just a dream. I couldn't possibly do something so selfish as breaking out of here"
"Why are you starting to cry just from saying where you want to go?!"
"Luffy, shut the fuck up" you growled, and punched him again to silence him.
"I'm sorry. I had to gather up so much courage just to say it. Please don't be mad at me!" Shirahoshi whimpered. "You're scary, Luffy-sama!"
Suddenly, an explosion shook the whole tower. Luffy stood up abruptly, eyes widening:
"What was that?! Is he throwing something at us again?"
"Luffy-sama. (y/n)-sama" spoke Shirahoshi and lifted you both in her hands so you were eye level with her. "I've always wanted to go to the Sea Forest. All this time, throughout these past ten years. But...everyone warns me that it's too dangerous to leave the tower. So I'm scared of going outside. Luffy-sama and (y/n)-sama. Will you really take me there?"
"Sure" replied the young boy.
"Will you really protect me?"
"Leave it to us" you smirked.
"It'll be fine! Shishishi!"
Shirahoshi beamed as tears started to fall again, and she sobbed loudly. Luffy's face became exasperated, sweat running down his forehead:
"Oi, oi! If you're gonna cry, then I won't take you anywhere! Besides, to be honest, it's more like you'll be taking us there. I can't swim, after all"
"I-I'm sorry. I'm just too happy"
"You really are a crybaby. And a weakling. But if we go outside, you'll stand out so much that you'll get spotted right away. So I have an idea to deal with that! Shishishi?"
"Heh/Sha?" said in unison Megalo and Shirahoshi.
Luffy explained his plan, how Megalo would have to carry the princess inside his mouth across the city to the Sea Forest. As insane as it sounded, it was probably the only way to protect fully the mermaid and hide her immense body.
The poor shark opened its mouth wide open for her to enter, and you were wondering how in hell it will endure this until you all reach your destination. As Shirahoshi told Luffy that she was ready, Megalo started to push the doors of the tower, until they blasted open.
"Go, shark!" yelled Luffy, now inside a bubble with you. "To the Sea Forest!!!"