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Trait (Shirahoshi): Poseidon (Special) (Not Fully Awakened): One of the Three Ancient Weapons, the King of all Sea Kings! Possesses the power to command all Sea Kings.
(Due to not having reached maturity, her power is incomplete.)
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Looking at the Trait description for Poseidon, one of the Three Ancient Weapons, Rowen grew thoughtful.
'Sea King' Poseidon was the first Ancient Weapon whose true form was revealed in the original story.
The Mermaid Princess of a specific era was the vessel for this power.
800 years ago, it was the Mermaid Princess who made a promise with Joy Boy.
In this era, it was Shirahoshi.
Ordinary merfolk had the ability to communicate with fish, but not with Sea Kings. Only the Mermaid Princess possessing the power of Poseidon could communicate with Sea Kings, even those colossal behemoths exceeding five thousand meters in length.
She was the King of all Sea Kings!
The power of the Sea Kings was incredibly terrifying—they were a unique species in the One Piece world. Though a single Sea King was nothing to a true powerhouse, if all the Sea Kings in the world, including the super-giant ones over five thousand meters long in the deep sea, acted in unison, the result would be catastrophic.
Rowen recalled Orcas from Earth—intelligent hunters who, when preying on creatures that fled to ice floes, would work together, using their flukes and bodies to create small tsunamis to wash their prey off the ice.
And that was just a small group of creatures only 8-9 meters long.
Sea Kings, however, were hundreds of meters long, with thousand-meter ones being common in the Calm Belt, and even five-thousand-meter giants in the deep sea.
If they all acted together, forget their own strength, the terrifying tsunamis they would create could destroy everything in their path.
With such power, Poseidon truly deserved its title as an Ancient Weapon.
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However, seeing the 'Not Fully Awakened' description behind the Poseidon Trait, Rowen, though deep in thought, wasn't surprised.
In the original story, the Poseidon power Shirahoshi displayed was merely calling forth Giant Sea Kings, and not in large numbers. Such a power didn't quite match the reputation of an Ancient Weapon.
For it to be 'Not Fully Awakened' was normal.
Was it because the Mermaid Princess hadn't reached maturity yet, and thus couldn't fully master the power of Poseidon?
Rowen recalled the specifics of mermaid biology from the original story.
Mermaid, compared to Merman, had a special characteristic. Upon reaching the age of thirty, their fish tails would split into legs, and most would go to land and marry human men.
And the wish of the Mermaid Princess 800 years ago was also to go to land, to lead the merfolk and Fish-Men to live under the sun.
Could it be she has to be thirty years old to fully master this power?
Or even further, only after marrying a human man could the power of Poseidon be truly awakened?
Rowen's brow furrowed slightly.
Thirty years old was too long. In the current timeline, less than a year had passed since the Summit War.
Unlike the original story where Shirahoshi was already sixteen after the two-year timeskip, she was now not even fifteen.
To wait until she was thirty to master the power of Poseidon was too slow.
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"F-Father, brothers..." Shirahoshi murmured, seeing Neptune and the three princes, the tears welling in her eyes finally held back.
But she still looked fearfully at Rowen and the others, her giant fish tail coiled nervously.
"So beautiful... even more beautiful than Hancock," Nami sighed in admiration.
Hancock was the most beautiful woman they had seen before. Hailed as the Pirate Empress, she was also called the most beautiful woman on the seas.
But the Mermaid Princess, though still very young, her beauty already surpassed Hancock's. No wonder the legends said the Mermaid Princess was the world's most beautiful woman.
BUT THE MERMAID PRINCESS IS REALLY BIG!
Looking at Shirahoshi, who was over ten meters tall, Nami and Kaya were incredibly excited. Seeing the beautiful Mermaid Princess up close was a novel experience for them.
Especially for Kaya, who had only ever learned about the sea through books and newspapers—the Mermaid Princess was a figure who truly only appeared in legends.
But now, she was right before her eyes.
"Father, brothers, who... who are they?" Shirahoshi asked, looking at Kaya and Nami, who were staring at her with fiery gazes, her timid nature acting up again, her eyes filling with tears of fear.
"This is Rowen-sama, Our Fish-Man Island is now under his protection. And just now, this great man has executed Vander Decken IX! From now on, Shirahoshi, you don't have to stay here anymore—you can move freely in the outside world," Fukaboshi introduced respectfully, looking at Rowen, his own eyes filled with excitement.
"R-Rowen-sama... I-Is that true?" Shirahoshi looked at Rowen with her soft, innocent eyes.
"Of course," Rowen replied with a smile.
"Then... I can go visit my Mother's grave..." Shirahoshi blurted out subconsciously, then quickly covered her mouth, looking nervously at Neptune.
She had always wanted to visit her mother Otohime's grave, but because of Vander Decken IX, she could only stay in the Hard-Shell Tower. But Shirahoshi didn't want her father to feel guilty, so she had never mentioned this wish.
Now, learning she could move freely on Fish-Man Island, she had subconsciously voiced this wish, then felt guilty for fear of making her father feel bad.
Large teardrops rolled down her incredibly beautiful face.
"Shirahoshi! D-Don't cry!" Seeing Shirahoshi cry, Ryuboshi and Manboshi couldn't sit still, rushing forward to comfort her.
They remembered all too well what happened when she was a child: her crying had summoned the Sea Kings that knocked out the Celestial Dragon. Their mother, Queen Otohime, had warned them to never let Shirahoshi cry, fearing she couldn't control the power.
"Don't cry, Mermaid Princess."
VMM!
A flash of pink light appeared.
A beautiful fox, even larger than Shirahoshi, with nine magnificent tails, materialized before her. Its fluffy tails gently swept across Shirahoshi's cheeks, wiping away her tears.
Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox—Beast Form!
"N-Nine-Tailed Fox??" Neptune and the others were stunned.
A legendary creature!
"Kaya ate the Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox. She's a Mythical Zoan ability user, even rarer than a Logia," Nami explained with a smile.
"S-So pretty..." Seeing the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox, Shirahoshi stopped crying, her eyes sparkling.
"You're prettier. Let's play together," Kaya smiled, her fox eyes curving into crescents. Unlike the seductive Nine-Tailed Fox of legends, hers were filled with pure gentleness.
"P-Play what?" Shirahoshi blinked her beautiful eyes.
VMM!
Under the disbelieving gazes of Shirahoshi and the others, Kaya's Nine-Tailed Fox body began to change.
In an instant, she had transformed into an exact replica of Shirahoshi. Whether it was her size, her appearance, even her expression.
"My ability allows me to transform into anyone I've touched," Kaya said, her voice now also identical to Shirahoshi's.
"S-SO AMAZING!" Shirahoshi covered her mouth and gasped.
Then, Kaya transformed into various other forms. Under her efforts, Shirahoshi was no longer afraid, no longer crying, but laughing happily.
Kaya looked at Shirahoshi with incredibly gentle eyes.
For Kaya, she wasn't just comforting Shirahoshi now; she was also comforting her past self.
As a child, being naturally frail, she couldn't even leave her house for long, often confined to bed. Because of this, she would sometimes have small, unexplained temper tantrums. And after her parents died, this loneliness reached its peak.
And Shirahoshi, though a mermaid princess, because of the Mark-Mark Fruit's power, could only stay within the Hard-Shell Tower.
Cheering up this Mermaid Princess, for Kaya, felt like, across time and space, saving her past self.
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"Kaya, Nami, Robin, Perona,"
Soon, Shirahoshi became familiar with the girls. It was a girl's nature to love beautiful things; the girls were all incredibly beautiful, and with their deliberate efforts, they naturally hit it off quickly.
"Rowen-sama," however, for Rowen, Shirahoshi still called him sweetly.
"My little girl hasn't been this happy in a long time. Thank you so much, Sky Sovereign," Neptune and the others looked at Rowen gratefully.
They really hadn't expected the legendary Sky Sovereign, and Cat Burglar and the other great pirates, to be so gentle.
Completely different from the world's propaganda.
To treat Shirahoshi like this already showed that the true Sky Sovereign was not as the World Government portrayed. Though an Emperor, he treated his comrades with immense respect.
Not just Cat Burglar and the others, but even Jinbe, he treated with great affability, as a true comrade. And Jinbe was a Fish-Man.
From this, it could be seen that Sky Sovereign had no discrimination against Fish-Men or Merfolk.
Especially considering the Emperor's earlier words, from him, Neptune saw some hope.
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"Father... I'd like to go out for a walk," Shirahoshi said, looking at Neptune after laughing. She still wanted to visit her mother's grave.
"Of course, you can,"
Neptune said, seeing Shirahoshi still didn't mention wanting to visit Otohime, but just said she wanted to go for a walk, his eyes filled with immense pain and love.
Shirahoshi's thoughtfulness made his heart ache.
"Let's go visit your mother together," Neptune's eyes filled with tears.
"Mm," Shirahoshi nodded vigorously, feeling like crying again.
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Sea Forest.
This was Queen Otohime's burial place.
And also, a Poneglyph.
Shirahoshi now gently closed her eyes, paying respects before the grave.
FWOOSH!
Rowen lit three sticks of incense.
"S-Sky Sovereign!" Neptune, Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi looked at Rowen in disbelief.
"Queen Otohime's efforts to eliminate the divisions between races deserve my respect," Rowen said, slowly walking forward.
For Queen Otohime, who dedicated her entire life to eliminating the divisions between merfolk, Fish-Men, and humans, ultimately paying with her life—she deserved Rowen's respect.
Leading Nami and the others, Rowen paid his respects to Queen Otohime's grave just as he had paid respects to Nami's adoptive mother, Bell-mère.
Seeing Rowen's actions, Neptune and the others were incredibly moved.
"This is Sky Sovereign... the man I am willing to follow for the rest of my life!" Jinbe was filled with pride at this moment.
"Truly... a charismatic man," Neptune wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.
Otohime's spirit in heaven would surely rest in peace.
Neptune and the others' eyes filled with tears.
"Rowen-sama... Nami... Kaya... Robin... Perona," Shirahoshi's eyes were also filled with tears at this moment.
She also knew from her father how great Rowen and the others were. And it was because of Rowen that she could visit her mother.
Shirahoshi couldn't describe her gratitude for Rowen in words. And her mouth was rather clumsy anyway—she could only look at Rowen and the others anxiously.
"Don't be so anxious. I have Observation Haki. I can understand what you want to express. Observation Haki... it's the same as your innate ability to 'hear'" Rowen explained gently.
Like Queen Otohime, Shirahoshi was also a born Observation Haki user, and a special, exceptionally powerful one at that. After Rowen's explanation, Shirahoshi quickly understood.
"After paying your respects, can you come with me to a place, Shirahoshi?" Rowen asked, looking at her.
"Mm," Shirahoshi nodded vigorously and cutely. She would do anything to repay Rowen.
"The Poneglyph," Rowen murmured, looking into the distance.
Robin's beautiful eyes flashed.
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Soon, everyone arrived at the location of the Poneglyph.
"This is..." Robin read the Poneglyph, her beautiful eyes narrowing.
"What's wrong? What does it say?" Nami and the others quickly looked over.
"This is Joy Boy's letter of apology," Robin took a deep breath.
"And it also records one of the Three Ancient Weapons, 'Sea King' Poseidon." Robin looked towards Shirahoshi.
"D-DON'T TELL ME..." Neptune and the others swallowed hard.
"Based on your descriptions, combined with the content of this Poneglyph, it can be concluded that the Mermaid Princess of this generation, Shirahoshi, is 'Sea King' Poseidon," Robin stated, after getting Rowen's permission.
"As I thought." Neptune and the others had felt Shirahoshi's ability to summon Giant Sea Kings was no accident.
"But... to whom is Joy Boy apologizing?" Robin frowned.
"To the Mermaid Princess of 800 years ago," Rowen stated, stroking the Poneglyph.
VMM!
A surge of power was infused into it by Rowen.
This was Nika's 'Desire for Liberation'.
FWOOSH!
Rowen's eyes narrowed.
He 'saw' a figure wearing a giant straw hat, his face unclear, but laughing heartily.
The Sun God of 800 years ago, Nika, JOY BOY!
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—[Reward Quest Triggered: The 800-Year Atonement!]—
—[Fulfill the promise between Joy Boy and the Mermaid Princess of 800 years ago! Atone for Joy Boy's mistake!]—
—[Reward: The full power of one of the Three Ancient Weapons, 'Sea King' Poseidon!]—
—[The immense spiritual power formed by Joy Boy's 800-year obsession with atoning!]—
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