"Lord Taro, are you alright?" Feeling like she had done something wrong, Shirahoshi followed behind Taro and asked timidly.
Taro was speechless. She was only 14 years old! Taro, you're practically a beast.
"Sigh, I was careless!" Taro sighed and murmured.
"Hmm? Lord Taro, what did you say?" Shirahoshi swam a bit closer and asked in a low voice.
Taro waved his hand, looking a bit flustered. "No, it's nothing."
Then he quickly changed the subject. "We're going to the Undersea Volcano now. Have you ever been there?"
Hearing this, Shirahoshi quickly forgot to press Taro about his unusual behavior and said softly, "No, I've heard it's very dangerous there. Those volcanoes could erupt at any time!"
"It's fine, we'll just treat it as an adventure!" Taro chuckled, coaxing the young girl before him.
"You've been in the Hard-Shell Tower for eight years. Now that you've finally come out to play, of course we should go somewhere you've never been!"
Shirahoshi trusted Taro implicitly and agreed immediately, even clenching her fists to cheer herself on.
"Yes, I promised the Queen Mother and Lord Taro that I would become strong. I'm not afraid!"
"Haha, good!"
Amidst the Undersea Volcanoes.
The massive Bald Sea Monster pulled on a rope while treading on the seabed, the scalding water making it difficult for him to endure.
"Captain Decken, how much longer do we have to stay here? It's so hot!"
A somewhat dorky, buzzing voice rang out.
The rope was connected to a dilapidated pirate ship, the "Flying Dutchman."
Out of the cabin stepped a wretched-looking Tiger Shark Fishman, wearing a small top hat, possessing four legs, and holding an axe in each of his two hands.
"Ba-ha-ha-ha! There are only two axes left for today. Once I've thrown them, we'll leave!"
Vander Decken IX laughed while twirling an axe in his hand. "By the way, the direction the axes are flying today is a bit strange. Is Princess Shirahoshi not in the palace right now?"
"I didn't notice. I just want to leave here quickly, Captain Decken!" the Bald Sea Monster muttered in his simple-minded voice.
"Swoosh, swoosh!"
Vander Decken casually threw the two axes in his hands in a certain direction.
The axes spun a couple of times in the water, and once they locked onto their direction, they cut through the sea and accelerated instantly.
"Clang, clang!"
Not long after they flew out, two crisp sounds rang out. Vander Decken was stunned; were the axes blocked by something?
"Ah, Lord Taro, it's that man!" Shirahoshi cried out in alarm when she saw the rose patterns on the two flying axes.
Using Shirahoshi as a guide, Taro followed the trajectory of the attack and finally found the culprit. He was in high spirits.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Shirahoshi!"
He sheathed his sword and urged the Pet Shark beneath him to swim forward faster.
In the ten-thousand-meter deep sea, the fiery red lava of the undersea volcanoes provided a glimmer of light. Taro soon spotted the Bald Sea Monster, whose figure was nearly as large as the "San Juan Wolf" San Juan Wolf.
"I've finally found you, Vander Decken!" Taro whispered.
"Shirahoshi!"
The moment Vander Decken saw Shirahoshi, he forgot about his attack being intercepted and instead looked delighted.
"Did you come here to find me to accept my marriage proposal?"
His rat-like mustache twitched up and down as he rubbed his hands together with a lecherous expression.
Taro's lip twitched. "With a face like yours, you should just give it a rest. Even as handsome as I am, I haven't even thought about making a move on Shirahoshi. Who do you think you are?"
"That... well..." The dorky and soft-hearted Shirahoshi hesitated before finally saying, "You're not my type!"
This answer sounded very familiar to Taro. Shirahoshi always said this when she rejected someone's confession. In his previous life, many girls also used this line to reject people.
Note: rejecting other people, not Taro! This point was very important!
"Eh... Ah..."
Vander Decken put on a shocked expression of heartbreak, clutching his head and screaming.
Taro didn't want to waste time with this guy, wanting to finish the job and call it a day. He stepped forward, looked at Vander Decken, and said:
"Blindly chasing stars is ill-advised, and Sasaeng fans are even more detestable. Just give it a rest!"
Only then did Vander Decken notice there was a human present. His anger flared instantly. "A Marine? Why are you here?"
"Wherever there are pirates, there I am. Isn't that a stupid question? I'm in a hurry, so please cooperate."
Taro flexed his wrists and tested the strength of the bubble surrounding him.
"Second Gear!"
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol!"
Internal Energy gathered in his internal organs, and after being compressed, it condensed into his right fist before he swung it out violently!
Because Shirahoshi was present, he was worried that drawing his sword and drawing blood would scare the young girl, so Taro chose a relatively mild method of attack.
"Sea God, defeat him!" Vander Decken ordered loudly.
The Bald Sea Monster lumbered toward Taro with heavy steps. "Okay, Captain Decken!"
Before his simple voice could even fade, Taro's fist-shadow had already slammed into his forehead. The immense power instantly dented his forehead slightly, and then his entire body was sent flying backward.
Taro defeating the Bald Sea Monster in one hit greatly surprised Vander Decken. He jumped off the bow of the ship, reached out to steady a massive volcanic rock, and gave it a gentle push.
Under his push, the volcanic rock initially remained motionless, but then it actually began to float slowly. It then locked onto Shirahoshi as its target and charged straight at her.
"Gear Third!"
"Gomu Gomu no Gigant Rifle!"
Taro once again channeled his Internal Energy into his right arm. The majestic Internal Energy instantly formed a giant arm, which he swung out with all his might.
"Crack! Boom!"
The massive volcanic rock only held out for a second before cracking inch by inch and then shattering with a roar.
Taro's punch didn't lose its momentum; the spiraling fist-shadow immediately struck Vander Decken's chest.
"Waa— Cough!"
Vander Decken spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, smashing through several volcanic rocks before falling, floating in the seawater, unconscious.
Taro waved his arms a few times, and the ocean currents carried his body towards Vander Decken.
"With this little strength, don't bother showing your face!" Taro curled his lip in disdain and raised a foot, stepping heavily on Vander Decken on the seabed.
"Lord Taro, please don't kill him!" Shirahoshi's voice came over.
This gentle and kind Princess Shirahoshi... Taro sighed!
"I didn't intend to kill him!"
He put on a smile. "My greatest virtue is being peace-loving!"
Saying that, Taro bent down and ripped off the glove on Vander Decken's right hand.
"You need to pay attention to personal hygiene. Who doesn't wash their hands for eight years?"
Taro manipulated the ocean currents to wash Vander Decken's right hand, cleansing the mark he had placed on Shirahoshi. Then, he pulled out a den den mushi.
"Undersea Volcano. Come and pick him up!"
Just as he finished speaking, a massive shadow loomed over Taro, followed by that soft sensation hitting him again.
"Lord Taro, you're so strong!"
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