"Yes, I am from the surface. My name is Yami."
Yami sat on an oversized book and nodded at Shirahoshi with a smile.
Hearing Yami was really from the surface, Shirahoshi immediately lowered her head, looking at Yami with pleasant surprise: "Then, Lord Yami, have you seen the real sun, and the flowers and animals on land?"
"Mm, not only have I seen them, I have a small garden at home, and beasts dozens of meters tall."
Yami smiled and nodded, saying: "On land, there is a very magical island, where animals live who can talk and walk upright just like humans. The world calls them the Mink Tribe."
"Really? There are such magical animals on land?"
Shirahoshi imagined the Minks Yami described in her mind, her cute face full of yearning.
She didn't have the slightest doubt about Yami's words.
Shirahoshi's natural Observation Haki can not only tell if someone is good or bad, but it also functions as a lie detector.
Shirahoshi can tell if a person is lying at a glance.
Even without the lie-detecting function, the innocent Shirahoshi wouldn't doubt Yami.
Because in her eyes, Yami was a good person filled with goodwill towards her.
How could the words of a good person be fake?
Taking in Shirahoshi's expression, the corner of Yami's mouth lifted slightly, and he began to set the trap: "Not only those magical animals, I've even been to islands 10,000 meters in the sky. That is a place more beautiful and romantic than the surface."
"Really?"
Shirahoshi's attention was indeed captured. She then lay prone on the table, her sapphire-like beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked at Yami and asked: "Lord Yami, what do the islands in the sky look like? Are they different from the land?"
"Want to know?"
Yami didn't answer, just smiled meaningfully.
"Mhm, mhm..."
Shirahoshi nodded vigorously. The simple girl didn't notice anything amiss with Yami's smile.
But the next second, Shirahoshi was slightly stunned.
Yami just grinned and said: "Since you're so curious, then I'll take you to see it."
After speaking, Yami raised his hand and placed it on Shirahoshi's arm, which was resting on the table.
Immediately, the large and small figures vanished from the room in the Hard-Shell Tower, leaving only a giant shark sleeping in a baby's cradle.
This giant shark was Shirahoshi's pet—Megalo.
"Kyaa—"
Shirahoshi, who had disappeared from the Hard-Shell Tower, appeared under the azure sky, her body suspended in mid-air. She let out a scream subconsciously.
Just when Shirahoshi thought she was about to fall from the sky, her body suddenly fell into a warm embrace.
A giant figure was seen, holding the over-eight-meter-tall Shirahoshi in its arms.
Looking up at the giantified Yami, the fear on Shirahoshi's face was instantly replaced by pleasant surprise: "Lord Yami!"
"Look, the blue sky, white clouds, and the sun."
Yami held Shirahoshi in a princess carry, flying slowly thousands of meters in the air. Then he raised his head, directing Shirahoshi's attention to the sky.
"It's... so beautiful. Is this the sky and sun Mother spoke of?"
When Shirahoshi's gaze shifted from Yami's face to the sky, she was instantly stunned by the blue sky, white clouds, and clear weather.
Just like Carina and the other girls were stunned by Sky Island and Water 7, for Shirahoshi, a girl who had lived on Fish-Man Island since birth and was confined in the Hard-Shell Tower after age six, the sun and sky were beautiful sights she had only heard of but never seen.
Now, the young girl had finally seen the sky and was basking in real sunlight for the first time.
"Lord Yami, is that the sea and the land?"
Immediately, Shirahoshi's gaze moved from the sky downwards, looking at the boundless blue sea and the outlines of islands, and she couldn't help but ask with an excited expression.
"Yes, those are the land islands where humans live."
Yami nodded and smiled: "After we finish looking at the Sky Island, how about we go see what the land islands look like?"
"Can we?"
Shirahoshi's beautiful eyes first lit up, then as if remembering something, her small face suddenly turned pale. She quickly grabbed Yami's clothes and said in an anxious tone: "Oh no, Lord Yami, I can't leave the Hard-Shell Tower. Please send Shirahoshi back quickly."
"Don't be afraid, it's alright now."
Yami changed his carrying posture, patting Shirahoshi's delicate back gently a few times, and comforted her with a smile: "That Vander Decken IX who was always threatening you, I've already taken care of him. From now on, Shirahoshi doesn't have to hide in that Hard-Shell Tower anymore."
"R... Really?"
Shirahoshi stared blankly at Yami.
"Mm."
When Yami nodded, a layer of mist immediately welled up in Shirahoshi's eyes, quickly condensing into beads and falling, instantly soaking Yami's clothes.
"Wuwuwu..."
The young girl was seen crying in Yami's arms, her voice choked with sobs: "That's... That's wonderful. Shirahoshi can finally go pay respects to Mother."
Because of Vander Decken IX, Shirahoshi couldn't even attend Queen Otohime's funeral.
So, one of the girl's wishes was to go to the Sea Forest to pay respects to her mother.
Today, Shirahoshi not only saw the sky and the sun, but was also freed from her long-standing nightmare.
At this moment, Yami's body, which was already radiating a golden light in Shirahoshi's natural Observation Haki, instantly became as dazzling as the sun in the sky.
So much so that Shirahoshi stopped crying without Yami even needing to comfort her. She looked up at Yami with her bloodshot, beautiful eyes and asked blankly: "Lord Yami,... are you a god?"
Clearly, in Shirahoshi's heart, Yami was like a god.
Looking at such an adorable Shirahoshi, Yami couldn't help but pinch her small face and tease: "I'm not a god. I'm just a knight who happened to discover a trapped princess and decided to rescue her from her sea of suffering."
There was one sentence Yami didn't say: "I am not only your knight, but also your future master."
Famous pirate crews all have a pet as a mascot, and Yami's pirate crew is no exception.
Shirahoshi was not only his chosen maid, but also his pet.
"K... Knight?"
Shirahoshi stared blankly at Yami again, her gaze dazed.
By the way, the oversized book Yami was sitting on earlier was a specially made fairy tale book from the Ryugu Kingdom, meant to relieve Shirahoshi's boredom.
In these fairy tales, there was naturally no shortage of knights and princesses, and stories of heroes saving princesses.
As a princess, Shirahoshi, of course, also fantasized about a knight or a hero who could rescue her from the hands of a demon king.
So Yami's words were practically a straight ball, hitting Shirahoshi's heart directly.
Her already strong goodwill not only surged again, but slowly began to change in nature..
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