"If that's the case, then it's truly amazing..."
Roger looked as if he had stumbled upon some fascinating truth—or perhaps found a new toy—his face lighting up as he stared at King Neptune, his gaze constantly sweeping over Neptune's thick mermaid tail.
"Ovulation? Or laying eggs?"
Pfft!
Sunbell, who was sitting beside him drinking, spat out a mouthful of strong liquor, his rough face turning beet red.
Neptune's mouth twitched violently. His grip unconsciously tightened around the golden trident, veins bulging one after another on his forehead as his chest heaved with suppressed rage.
"But that doesn't seem right either..."
Roger suddenly muttered, as if recalling something,
"You're a man. You shouldn't be able to lay eggs... Or is it that the men of your Fish-Man tribe can also—mmph mmph!"
Seeing their idiot captain about to continue his "research," and noticing Neptune's increasingly dark expression, Rayleigh and Gaban hurriedly covered Roger's mouth again, sweating profusely.
"Uh... Roger has a terminal illness. His mental state isn't the best right now..."
"That's right, that's right, don't mind him, don't mind him..."
The two bowed deeply to Neptune, their faces filled with sincere apology.
Neptune: ...
He sighed helplessly and said,
"Forget it. I just didn't expect that the legendary great pirate Gol D. Roger..."
He gave Roger a strange glance and said quietly,
"...would turn out to be such a... special person."
Shaking his head, Neptune continued,
"Shyarly must have meant that the child my future wife and I will have will be the mermaid princess from the prophecy... In fact, I've seen records of similar events in the ancient texts preserved by the royal family of Fish-Man Island."
Neptune's expression gradually grew solemn. Holding the golden trident firmly, he raised his head, his face shadowed with a complex, indescribable emotion.
"Every few hundred years, a legendary mermaid princess is born. She will possess godlike powers and become Poseidon, the sea king who could destroy the world."
"I always thought it was just a mythical tale made up by our ancestors. But now, it seems... it might actually be true."
Rayleigh suddenly spoke up,
"King Neptune doesn't seem too thrilled by this news?"
He had noticed the worry and heavy burden hidden behind Neptune's expression.
The others also wore puzzled looks.
A mermaid princess with the power of the Sea Kings, born on Fish-Man Island, and she would be Neptune's daughter. Shouldn't this be a cause for celebration?
Why did Neptune look so troubled instead?
Neptune pressed his lips together, his gaze clouded with concern, and sighed,
"Personally, of course, it's wonderful news. But for Fish-Man Island as a whole... and for the entire Fish-Man race, it will be an unbearable disaster."
"My daughter will wield the terrifying power of the ancient weapon. Think about it—once this news spreads, what unimaginable chaos will erupt across the world?"
"No one can resist the temptation of such power. Especially not those ambitious forces roaming these seas... They would go insane trying to claim the mermaid princess, even if it meant destroying Fish-Man Island—destroying the entire Fish-Man race."
"This would be... a catastrophe."
The entire banquet hall fell into a suffocating silence.
Neptune's words painted a brutal, bloody scene for everyone present.
Countless pirates, power-hungry individuals, even the Marines and the World Government would swarm from every corner of the seas, breaking through the gates of Fish-Man Island, razing this deep-sea paradise to the ground, slaughtering every beautiful thing and every life here... all for the ancient weapon Poseidon's power.
Shiki the Golden Lion was the clearest proof.
In order to force information about the ancient weapon from Roger, he had mobilized dozens of warships to create a flying fleet, leading directly to the Battle of Edd War.
If that lunatic were still alive and found out about Poseidon, with his madness, he would no doubt level Fish-Man Island without a second thought.
The members of Roger's pirate crew all fell into heavy, grim silence.
Rayleigh stepped forward and said solemnly,
"King Neptune, please rest assured. We will keep this secret and never let anyone else find out."
The others also swore to uphold the secret.
Only then did Neptune's expression ease a little.
He had heard of Roger's pirate crew before, knowing they were different from the usual treacherous pirates. They had their own beliefs and principles.
Coupled with Sunbell's relationship with them, he had decided to trust them and invite them to Fish-Man Island as guests.
Of course, if he had refused, Roger's pirate crew might have simply broken through the gates of Fish-Man Island.
"Wahahaha! That's right, leave your secret to me! Everyone knows I'm the best at keeping secrets!"
Roger raised his hand excitedly and shouted.
Neptune: ...
Roger's crew: ...
"But, that means your daughter will be a weapon that could destroy the world?"
Roger asked, acting as if he couldn't see their awkward expressions.
Neptune fell silent for a moment, then slowly said,
"'Strength,' depending on how it's used, can lead to completely different outcomes."
Roger nodded and turned to look at Shyarly.
"Little mermaid, in your prophecy, when will the mermaid princess be born?"
Shyarly's childish face remained calm as she softly answered,
"In ten years."
Roger scratched his head and laughed,
"Looks like we came too early, huh..."
There was no regret in his smile—only calm acceptance.
Shyarly watched the man who laughed so freely, a complicated look flashing through her eyes. Then she suddenly asked,
"Can I see your future?"
Roger was slightly surprised but laughed it off,
"Of course you can."
Shyarly asked curiously,
"Do you believe in prophecies?"
Roger shook his head and said,
"No, but it doesn't hurt to look... Prophecies won't change my actions anyway."
Shyarly nodded.
Even though their meeting had been brief, she didn't doubt Roger's words.
This man was different from most people.
He had a stubborn willpower that ordinary people could never comprehend—a dream he would pursue without hesitation, even at the cost of his life.
Because of that, Shyarly grew a bit interested in this long-nosed man and wanted to see what his future held.
She pulled out a crystal ball, sat on a coral reef, gently placed her hands on the crystal-clear sphere, closed her eyes, and began chanting softly.
Everyone fell silent, their faces filled with curiosity as they stared at the little girl.
As time passed, an eerie scene began to unfold.
Under the influence of some strange force, the transparent crystal ball started to glow with various bizarre colors and images, though everything remained blurry and indistinct.
"Your future... is magnificent."
Shyarly kept her eyes closed and whispered,
"You will achieve your dream... but shortly after, you will die at the hands of the Marines."
The moment these words fell, Roger's crew all turned pale, exclaiming in shock.
"Impossible!"
"How could that happen?!"
"..."
Their captain was the strongest. Even Garp, the "strongest Marine," couldn't do anything to him... How could he die at the hands of the Marines?
Only Roger, hearing these words, had a flash of complex emotion deep within his eyes, as if lost in thought.
Shyarly continued to whisper softly,
"Your name will be sung for generations to come. You will usher in a new era, you... Wait!"
Suddenly, her expression changed dramatically, the calmness on her face giving way to visible tension and unease.
Everyone watched as a disturbing dark red glow suddenly surged from deep within the crystal ball, staining it entirely in an instant.
Crack!
A sharp fissure suddenly appeared on the surface of the crystal ball, shocking everyone.
Shyarly abruptly opened her eyes, and for the first time, the calm indifference in her gaze was replaced by disbelief and terror.
"The future... has changed!?"
Just as she spoke, before anyone could comprehend what she meant—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion suddenly echoed from far away.
Neptune's pupils shrank, and his face changed dramatically.
That was... the direction of Fish-Man Island's entrance!
The prophecy... had come true!
The gate of Fish-Man Island had been destroyed!
At the same time, a strange red light flashed across Roger and the others' eyes, causing their expressions to shift.
An overwhelming, demonic aura... had invaded Fish-Man Island!
"Huh? Oden!?"
Rayleigh suddenly cried out in shock.
Behind them, a one-armed figure in a kimono had already charged forward without hesitation.
A surging wave of killing intent and hatred burst from his body, causing his samurai robes to flap wildly.
He gritted his teeth and roared, his eyes visibly turning crimson.
Kozuki Oden stomped the ground, and with a thunderous boom, his figure shot out like a cannonball.
"It's that damn Marine!"