Receiving a "good person card" for no reason, Taro almost coughed up blood. Answer the question properly, damn it!
As if hearing Taro's inner thoughts, Shirahoshi quickly continued,
"I can only sense it occasionally; I still can't control this ability very well."
Taro nodded. It seemed Queen Otohime's super-strong Observation Haki had indeed been inherited by Shirahoshi. Speaking of which, Shirahoshi's "Poseidon" power hadn't fully awakened yet either!
Just wait two more years. Once your guide appears, it'll be soon!
Right then, Taro's spreading Observation Haki sensed an anomaly, followed immediately by a "whoosh" sound.
Schwing
Taro drew thunderstorm and swept a slash to the right, a blade of Sword Qi suddenly cutting through the air.
Clang
With a crisp sound, Taro's slash knocked down the axe flying toward Shirahoshi.
"Lord Taro, what was that sound just now?" Shirahoshi asked.
Taro sheathed his sword and looked to the right, toward the deep-sea volcano. He said softly, "It might have been a coral reef cracking; don't worry about it!"
Then he patted Mekaro's back. "Mekaro, speed up. Once we reach a less crowded place, Shirahoshi can come out!"
"Gya gya!" The pet shark, carrying Shirahoshi's massive body in its mouth, was also working hard. Hearing this, it let out a couple of soft cries and suddenly accelerated.
Fish-Man Island, Mermaid Cafe.
"Shirley, what's the result of the divination?"
Although Neptune kept his arms crossed, his tense, whitening fingers revealed his nervousness.
Madam Shyarly before him was the manager of the cafe and a famous fortune-teller on Fish-Man Island, though her divinations were rarely good news.
At age four, she predicted the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, and recently, she predicted Whitebeard's fall.
Withdrawing her hand with purple nail polish from the crystal ball, Madam Shyarly picked up her pipe, took a puff, and slowly shook her head.
The Three Princes immediately grew anxious. "Madam Shyarly, what do you mean by shaking your head?"
"I only saw two people bringing disaster to Fish-Man Island. One is shrouded in mist, and the other stands upon a sea of fire!" Madam Shyarly spoke softly.
"What?" The Three Princes exclaimed in unison!
Neptune was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly calmed down and asked in a deep voice, "Shirley, I asked about Taro, not Fish-Man Island."
"Taro? Didn't I tell you last time?" Madam Shyarly seemed reluctant to say more.
"The day before yesterday, you said someone who would once again protect Fish-Man Island would appear."
"Then the Marine arrived, which is why I wanted to meet that 'ink dragon.' What I want to know now is the new divination result regarding Taro!"
Neptune said a lot in one breath and then frowned. "You seem unwilling to speak? What exactly did you see?"
Madam Shyarly appeared very hesitant. After a long while, she sighed. "He is a dead man; he should not exist in this world!"
Neptune and The Three Princes looked at each other, all completely stunned!
After a long time, Neptune finally came to his senses. He stared at Shirley. "Nothing else?"
Madam Shyarly shook her head. "No more! That's all."
"Then what about the divination result for Shirahoshi?" Neptune pressed.
Madam Shyarly's expression finally relaxed a bit as she exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"The person Queen Otohime spoke of—the key figure who will lead Princess Shirahoshi's ability in the right direction—has appeared."
Neptune asked impatiently, "Who is it?"
Madam Shyarly shook her head again. "I don't know. Whether that person's 'appearance' refers to their birth, their arrival by the Princess's side, or something else, it's impossible to determine!"
Neptune nodded in silence, pondered for a while, and then left.
"Father, what Madam Shyarly said..." Shark Star asked, catching up to Neptune.
Neptune turned and looked at his three sons, his tone exceptionally serious. "Not a single word of what you just heard is to be revealed to anyone, do you understand?"
The Three Princes were startled. "Yes."
Neptune then nodded. "Good. Assemble the army and wait for news from Taro. Go!"
Sea Forest.
Taro blocked several attacks from Vander Decken along the way, finally bringing Shirahoshi to Queen Otohime's tomb.
This Sea Forest was actually a collection of coral reefs and limestone, covered with various algae, creating the peculiar landscape of an underwater forest.
Taro bowed to the Queen resting here. A woman who dedicated her life to racial reconciliation—such a person is worthy of being called great, whether in his past life or this world.
"Talk to your mother for a while; I'll stand guard on the perimeter!"
Taro said softly to the tearful Shirahoshi, "No need to rush; we're in no hurry!"
After saying that, Taro retreated dozens of meters and sat on a coral reef, his automatically operating Observation Haki covering a hundred-meter radius.
A wisp of Internal Energy emanated from his body, spreading toward the undersea volcano to the northeast.
After a long time, there was some movement behind him. Taro turned around and saw Shirahoshi swimming over slowly.
"Lord Taro, thank you!" Shirahoshi's voice still carried a hint of a sob, her sorrowful expression evoking pity.
Taro leaped lightly and floated in front of Shirahoshi. "Shirahoshi, you must be happy from now on. You still have your father and your brothers; they all love you very much."
Saying this, Taro put on an exaggerated smile. "Do like me. Come on, give me a smile!"
Looking at the somewhat comical Taro, Shirahoshi wiped the tears from her eyes and followed his lead, making a big smile.
"Hahahaha, you have to be stronger from now on and face difficulties with a smile!"
Taro laughed for a while, floated up a bit more, and reached out to rub the top of Shirahoshi's head.
Shirahoshi was stunned for a moment, then she actually cooperated by tilting her head up slightly and leaning forward, seemingly enjoying Taro's head-pat.
In his heart, Taro always thought of Shirahoshi as a little girl; although she was huge, already nearly 10 meters tall, she was only 14 years old.
So he subconsciously reached out for a head-pat, and then "tragedy" struck.
Shirahoshi's head-tilting motion wasn't large relative to her size, but it was different for Taro.
Completely defenseless against Shirahoshi, Taro was instantly bumped by her nose and flipped several times in the air.
He then bumped into her chin and fell even faster, dropping into a deep ravine.
"Lord Taro! Are you alright?"
Shirahoshi cried out in alarm, her arms waving frantically. In an instant, the peaks on both sides of the ravine quickly pressed toward Taro, enveloping him completely!
At this moment, Taro had only one thought in his mind:
Soft!
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