You took a small walk around the palace, thinking about what happened a moment ago. You didn't know what that boy's problem was, and why he kept telling you to leave them. It isn't like you had a choice to begin with. Two years ago, you desperately wanted to run away each times you reached a suitable island.
Only your captain had the tendency of choosing spots that were either weird or creepy. Places filled with 'adventures', like he likes to say. And then, you started to enjoy somewhat the thrills, and the new things you discovered along the journey.
As you approached the Koukaku Tower, you were about to turn on your heels and return back to the banquet. Until you heard a loud scream from Shirahoshi, and you quickly dashed in this direction.
"ANYBODY! SOMEBODY!" she shrieked, her voice muffled by something.
"Don't make such a bitter face, your Highness!" said a familiar voice, followed by an irritating laugh. "Don't worry, this isn't gonna hurt"
You turned the corner and saw Caribou pinning the princess down with his disgusting Devil Fruit's power, mud covering her body. She was slowly sinking into the ground, her struggle stopped by the muddy hand holding her mouth closed.
"After I stole the treasure, selling mermaids seemed like more trouble than it's worth, but you're a special case! I just need you to go to sleep for a little while! My brother and the others just let me know that they've arrived here! Let's go to the New World together!" continued Caribou, not noticing that you were standing right behind him.
"Oi" you simply said.
"What do you want, old woman?" inquired the bastard, looking over his shoulder. "I'm busy here. Don't disturb me! Licky-licky-licky-licky-licky....Licky....Lick....Li...L...."
His long tongue stood still, sweat running down his face when he finally realized that you were there. All the hair on his body lifted up as terror racked inside him. Caribou started to laugh nervously, paling considerably when he heard the crack of your knuckles.
A loud sound came out the moment your fist landed on his face, the royal palace trembling a little. The next thing Caribou knew, he was sent flying outside the kingdom and into Fishman Island, screaming in pain.
"Old woman?" you repeated indignantly, putting your hands on your hips. "Sheesh..."
"(y/n)-sama!" cried in relief Shirahoshi, hugging you against her cheek. "I was so terrified!"
You could barely comprehend her words through all the tears.
"Calm down already! I told you many times about your crying business!!" you snapped.
"Oi, (y/n)!"
You looked over your shoulder to see Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro. The chef immediately went to you and the young princess, demanding if a bastard hurt the two of you in any way. Your captain was casually munching on a huge piece of meat, his eyes wandering all around his surroundings.
"If you're searching for the intruder, he's already long gone" you spoke, and Luffy raised a brow.
"Really? So there was someone here..."
"Remember that bastard we captured back in the ocean? It was him"
"Now that I think about it, I hadn't see him since we arrived on Fishman Island" said Zoro. "I completely forgot about him"
Then, the Minister of the Right and King Neptune, along with Nami and Pappug, arrived after hearing all the commotion from Koukaku Tower. You explained what happened, and the seahorse fishman bowed at you:
"That was so close! Once again, we are in your debt. I can't believe that the treasure thief was still in the castle" he said. "Usually, not even a single minnow could find its way into the castle...but the gate was left open during the chaos of the battle. Look! The tower to the right was cut clean in half! I'm sure it was the treasure thief who took advantage of our absence and..."
"Yes. It was the thief" you drawled in sarcasm, eyeing the swordsman who sweated under your gaze.
"No, it was this guy who cut the tower" said bluntly Pappug. "When they were escaping from the cage, he showed off by cutting the bars and the room clean in half"
"LET HIM TAKE THE BLAME, YOU DUMB STARFISH" snarled Zoro, punching the back of his head.
"WHAT'S WITH YOU?! LYING IS THE FIRST STEP TO BECOMING A THIEF!"
"Wait a second, Minister of the Right-chan!" exclaimed Nami, lifting her hand in a stopping motion. "What do you mean, treasure thief?!"
"It's just what it sounds like. That man stole all the treasure in the palace" the fishman answered.
"HUH, THAT GUY?"
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." said in unison Zoro and Luffy, a look of pure horror on their face.
"Those are your country's treasures, right?! Aren't you gonna go after him?" the navigator turned to the king who shrugged his shoulders.
"Compared to the lives of all our citizens, the treasure is completely insignificant" said King Neptune.
"Like hell it is?!" the ginger girl snapped, before she entwirned her fingers together and her eyes turned into Berrie signs. "So, if we take it back..."
"It would be my honor to bestow the treasure upon our country's saviors"
"Really?" Nami cooed sweetly, and then her face turned into a demon's when she glared at the Monster Trio. "Hey you! Why'd you send him flying?! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST KNOCK HIM OUT AND TIE HIM UP HERE?!"
"I-IT'S (Y/N) THAT KICKED HIM OUT-" yelled in unison Luffy and Zoro, lifting their hands in surrender.
"Even when she's angry, Nami-san is still-" cooed Sanji but was cut when the young woman decided to punch and kick them all.
One after another, she kicked the guys off the royal palace's bubble into Fishman Island, the trio letting out a weird yell while doing so. Nami panted beside you, and you couldn't help but sweatdrop just like the king. Suddenly, a guard of the palace ran to King Neptune, with news about the New Fishman Pirates.
"Something's happened to Hody and his crew! And their handcuffs have come off!"
They led you to the Prison Tower, where all the prisoners were kept there. Arriving in front of the cell guarding Hody and his crewmates, you gazed in shock upon the plastered forms inside.
"Humans! Our malice will not end..." said a croaked voice. "The time of our revenge will still come. Bring Straw Hat to me...I will kill him. Jahahahaha- *cough* *cough*"
Every last of them somehow turned like old people, no doubt because of the pills that took another effect on them.
"What is all this?!" cried out Jimbei.
"Don't think you can keep me in a cage, you dumb king!" continued to snarl Hody, and tried to break the bars only to dislocate his wrists.
"How can this be?!" breathed in shock Prince Fukaboshi.
"As I thought, the Energy Steroids you've been using...were the pills from the legendary Tamate Box, right?!" asked the Minister of the Right.
"Tamate Box?" repeated Nami.
"A national treasure passed down through the generations on Fishman Island-jamon. The truth is, ten years ago, there was an incident when the contents of the Tamate Box were stolen"
"We didn't know who was responsible, and His Majesty decided to keep it secret to avoid panic. Now that I think about it, it happened when you left the army, Hody!"
"Heh. That's right, I stole them" panted the fishman. "You fools"
"Even the legends are unclear what those pills do. Some legends claim that they can give you the power of a thousand men, others say that they just make you old" said King Neptune.
"And in the end, it was both" you stated. "I guess that using them after a certain point make the last statement true"
"As far as a national treasure go, they're rather peculiar. I'm guessing that they're just a vile drug, and they were heavily guarded to prevent the dangerous effects. You opened a box that should have never been opened, gained some power, and became deluded with grandeur-jamon"
"Shut up, Neptune!" barked Hody, before coughing terribly.
"You'll never be able to carry out your revenge like this"
"Shut up! We are the destined avengers! We will definitely slaughter both you and the humans!"
"Now that it's come to this, I pity you. I'll have to reconsider your punishment" said Neptune, before swimming away.
The rest of your crew were waiting for the Monster Trio's return, and once they arrived at the royal palace without the treasure, you knew it meant bad news. And by bad news, it was much more worse than you anticipated.
"YOU GAVE..." commenced the Minister of the Right,
"ALL THE TREASURE...." continued King Neptune.
"TO BIG MOM?!" finished Nami.
"She was saying something about how she'd destroy Fishman Island if she didn't get candy!" explained Luffy. "She's crazy! I mean, I'd understand if it was meat she was talking about...But don't worry, I picked a fight with her!"
"WITH ONE OF THE YONKO?!" yelled Usopp, Chopper, and Brook together.
"YOU PICKED A FIGHT WITH BIG MOM?!" paled Jimbei.
"You're strong, right, Luffy-sama?" giggled naively Shirahoshi.
"THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE HERE!" snarled Usopp and Shirahoshi squeaked in fright.
"Noseopp-sama, you're so scary..." she sobbed.
"I TOLD YOU, MY NAME IS USOPP!.....I'M SORRY"
"Anyway, don't do anything that might make Big Mom angrier than she is already" said Jimbei, sweatdropping.
"OF COURSE WE WON'T! IF WE GET ON THE BAD SIDE OF ONE OF THE YONKO, WE'LL BE OBLITERATED INSTANTLY!"
"Well, it's not like there's anything we can do about it" sighed Sanji.
"What's done is done" agreed Zoro.
"We'll reap what we've sowed" smiled Nami, walking over the trio. "I suppose there's no way out of fighting her now"
"That's right! No matter who the enemy is, we'll-" trailed Luffy, oblivious of the coming danger in contrast of the other two who gulped at the sight of Nami's grip hardening around her baton.
The three were zapped by a thunder cloud before they got punched all over their faces by the young woman. They were laying on the ground, face swollen with bumps and electricity running through them.
"Why...." growled Nami, hovering them with her fist shaking. "...DID YOU GIVE HER ALL THE TREASURE?!"
"That's the problem?" you sweated.
"I'M GONNA PUNCH YOU!"
"YOU ALREADY DID!" squeaked Chopper.
"Awlight...Wet'hs go to da New Wold" cheered Luffy with a bloody nose.
"THE FUTURE LOOKS COMPLETELY BLEAK!" shouted in horror Usopp, Chopper, and Brook.
With the help of the royal family, they helped you to return to the Thousand Sunny, where Franky was waiting for you all. You knew the goodbyes would be hard for the Mermaid Princess, who was crying loudly while holding you.
"(y/n)-sama and everybody, are you really going to leave now?!" she whimpered. "We just became friends! Stay here at least one more day! No, a week! No! Just one more year!"
"You've been crying since the firs time we met, Yowahoshi!" scolded Luffy.
"I-I'm sorry! I will stop being a crybaby!"
"Aw~ I never thought the day like this would come! The Mermaid Princess of the Fishman Island who I've dreamed about is crying as we're leaving!" cooed Sanji, and you shot at him a dark look.
"Sanji-kun!" shouted the mermaids, and the chef became a tornado of love.
"I wanna live here for a year or two!"
"That's a good idea. Why don't you stay here, Nosebleed-kun?" suggested Zoro, putting a hand on the chef's shoulder.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, MOSS HEAD?!"
"WHAT ARE YOU CALLING MOSS HEAD, YOU FOOL?!"
Then, the Minister of the Left approached Nami and handed to her a different kind of Log Pose. Instead of one needle, its has three of them. Which reminded you a little of the compass Rayleigh gave to you before you left.
"What is this?" she asked.
"It's a Log Pose for the New World. Take it with you. I cannot believe you were going to go there with a single-needle one!"
"There are three needles. Why?"
"Look at the long pose you have been using" said the Minister of the Left, and she gazed down to gasp.
"It's still moving a little bit! I thought it gathered enough logs already"
"It did. And from now on, it would take only half a day to record logs. On the first half of the Grand Line, you let the Log Pose record the magnetic waves for the next island and navigated your ship as it told you. But on the second half of the Grand Line, on top of the sea current and the climate, there are some islands that change their magnetic waves, the only thing you can normally count on"
"Heh?!"
"And for some islands, the magnetic waves just disappear"
"What?! Then we can't reach those islands!" exclaimed Nami.
"If you have only one needle, you will get lost. But what if you have 3 needles?"
"One of them is moving like the old one but...the other two look settled"
"They reach their magnetic waves from different islands. That means you can choose whichever your gut tells you and advance. Whether you live or die hangs on that point. A good navigator can tell which way is safer to go by looking at slight movements of the needles. What it basically tells you is the wilder the needle moves, the more dangerous the island is! Something is happening on the island that is causing the change in the magnetic waves"
"WHAT?! I don't like this! I'd rather not know about it!"
"YOU'LL SEE IF IT'S DANGEROUS?!" cried out Chopper, running to the navigator.
"NO WAY! BREAK THAT LOG POSE!" ordered Usopp.
"Why? You have to navigate safely in order to stay alive" sweatdropped the Minister of the Left.
Nami's eyes widened like saucers and she stiffened when Luffy's head stretched, and enrolled around her like a snake. Your captain was grinning wildly, look at the Log Pose at the center whose needle was moving wildly.
"DAMMIT!!" screeched the sniper.
"NO!!" sobbed the ginger girl, shaking her head.
"The one in the middle is wobbling a lot! That must be where the party is!" said the ebony male, and tears were cascading down the frightened Usopp.
"H-HE WAS LISTENING!"
"Luffy! YOU STAY QUIET!" snapped Nami, grabbing his neck and strangled him. "I'll choose which way to go from now on!"
"NO WAY! I'M THE CAPTAIN!"
"Please Captain! Listen to what the navigator has to say!" pleaded Chopper and Usopp.
"Alright, guys! We're ready to go!" announced Franky. "Den-san taught me how to ascend too! Shall we go?"
"Shishishishi! Yosh! Let's go!"
Your comrades waved goodbye to the citizens and the royal family, the Thousand Sunny sailing away from Fishman Island. Suddenly, the ship started to shake and Shirahoshi appeared, grabbing unto the railing.
"If...I can see you again someday..." the princess panted. "I promise I won't be a crybaby, Luffy-sama, (y/n)-sama! Take me out for a fun stroll again!"
"A stroll?" smiled Luffy. "Do you wanna go to your mother's grave again?"
"No. I want to go somewhere further next time!" Shirahoshi blushed. "I want to go to a real forest above ground!"
"Oh yeah, you've never been out of the sea, have you? Okay, fine! I will take you there next time!"
The princess smiled brightly and started to dry her tears. She then showed her pinky finger toward your group:
"Will you promise me?"
"Yeah, trust me! I promise!" nodded Luffy, enrolling his finger around her own.
"Hey, Luffy! We have to help you keep that promise" frowned Nami, shaking her head.
"Luffy-san, a promise is something you have to keep at any cost" nodded Brook.
The others except for Zoro and Franky advanced forward and put their pinky with hers. You sighed exasperatedly, but approached too and held your pinky with hers.
"We promise!" you said unison with your comrades. "And I hope you'll have woman up a little"
"Y-Yes, (y/n)-sama! Thank you, e-everyone!"
You bid your last goodbye to the princess, before the Sunny passed through the entrance of Fishman Island, leaving it behind without a second glance.