Chapter 126

Chapter 126: A Lama Comes from the South
  After explaining to Adrian that the candies were later hung up for decoration on the cake with great difficulty, the Ryugu Palace was also right in front of them.

  The so-called Ryugu Palace was the royal palace of the Ryugu Kingdom, built on the highest point of Fishman Island.

  On Fishman Island, the higher up one lived, the closer they were to the sun, which also represented a higher status.

  The Ryugu Palace resembled a miniature Fishman Island, wrapped in a double-layer bubble membrane, and suspended in mid-air using an unknown principle.

  The entrance was located directly below, with a passage lowered from the city— a water column wrapped in a bubble membrane. Upon entering the bubble, they would travel upstream through the waterway into the interior of the Ryugu Palace.

  Since Ryugu had a complete coating on the outside of the hull, there was no need to worry about water getting inside.

  Ryugu smoothly traversed the narrow and dim waterway, emerged from the ground, and arrived at the gates of the Ryugu Palace.

  What came into their view was a magnificent, dream-like palace. It was adorned with various corals and huge seashells, and above the palace was a lifelike golden dragon carved in gold.

  Various types of fish, sea turtles, and crustaceans roamed around, making the palace appear lively.

  "Is this the East Sea Ryugu?" Ruimengmeng's world had the story of "Journey to the West," so it wasn't surprising she would think of the Crystal Palace.

  Tom's swimming spirit was itching, but because Adrian held him down, he was left feeling restless.

  Artoria curiously observed the rare and marvelous sight. As someone who had recently learned to swim, the opportunity to visit an underwater island and palace at a depth of ten thousand meters felt quite extraordinary.

  "Because most of Ryugu Palace is filled with seawater, please use this." The Grand Minister, a catfish merman wearing single-lens glasses, took out several pink coral branches and handed them to Adrian:

  "These are Bubble Corals. When you squeeze them, bubbles will come out, and using them will allow you to move underwater."

  "It seems quite fun." Adrian squeezed the small coral branch in his hand. A bubble enveloped him as it expanded when he let go of his hand—the use of yet another unscientific item.

  Adrian casually created a bubble for Tom as well, letting him play around while staying away from any self-murderous plots.

  Artoria and Ruimengmeng each conjured their own bubbles, while Sharkler declined, saying, "I don't need a bubble to move underwater."

  Following Neptune's family, everyone left the cabin. Swimming with the bubbles felt a bit odd, as the bubbles had some elasticity. When they slightly extended their hands and feet, they were still protected by the bubbles, although they felt somewhat restricted.

  Perhaps considering their inconvenience in underwater movement, the Grand Minister had arranged transportation for them: "Please ride on the Long Flounder."

  A large Long Flounder swam over, and everyone sat on its back. It felt like riding on a magic carpet.

  Adrian immediately modified a tongue-twister: "Adrian arrived at the sea surface, sitting on a turbot's butt."

  Rui Mengmeng , probably aware of the original verse, commented, "Boss, you've butchered this tongue-twister, it doesn't rhyme at all."

  Adrian protested, "If you say it in a different language, it rhymes."

  Rui Mengmeng asked, "In which language?"

  Adrian mimicked Tom's mannerism, shrugging, "How would I know? Ask Tom. He knows a lot and could figure one out."

  "Huh? Where did Teacher Tom go?" Rui Mengmeng only realized Tom was missing when she brought up his name.

  At this point, the Grand Minister also exclaimed, "Oh no, Princess Shirahoshi is missing!"

  Adrian's heart skipped a beat. Could it be Tom kidnapped her?

  Taking her out to play was one thing, but he worried Tom might have taken her out to cook her. After all, Tom was the kind of cat who could be merciless enough to cook even himself.

  At this moment, the seemingly most composed Fukaboshi pointed above and said, "Don't worry, sister is over there. I've been keeping an eye on her."

  Tom was following a small fish. Whenever the fish wiggled its body, he wiggled in response, and Shirahoshi followed Tom, mimicking his movements with her tail.

  Not long after, Tom changed his target to a seahorse, imitating its posture by puffing his stomach and swimming forward with his tail curled, and Shirahoshi followed behind, trying her best to imitate the action. Nearby, there was also a shark wearing clothes swimming with her.

  Three different creatures, arranged in order of size, mimicking the same pose underwater, appeared quite comical.

  Today, Adrian finally understood two things: First, the description of "silver bell-like laughter" was truly fitting. Second... sound could indeed travel underwater.

  The Grand Minister said somewhat anxiously, "This won't do. How could the princess..."

  "It's alright." Fukaboshi interrupted, "Shirahoshi hasn't been this happy in a long time. We should thank Mr. Tom."

  Ryuboshi and Manboshi chimed in, "That's right, let our little sister enjoy herself."

  The Grand Minister fell silent. During the time Queen Otohime was absent, he had seen how worried the queen had been. It wasn't the right time to bring up etiquette or anything of the sort.

  Adrian, feeling quite uneasy, shouted to Sharkler, "Sharkler, follow them and watch over Tom. Make sure they don't run into any danger."

  Fukaboshi thought Adrian was concerned about Tom's safety, "Please rest assured, Mr. Adrian. There are no dangerous creatures within the Ryugu Castle. That shark is called Megalo, and it's Shirahoshi's pet."

  Adrian insincerely said, "Ah, I'm just worried that Tom might not behave and bite Princess Shirahoshi."



  So naive. You guys just entered the city, and the most dangerous creature in the world is already here.

  Entering the palace gate, soldiers stood in neat rows on both sides of the corridor, shouting in unison, "Welcome back, Your Majesty the King, and Your Highness the Princess!"

  Impressive momentum, but they also seemed a bit... weak?

  One of the soldiers had a somewhat fierce expression, but his appearance was quite ordinary. Adrian didn't pay much attention to him at the moment; he simply followed Neptune to the banquet hall.

  ...

  This soldier's name was Hody Jones. He was currently a captain-level figure in Neptune's army and one of the few people on Fishman Island who didn't want the princess to return safely.

  He had grown up in the Fishman District and idolized Fisher Tiger and Arlong.

  Fisher Tiger was a hero among the Fishmen, and Arlong's brutal attitude towards humans resonated with Hody Jones. He believed that humans, who couldn't even breathe underwater, were a lower race, and Fishmen should rule over them with terror to the point where they wouldn't dare to resist.

  However, he didn't know that Arlong hadn't been able to show off after being beaten by Admiral Kizaru. Lately, he was quietly forming a Fishman pirate crew to sail the Grand Line.

  This made Hody Jones one of those people who had never seen the world and believed himself invincible as a Fishman.

  Recently, someone contacted him to cooperate in stealing the Ryugu Kingdom's national treasure, the Jade Box. It contained drugs and formulas that granted power.

  The one who contacted him was Vander Decken IX. He was extraordinary, with "IX" in his name, indicating a long family lineage.

  In their family, a legend had been passed down through the generations: that the Mermaid Princess possessed the power to control Sea Kings.

  Vander Decken had always thought of it as a rumor until the day Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos's ship got into an accident, and Princess Otohime kindly came to their rescue.

  But when Celestial Dragon Charlos took advantage of the situation to kidnap Princess Otohime, Shirahoshi was so scared she lost control and burst into tears. At that moment, a group of massive Sea Kings appeared around Fishman Island, terrifying the Celestial Dragons.

  Most people thought it was a coincidence or didn't pay attention to Shirahoshi. However, Vander Decken realized that the legend in his family was true.

  Vander Decken excitedly shared this revelation with his two subordinates, Fishman A and Fishman B.

  Fishman A exclaimed, "Captain, if we can get the Mermaid Princess, won't we be able to do whatever we want?"

  "Exactly!" Fishman B agreed, "With all the Sea Kings acting together, we could even bring about the destruction of the world!"

  "Of course! We must obtain the Mermaid Princess!" Vander Decken immediately devised a plan, "First, I will become her husband!"

  Fishman A and Fishman B: "Huh?"

  Fishman A and Fishman B weren't placeholders because I'm too lazy to come up with names. It's because when they first appeared, their clothes were emblazoned with "A" and "B"...

  And then Vander Decken... well, he has this special kind of thought process. He actually wrote love letters and a marriage proposal to six-year-old Shirahoshi...