It turned out that even with the power of a Devil Fruit, if one didn't know how to use or develop it, they were still just a useless fool—Logia types included.
Caribou's Swamp-Swamp Fruit wasn't weak by nature. With proper development, it could have been powerful. Unfortunately, he had barely trained at all—not even possessing Armament Haki. At best, he was just a slightly stronger lackey.
Yes, a slightly stronger lackey.
Kaguya raised her hand, and a faint gray light rose from the swamp, merging into her palm—it was Caribou's Devil Fruit.
She had only come to look around but hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.
Most Devil Fruits in the world had already been absorbed by her. Only a few remained.
"Y-You're… Kaguya?"
Kaguya turned to see Shark Star staring at her in disbelief, like he'd seen something unimaginable.
"That's right, it's me," Kaguya replied.
Shark Star recalled what she said earlier—how she had chatted with his parents. He had thought it was mockery. But now it made sense. Still, it was hard to connect the legendary figure to the seemingly delicate girl in front of him. If the records were true, her age would be closer to his late parents'.
Suddenly, Shark Star dropped to his knees with a thud. "Please! Help me!"
Kaguya paused, surprised. "Help you?"
"Yes!" Shark Star looked up and said urgently, "I want to ask you for a favor. Only you can do it."
Kaguya waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not your nanny, nor am I obligated to help. Sorry, ask someone else."
She turned to leave.
But Shark Star quickly blocked her path. "Only you can do this. If you help me, I'll do anything you ask."
"Anything?" Kaguya halted.
Shark Star nodded rapidly. "Yes, anything—if you help me."
Kaguya frowned. "If anything is fine, then that means nothing. That's just empty talk. I'm not interested in your affairs."
Gritting his teeth, Shark Star said, "If you help me, I'll give you all of Ryugu Kingdom's treasure!"
Kaguya scoffed. "You think I care about money?"
She wasn't the same person who once scrounged for meals due to poverty.
Shark Star said urgently, "As long as you—"
"Don't push your luck!" Kaguya snapped. "Just because you're Neptune's son doesn't mean you can act arrogant. I'm not your servant, and I'm certainly not here to clean up your mess!"
Shark Star froze, his face darkening. He clenched his fists in frustration.
At that moment, Shyarly walked over to Kaguya and said, "I think you should at least hear what he's asking."
Kaguya frowned. "I'm not someone you can order around."
Shyarly shook her head. "That's not my intent. But if you knew what he wanted help with, I think you'd agree."
"Why are you so sure?" Kaguya arched a brow.
"It's simple," Shyarly said, her deep gaze locked on Kaguya. "Because the one in need of saving is—Princess Shirahoshi."
Shirahoshi?
Kaguya was taken aback. "What happened to her?"
"It's a long story," Shyarly sighed. "It's this poor child's misfortune."
Months ago, the secret that Shirahoshi was Poseidon spread somehow. After that, pirate crews repeatedly attempted to harass and invade Fishman Island. Most were weak and easily repelled.
But one month ago, a particularly powerful pirate group attacked. Unlike the others, they overwhelmed the Royal Guard with ease. King Neptune was gravely injured, and Shirahoshi was kidnapped.
Kaguya's expression darkened. "Are you saying the pirates claimed to be from the Blackbeard Pirates?"
"Yes!" Shark Star said urgently. "Their leader was a burly man in a black captain's hat with missing teeth."
There was no mistake. It was Blackbeard's crew.
But Kaguya didn't know why they would kidnap Shirahoshi. Perhaps it was because of her identity as Poseidon—one who could control Sea Kings.
The problem was, Sea Kings had always seemed weak—easily defeated and with little combat power. Their massive size didn't change their effectiveness—they were just big fish.
She really couldn't understand the point of Sea Kings. Were they just for roasting and eating?
That actually seemed more likely.
"In that case, I can't just stand by," Kaguya said solemnly. "Neptune and Queen Otohime are my friends. How could I ignore their daughter's plight?"
Shark Star cried internally: I'm their son too!
Why the double standard? Was I adopted?
Tears nearly welled up in his eyes.
Of course—Shark Star wasn't a beauty. Naturally, he didn't get the same treatment. Kaguya wasn't into men, and with Shark Star's looks... it was tragic.
"But before that," Shyarly said, "let's find Noah first. Those pirates need Shirahoshi's power, so they won't harm her—for now, she's safe."
When they reached Noah's location, Kaguya was stunned. Before her was a massive ship—but it was in ruins. Its structure was falling apart, planks were rotting, and it looked like it could collapse with a touch.
Boom—!
A large chunk of the hull fell from above, crashing to the ground.
Seeing Shark Star and Shyarly's shocked expressions, Kaguya withdrew her hand and coughed lightly.
Indeed—it really did collapse at a touch.
Noah's hull was immense, nearly a third the size of Fishman Island. From a distance, it resembled a small mountain. If not for the weathered, damaged surface, it might have looked majestic. Sadly, it was little more than wreckage awaiting dismantling in a scrapyard.
Kaguya was somewhat disappointed. The ship was broken beyond repair, and it was amazing that it still stood at all. Walking on it, she worried that even a light step might break through the deck.
Even if this ship was Pluto, even if repaired, it couldn't be restored to its former glory. It was simply too old and decayed. Even the most vital part—the keel—had split in two. With a broken keel, this ship was essentially dead.
In the original story, the Going Merry had to be abandoned for the same reason.
If this truly was Pluto, it was deeply regrettable.
But then Kaguya noticed something. Her eyes narrowed.
This ship… seemed different.
Twenty years ago, when Kaguya visited Fishman Island, she had stored Noah in her dimensional space. She was certain the great warship was still there.
Which meant—this ship was not the same one.
Upon closer inspection, she found oddities: missing components like the rudder, stern, gunwales, and even parts of the deck. Though dilapidated, it was clear sections were absent.
Kaguya walked up to Shyarly. "If I'm not mistaken, I've been here before—but the ship I saw then wasn't this one."
"That's right," Shyarly puffed on her pipe and said, "This isn't the same ship you saw. That one disappeared. This is all that's left. But there's something you might not believe."
"Might not believe?" Kaguya asked curiously.
Shyarly exhaled a stream of smoke. "This ship and the previous one were actually one and the same."
"One and the same?" Kaguya was stunned. "How is that possible?"
"I thought it wasn't either—until I found an old record," Shyarly explained. "Near Fishman District, there was another ship buried underground. No one noticed it until a recent earthquake exposed it."
Kaguya touched the rusted hull. "But it's useless now. This ship is too decayed. Even with repairs, it won't sail."
"Not necessarily," Shyarly stepped closer. "Anyone else might fail—but if it's you, it can be done."
Kaguya raised a brow. "I'm not even that confident in myself. Where does your confidence come from?"
"Because—" Shyarly stared at her. "I saw this ship's future."
In her prophecy, the warship was fully restored, grand and majestic, sailing the ocean like a floating island. The one standing on its deck—was Kaguya.
If the prophecy was right… was she the one who restored it?
Kaguya touched her chin, falling into thought.
It wasn't impossible. If repaired, this ship would be a powerful warship. Its sheer scale and mounted cannons made even the Navy's best ships seem weak.
"There's no rush," Shyarly smiled. "If it's you, you'll find a way. For now, let's eat—what would you like, I can—"
She froze, blue eyes wide in shock.
With a wave of Kaguya's hand, a giant black hole appeared in the air. From it, a massive warship emerged. With a thunderous boom, it crashed to the ground!
It was Noah—the one Kaguya had stored in her space.
So it really was true!
Kaguya compared the two ships. Though they looked like separate vessels, the details revealed they were likely fragments of a single original.
Gazing at the two wrecked ships, Kaguya finally understood why Franky had valued Pluto's blueprints so much. Even if this ship was once Pluto, after centuries it was almost useless. Surfacing was hard enough—sailing was out of the question.
Building a new one was the only solution.
But Kaguya didn't need to go that far. Her recently acquired power was already proving useful.
Her eyes snapped open, gleaming. She raised her hand and said softly, "Mirror Flower, Water Moon."
A grating sound followed.
In Shark Star and Shyarly's astonished eyes, the two massive ships slowly rose into the air. Their shattered hulls began to disassemble, piece by piece. The fragments hovered, floating like two small mountains.
Click-click-click! Mechanical sounds rang out as parts converged, snapping into place like a massive assembly line. Rust vanished, decayed planks rejuvenated, and before long—the ship was whole, polished, and solid again.
Shyarly stared wide-eyed, mouth agape.
She had never seen anything so surreal. Before her eyes, the titanic warship had been reborn—gleaming decks, reinforced armor, pitch-black gun barrels radiating a chilling aura. A majestic pressure swept forth, overwhelming and undeniable!
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