"Marcus… Why exactly are we here again?" Nicholas asked as he glanced around at the table filled with food.
"Jinbe said someone wanted to thank me."
"I know that, but we're in the main hall of the royal palace and the entire royal family just bowed to you and tried to award you with a ridiculous amount of stuff... What the hell is going on?"
"Nothing, I just said a few words to Jinbe a couple of years ago, that's all. Just enjoy the free food and don't worry about it." Marcus said in a dismissive tone before he stuffed another Fishman Island delicacy into his mouth.
Yamato who was on the opposite side of Marcus nodded along in agreement as she ripped off a large chunk of meat before she said with a mouth full of food, "Makus is b-ight, jus enjoi da-foood."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, you're almost as bad as my brother!" Marcus said as he elbowed Yamato in the side.
"Well I think it's great that other people recognize how amazing my husband is."
Baby Five nodded in agreement with Uta as Marcus shot both of them a glare while he said, "I'm not your husband and we aren't even dating!"
"Future boyfriend and husband then." Uta quickly corrected herself with a slight smile and a wink.
Marcus let out a frustrated sigh before he stuffed more food into his mouth as he glanced around the room. They were currently eating with Jinbe, the royal family, a handful of ministers and some other random important people. Just before this impromptu feast started, Marcus and everyone from his ship were in a side room while King Neptune and the royal family thanked him profusely. It was a little much for Marcus and he turned down basically all the gifts they tried to give him besides the feast.
While Marcus could have taken the money and other things they offered, he didn't think it was necessary. If anyone deserved the rewards it would be Jinbe, he did all the work after Marcus told him about the assassination plot. He also warned about the creepy stalker guy who would target the princess because of her powers. Because of that, both threats were eliminated once my words proved true about the assassination. Since then Jinbe and the royal family have worked to integrate the Fish-man District and improve the area. While there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, the improvements have helped quail the growing tension.
While eating Marcus noticed a lot of people glanced his way throughout the meal. With how the tables were arranged, it was hard for everyone to talk to each other. So instead of yelling across the hall, each table conversed with each other after Neptune gave a small speech. Marcus's table was placed next to the royal family's, so he could have talked to them or Jinbe who was with them easily enough. But anything he wanted to say could easily wait until there were less people around.
As the main portion of the feast concluded, the empty dishes were removed and desserts were delivered to the table. Before people started to select any of the desserts, Neptune cleared his throat and said, "I've arranged a little show for everyone to enjoy while we eat dessert."
King Neptune directed everyone's attention off to the side of the hall which was currently covered in curtains. After a few moments the curtains moved aside and a large glass wall came into view. Swimming around behind the glass were a handful of beautiful mermaids, all in matching dresses. The mermaids all slowly formed up in a line before they slowly started to dance underwater.
The dance itself was unique and captivating, clearly something only mermaids and possibly Fishman could do with how they moved in the water. It almost reminded Marcus of a flamenco dance with how they moved their bodies around. The most interesting part was how their dresses acted even when they danced upside down in the water. Marcus assumed their dresses would bunch up and clump together from the water.
Instead they seemed linked to each mermaid's tail by something Marcus couldn't see. No matter what direction they moved or spun in, their tails acted like the ground for the dresses and 'gravity' forced them to follow it. Marcus watched the show half lost in thought as he ate and decided to ask about it later when Nicholas blurted out, "How do their dresses do that?"
It wasn't loud, more a question for their personal table then anything else. But more than one person heard the question and after a moment one of the other guests replied, "Since we live underwater, we've developed special fabrics and techniques to make our clothes function properly in water."
Nicholas asked a few more questions while Marcus zoned out and just enjoyed the rest of the meal. Once everything was finished, the royal family offered to show Marcus and his friends around the island. Marcus agreed, since he knew Yamato wanted to explore the island and their ship wouldn't be coated until tomorrow. So after resting a bit, a large group that included the queen, the princess, the oldest prince, Jinbe and a handful of other people left the castle with Marcus and his group.
Princess Shirahoshi floated in the middle of the group and already towered over everyone even though she was the youngest person. She definitely wasn't at her full height or even close to it, but she was still taller than even her oldest brother. As the group moved towards Coral Hill, Marcus noticed how the residents treated the queen and the others. It was surprisingly normal, almost like friendly neighbors as they greeted each other. Not everyone spoke, but they did at least wave with a friendly smile.
The queen in turn waved back and even greeted a lot of people with their names. How she remembered the names of over a hundred different people so easily, Marcus had no clue. Marcus also noticed none of the people they met had any hostility towards his group. Sure they looked at him and the others with a bit of caution, but that was the worst of it. A few of the younger people even waved towards Marcus and his group… Well they were probably just waving at the queen, but when he waved back those same people smiled in response.
When they reached the outskirts of Coral Hill the scenery changed drastically and they were quickly greeted with store fronts. It honestly reminded Marcus of a tourist trap with how packed it was with stores selling similar merchandise. Marcus also noticed they were brought to the main road for visitors, since the streets for locals reminded him of a lazy river.
Except the mermaids and fishmen he saw that entered it, used it like an express lane. Once they entered the water they would disappear instantly under water and swim to their destination. It was honestly pretty neat and made a lot of sense when he thought about it. Especially since most mermaids and some fishmen couldn't walk like everyone else. The speed of getting around probably played a major factor too.
The group didn't stop to examine anything when they arrived, but they slowed slightly as they made their way towards the central area of the district. Marcus noticed non-fishfolk as they approached closer to the main area, most seemed to be pirates. But a handful were better dressed and had guards with them which surprised Marcus.
Another thing Marcus noticed was how many guards were in the area. There was a small patrol squad every few buildings and about five or six were always in visual range of each other. Marcus studied everything as they walked before he finally said, "With how many guards you have around, I'm surprised those pirates were able to capture anyone."
"Another group caused a major disturbance and it pulled a large number of guards towards it. In the chaos, a second group attacked a lesser patrolled area and grabbed whoever they could." Jinbe said with an annoyed huff.
"I'm surprised you don't have guards posted at the docks to help prevent them from escaping." Nicholas said as he glanced towards Jinbe.
The first prince Fukaboshi lifted his chin with pride as he said, "It isn't necessary. Even if they made it to a coated ship and passed through the docking ring to open water, we would catch them."
Jinbe nodded in agreement as he added, "No one has ever been able to kidnap people directly from Fishman Island and escape. As long as they are in the water, they can't escape us."
"I guess that makes sense, but I still think it would be a good idea to keep guards stationed around the harbor and docks."
"While we don't have official guards, we do have a handful of powerful people mixed in with the dock workers and coaters. They protect the harbor in secret and help prevent pirates from escaping." Fukaboshi said with a smile as he looked around the street before he glanced at Marcus and added, "Fortunately they weren't needed today."
Marcus nodded once in response as they entered a large plaza with a fountain that was easily twenty feet tall and took up most of the area. It had ten clam shells which the water flowed through to reach the bottom. The bottom shell wasn't a decorative feature though as it was partly filled with mermaids, fishmen and a handful of humans. Marcus noticed two spots that acted as an entrance for the fountain and it honestly reminded him of a public pool.
"Is that a swimming pool?"
Uta snaked her way between Yamato and Marcus before she pulled his arm into her chest as she said in an excited tone, "Do you want to go swimming? You could hold me so I don't drown."
Marcus glanced down at Uta who was looking up at him with a hopeful smile as she clung to his arm. Fukaboshi looked over Marcus's group before he focused on Marcus and said, "The Coral Hill fountain is free to anyone who wishes to use it."
Uta's eyes lit up and she was practically vibrating as she squeezed Marcus's arm tighter and asked, "Should we go swimming together?!?"
"Do you really want to go swimming?"
"Yes, if you'll hold me the whole time!" Uta squealed excitedly as she bounced up and down while still clutching Marcus's arm to her chest.
Marcus glanced at Uta who was in one of his old shirts, a pair of shorts that ended at her knees and some sandals before he asked, "Does anyone have a bubbly coral I can borrow?"
Queen Otohime reached into her pocket and pulled one as she said, "You can have this one if you want."
"Thanks." Marcus said with a smile and took the small pink colored coral before he turned towards Uta and said, "Since you're a devil fruit user, this will make sure you don't drown."
Marcus pulled his arm away from Uta and at the same time placed the bubbly coral next to her chest. He pushed the button and a bubble started to expand from the end of it. When it touched Uta's chest it quickly spread around under her arms and connected behind her back. Marcus made sure it was a decent size, then made some smaller ones for each of her arms before he double checked everything and said, "There, that should make sure no matter what you can't drown."
Uta beamed, her smile so bright it almost glowed as she praised, "You're the best, hubby."
Marcus ignored the comment and easily picked her up by the back of her shirt as Uta's eyes widened and she stammered, "Wha… What are you doing?!?"
"You asked to go swimming." Marcus said with a teasing smirk as his other hand quickly removed her sandals before it rested on the small of her back and she flushed crimson.
"Pu. Put. Me down!"
"Don't worry, I am." Marcus said in a calm tone as he tensed his arms and pulled Uta back slightly before he launched her into the air towards the fountain.
Uta shrieked arms waving wildly before she screamed, "You stupid handsome jerk!"
Uta basically cannon balled into the water before the air bubbles lifted her up. She slumped inside the bubbles as she cried out, "Jerk! Handsome jack ass! I hate your stupid pretty face!"
Marcus burst into laughter as everyone gave him different looks before Baby Five jumped in front of him and said in a loving tone, "Do me next husband."
Marcus rolled his eyes but quickly bubbled up Baby Five the same way and tossed her next to Uta. Baby Five didn't complain, just giggled happily as she was thrown through the air and into the pool. Once finished Marcus glanced over his group before he grabbed Jasmine as he said, "Keep an eye on them."
"What!?!?" Jasmine screamed as she was launched into the air without a second thought.
She slammed into the water with a belly flop and popped up cursing. Marcus just waved at her as he said, "Consider that part of the punishment for spending my money."
Marcus ignored the three girls afterwards as he turned towards his hosts and asked, "So, what's fun to do around here?"
Jinbe glanced towards the girls in the water and Marcus before he asked, "I'm not really familiar with human dating customs, but are you dating all three of them?"
"No, they're just crew mates."
"But two of them called you husband…"
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose as he said, "It's just a phase, they'll grow out of it eventually."
"Right…" Jinbe said in an unconvinced tone as the others nodded in agreement.