"Good morning, everyone," Jinbe called out cheerfully as he approached their ship. "You're certainly lively this early in the day."
The two bickering crewmates immediately stopped their argument and turned to greet the former Warlord, while the others who'd been watching the entertainment also shifted their attention. Ace raised his hand in a casual wave.
"Morning, Jinbe! You're here pretty early, aren't you?"
"I don't have many pressing duties today, so I thought I'd come by ahead of schedule," Jinbe explained with his characteristic warm smile. "That way we can head to the palace together without any rushing around."
"As you requested yesterday, we'll be keeping things low-key and informal."
After returning to the palace the previous evening, Jinbe had discussed the arrangements with King Neptune. Since the Black Star Pirates preferred to avoid unnecessary attention and were being considerate of the kingdom's political position, they'd agreed to follow Jerry's suggestion for a discrete visit.
Jerry nodded approvingly and turned to address his crew.
"Does anyone need a few more minutes to pack anything, or are we ready to go?"
"I'm all set," Deuce replied, glancing around at the others. "What about you two?" he asked Carina and Carrot.
"We don't need anything else either," Carina confirmed.
After a quick visual check, it was clear that none of them had any additional preparations to make—they'd kept their belongings simple and travel-ready as always.
"Alright then, Jinbe," Jerry said, "please lead the way."
"Haha, of course! Just follow my lead, and I'll get everyone wrapped in travel bubbles once we're moving," the fish-man replied with obvious pleasure at serving as their guide.
Without any further delay, the group set off through Fishman Island like tourists following an experienced tour guide. Jinbe walked ahead, pointing out various architectural features and cultural landmarks as they made their way through the underwater city's winding coral streets.
Despite the previous night's incident at Mermaid Bay, the apparent lack of concrete evidence meant the authorities were conducting only discrete inquiries. The busy morning foot traffic continued flowing normally, with citizens going about their daily routines without any visible signs of heightened security or tension.
The crew chatted casually as they walked, taking in the unique sights of the underwater kingdom. Before long, they found themselves approaching the impressive gates of the Ryugu Kingdom's royal palace.
King Neptune stood waiting for them at the entrance, accompanied by his three sons and a small contingent of court officials and palace guards. The king's massive frame and flowing beard created an imposing but welcoming presence as he greeted his guests.
After the customary formal introductions and expressions of mutual respect, Neptune personally escorted the Black Star Pirates into the palace's grand reception hall.
The room had been carefully prepared for their visit, with several tables and chairs arranged for comfortable conversation. Knowing something about pirate dining preferences through his discussions with Jinbe, the king had ordered an impressive spread of food laid out across the main table.
It was well-known that mermaids typically followed vegetarian diets, subsisting primarily on various seaweeds, kelp, fruits, and sweet desserts. However, in consideration of their human guests' different dietary needs, the palace kitchens had also prepared an array of sea creature delicacies and other protein-rich dishes that land-dwellers would find appealing.
When Ace caught sight of this magnificent feast, his eyes practically sparkled with tears of joy. The prospect of royal cuisine had him barely able to contain his excitement.
After both parties had settled into their seats and exchanged the usual diplomatic pleasantries, Jerry's gaze wandered curiously to where Princess Shirahoshi was attempting to hide behind one of the massive coral pillars. Only half of her enormous form was actually concealed, making her presence rather obvious despite her shy efforts.
"Your Majesty," Jerry said directly, "what's the specific reason you invited us here today?"
"Ah, yes... please allow me to explain," King Neptune replied, taking a moment to organize his thoughts before speaking.
The situation, he explained, stemmed largely from the aftermath of Jerry and his crew's decisive actions against the extremist faction in Fishman Street—the incident Jinbe had mentioned during previous conversations.
The royal family had been seeking the right opportunity to officially reveal the truth about events from years past to the general public. However, given the passage of time and the way some citizens had developed resentment toward humans in general, they wanted to proceed carefully with adequate preparation rather than rushing into any dramatic announcements.
Their first priority was finding ways to gauge public sentiment regarding human-fishman relations indirectly. After all, simply revealing historical facts wasn't their ultimate goal.
King Neptune's deeper ambition was to fulfill Princess Otohime's dying wish—to lead Fishman Island out of the ocean depths and into the surface world's light. He hoped to formally request permission for large-scale migration to land-based territories at the next World Conference.
Unfortunately, the World Conference only convened every four years, and the most recent session had concluded just before these events. This meant their sights were set on the gathering still several years in the future.
Before that crucial deadline, they had extensive groundwork to complete. The plan involved gradually disseminating information to help citizens who weren't aware of the full truth become mentally prepared for revelations about the past.
When the timing felt right, everything would be made public, followed by comprehensive surveys and petition drives to gather citizen support before the next World Conference.
While the specific implementation details remained the palace's responsibility, Neptune explained that inviting Jerry's crew served multiple purposes: expressing gratitude in person for their role in uncovering the truth, seeking their perspective as humans on the kingdom's planned approach, and potentially getting suggestions for improvement.
Although Princess Shirahoshi had always known the real circumstances surrounding her mother's assassination, without the catalyst of Jerry's group's actions, she might have kept that painful secret locked away indefinitely.
When the truth was eventually revealed to the public, Neptune wanted Jerry and his crew present as witnesses, both to validate the account and to ensure citizens understood who had helped solve this long-standing mystery, preventing them from remaining trapped in ignorance and misdirected anger.
"Well... I appreciate the invitation, but that won't be necessary," Jerry replied thoughtfully after listening to the king's explanation.
"This is a matter of national policy. As pirates, we really shouldn't be involved too heavily, and we definitely can't make public appearances in support of your cause."
"If we did, you might find your petition rejected or face punishment from the World Government simply because of your association with us."
Jerry's response demonstrated his understanding of the complex political realities involved. Any open connection between the Ryugu Kingdom and known pirates—no matter how noble their intentions—would inevitably be viewed as suspicious by the World Government.
The kingdom's officials had considered this complication, but they perhaps didn't fully appreciate the World Government and Celestial Dragons' ruthless approach to dealing with perceived threats to their authority. Their thinking tended to assume the best-case scenarios rather than preparing for political retaliation.
After contemplating Jerry's warning for several moments, King Neptune reluctantly nodded in acceptance.
"Very well, we'll respect your position. But we will still make sure people understand how the truth finally came to light," he said with obvious gratitude.
"We also want to thank you specifically for capturing Vander Decken IX and freeing our daughter from his persistent threats. Shirahoshi can now move freely throughout the kingdom without fear. We are deeply grateful for this gift."
As he spoke, Neptune and his three sons turned to smile warmly at young Princess Shirahoshi, who was still attempting to hide behind her coral pillar with only half her head visible. Their gentle expressions encouraged her to find some courage.
Seeing their supportive looks, Shirahoshi gathered her resolve and moved slightly away from her hiding spot, releasing her grip on the pillar with both hands. She managed a graceful bow despite her nervousness.
"Th-thank you so much, honored guests," she said in a soft, trembling voice.
"You're very welcome, Princess Shirahoshi," several crew members replied, waving their hands dismissively to show she needn't be so formal.
Carina looked at the shy princess with obvious sympathy, while Carrot's reaction was far more energetic. The little rabbit mink immediately flew over to circle around Shirahoshi's enormous form before leaping up to greet her directly.
"Wow! You're the mermaid princess? You're so huge and beautiful!" Carrot exclaimed with unbridled enthusiasm.
"Oh... h-hello there," Shirahoshi responded, looking somewhat overwhelmed as Carrot landed right on her face. However, she didn't seem to mind the informal introduction. Perhaps because they were close in age, she could sense Carrot's completely innocent intentions.
Carrot proceeded to climb all over Shirahoshi's shoulders and face, nuzzling against her like an affectionate pet. The size difference was quite striking—despite her youth, Shirahoshi was already nearly eight meters tall, while Carrot stood less than one meter high, roughly the size of an elementary school student.
Seeing this display, Carina hurried over and called up to her friend.
"Carrot, come down from there right now! You can't behave like a monkey!"
She then looked up apologetically at the princess. "I'm so sorry, Princess Shirahoshi. Please excuse her rudeness."
"It's okay, Sister Carina," Carrot replied cheerfully, though she did climb down as requested.
"No, no, it's perfectly fine," Shirahoshi assured them with a gentle smile. "She's very sweet."
It was obvious that despite the unusual first meeting, the two young women had hit it off immediately.
This entire scene made Kotatsu cry out in confusion. The lynx felt his understanding of the natural food chain had been completely disrupted—how could rabbits and fish, traditional prey animals, grow to such enormous sizes?