"Sh-Shirahoshi...? What are you saying?"
Neptune's voice broke the silence with a contained tremble. His furrowed eyebrows and confused expression showed he was still trying to process his daughter's words.
"Yes, little sister…" added Manboshi, stepping forward, his forehead beaded with sweat, "Do you even know what you just said?"
"How old are you, Shirahoshi?" Ryuboshi asked, his face still pale, "Are you serious?"
"How can you say such nonsense?" Fukaboshi finally said, his voice a mix of confusion, nervousness, and a trace of anger.
All four—father and sons—looked at her with disbelief and concern. It was as if they'd just seen a baby say they wanted to move to another country.
Shirahoshi blinked, confused, not fully understanding why the reaction was so strong.
"Father...? Brothers...? What's wrong with you...?" she asked softly, still smiling, though now a shadow of doubt crept across her face.
Her gaze moved from one to the other, looking for some kind of support. But she found none.
Neptune frowned and crossed his arms. His tone turned stern—not out of anger, but out of the fear that pierced him inside.
"It's nothing…" he said slowly. "But your father can't allow those strange things you're saying."
It was his diplomatic way of saying: That's enough. It's not happening.
And he wasn't alone.
"Exactly," Fukaboshi jumped in immediately, "We won't allow it either."
"Shirahoshi, you need to come back to the palace with us," added Manboshi firmly.
"The outside world is full of evil, of cruel people. You can't just wander around freely… or trust anyone so easily," said Ryuboshi, more out of fear than authority.
The three princes, used to protecting her since childhood, stepped forward like a wall. Their intentions were good, but their approach was clumsy. Without asking her anything, without trying to understand her, they reached out to take her back to the palace.
To the tower. To the prison. To fear.
"..."
Shirahoshi didn't move.
She didn't understand.
The stalker was gone. He was dead. She had seen it with her own eyes. That monster who had haunted her for years no longer existed.
So why… why wouldn't they let her go?
Why did they want to send her back to that tower with no sunlight, no air, no freedom?
Why were they still treating her like a doll?
Her heart clenched.
The sweet words she had planned to say got stuck in her throat.
Her brothers weren't listening.
Her father didn't understand her.
She felt something break inside. Slowly, her eyes started to cloud. Emotion welled up, rising in her chest like a tide.
And then, she turned around.
Her lips trembled, her shoulders began to shake, and her voice… her voice came out trembling, wounded, broken from within:
"Tiberion-sama…!" she called out, seeking refuge, a way out of that prison disguised as love, "I don't want to go back to the palace!"
Her eyes brimmed with tears. But she was still holding on.
"Shirahoshi… wants to go to the surface with you…!"
Her voice cracked on the final word. She couldn't hold it anymore.
"Please… take me with you!" she begged, a knot in her throat, "Shirahoshi wants to leave with Tiberion-sama…!"
And then it happened.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Her crying burst forth, fierce and unstoppable.
Her tears shot in every direction, as if the entire ocean were spilling from her eyes. Her whole body shook from head to toe, and her sobs didn't pause for breath.
It was the anguished cry of a frustrated girl, of someone who had dreamed of freedom only to find the same prison once again.
And she didn't cry gently.
She cried out loud.
She howled.
With her lungs wide open.
As if her soul were being ripped away.
Neptune involuntarily stepped back, his eyes wide open. Fukaboshi felt his muscles freeze. Manboshi took a step back. Ryuboshi looked like he was about to throw up from the shock.
'Damn it!' Neptune thought in alarm, 'She's going to attract the Sea Kings…!'
It was something he had feared for years.
He immediately stepped forward and tried to calm her with a gentle voice.
"Sweetheart… please, listen to me... stop crying…"
With a trembling voice, he leaned slightly toward his daughter, trying to soften his tone, making a genuine effort to soothe her. His massive hand reached out carefully.
"Don't cry like this, my girl… please…"
But Shirahoshi didn't hear him.
Her cries only grew louder, more desperate, more heart-wrenching. The tears poured down like waterfalls, and her shoulders trembled as if something inside her had shattered completely.
"Wuaaaaaaaahhh!" she screamed with all her strength, in a mixture of sadness, anger, and confusion, "Father is so mean to Shirahoshi!!"
She sobbed even harder, her voice choked and her chest heaving.
"I only came to say goodbye…!" she whimpered through tears, "And you… you won't even let me go! That's… that's so cruel!"
Her voice was that of a wounded child.
Not a princess. Right now, she wasn't the Ancient Weapon, Poseidon… she was just a little girl. A broken little girl.
And she cried with such raw pain that not even the hardest hearts could have withstood it.
Neptune stood frozen, not knowing what to do. His hand remained extended in the air, motionless. The princes said nothing anymore. They all knew:
That kind of crying… was dangerous.
And then, without any warning…
Tiberion stepped forward and didn't say a word.
He didn't ask for permission either.
He simply acted.
Calmly, he stretched out his arm and lifted Shirahoshi— a being over thirteen meters tall— as if she were a mere child.
One hand was enough to carry her, lift her, and raise her up high as if she weighed absolutely nothing.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Neptune: "..."
Fukaboshi, Manboshi, Ryuboshi: "..."
Soldiers: "??"
"S-Sir…!" Neptune finally stammered, stepping forward, "W-What are you doing?! What do you intend to do with my daughter?!?!"
His voice cracked from the nerves.
"She's my daughter! She's still very young! And… it was already enough that you deceived her! Now you want to kidnap her too… right in front of me?!"
He raised his arms, placing himself in the way. The princes also stepped in front.
It was an act of protection… but also one of desperation.
Tiberion stopped.
He looked at them with a calm, yet deeply savage expression. His eyes burned with a rage that left no room for negotiation.
And then, he spoke.
His voice was low. Deep and grave.
"If I, Tiberion Hanma, set my eyes on a woman…"
His voice, without rising in tone, became as heavy as a death sentence.
"That woman is mine."
Neptune's eyes widened even more, stunned.
"The woman who belongs to me… can only cry for me."
His tone now was colder than ice. But the emotion behind his words burned like magma.
And then, he said it.
"From today on… if anyone else makes her cry…"
He leaned slightly forward, like a predator about to pounce on its prey.
"Whoever makes her cry… I'll gut them."
The final word dropped like a bomb.
And instantly, without waiting a second more, Tiberion stomped the ground.
BOOOOOM
The roar shook the entire Sea Forest. The ground trembled violently. Within a radius of hundreds of meters, monstrous cracks tore open the earth as if everything was breaking from its roots.
The shockwave sent dust, water, seaweed, and dried blood flying.
The soldiers immediately stepped back, shielding their faces. Neptune held his breath without realizing it.
His body felt insignificant in the face of that raw display of primal power.
It wasn't an empty threat.
It was a reminder.
This man could destroy everything if he wanted to.
And right now, the only thing stopping him was her.
"Tiberion-sama…" Shirahoshi's trembling voice broke the tension.
"I… I'm really sorry," she continued, lowering her head while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "This all happened because of Shirahoshi… I didn't mean to trouble you…"
Her cheeks were still flushed from crying, and her wet eyelashes trembled with every word. It was as if, suddenly, she felt guilty for causing such an uproar. And yet… she couldn't help but worry more about others than about herself.
"But please don't be mad at my father, okay?" she added quickly, with a desperate sweetness, "Shirahoshi will talk to him calmly… Please don't be angry…"
She lowered her gaze to find his eyes.
"I don't want Tiberion-sama to be upset…"
Her voice cracked at the end, but this time she didn't cry. She just took a deep breath, trying to be strong.
"..."
Tiberion watched her in silence for a few seconds. Then, without a word, he slowly lowered his arm… and set her down on the ground as gently as if he were placing a flower on the surface of the sea.
He looked at her with that unshakable authority and a strange, wild calm. And then he spoke, laying down a decree:
"Remember this well."
"You are the woman chosen by Tiberion Hanma."
He paused briefly, his sharp eyes locked on hers.
"And that will never change."
The moment she heard those words, Shirahoshi's chest swelled with emotion.
A spark of pure joy lit up her face. She smiled with her eyes shining brightly.
"Yes!" she cried out happily, pressing her hands to her chest, "Shirahoshi already knew Tiberion-sama was the good one!"
And that smile…
That smile wasn't just sweet.
It was freeing.
At his side, Shirahoshi felt something she had never known: True Peace.
Not the fake tranquility of the tower. Not the confinement disguised as protection.
No.
With him, she felt real, tangible safety. And for her, that meant everything.
"Ah…"
Neptune let out a long sigh. As if he'd been holding his breath for ten years. His eyes were fixed on his daughter, and inside, a storm of thoughts he couldn't put into words.
What kind of karma ties them…?
Could a mermaid with special blood… fall in love with a human?
Can they be together?
Can they be happy?
He looked at Tiberion, that colossus who spoke with the force of a king and walked as if he were above all. Then he looked back at his daughter—so radiant, so innocent, so vulnerable… and yet, so determined.
His reality was cruel: if only their bodies weren't so disproportionate, if only they weren't from such different worlds… maybe he could accept it.
But like this… isn't this madness?
"Father… please."
The determined voice of Shirahoshi broke through his thoughts once again.
"Shirahoshi really wants to be with Tiberion-sama."
She stepped forward. Her eyes were shining, and there were tears in them, but they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of longing.
"He… he made me feel safe for the first time," she said softly, and the sincerity in her tone was so pure it hurt.
"Also…" she continued, "It was Tiberion-sama who got rid of that man who harassed me for so many years. No one else did anything. But he… he saved me."
She went quiet for a second, her voice caught by emotion.
Then, with a deep blush and a shy smile, she said:
"Shirahoshi loves Tiberion-sama."
The sentence fell like a stone in Neptune's heart. Not out of rejection, but from the certainty that it was real.
"He is kind. He's honest." Her voice cracked again, "I… I believe everything he says."
And there they were. Those huge, wet, pleading eyes.
They weren't asking for permission.
They were begging for understanding.
"Father… if you don't agree… Shirahoshi will be very sad," she added, lowering her gaze like a child about to cry again, "And if I cry again… something bad might happen. Okay?"
!?
Neptune swallowed hard. He was trapped.
He couldn't oppose her by force. Not now.
He knew she didn't understand many things. He knew her idea of love was naïve. But he also knew she was already completely captivated by that man. Nothing he said would change her mind. If he got in the way, he'd only make her suffer.
And more than that… he knew this Tiberion wasn't someone you could reason with easily.
If he felt threatened or betrayed… he could retaliate. He could destroy the entire Fish-Man Island if he chose to.
"Ah…" he sighed again, resigned.
He had lost this battle.
And he knew it for sure.
"...Alright," he finally said, in a low but clear tone, "But I need to talk with your brothers first. Stay here. Don't move. And don't even think about leaving. Understood?"
"Yes!" she replied instantly, pressing both hands to her cheeks with a radiant smile, "Shirahoshi will stay right here!"
With that settled, Neptune stepped away from his daughter and quickly headed toward his three sons, who were still trying to process what had just happened.
By the time he reached them, the two royal ministers were already there.
The five of them immediately gathered in a small circle.
They spoke in hushed voices.
"Quickly," Neptune muttered, looking around at everyone urgently, "What do we do now?"
A tense silence followed. No one wanted to be the first to say what they were all thinking.
Finally, the minister on the left spoke, slowly stroking his blond beard:
"Your Majesty… we must stop this at all costs," he said gravely. "But that human… he's too strong. I'm afraid there's no one on Fish-Man Island who can face him."
"But we're not alone," he went on. "Our island is still under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates. If a serious problem like this has arisen… why don't we contact them?"
"They could take care of him easily," he added with confidence. "It shouldn't be too hard for them."
Neptune nodded slowly, deep in thought.
"That sounds reasonable…" he said. "But that human wants to take Shirahoshi right now. How are we going to buy time until they arrive?"
"Your Majesty," said the catfish minister, leaning slightly toward the center of the group, "Listen to me: if we do this… and then this other thing…"
He began to whisper a plan. Neptune listened closely, as did the princes. As he spoke, the tension in the king's face slowly eased… though his worry remained, lodged like a thorn.
"Ah…" he finally sighed. "It's a temporary solution, but it seems we don't have any other choice."
He turned around. He returned to where Tiberion stood, still unmoving, unshaken, observing everything as if he already knew how it would play out.
Neptune swallowed hard and stopped in front of him.
"Ah… Lord Tiberion," he began, with a mix of solemnity and resignation, "At this point… I don't want to stand in the way between you and my daughter."
Tiberion didn't respond. He just looked at him.
"After all, Shirahoshi… is deeply in love with you," Neptune added, speaking slowly, "And I know that trying to separate you now… would only cause more pain. For her… and for all of us."
He paused, taking a deep breath.
"So… let's do this. I can formally grant you my daughter's hand. I'll even personally take care of organizing a proper ceremony for you."
"The wedding will be held in fifteen days," he said at last, "In front of the whole kingdom. So that if Shirahoshi is going to be by your side… she'll do it in an honorable and recognized way."
Tiberion simply raised an eyebrow, not seeming surprised.
And a mocking smile crossed his face.
"Hmph…" he exhaled with irony, "Though it sounds annoying…"
He paused, as if weighing the idea.
"…it also sounds like the right thing to do."
His words were ambiguous, but in the end, he accepted.
Because deep down, he already knew everything.
He knew Neptune was trying to buy time. That he was planning something behind the scenes. That there was a hidden intention, disguised as diplomacy.
And that didn't bother him.
On the contrary—
It amused him.
Because if Neptune tried to bring reinforcements, he only had one real option: the Whitebeard Pirates.
And that was perfect for him.
He was Tiberion Hanma.
And the name "Hanma" carried a legacy that had to be honored.
Yujiro Hanma had defeated countless martial artists from all corners of the world.
And now he, the heir to that monstrosity, that bloodline, had a date with history.
To challenge the strongest in the world… and crush them with his own hands!
________
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