Chapter 138

Chapter 138: The Package

The chefs in the Ryugu Palace were quite efficient. It didn't take long for them to lay out a table full of fish for Tom.

Although Neptune and his royal family were all merfolk and didn't eat fish, they could still outsource the task of preparing fish.

Having royal authority was quite convenient. With a single command from Neptune, they could gather the best chefs on the island, and the chefs themselves considered it an honor.

Of course, Neptune was not unfair; they also brought various other dishes.

After spending these days together, Neptune had already learned that each of these people had an astonishing appetite, even surpassing his giant-sized stature.

But Neptune had seen a lot in his time; it was normal for strong individuals to have a large appetite. The Ryugu Palace could easily afford these expenses compared to the favors he owed.

The chefs were working hard, and he planned to give them a raise later.

Sakazuki didn't come to the Ryugu Palace; he had gone to Fish-Man Island early in the morning with his men. He said he would capture some of the most dangerous individuals, test the reactions on Fish-Man Island, and inquire about Vander Decken's whereabouts.

Neptune and Otohime had their own matters to attend to; they didn't have to dine with them every time.

Adrian and the others didn't mind, as they were all quite familiar with each other. There was no need to be overly polite, so only they sat around the table and enjoyed their meal.

The only exception was Tom, who started to get cocky while eating. He would take a bite and then put it down, or take a bite and then throw it away.

Adrian scolded Tom and pushed him back to his seat. "Tom! How many times have I told you not to waste food!"

Tom held his plate in one hand and pointed to the table, then pointed to Neptune, indicating that it wasn't their food anyway.

"It doesn't matter if it's not our food!" Adrian sighed, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement. It was good that Tom cared about their food, but it wasn't right to harm someone else's.

After another lecture, Tom finally restrained himself. However, Adrian still felt that Tom didn't understand the importance of not wasting food; he simply thought he should obey his master.

Once Tom returned to eating normally, he displayed his elegance. He would cut pieces of meat with his knife and then use his fork to bring them to his mouth.

But there's a saying that goes, "handsome is as handsome does." Just as Tom was about to bite into a piece of meat, a small package flew towards him, heading straight for the back of his head.

Adrian and the others sitting across from him noticed it in time and quickly warned him, "Tom (Professor Tom), watch out behind you!"

Tom paused for a moment, then turned to look... the small package hit him squarely on the back of his hand, along with the fork and the piece of meat he was holding, leaving a perfect imprint of a fork with a piece of meat on the back of his hand.

Once the package hit Tom, it was no longer affected by the Devil Fruit ability. It landed on the ground with a thud.

Tom coughed violently a couple of times and coughed up the fork, picking up the package angrily.

As expected, it was from "Princess Shirahoshi in person."

Adrian patted Tom's head and watched as he tore the package into shreds. It was clearly a package about the same size as Tom's head, but Tom tore it into small pieces, scattering them all over the floor.

Adrian didn't stop him because it wasn't a formal package or letter, so there was no need to rigidly respect someone's privacy.

Inside was a shiny golden bracelet and a messy love letter, which seemed to be a token of affection for Princess Shirahoshi.

"Wow, what a beautiful golden bracelet!" Rui Mengmeng was immediately attracted, even though she was quite tomboyish.

"It looks quite valuable," Jinbei knew a thing or two about precious jewelry in terms of materials and craftsmanship.

Artoria had no interest in it at all. Instead of wearing that thing, she'd rather have a couple of donuts on hand.

Tom's eyes turned into dollar signs, and after some thought, he switched to the symbol for Berries. If the bracelet was sent to him, it must be his, right?

Gold equaled value, and Tom's brain quickly calculated the equation. He smirked as he picked up the letter, which he had only glanced at before tossing it aside.

As long as he tore it up, no one would know it was meant for Princess Shirahoshi. Not tearing it up and eating it would work too.

Adrian quickly picked up the letter. Tom's expression was too easy to understand; he definitely wanted to destroy the letter and keep the bracelet for himself.

Tom tried to snatch it back, but he couldn't jump high enough and couldn't remember to use any props.

"Alright, Tom, you should let Neptune know about this. If you want the bracelet, you can just tell him directly. I don't think he'd accept this so-called 'token of affection' anyway."

With reluctance, Tom handed the bracelet to Adrian.

"Once we've finished eating, let's go. We can't keep waiting like this. If we don't find Vander Decken soon, Tom won't be able to eat in peace."

"Okay," Rui Mengmeng stood up promptly, showing her concern for Professor Tom.

Sharkler wiped his mouth with a napkin in a cultured manner and rinsed his mouth, even though his lips couldn't cover his teeth.

Artoria cleared her plate in a matter of seconds. When it came to doing business, she didn't indulge in culinary delights.

...

"I see. So this time he changed to sending a package? That scoundrel Vander Decken!" Neptune slapped the armrest of his throne angrily.

If it hadn't been for Professor Tom, wouldn't Shirahoshi have been hit today? Just thinking about it made his blood pressure rise.

"These times, he's sent letters and gifts, but if he doesn't get a response, he might start sending dangerous weapons in the future," Adrian added, "So we plan to go out and look for him."

Neptune fell silent for a moment and said apologetically, "Originally, this was for my daughter, but you got involved accidentally. I'm really sorry about that. If there's anything you need help with, just ask. Even if you need some troops, it's not a problem!"

Neptune's offer was quite sincere; normally, he wouldn't hand over command of his troops to outsiders.

Adrian was about to speak, but Tom eagerly jumped in, pointing at the pair of golden bracelets and then at himself, indicating that he wanted them.

Neptune smiled and waved his hand, "No problem, if Professor Tom likes it, then keep it."

He didn't care much for such things, and he wasn't concerned about a bit of gold. Since Tom liked it, Neptune decided to pick a few more items from the treasure vault as gifts later.

Adrian pulled Tom back, who was clinging to the bracelet, and said, "We don't need troops, but we'd like to borrow a Ryugu Palace ship."

The Ryugu Palace's ships

were very convenient, mainly propelled by sea creatures. They were ideal for deep-sea operations, safe and efficient.