Renzo's command echoed through the silent banquet hall like an unquestionable divine decree.
King Neptune glanced at Kizaru, who was leisurely sipping cocoa with a "Maa~ I know nothing at all" expression, then looked at Renzo's emotionless face…
He clenched his teeth and made his decision.
"…I understand!"
Neptune spun around and issued the most nerve-wracking order of his life to the guards behind him:
"Go! Open the Hard-Shell Tower! Escort Princess Shirahoshi to the banquet hall!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!!!"
Knowing the gravity of the situation, the guards scrambled out in a panic.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became unbearably tense.
The three princes gripped their weapons tightly, positioning themselves around Renzo as if ready to intercept any projectile that might fly in from any direction.
King Neptune stood in the center of the hall, nervously rubbing his massive palms together.
Sanji was the only one whose excitement outweighed his nervousness.
"A p-princess? The… the legendary mermaid princess?!"
His body began twisting uncontrollably, his eyes turning into hearts.
"Ahhhh~~~ Am I finally going to see her?! The most beautiful jewel of this kingdom!"
Only Renzo remained calm, reclining on his floating sofa with his eyes closed.
…...
Rumble… rumble…
Moments later, a heavy, mountain-shifting sound echoed from deep within the palace.
It was accompanied by the sound of immense currents being parted.
The enormous coral gates of the banquet hall, large enough for a Sea King to pass through, slowly opened.
The three brothers were jointly pushing an enormous transparent bubble.
And inside that bubble was a figure whose presence dimmed all the light in the hall.
Rehn's round body stiffened instantly.
Kizaru's hand froze mid-air, his glasses flashing faintly with surprise.
As for Sanji,
"Ah…"
He let out an incoherent syllable.
It was a being that combined enormous and beautiful in a way beyond language.
Dreamlike pale pink hair flowed like the finest silk in the water.
A face so exquisitely perfect, yet unbelievably huge.
Her eyes, each larger than a banquet table, brimmed with tears like twin deep-sea lakes about to overflow.
She was too big.
Even at sixteen years old, she was several times larger than King Neptune himself.
She wore a white shell top and an elegant skirt, and her massive pink tail stirred tremendous currents with the slightest flick.
She was Princess Shirahoshi.
"F-Father…"
Her voice rang out, clear as wind chimes, yet trembling with tears.
Curled up inside the bubble, Shirahoshi covered her face with her hands, peeking timidly through her fingers. Her body shook uncontrollably from fear.
"I… I'm scared… Waaaah… so many… so many strangers… They're… they're all so small…"
Ten years of confinement had filled her with fear of the outside world.
But no one present was paying attention to her timidity anymore.
"Ah… ah… ah…"
Sanji's body trembled violently. His mouth formed a perfect "O," and two red streams began gathering ominously in his nostrils.
"Bea… beau… beau…"
"So beautiful I can't breathe!!!"
"Pshhhh!!!"
With a thunderous blast, two columns of blood shot from his nose like high-pressure cannons, piercing even the protective bubble membrane of Fish-Man Island and soaring skyward!
Thud!
Sanji collapsed backward, still gazing upward.
A blissful smile lingered on his face as he collapsed from blood loss.
"Mr. Sanji!!"
Monet jumped in shock.
"Tch."
Renzo frowned.
"Rehn."
"Here!"
Rehn snapped out of his daze.
"Drag him out and find somewhere to give him a transfusion. Can't even handle a small scene."
"Yes!"
Grabbing Sanji by the ankle with visible disdain, Rehn dragged him out of the hall like a dead dog and handed him over to the guards outside.
"Ah… he's bleeding so much! Is he okay?!"
Shirahoshi's tearful voice rang out again.
"Is… is it because of me? I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
She began crying once more, tears falling like pearls.
Renzo sighed.
For the first time, he rose to his feet and looked directly at this Ancient Weapon, Poseidon.
He stepped down from his floating sofa and approached the enormous bubble.
Startled by his movement, Shirahoshi shrank even further and burst into louder sobs.
"F-Father, save me! That tiny person… h-he's looking at me! Waaaah…"
"…"
He had to admit, the visual impact of standing before such a colossal being was unprecedented.
"Hmm…"
Tilting his head back, he stroked his chin and gave his most straightforward evaluation.
"Huge..."
He had seen countless gigantic creatures before, but never one that combined beauty and enormity so perfectly.
However, Renzo's focus quickly shifted from her appearance to her essence.
He remembered.
In the original story, this timid crybaby, this girl who would burst into tears from a stranger's gaze,
When Fish-Man Island faced destruction from Noah's collision…
She was the one who offered to sacrifice herself, guiding Noah alone into the endless sea to save the island.
She bore the responsibility of royalty on her seemingly fragile shoulders.
She was just a child imprisoned for ten years.
Timid. Sheltered. Tearful.
But not weak.
She was kind.
And brave.
And yet, "Ten years…"
Renzo's gaze slowly turned cold.
"Because of a single piece of trash… locked inside that cold iron shell for a full decade…"
"Living every day in fear of being struck by weapons…"
A suffocating chill began emanating from him, making even King Neptune and the three princes struggle to breathe.
It wasn't killing intent.
It was the extreme displeasure born when "perfection" and "order" are defiled by an "annoying, filthy chaos".
"Unforgivable."
Renzo muttered so softly only he could hear.
"This 'disturbance'…"
"This nauseating 'vermin'…"
He had had enough.
First, his vacation was ruined by coffee stains.
Now, this disgusting story had sullied his ears.
"L-Lord Renzo…"
Neptune spoke tremblingly, "Regarding Shirahoshi…"
"Rehn."
"Yes, Lord Renzo! The blood packs have been arranged!"
Rehn had already returned, standing solemnly behind him.
"That axe earlier…"
Renzo's gaze lifted to the massive dent in the ceiling.
"…which direction did it come from?"
Rehn grinned.
"Report! Electromagnetic tracking has locked onto the trajectory! Estimated position: about 7,000 meters deep beneath Fish-Man Island, a moving target!"
"Good."
Renzo turned around, his gray eyes devoid of emotion.
"Vander Decken IX, right?"
"Yes! The bastard who dared disturb your afternoon tea!"
Sparks were already dancing around Rehn's body.
He, too, was furious.
A "sacred" princess was harassed for ten years by garbage.
This was a trampling of order!
"Go."
Renzo issued the final command.
"Bring him back alive."
"Alive?!" Rehn blinked.
"Yes."
Renzo glanced at Shirahoshi, still crying inside the bubble.
"Doesn't he like throwing things?"
"I think… he should personally eat every single thing he's thrown over these ten years."
"Understood!!!"
A cruel, excited grin spread across Rehn's face.
"An extremely 'efficient' punishment plan!"
BOOM!!!
Before the words fully left his mouth, Rehn's body transformed into pure elemental form!
No longer a round man, he became a blinding golden bolt of lightning filled with destructive power.
"Thunder God Mode, Electromagnetic Pursuit!"
Crackling violently, the lightning shot forward without hesitation, ignoring Ryugu Palace's walls, ignoring the island's bubble membrane, ignoring the crushing pressure of the deep sea.
At a speed beyond human comprehension, it retraced the axe's trajectory.
Where lightning passed, seawater boiled instantly, then froze in the next moment.
Only a charred afterimage remained in the banquet hall.
Along with Renzo's murmur:
"Noisy insects deserve an insect's death."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu