"Why hasn't Big Brother Rorschach come up yet? He wouldn't be in trouble, right?"
On the sea's surface, Vivi and Hibari leaned over the side of the ship, peering curiously at the calm waters.
Vivi's face was full of worry. She couldn't relax knowing that Rorschach had been gone beneath the waves for several minutes. She turned to look at Bell, who stood behind her.
"Bell, why don't you go down and check? I'm really worried."
"Uh…" Bell froze.
Cobra, standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh softly. He coughed once and said, "Bell is also a Devil Fruit user. If he dives in, he'll be completely useless—he'd only make things worse. Don't make it hard for him. Besides, relax—Rorschach has always been a reliable young man."
"Yeah, don't worry, Vivi. It's Big Brother Rorschach we're talking about." Hibari reached out to pat Vivi's head with a gentle smile, trying to comfort her.
But in reality, she was quietly releasing her Observation Haki, searching for any sign of Rorschach beneath the waves.
Suddenly, Hibari's expression shifted—her face lit up with joy. "Big Brother Rorschach is back!"
"Where?" Vivi immediately turned toward the sea.
The next instant—
A deafening boom erupted as the sea before them exploded upward, sending towering waves and splashing water in every direction like a torrential downpour.
A massive ship, shimmering with deep-blue light, soared out of the ocean, lifted effortlessly by a silver-haired young man standing below it. He held the vessel aloft with one hand as it shot up more than a hundred meters into the sky.
Hibari, Vivi, and the others stared blankly at the sight, mouths agape.
"So Rorschach went underwater to save someone? That ship looks… familiar." Cobra squinted toward the vessel shrouded in blue Haki.
"Why isn't Vice Admiral Rorschach coming down? He's still going up?" Bell wondered aloud, watching as Rorschach and the massive ship rose higher into the sky.
Just as the thought formed in his mind, the ocean surface below began to churn once again.
This time, the water roared violently for kilometers around, swelling upward like a massive dome.
BOOM!
The sea exploded again as a colossal, mountain-sized creature—an enormous octopus with over a dozen massive tentacles, its entire body charred black—was yanked upward by some invisible force. It broke through the surface, soared hundreds of meters into the air, and then came crashing down with a thunderous splash that sent waves surging for miles.
The ship carrying Vivi and the others was thrown back several hundred meters by the turbulent waves before Bell quickly dropped anchor, stabilizing it with difficulty.
"That's… the North Sea Giant Kraken, Krakken?" The people aboard widened their eyes in shock, staring at the monstrous corpse floating on the sea.
Its dozen burnt, blackened tentacles sprawled across the water's surface. The massive carcass looked like a mountain of flesh—enormous and terrifying.
Meanwhile, the deep-blue Haki that had enveloped the ship high above slowly dissipated, flowing back into Rorschach's body beneath the vessel.
On the deck, everyone was still in awe.
Princess Shirahoshi opened her large, sea-blue eyes and lifted her delicate neck, staring blankly up at the sun hanging in the sky.
The water droplets that had splashed upward turned into a fine mist, refracting the sunlight into a radiant rainbow arcing across the sky.
The wind blew gently, clouds drifted by, and black-and-white seagulls flapped their wings overhead.
"So warm… Is that the sun? And that's a rainbow? It's so beautiful… Those are clouds? So white… And the little bird—I can hear it singing, Father."
Shirahoshi gazed in wonder at everything before her, feeling as if she had stepped into a fairy tale world.
All of this—the bright blue sky, the warm sunlight, the rainbow, and the seagulls—were sights she could never see in Fishman Island.
These things, so ordinary in Rorschach's eyes, were beautiful and moving beyond words in hers.
Tears shimmered in her blue eyes.
"Mother, do you see this? Shirahoshi has… reached the sunlight."
For hundreds of years, the dream of every Fishman had been to live freely and safely under the sun, on the ocean's surface.
But the weakness of their race had kept that dream out of reach for eight centuries.
Though they were the ocean's children, they never had a safe corner of their own.
Her mother, Queen Otohime, had dedicated her life to this dream—to one day bring her people to the surface, to the sunlight, to live peacefully alongside humans and other races as equals.
For that dream, that delicate woman had shown extraordinary strength, leaving the Dragon Palace Kingdom and Fishman Island despite the dangers, traveling among human nations, and even speaking passionately before the World Council at Mary Geoise.
Even when she was ultimately killed by Hody Jones, she held no hatred—only urging Shirahoshi to face the world with kindness, believing that the world would, in turn, show kindness back.
"Staring at the sun for too long will hurt your eyes, you know."
As Shirahoshi stared blankly at the sky, tears dripping down her cheeks, a gentle voice sounded beside her ear.
She turned her head in confusion—and saw the silver-haired youth from before standing on the ship's railing, smiling softly at her.
Under his warm gaze, the sadness in Shirahoshi's heart began to ease.
She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, blinking curiously at Rorschach.
She noticed that this small human boy before her had the same water-blue eyes as she did.
"H-Hello, I'm Shirahoshi. You are…?" she asked softly.
"Hello, I'm Rorschach. It's nice to meet you, Princess Shirahoshi."
Rorschach looked her up and down—this fragile yet breathtakingly beautiful mermaid princess looked like a perfect piece of living art.
Her beauty wasn't just in her figure or her delicate aura—it was in her pure, kind-hearted soul, which made her radiant.
When Rorschach extended his hand, Shirahoshi hesitated before gently placing her large, pale hand in his.
"Hello, Lord Rorschach."
Rorschach chuckled softly. "Just call me Rorschach. I'm no lord."
Still smiling, he turned to Neptune, who was approaching. "King Neptune, welcome to the World Conference. I'm Vice Admiral Rorschach of Marine Headquarters. Please accept my apologies for my subordinate's recklessness."
Neptune quickly reached out and shook his hand, his large, golden-bearded face lighting up in a genial smile.
"Vice Admiral Rorschach, there's no need to apologize. Colonel Enel is a capable and reliable officer. Without him, we'd never have survived against the North Sea Giant Kraken. We owe him our lives."
Rorschach cast a sidelong glance at Enel, who stood nearby looking rather displeased.
When Enel noticed Rorschach looking his way, he snorted, turned around, and faced away, presenting the back of his head.
Rorschach's hand twitched—he nearly couldn't resist the urge to punch him right then and there.
"Vice Admiral Rorschach!"
The Marine soldiers on the ship—those from Rorschach's own Thunder Qilin warship—immediately stood at attention, their faces filled with guilt.
They felt ashamed for not having completed their escort mission properly, letting down the superior they most admired.
"Only through knowing shame can you grow stronger! Treat every mission as a life-and-death battle. Leave no mistake, no oversight unchecked—that's how you execute justice perfectly and live longer. Not just for others, but for yourselves. Now, resume the escort mission."
Rorschach's smile faded, and a natural aura of authority radiated from him. Even Neptune felt his heart tremble.
"Yes, Vice Admiral! We won't be careless again!"
The soldiers saluted in unison, eyes burning with tears, standing straighter than ever before—like spears of steel.
Even Enel, who had turned away, unconsciously straightened his posture.
Watching curiously from behind, Shirahoshi could feel the power and presence emanating from Rorschach. She shrank back timidly, hiding behind her brother Shark Star like a frightened bird. Her large head peeked out from behind him, watching Rorschach with wide eyes.
"Lord Rorschach… so scary…" she whispered.
Shark Star gave a wry smile.
Scary? Of course he was.The young man before them was none other than the famed "Blue Qilin" Vice Admiral Rorschach—a name that shook the seas.
His terrifying record spoke for itself.
Drought Jack, the infamous brute of the Beasts Pirates who nearly killed Jinbe, was slain by this seemingly gentle Marine youth.
Under the invisible force of wind surrounding them, the ship gently descended, settling steadily upon the sea's surface.
Cobra quickly signaled Bell to bring their own ship closer.
Before the vessels even touched, Cobra's face broke into a warm smile. "Neptune, it's been too long! How's your health these days?"
Neptune laughed heartily, waving from the railing. "Hahaha, still alive for now! King Cobra, long time no see!"
A short while later—
The two kings, old friends reunited, walked off together to reminisce.
Hibari and Vivi stood side by side, staring up in awe at the timid Shirahoshi, their mouths slightly open.
"She's so cute, and so beautiful—the mermaid princess! It's like she stepped right out of a fairy tale. I really want to hug her!" Vivi's eyes sparkled.
"So pale—no, so big! The legendary most beautiful woman in the world, the Mermaid Princess… She's too adorable! I think I'm completely captivated." Hibari's eyes were wide with wonder as she stared at Shirahoshi's enormous yet flawless figure, overwhelmed by her beauty without even a trace of jealousy.
The three fourteen-year-old girls exchanged wide-eyed glances.
Sensing the warmth and kindness radiating from Hibari and Vivi, Shirahoshi's fear slowly melted away.
"Hehe… Hello, I'm Hibari," Hibari said with a sweet smile, extending her right hand.
"I'm Vivi—Nefertari Vivi," Vivi said, pursing her lips with a soft smile as she extended her hand too.
Shirahoshi hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved out from behind her brother, a shy smile appearing on her round, lovely face.
"Hello… I'm Shirahoshi."
End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you want early access to nearly 60+ chapters, join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"