Translator: PapaSmurf0700
In the Mermaid Café, now nearly restored to its former glory, Camie wiped down a newly installed counter.
"Are you truly alright with this, Camie?" a mature, regal voice inquired. It was Madam Shyarly. "Today is the day the Straw Hat Pirates depart. Are you sure you don't want to see them off?"
"It's alright," Camie replied with a gentle smile. "I've spent so much time with them these past few days. If I go to say goodbye now, I'll probably just end up crying."
She wasn't lying, but it was only part of the reason. The other was for Shyarly's sake. Arlong, the man who had been the Straw Hats' bitter enemy, was her brother. Camie chose to stay behind to spare her friend from any painful memories or awkwardness.
"Pappag was the one who left home crying early this morning," Camie chuckled, then her expression turned curious. "By the way, Madam Shyarly, you must have done a divination for them."
"What did you see?"
On Fish-Man Island, Shyarly's prophecies were the stuff of legend, boasting a one hundred percent accuracy rate. Camie couldn't help but be curious about what the future held for her friends.
"To be honest," Shyarly began, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant, "I don't quite understand what I saw." Her expression was clouded with confusion. "In the crystal ball, I saw only a single, terrifying image connected to them."
Her voice trembled slightly. "I saw a vision of the entire world being destroyed."
-----
At the port, Princess Shirahoshi clung to the railing of the Sunshine Merry, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Oh, Mr. Luffy, are you all leaving so soon?" she pleaded. "We've only just become friends! Please stay for one more day… no, one more week… no, a whole year! Waaah!"
"You're still such a crybaby, Weak-hoshi," Luffy replied with his typical bluntness.
Of course, not everyone on the crew shared his lack of tact.
"Ah! The legendary Mermaid Princess is shedding tears for us! I'll gladly stay for a year! A decade!" Sanji swooned, his eyes turning to hearts as his body twisted into a noodle.
"Good idea. You stay here, Nosebleed," Zoro said dryly, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Who are you calling Nosebleed, you damn Moss-head!" Sanji snarled, lashing out with a kick. "Watch what I put in your food next time! If you ever dare to defy the chef at sea, I'll make you pay a heavy price!"
Zoro drew a sword with a grin. "I'd welcome the challenge. Whether you poison me or stab me, I can handle it!"
In an instant, their familiar brawling erupted on the deck. Nearby, Brook gave a slight bow to Robin. "To commemorate this dreamlike journey, I have composed a new single. Please, enjoy."
Robin simply smiled, a silent but gracious acceptance.
Meanwhile, Nami was receiving a New World Log Pose from the Minister of the Left, its glass dome containing three distinct magnetic needles, along with a lesson on how to navigate with it.
"It's time to set sail once more, Mr. Bai Ye." Ripper looked at the Priest, a sense of déjà vu washing over him. It felt like just yesterday he was seeing Bai Ye off in Shells Town. The scene was the same, but the world, and the people in it, had changed irrevocably.
Ripper's lips curved into a slight smile. "You really gave me quite a gift. The Target-Target Fruit."
"It's nothing," Bai Ye replied with a shake of his head. "Consider it an apology for what happened before." The Devil Fruit was of little use to him or the Straw Hats. It sounded powerful, but its limitations were severe. For a strong fighter, it didn't enhance their power; it only added a glaring weakness. He certainly didn't want Usopp eating it. A sniper needing to physically touch his enemy before a fight was a ridiculous handicap. He had a far better option in mind for his friend.
"By the way," Ripper said, pulling a newspaper from his coat, "you've been down here for a while. Things have been changing up on the sea. You might find this interesting."
"Oh?" Bai Ye took the paper, but just as he was about to open it, Luffy's voice boomed across the port.
"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE! LET'S GO!"
Bai Ye tucked the paper away and shared a final farewell with Ripper. As the Merry began to pull away, Shirahoshi shouted one last time.
"Mr. Luffy! The next time we meet, I promise I won't be like this anymore!" she declared, her voice filled with newfound resolve. "When that day comes, will you take me with you? To see a real forest on the surface!"
"Yeah! It's a deal!" Luffy grinned, stretching out his pinky finger. "It's a promise, crybaby."
"Yes, Mr. Luffy!" Shirahoshi laughed through her tears, extending her own massive pinky to seal the pact.
"We're part of that promise too," Bai Ye added, stepping forward with a smile and hooking his finger with Luffy's.
"That's right, me too, Princess Shirahoshi!"
"Yohohoho! I have a new promise to keep!"
One by one, the rest of the crew joined in, until even Zoro, with a rare smile, added his finger to the chain. Shirahoshi's face beamed with pure joy.
Long after the Merry had vanished into the blue, the princess turned to her father, King Neptune, her eyes shining with determination.
"I want to try, Father," she said. "Mr. Luffy told me that power is mine. So I want to try to control it."
As she made her vow, deep in the darkest trenches of the sea, the colossal Sea Kings stirred as if they had heard her. They let out silent cheers, celebrating the one who was destined to be their king.
-----
"Usopp! Get the ropes!"
"On it!"
"Hurry! We're not letting this Sea Beast get away! I'm gonna barbecue it!"
"And I'll dip this one in mayonnaise!"
"And this one too!"
As the coated Sunshine Merry ascended toward the surface, Luffy and the others were already wrangling their next meal from the deep sea. Down in his cabin, Bai Ye finally opened the newspaper Ripper had given him.
The headlines immediately grabbed his interest. They concerned the second wave of appointments to the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Shortly after the Summit War, Crocodile and Buggy becoming Warlords had already sent ripples across the world. Buggy, once ludicrously hailed as Luffy's protector, now held an official government title, sparking endless debate.
Now, the World Government had announced two more.
The first: Edward Weevil. The powerful pirate who, in the original history, had called himself Whitebeard's son. With the real Whitebeard still alive, it seemed he'd abandoned that claim this time around. This was within Bai Ye's expectations.
The second name, however, stunned him.
"World Destroyer" Byrnndi World.
P.S New chapters: ~10th September