The audience was still processing the staggering implications of Sea God's Treasury when the Straw Hat Pirates delivered another world-shaking revelation.
-Broadcast-
"You can barely control that sword, Zoro," Sanji observed with his usual antagonistic tone. "Tenseiga is constantly trying to slip away from you. It's only a matter of time before you lose that legendary blade entirely."
"Shut up, you damn okama!" Zoro snarled, his hand instinctively moving to his sword hilts. "It's your fault for sticking to that stupid principle about not fighting women! You should have considered who we were dealing with—a newly appointed Marine Admiral!"
The swordsman drew one of his blades while Sanji raised his leg in a familiar combat stance. Their eternal rivalry was about to explode into violence once again, and none of their crewmates moved to intervene. After years of sailing together, everyone had grown accustomed to these daily confrontations.
While the ship's two strongest fighters squared off over their post-meal disagreement, Marlin carefully licked his plate clean, savoring the last traces of Sanji's expertly prepared sashimi.
"Sanji's cooking is incredible," the fish-man said with genuine appreciation. "He's so attentive to detail—he even found Tenseiga's fang in that forgotten corner of the ruins. And Robin's translation of those ancient murals was essential. Without both of your contributions, that legendary sword never would have been reforged."
Robin's face lit up with pleasure at the praise. She'd developed a genuine maternal fondness for their unconventional crewmate, finding his earnest nature endearing despite his fearsome appearance.
"Only Luffy would have the courage to wield a blade capable of resurrecting the dead," she said with a mixture of admiration and exasperation. "We nearly didn't make it off Fish-Man Island because of that decision."
Nami shuddered at the memory, her grip tightening on Arashi. "I still get scared thinking about it. Luffy, you absolute madman, actually took Tenseiga to Queen Otohime's tomb! If the resurrection ability had been fake, how would we have explained desecrating the queen's remains?"
"Heh, but my gamble paid off, didn't it?" Luffy grinned with characteristic recklessness. "Princess Shirahoshi missed her mother so much. I just wanted to grant her wish. What's the point of having a sword that can bring people back to life if you never use it? Queen Otohime came back, and then we got to party on Fish-Man Island for ten days straight!"
The crew collectively shook their heads at their captain's logic. Despite his seemingly random decisions, Luffy possessed an uncanny intuition for the moments that mattered most—and the courage to act on that intuition regardless of consequences.
"There was no way to hide Queen Otohime's resurrection," Zoro said grimly, momentarily forgetting his argument with Sanji. "That new Admiral pursued us relentlessly. In the end, Tenseiga slipped away and disappeared into the ocean depths. Nobody gained anything from that mess."
Nami clutched her head in anguish, thinking about the carelessly lost treasure. "A sword that could resurrect, thrown away so casually! Thank God I managed to grab a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit from Sea God's Treasury, or this would have been a complete disaster."
Robin placed a comforting hand on her navigator's shoulder. "Don't feel too bad, Nami. Tenseiga had significant limitations. First, the deceased must have had a long natural lifespan—those who died of old age or disease won't survive long even if their souls are recalled. Second, the body must be perfectly preserved. Queen Otohime was royalty; her remains received the finest care in the royal mausoleum. Ordinary people don't receive such treatment."
The archaeologist had decoded these restrictions from the ancient murals they'd discovered. According to the inscriptions, Tenseiga could summon souls back from the underworld and restore their bodies to their original state, but it couldn't cure diseases—meaning the resurrected would return with all their previous ailments intact. Each intelligent being could only be revived once.
"The sword possesses its own consciousness," Robin continued thoughtfully. "Only someone with a truly pure heart can use it to resurrect others. If any of us besides Luffy had tried to wield Tenseiga, it would have been nothing more than an ordinary blade. Our captain's innocent nature is what allowed him to save Queen Otohime."
She paused, watching Luffy demolish his breakfast with characteristic enthusiasm. "After fulfilling its purpose, Tenseiga chose to leave. Zoro's attempt to bind it through sheer force was doomed from the start. It's probably searching the ocean for its next worthy wielder."
"See? Sister Robin agrees with me!" Sanji declared triumphantly. "It's not my fault, you moss-headed moron!"
"Bullshit!" Zoro exploded. "If you hadn't let that Admiral board our ship, Tenseiga never would have escaped my grip! This is entirely your fault, you cross-dressing freak!"
The two strongest fighters resumed their eternal battle, using the lost sword as justification for what was really just their daily training routine. Neither would accept being considered weaker than the other, and their rivalry continued to define the Thousand Sunny's atmosphere.
-Real World-
Meanwhile, far beneath the waves, Fish-Man Island was in absolute chaos.
Fish-Man Street buzzed with unprecedented excitement as its residents discussed the impossible—Queen Otohime would return to life in the future. The beloved queen had been deeply cherished by most of her subjects before her assassination. The prospect of her resurrection filled many with hope they hadn't felt in years.
However, not all reactions were positive. The more militant fish-men who harbored hatred for surface dwellers were outraged by different implications. The Sea God's Treasury, a legendary treasure that rightfully belonged to the fish-man race, had apparently been plundered by human pirates in the future. To them, this represented the ultimate failure of the weak Dragon Palace Kingdom.
In the royal palace, King Neptune sat upon his massive throne, listening to the heated debates raging among his princes and ministers. Despite their denials, no one would believe they truly knew nothing about Sea God's Treasury. The outside world would assume they were hiding it for themselves.
"If Mother is truly going to be resurrected in the future, I can't wait 5 years," Prince Fukaboshi declared, his shark-like features set with determination. "We need to find Sea God's Treasury now!"
"Take me with you, brother!" Prince Ryuboshi added eagerly. "Mother would be so happy to see Shirahoshi freed from her tower prison. I can't stand watching our sister suffer anymore."
"But we don't know where this treasury is located," Prince Manboshi pointed out with frustration. "The Sky Screen never reveals the exact location. They always leave out the most crucial details!"
The three princes had lived on Fish-Man Island their entire lives, yet they could think of only one connection to anything called "Sea God." Wadatsumi, an 80-meter-tall pufferfish fish-man who served under Vander Decken IX, bore the title of "Sea God," but the simple-minded giant had no connection to any ancient treasury.
Neptune sighed heavily, the weight of kingship pressing down upon his shoulders. "Sea God's Treasury might bring disaster to our island. Order the Dragon Palace Army to increase security and remain vigilant. Fukaboshi, you'll coordinate our response. Even if we locate this legendary treasure, we lack the strength to protect it."
The king faced an impossible situation—he could only wait for unknown enemies to make the first move. Queen Otohime's early death had left Fish-Man Island fractured, with many citizens losing faith in the Dragon Palace's ability to protect them. A weak king who couldn't safeguard his people would inevitably be abandoned by those same people.
Just as despair was settling over the royal family, Marlin's words on the Sky Screen delivered another crushing blow to their hopes.
-Broadcast-
"Hehehehe," Nami laughed with villainous glee, "without Marlin's Trident of the Sea God, those fish-men could tear their island apart and never find the treasury's entrance! All those treasures belong to us. Sooner or later, I'm going to empty that entire vault!"
The navigator's money-obsessed expression left Marlin visibly uncomfortable. Robin's gentle nature provided a stark contrast.
"After we find the One Piece and complete our journey, maybe I'll return to Fish-Man Island," Marlin said quietly. "Though I have no feelings for that place, and no interest in being their Sea God. I prefer my lighthouse."
Robin knew the painful story behind his words. She gently stroked his spotted blue head with maternal affection. "Don't be sad, Marlin. The mermaids and fish-men may not accept you, but we'll always be your nakama. You're not alone anymore."
His next words revealed the source of his anguish: "I'll never forgive the fish-men. They killed the most important person in my life. I can never forgive them for that."
The tragedy was complete—a fish-man who had come to hate his own race. In a world already filled with impossible contradictions, perhaps such pain was inevitable.