Chapter 136

Chapter 135: Targeted Fruits

(AN CN NOTE: The title was written wrong; this chapter is actually Chapter 135... but it can't be changed now, o_o)

Neptune looked at Adrian and said, "I heard that there are similar lawless areas on the Sabaody Archipelago?"

Adrian nodded and replied, "Indeed, there are, but it's different from Fish-Man Island. It's not that there's no way to solve the problems there; it's more like they don't want to solve them. Otherwise, with the Marine Headquarters so close, even if they occasionally came to inspect during their training, it wouldn't be in such chaos."

"Indeed, various factions intertwine there, making the situation more complex. Compared to that, the situation in Fish-Man Island is simpler," offered Jinbei, volunteering, "Why not let me lead the team to capture all the criminals?"

"Wouldn't that be too aggressive? There might be a non-violent solution," Prophet Shyarly, a shortfin mako shark mermaid who always sought peaceful resolutions, suggested. Her judgment was usually poor; she was the kind of person who would want to sit down and talk even when facing pirates.

Neptune understood her well, so he never took her advice on such matters. "Let's go with what Jinbei suggested, but we need to ensure the safety of the children and innocent people afterward. As for the criminals, they should face the appropriate punishment."

"Mother!" Shirahoshi arrived with Tom.

Rui Mengmeng, Sharkler, and the three princes followed closely behind.

"Shirahoshi? Mother is discussing something with everyone. Can you wait to play later?" Queen Otohime patted Shirahoshi's head.

"But I just received this." Shirahoshi handed a folded piece of paper to Queen Otohime.

"What is this...?" Queen Otohime unfolded the paper and exclaimed, "A love letter to Shirahoshi...?!"

"What??? *n"
There was a chorus of shock, and Neptune immediately bent down to look behind Queen Otohime, reading the contents of the paper word by word, "Damn it! Who's this scumbag, Vander Decken IX? Shirahoshi is only six years old!"

Minister Sharley, the right-hand minister, had heard of that name before. "Vander Decken? Isn't he the captain of the Flying Dutchman?"

"The Flying Dutchman?" The princes looked at the right-hand minister with curiosity.

The right-hand minister explained, "Yes, the Flying Dutchman, a cursed ship that can never return to its homeland, doomed to roam the seas forever. It's said that encountering this ship during a voyage means doom. And the captain of this ship is called Vander Decken."

"So scary." Shirahoshi showed a frightened expression.

Tom was just as scared as Shirahoshi. He was most afraid of ghostly things like this. It was the infamous Flying Dutchman, a symbol of destruction. Tom clung tightly to Adrian's leg.

"Is that just a legend? In reality, he's just a pirate," the reliable Jinbei stepped forward to clarify, "The legend persists because the original Vander Decken often attacked passing ships deep in the sea. This Vander Decken IX should be one of his descendants."

As long as he was just a pirate, Neptune felt relieved. He asked, "Who delivered this letter, and where is the messenger?"

Someone who dared to write a love letter to a six-year-old girl, and she happened to be his daughter. Neptune wanted to teach this scoundrel a lesson.

Shirahoshi timidly said, "No one delivered it; the letter flew here on its own."

"Flew here?" Everyone was astonished, and Neptune looked at his eldest son, Sharky.

Sharky nodded and explained, "Indeed, it flew here. Shirahoshi was helping Mr. Tom catch fish and make a fire when the letter suddenly flew in front of her."

Adrian gently rubbed Tom's head. After all, the merfolk didn't eat fish, and yet Tom had persuaded the mermaid princess to help him catch fish and barbecue. Tom looked innocent; did he even know how it felt for a cat to watch fish tails wiggling in front of it all day?

Just roasting fish was already a display of restraint.

Neptune couldn't focus on the matter of Shirahoshi helping catch fish and barbecue. "How did this happen?"

This was a Devil Fruit ability, Adrian knew. The Target-Target Fruit – it had a rather disgusting name. Anyone touched by a person with this ability would be marked as a target. Afterward, whenever that person used the hand with the mark to throw something in any direction, it would fly towards the target until it hit or was destroyed.

When the marked hand touched someone else, that person would become the new target. If the person washed their hands, the previous mark would become ineffective. Each hand could mark one target, so if a person with this ability ate it, they could profit immensely.

This ability might seem weak, but its effects were incredibly potent because the concept of throwing something could be as simple as gently tapping it with a hand. Even if it was something far heavier than the user's strength, it would be considered "thrown."

Using this ability, one could even toss a ship the size of half of Fish-Man Island, making it seem possible to throw an entire island with bare hands.

Fortunately, the person who obtained this ability didn't seem too bright, otherwise, they could easily kidnap a weakling, mark them, and have their underlings deliver them near the enemy. Then, with a slap, they could throw a small island, followed by a giant Sea King with another slap. Who would need ancient weapons like Pluton and Poseidon then?

"If that's the case, it must be a Devil Fruit ability. After we set off to find Jinbei, did Shirahoshi Princess come into contact with anyone suspicious? This person must have had contact with Shirahoshi since they need to mark her," Adrian asked, as he was sure that during his presence, no strangers had come near her.

The three princes and the queen shook their heads. They were all present, and they hadn't seen anyone suspicious.

"Actually," Limor reminded, "Some civilians gathered spontaneously after the bosses left and said they wanted to protect the queen."

"In that case, could there be a person with an ability mixed in with the crowd? They are quite cunning," Sharky inquired. "Shirahoshi, do you remember if anyone strange approached you?"

Shirahoshi thought for a moment, pointing to her chin with her index finger, as if she were thinking hard. After a while, she shook her head, "Nobody touched me."

Could it have happened before that? Adrian patted Tom and asked, "Do you remember if anyone approached Shirahoshi?"

Tom shook his head, indicating that no one had approached her.

This was perplexing. If it had happened before, they should have started sending letters a long time ago. It was only possible that the person had a chance to get close to Shirahoshi today, during the chaos.

"In that case, I order a nationwide search for Vander Decken!" Neptune decided that if they couldn't figure it out through discussion, they would get answers directly. They would catch him and find out the reasons later.

...

On the other side, aboard the Flying

Dutchman.

This was a shabby, ghostly-looking galleon with a large skull decoration on the bow. The entire ship had a sinister and terrifying style, explaining the legend of the Flying Dutchman.

Vander Decken IX was a Broadstriped Tiger Shark Fish-Man with four legs and two arms, giving him the appearance of a somewhat disheveled and creepy uncle.

Due to eating a Devil Fruit, he wouldn't die in seawater, but he would become powerless and unable to move. So, he relied on bubble-coated movements even underwater.

Although this man had a few screws loose, he at least knew that after committing a crime, he should run away. After marking Shirahoshi, he immediately slipped back onto his ship.

He decided that before Shirahoshi accepted his proposal, he should avoid being seen on Fish-Man Island.

He didn't even think about how Shirahoshi could send him a if she ever reconsidered.

"Hehehe, Shirahoshi Princess must have received my love letter by now," Vander Decken IX was already planning how the wedding should go.

A small piece of paper could pass through seawater, fly and open up underwater, and the handwriting was perfectly clear...

Just like my previous complaint about them having a banquet and toasting underwater, I'll let this one slide.