Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Why Is This Mermaid Princess So Fiercely Cute?

"This must be the place!"

Luffy sniffed the air and said, "It smells so fragrant!"

As if remembering something, drool uncontrollably dripped from Luffy’s mouth.

Then, he rushed into the corridor of this massive building.

"By the way, why isn’t there any seawater here?" Luffy wondered, looking around.

After thinking for a moment and failing to figure it out, Luffy decisively gave up.

"Never mind, let’s go eat Sea Beast Meat first!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.

As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy was about to charge toward the distant Hard Shell Tower.

But before he could make a move, Meiser grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.

"Why do you always sneak off like this?" Meiser said irritably, tugging at Luffy’s cheek. "What are you trying to do?"

"Meiser!"

Seeing that Meiser had followed him here, Luffy looked surprised, then grabbed Meiser and said, "Hey, Meiser, I smell something amazing. Come with me, quick!"

Meiser: ...

He hadn’t come here to watch this idiot act cute.

"Stop talking nonsense and come back with me."

"No way!"

Luffy turned his head away from Meiser and said, "I’ve already reached the banquet hall. Why should I go back to that place and starve?"

Meiser: ???

Hearing Luffy’s words, several question marks popped up in Meiser’s mind.

"What banquet hall?"

"Where is it?"

Even that old man Neptune hadn’t mentioned where the banquet hall was. How did this idiot Luffy find it?

Wait...

As if realizing something, Meiser’s eyes widened.

"This guy Luffy’s nose is as sensitive to delicious food as a dog’s nose!

So... maybe he really can find the banquet hall through the seawater..."

"It’s right over there!"

Luffy turned and pointed toward the distant Hard Shell Tower. "I smell food coming from there."

"That place..."

Examining the strange building, a hint of surprise flashed in Meiser’s eyes.

Isn’t the structure of this banquet hall a bit too peculiar?

And... what’s with all those weapons embedded in the walls?

Is this really a banquet hall?

Meiser had his doubts.

Just then, a Fish-man pushing a huge table walked out of the Hard Shell Tower, clearly having just delivered food inside.

Then, the Fish-man closed the large door beside him and walked off in another direction.

"That’s definitely the banquet hall!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.

That smell is coming from inside there... it’s so fragrant!

Hearing Luffy’s words, Meiser frowned. "I have a feeling it’s not that simple..."

After saying this, Meiser took another look at the structure of the Hard Shell Tower and the weapons embedded in it. The more he looked, the more something felt off.

"Stop dawdling and come with me to eat something delicious!" Luffy said.

Then, without giving Meiser a chance to speak further, he grabbed Meiser’s arm and started running, dragging Meiser through the air in a chaotic flight.

Meiser:

Glancing at Luffy, who was grinning widely as he ran ahead, Meiser was left utterly speechless.

Is this what Zoro and the others used to go through?

Why do I suddenly feel like punching this guy?

"This must be the place."

After setting Meiser down, Luffy examined the enormous door before them and said, "Isn’t this door a bit too big?"

"And it looks incredibly sturdy..."

"Uncle Neptune is quite large himself, so it’s normal for the door to be big," Meiser explained.

"Is that so..."

Recalling the curly-haired uncle’s appearance, Luffy nodded in understanding. That made sense.

For someone of that size, a smaller door would indeed be impossible to enter.

Then, Luffy extended his rubber hand and grabbed the door handle, saying, "Let’s go, we’re going in to eat!"

"Hey, Luffy."

Meiser scanned the surroundings before looking up at the incredibly sturdy door and said, "I have a feeling this doesn’t look like a banquet hall."

"Not a banquet hall?" Luffy glanced at Meiser in confusion. "But it smelled so good just now."

"The smell of food doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a banquet hall."

"Then what is it?"

"How should I put it..."

Meiser stroked his chin and said, "I feel like this place is more like... protecting or confining something."

Could it be a prison?

"Is that really the case?"

"Yes, so Luffy..."

Before Meiser could finish, Luffy’s eyes lit up as he said, "Sea Beast Meat that needs to be protected like this... it must be incredibly delicious!"

With that thought, Luffy began to exert more force with his hand.

Meiser: ???

Meiser stared at Luffy with a face full of question marks. Was that really how his words were meant to be understood?

"No, you idiot, did you misunderstand? You..."

Creak

Without giving Meiser a chance to continue, Luffy pulled the door open just enough for them to slip through.

Then, Luffy turned to Meiser with a wide grin and asked, "What were you saying just now?"

Meiser:

Looking at Luffy, who was completely oblivious, Meiser was left utterly speechless.

What was he saying?

What else could he say?

The door was already open—what else could he say, you idiot!

After a moment of silence, Meiser sighed helplessly and said, "Forget it, since the door’s open, let’s just go in and take a look."

"That’s more like it!"

Hearing Meiser’s words, Luffy grinned even wider.

Then, he turned and walked into the room, saying, "I can already smell the food. Let’s go eat together!"

"Sigh..."

Shaking his head helplessly, Meiser followed Luffy into the pitch-dark Hard Shell Tower.

"This is so strange."

Luffy looked around and said, "Why aren’t the lights on?"

Could this not be a banquet hall?

If it’s not a banquet hall... why does it smell like food?

At that moment, confusion filled Luffy’s eyes.

"Because..."

With his Sharingan activated, Meiser stared at the enormous mermaid lying on the bed before him, his lips twitching as he said, "We’ve walked into someone’s bedroom..."

So that means... this strange structure and sturdy door were built to protect this mermaid.

How truly—

Upon hearing Meiser’s words, Luffy’s head immediately sprouted several question marks.

"Huh?"

"Bedroom?"

Luffy turned to look at Meiser in surprise and said, "Are you sure this is a bedroom?"

Why would someone’s bedroom be in such a strange place?

"I’m sure."

Meiser nodded and said, "Because right in front of us... is a giant mermaid whose size seems no less than Uncle Neptune’s."

Watching the enormous mermaid gradually rise, an astonishing thought began to form in Meiser’s mind.

That is... could this person be the legendary Mermaid Princess?!

At this thought, a look of surprise appeared in Meiser’s eyes—she really is huge!

Click

The next moment, the lights in the room turned on, dispelling the unsettling darkness.

Then, this Mermaid Princess who had turned on the lights fixed her gaze on Meiser and Luffy.

"Wh-Who are you two?"

"Wow... such a big per—no, such a big mermaid!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Indeed..."

"Are you two also here to take my life..." Shirahoshi clenched her fists, looking at Meiser and Luffy with already-moistened eyes, and tried her best to put on a fierce expression, saying, "But... but I’m not scared at all!"

Watching Shirahoshi trying so hard to look fierce, Meiser’s eyelids twitched slightly—this is more like a fierce pout than anything.

It doesn’t look intimidating at all.

"You..."

"I’m not scared, really not scared at all!" Shirahoshi suddenly interrupted Meiser loudly, saying, "Really... I’m not scared at all..."

"Because I am Neptune’s daughter, so I won’t be afraid!"

"I won’t be afraid..."

But as she spoke, Shirahoshi’s tears couldn’t be held back anymore and began to stream down her face.

Finally... she even started wailing loudly.

"Waaaah!!!"

"Someone, help! Father, brothers, come save Shirahoshi!"

Meiser:

Seriously, what’s with this person.

They clearly haven’t done anything, and she’s already crying, making it seem like they’re the bullies...

This is just too absurd.

"Hey, don’t cry," Luffy said, also dumbfounded as he looked at Shirahoshi. "We haven’t done anything."

Why are you crying?

"You two humans must have come here to take my life," Shirahoshi sobbed.

"Huh?"

"No, we’re not," Luffy quickly waved his hands. "We’re not here to take your life. We just came to eat."

But unfortunately, such words had no effect on Shirahoshi because she simply didn’t believe anyone would come here with such a reason.

Seeing Shirahoshi unchanged and still crying, Luffy turned to Meiser behind him with a headache and said, "Meiser, do you have any ideas?"

"What ideas could I have," Meiser said helplessly.

He’s quite good at comforting Merry, but the problem is... Merry is a little kid a few years old!

But the one in front of him is a Mermaid Princess who’s probably lived who knows how many years—how would he know how to comfort her?

What surprised Meiser was that after he said this, Shirahoshi miraculously stopped crying.

Then, she looked down at Meiser in astonishment and said, "You... you are Lord Meiser?"

"Ah, yes, it’s me."

Meiser first glared at Luffy, then looked up at Shirahoshi and said, "I am the Blood-Eyed Ninja who caused a huge disturbance in Mary Geoise two years ago, Meiser."

"So... could you please stop crying?"

As he spoke, Meiser also took off his sunglasses and showed Shirahoshi his Sharingan.

"So it really is you!"

Shirahoshi immediately covered her small mouth in shock, and her tears instantly stopped.

"She actually really stopped crying..." Luffy looked at Shirahoshi in surprise, then turned to Meiser and said, "I didn’t expect your name to have this kind of effect."

"So amazing!"

Meiser: —

No, isn’t the thing you’re amazed at a bit too off, you bastard!

It’s as if he’s some terrifying existence that can make children stop crying.

"You..."

"Hmm?"

Before Meiser could finish speaking, he sensed a huge axe flying toward them from behind.

And this axe... was heading straight for Shirahoshi’s heart!

"Where did this weapon come from?" Meiser frowned.

As he spoke, he activated Susanoo and grabbed the powerful, fast-moving Plum Blossom Axe!

Then, with a forceful squeeze, he shattered it into pieces!

"Where did this axe come from?"

Looking at the fragments of the Plum Blossom Axe that Meiser casually tossed on the ground, Luffy exclaimed in surprise, "Why did it fly here?"

"I don’t know." Meiser said with a frown.

He couldn’t determine where the axe had come from just by looking at it.

Just then, footsteps could be heard from outside, along with the anxious voice of the Minister of the Right.

"Princess, are you alright!" the Minister of the Right cried anxiously.

"Someone’s coming." Luffy said.

Meiser, also looking outside, slowly narrowed his eyes and said, "Yes, I hear them."

Who knows what might happen if they were discovered here...

After a moment of thought, Meiser reached out and grabbed Luffy, then leaped onto the wall, moving swiftly to the ceiling, where he hung upside down to watch Shirahoshi below.

Luffy was held by Meiser, who covered his mouth to prevent him from making any noise and ruining things.

After doing this, Meiser said to Shirahoshi, "It’s not suitable for me to reveal my identity right now, so... I’m counting on you, Mermaid Princess."

Shirahoshi, who had been staring at Meiser in shock, was momentarily stunned, then nodded and said, "I... I understand."

Although she didn’t quite understand why Lord Meiser wanted to do this, since this hero who had done a great favor for Fish-Man Island said so, she agreed without hesitation.

Seeing this, Meiser smiled, then turned and glared at Luffy, saying, "Don’t you dare struggle, you idiot! We’ll talk about this later!"

If this guy struggled recklessly now, it might draw attention, so he had to warn him in advance.

’Oh...’

Luffy, glared at by Meiser, immediately looked a bit aggrieved, but he stopped struggling and obediently stayed in Meiser’s grasp.

After all... Meiser had already raised a fist wrapped in Haki.

Seeing this, Meiser nodded with satisfaction. Indeed, a fist imbued with Haki was much more persuasive.

A moment later, the Minister of the Right rushed in, weapon in hand, looking anxious as he said, "Princess Shirahoshi, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No."

"That’s good..."

The Minister of the Right breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "We heard your unusual crying just now and thought something serious had happened."

"Nothing happened here. I just had a nightmare."

"Just a nightmare? That’s good..." The Minister of the Right sighed in relief.

As long as she hadn’t been attacked by someone, it was fine.

Then, the Minister of the Right glanced at the open steel door and said, "Princess Shirahoshi, can you tell me why this door was opened? Did the soldier delivering food forget to close it?"

As he spoke, his expression grew extremely serious.

If it really was that bastard’s negligence... he would definitely wring that guy’s neck!

Seeing the increasingly dangerous look in the Minister of the Right’s eyes, Shirahoshi was startled and immediately said, "No, it wasn’t. I secretly opened a crack myself. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

Clearly, the kind-hearted Shirahoshi didn’t want anyone to be harmed because of her.

"It wasn’t done by intruders?"

"What intruders?"

Shirahoshi blinked her innocent big eyes, trying her best to look as if she knew nothing, which made the Minister of the Right frown.

"Princess Shirahoshi, you seem a bit off today," the Minister of the Right said, frowning as he scanned the surroundings. "Has someone threatened you?"

As soon as he said this, the Fish-man soldiers in the room immediately sharpened their gazes.

If anyone dared to threaten their Mermaid Princess... they would risk their lives to eliminate them!

"No one has."

Shirahoshi shook her head and said, "No one has threatened me."

Those two hadn’t laid a hand on her since they entered, nor had they been harsh with her. At most, they had just asked her for a favor.

So... she wasn’t being threatened.

"If not, that’s good," the Minister of the Right said, relieved.

As long as Her Highness wasn’t being threatened, it meant there was no danger.

Just then, Megalo swam in from outside, letting out a low "shark shark" sound.

"Intruders!"

"Pfft!"

"Shark!"

Poked by the harpoons of the soldiers, Megalo immediately winced in pain, darting around the room and whimpering.

"It’s not an intruder, it’s Megalo!" Shirahoshi quickly said.

"Oh, it’s Megalo..."

Seeing it was Megalo, a hint of embarrassment flashed in the Minister of the Right’s eyes. But seeing that Megalo was fine, he relaxed.

"By the way, Princess Shirahoshi, there’s something I wanted to tell you."

Shirahoshi, who was patting Megalo’s head, looked curiously at the Minister of the Right and asked, "What is it?"

"It’s about the Straw Hat Crew who saved Megalo."

"The Straw Hat Crew?"

Upon hearing it involved the Straw Hat Crew, Shirahoshi stopped comforting Megalo and turned to the Minister of the Right, asking, "What about them?"

At that moment, both Meiser and Luffy frowned, clearly not expecting such words from the other party.

Could something have happened on the other side?

"Not long ago, many young mermaid women went missing here," the Minister of the Right said. "Some suspect they were behind it."

"Moreover, according to Madam Shyarly’s prediction, they are dangerous individuals who will bring destruction to Fish-Man Island!"

"So... we have decided to temporarily detain the Straw Hat Crew. Once we thoroughly investigate these matters, we will decide their fate."

"Could such a thing really be true?" Shirahoshi exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes," the Minister of the Right nodded. "So... to prevent any unforeseen incidents, we ordered the soldiers to detain the Shivering Blade Style swordsman and the Ghost Girl, who arrived here first."

"As for those who just arrived... they should have been captured by now as well."

After speaking, the Minister of the Right paused briefly before continuing, "However... for some reason, Straw Hat Luffy and another unknown man wearing sunglasses, who arrived together, are nowhere to be found."

"We suspect they may have sensed something and slipped away early."

"These two are likely hiding somewhere in the city now, so... Your Highness, please be careful!"

Seeing Shirahoshi somewhat dazed, the Minister of the Right assumed the princess was frightened and reassured her, "Your Highness, rest assured, we will capture those two as soon as possible."

Though the strength of the man in sunglasses is unknown, Straw Hat Luffy’s strength is undoubtedly formidable.

So... we must capture them quickly to ensure Your Highness’s safety.

Upon hearing this, Shirahoshi fell silent for a moment before saying, "But aren’t they Megalo’s saviors and also companions of Lord Meiser? Why must we..."

"We understand this may seem unfair to the Straw Hat Crew, but for the sake of Fish-Man Island, we have no choice but to do this," the Minister of the Right said helplessly. "However, Your Highness, rest assured, we will not harm their lives."

"As long as they cooperate honestly with our investigation, we will not make things difficult for them."

"Once their innocence is confirmed... we will release them and offer our apologies."

Under normal circumstances, they should have received the Straw Hat Crew with the highest honors, after all... they not only saved Megalo but are also companions of the Blood-Eyed Ninja!

But unfortunately, the current situation is too extraordinary, so... they must endure this inconvenience for now.

"Is that so..."

"Yes."

The Minister of the Right nodded, then added somewhat helplessly, "Princess Shirahoshi, we know you are very kind, but at this time, Your Highness must cooperate with us..."

For the sake of Fish-Man Island, they must do this.

"I understand..."

"Mmm."

The Minister of the Right nodded, then glanced at the untouched food on the table and asked, "Why haven’t you eaten? Is it a lack of appetite?"

"Or perhaps the food does not suit your taste?"

"No, I just didn’t have time to eat," Shirahoshi said, shaking her head.

"Is that so, then..."

"Minister of the Right, the time has come."

A fishman soldier holding a clock approached the Minister of the Right and said, "It’s already been five minutes."

To ensure Princess Shirahoshi’s safety, King Neptune had decreed that other humans could only stay here for five minutes, so he had to remind this great man.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, old folks do tend to ramble," the Minister of the Right chuckled helplessly, then turned to Shirahoshi and said, "Well... Princess Shirahoshi, we shall take our leave now."

"Alright."

After seeing them off, Shirahoshi let out a long sigh of relief.

However, she didn’t speak immediately. Instead, she waited until the Minister of the Right and the others had been gone for a while before looking up at Meiser and saying, "Lord Meiser, you can come down now."

Megalo: ???

Megalo looked up at the sky with a confused expression, then froze in shock.

"Shark?"

"Shark shark!!!"

Wait, why are these two humans here?

Weren’t they...

Huh?

No...

What did Princess Shirahoshi just call that human?

Meiser?

"Shark?!!!"

Watching the man in sunglasses jump down from the sky, Megalo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in astonishment.

"Shark!!!"

"Shark!!!"

"Hmm?"

Glancing at Megalo, who was flailing about, Meiser asked curiously, "What’s wrong with this guy?"

Why is he so excited?

"He’s surprised that you are actually Lord Meiser," Shirahoshi translated.

"Shark!"

"Shark shark!!!"

Megalo nodded emphatically, as if to say: That’s exactly what I mean.

Seeing this, Meiser smiled. What an interesting shark.

Then, Meiser said, "You’re called Shirahoshi, right?"

"Yes, Lord Meiser!"

Meiser felt a bit helpless. Why did this person have to add "Lord" when addressing others?

Shaking his head, Meiser said, "Anyway... Shirahoshi, remember to keep my secret, okay?"

Hearing this, Shirahoshi tilted her head slightly and looked at Meiser. "You mean the fact that you’re still alive?"

"Yes."

Shirahoshi lowered her head and thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "Then how should I address you in front of others?"

"How to address me..."

Meiser stroked his chin thoughtfully, then gave Shirahoshi a thumbs-up and said, "Just call me Big Brother!"

A few question marks instantly appeared above Shirahoshi’s head. What kind of strange name was that?

But... since it was Lord Meiser’s request, she would go along with it.

Thinking this, Shirahoshi nodded and said, "Yes, I understand, Big Brother Lord!"

Meiser: "..."

"There’s no need to add ’Lord.’"

"No, I must."

Shirahoshi shook her head, clearly showing a hint of her own stubbornness.

"Fine, suit yourself."

Seeing that Meiser didn’t insist on her changing the address, a smile appeared on Shirahoshi’s face.

Then, she said, "Yes, Big Brother Lord!"

Meiser didn’t say anything more, just chuckled helplessly.

"And who might you be?" Shirahoshi asked curiously, looking at Luffy.

"I’m Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King!"

"Luffy..."

Shirahoshi blinked, then said in surprise, "You’re Lord Meiser’s captain, the Straw Hat Boy, Lord Luffy?"

"Yep, that’s me."

"I never imagined you were Lord Luffy..." Shirahoshi said with a touch of emotion. "You’re not quite what I expected."

After a pause, she glanced cautiously at Meiser and added, "The same goes for you..."

Meiser: ???

What do you mean, not quite what you imagined?

Could it be that in Shirahoshi’s imagination, the two of them were some kind of terrifying, green-faced, fanged monsters?

Shaking his head to dismiss this strange thought, Meiser said, "Haven’t you seen the Wanted Posters for our Straw Hat Crew?"

Although his own Wanted Poster had been revoked because he was ’killed’ by the World Government...

But... Luffy definitely has a Wanted Poster!

This girl Shirahoshi hasn’t seen it?

"No."

Shirahoshi shook her head and said, "I’ve only heard about the two of you from Megalo or others, but I haven’t seen any Wanted Posters."

She hadn’t left this Hard Shell Tower for ten years, so... she could only learn about the outside world from Megalo or others.

"You haven’t been living here your whole life, have you?" Meiser asked in surprise.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Meiser was immediately struck with a heavy feeling.

Isn’t this mermaid princess a bit too pitiful?

A mermaid princess inside the Hard Shell Tower?

This...

"Oh right, aren’t you two worried at all?" Shirahoshi said anxiously, as if remembering something. "Just now, the Minister of the Right said he was going to capture your companions."

These two must have heard that just now, so why aren’t they worried at all?

Hearing Shirahoshi’s words, Meiser and Luffy glanced at each other, then burst out laughing together.

They looked as if they had just heard a very funny joke.

Shirahoshi: ???

"What do you two mean by that?" Shirahoshi asked, puzzled. "Why are you laughing?"

Your companions are about to be captured, and you’re laughing?

That doesn’t seem right...

"You guys can’t possibly catch them," Luffy said, grinning widely.

He was very confident in his crew’s strength.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," Meiser nodded. "Our companions are all very strong!"

"But didn’t the Minister of the Right just say that two of your companions have already been captured?" Shirahoshi said.

As she spoke, Shirahoshi recalled the Minister of the Right’s words.

He did say they had captured a Shivering Blade Style swordsman and a Ghost Girl.

"Zoro and Perona, huh."

Meiser stroked his chin and said, "Although I don’t know what happened, I think they probably gave up resisting on their own."

Perona, who ate the Soul-Soul Fruit, is very strong!

As long as one hasn’t mastered extremely powerful Haki, it’s impossible to stay calm in front of that girl.

Would someone like that be captured by those guys from Fish-Man Island?

Don’t be ridiculous!

Not to mention there’s also Zoro, that incredibly powerful swordsman!

So... if they hadn’t given up resistance willingly, those seemingly unimpressive fish-man soldiers would absolutely not have been able to capture them.

’Speaking of which... those two probably just wanted to find a place to sleep off the alcohol,’ Meiser thought to himself. ’And wait for us to catch up...

While Perona might not do something like that, Zoro would most likely do exactly that.

Thinking this, Meiser fell into deep thought.

Upon hearing Meiser’s words, Luffy also nodded very affirmatively and said, "That’s right!"

"Those two are really strong!"

"Huh?"

"You’re that confident in their strength?"

"Of course."

Seeing Luffy nod without hesitation, Shirahoshi blinked, realizing she didn’t need to worry about his companions.

"However, there is indeed something strange about this matter," Meiser said, narrowing his eyes. "I suspect someone is framing us."

"Framing us?"

Luffy was taken aback for a moment, then put on an angry expression. "Who is it?"

"I’ll beat them up!"

How dare someone frame the Straw Hat Pirates... they’re really asking for it!

"I don’t know," Meiser shook his head. "Let’s investigate when we go down."

At the very least, they should make King Neptune understand that they weren’t the ones behind this, so Fish-Man Island wouldn’t take it out on Camie and the others.

This time, Luffy didn’t say anything more, just nodded to show he understood.

Then, he looked at the fragments of the axe on the ground and asked, "By the way... what was that axe all about?"

"Where did it come from?"

If Meiser hadn’t acted in time, that weapon would have struck the giant right in the chest.

Judging by the force behind it... it definitely could have killed her!

Shirahoshi fell silent for a moment, then said with a hint of fear, "It was thrown by someone named Vander Decken."

"Vander Decken?!"

Hearing the name, Meiser was momentarily stunned—wasn’t that the owner of the Ghost Ship?

Oh... now he understood. This Vander Decken guy wasn’t just sending love letters or something, but directly throwing axes to kill people!

That must be why Uncle Neptune had him wanted across the country.

"Yes, it’s Vander Decken," Shirahoshi said, lowering her head. "I rejected his proposal, so he’s held a grudge against me ever since."

"Because of that... he throws all sorts of things at me every day."

"What a scumbag," Luffy said with a disgusted expression.

Meiser, meanwhile, frowned. "Is he a Devil Fruit user?"

The fact that they couldn’t catch him meant he wasn’t in Ryugu Palace... no, he probably wasn’t even on Fish-Man Island!

Yet he could still accurately throw weapons right in front of Shirahoshi... that was definitely not normal!

"Yes, he ate the Target-Target Fruit," Shirahoshi explained. "So... no matter when, he can use that power to attack me with weapons."

"Is that why you stay in this tower?" Meiser asked.

Now he understood where those strange weapons outside came from—they were thrown by that Vander Decken guy!

What a piece of trash...

"Yes."

Shirahoshi said, "It’s dangerous outside, so I have to spend my whole life inside this Hard Shell Tower, unable to take a single step out..."

For her own safety, and to keep her father and brothers from worrying, she... could only live here.

"You really can stand staying here..."

"It’s fine, I’m used to it," Shirahoshi shook her head.

Truthfully, she was already content just being alive and not causing trouble for her family, so she didn’t ask for anything more.

Just then, Luffy’s stomach growled loudly, clearly in a state of extreme hunger.

"Is Luffy hungry?" Shirahoshi’s smile returned as she said, "Then feel free to eat what’s on the table."

"Meiser, you too."

"Really?!" Luffy drooled.

"Isn’t this your lunch?" Meiser looked up at Shirahoshi. "What will you eat if we take it?"

"It’s fine, I’m not hungry right now." Shirahoshi shook her head. "Besides... even if I were, I could always ask Father to make me something extra."

At the end, the timid mermaid girl wagged her tail with a hint of pride, looking utterly adorable.

Seeing this, Meiser chuckled and said, "Then we won’t stand on ceremony."

"Enjoy your meal."

"Alright!"

Meiser nodded and turned toward the dining table.

"Huh?"

At first glance, Meiser noticed something was off—how had Luffy already eaten so much, you glutton?!

"Hey, Luffy, you bastard, save some for me!"

"Ahahaha, Meiser, let’s see who can eat more~"

"Who wants to compete with a bottomless pit like you?!"

"Hahaha."