Naruto and Princess Otohime becoming friends was almost inevitable.
Princess Otohime was one of the few people in the seas blessed with the ability to hear the voice of the heart. And Naruto, though from another world, shared the same gift.
At that time, Naruto had just left Roger's protection, wandering alone in search of clues back home, and happened to pass through Fishman Island. Their connection had been brief, as Naruto, burdened with his identity as a former member of Roger's crew, could not stay long.
Still, they had kept in touch from time to time until the day Naruto learned of Otohime's assassination at the hands of human pirates during one of her peace speeches. That was the end of their bond.
It was also that incident that made Naruto decide, once and for all, that he had no desire to become a pirate.
Coral Hill, the bustling commercial street not far from Ryugu Palace.
"Really nice. Living under the sea is not so bad at all," Naruto mused, stepping out of a seafood barbecue shop while picking his teeth.
To outsiders, the sight of merfolk and fishmen grilling and eating sea creatures might seem bizarre, even cannibalistic. But if you thought about it… Big fish eat small fish. Surely you could not expect merfolk to survive on moss and plankton alone.
Besides, underwater plants were scarce. Other than the mighty Sunlight Tree Eve that lit up Fishman Island, most vegetation here was little more than lichen.
Crispy fried oysters, grilled octopus skewers, hand-pulled seafood buckets… Naruto silently recorded all the flavors in his heart's food journal. After all these years, the cuisine here had definitely improved.
He drifted toward a small cafe with a simple sign: Mermaid Cafe.
It didn't sound particularly unique, but a dessert shop after a feast always hit differently.
Naruto never worried about getting fat. He ate whatever he wanted, wherever he went.
When he pushed open the door, he was greeted by a vision of lightly dressed mermaid waitresses.
The sight of Naruto's towering frame startled them at first, but he greeted them warmly. When they saw how cheerfully he spent money, thanks to the "generous contributions" of the Celestial Dragons, their tension faded.
"Guest, this is your chiffon cake."
The mermaid server tried to find space on the table, but Naruto's plates already covered it completely. She hesitated.
"Oh, don't worry, just hand it here," Naruto said with a smile, taking the plate directly.
To her, it had been a dish requiring both hands. To him, it looked no bigger than a snack.
He took a bite. Sweet, with a faint taste of the sea… they must have mixed dried algae in.
Naruto might not be a great cook, but when it came to eating, he was an expert.
But even as he devoured the cake, something stirred in the back of the shop.
Crack!
A crystal ball rolled off a table and shattered against the floor.
Madam Shyarly, the great blue shark mermaid and owner of the cafe, sat trembling, beads of cold sweat dripping from her pale face. Her uncovered eye was filled with uncharacteristic fear.
Shyarly rarely performed divinations. Too often, the futures she saw could not be changed. And some fates were better left unknown.
But tonight, temptation had led her to try.
And what she glimpsed… was disastrous.
The seas burning. Islands crumbling. Even Fishman Island drowned in flames. A colossal figure on a throne faced off against a being glowing like the sun. Their clash erased everything in its path.
It was a war that could end the world.
The sound of shattering glass brought the other mermaids running.
They rushed in to find their usually calm Madam collapsed on the floor, her hand cut and bleeding where she had dropped the ball. She seemed not even to notice the blood.
"Madam Shyarly! What happened?"
"She's bleeding!"
"Quick, bring help!"
Normally serene and elegant, their Madam now looked shaken to her very core. It was the first time her attendants had ever seen her like this.
Naruto, in the other room, noticed immediately when his crowd of merry servers disappeared.
He perked up, having caught the word "injured."
"Make way, make way! I know medicine, let me through!"
His booming voice startled the stunned mermaids, who instinctively parted. And there—he saw her.
Madam Shyarly. A giant blue shark mermaid, over five meters long.
The servers had been struggling to lift her enormous frame. To Naruto, it was nothing. He bent down, gathered her carefully so her tail did not scrape the floor, and laid her onto the sofa.
He pressed glowing chakra against her cut palms, green light knitting her wounds as his memory stirred.
He remembered her.
Years ago, when he came to Fishman Island and trained in Fishman Karate under Fisher Tiger and Jinbe, he had seen her before. A girl from Fishman Street, always hanging close by, watching quietly.
"…Little Shyarly. That's who you are."
The name slipped from his lips as recollection struck.
But then, he froze.
Another memory followed.
Shyarly… and Arlong. They had been siblings.
And at this point… Arlong should already be long dead.
"…Naruto? Is that you? After all this time?"
Her weak voice, tinged with recognition, brought him back.
She had felt the warmth of his healing chakra. When her eye focused on his face, realization struck instantly.
More than ten years had passed since they last met. But Naruto hadn't aged at all. He looked as though he were still in his early twenties.
"Ah, Shyarly." Naruto's throat tightened. What could he even say? But he was someone who never dodged responsibility. He forced the words out.
"About Arlong… do you know?"
Shyarly's eyelids fluttered. She gave a tiny nod. "I know."
"…I see."
She had known for years. Arlong's fate had been announced publicly in Marine reports of the destruction of "Arlong Paradise."
Yet when Naruto looked at her expression, there was no grief. No tears.
To her, it was simply this.
It was just a brother dying.
Nothing more. No big deal.