"If you keep crying, I'll eat you!" Pushed to his limit, Enel made a fearsome face, arcs of electricity dancing over his body as he tried to scare her into silence.
"Waaaaah...!"
Shirahoshi paused for a stunned second before crying even harder. Her tears flowed like a bursting dam, soaking a large patch of the floor.
Thwack!
Bege, having seen enough, brought his fist down on Enel's head. Enel crumpled to the ground, howling in pain as he clutched his head.
Neptune rushed to comfort his precious daughter while Bege put on his kindest smile.
"Shirahoshi, he's not a bad person. None of us are."
Soothed by her father, Shirahoshi's sobs subsided into little sniffles. She could sense the goodwill and malice in others, and once she calmed down, she realized that neither Bege nor the man who had just scared her meant any real harm, so she stopped crying.
"Shirahoshi," Bege said gently, "I would like to be your godfather. Would you be willing?"
"Godfather? What's a godfather?" Little Shirahoshi tilted her head, looking at Bege with a puzzled expression.
"A godfather is like a teacher," Bege explained with a smile. "Someone who teaches you skills and protects you."
A bright smile bloomed on her face like a flower, and her joy instantly lifted the spirits of everyone in the room.
"Does that mean you'll stay and play with me? And I won't have to stay in the Hard-Shell Tower all by myself anymore?"
Her innocent, hopeful words caused Neptune's expression to darken, his eyes filling with sorrow. If it weren't for Vander Decken IX, would his precious daughter have to be locked away, all alone?
Bege's gaze turned cold in an instant.
Shirahoshi's happy expression immediately faded, replaced by panic. She sensed the murderous intent that flared from Bege and quickly waved her hands, fresh tears welling in her eyes. "It's okay! You don't have to play with me! I'll be fine by myself! Please don't be angry!"
Realizing his emotions had affected her, Bege immediately suppressed his killing intent and put on his most amiable smile.
"I'm sorry, little Shirahoshi. I frightened you. I wasn't angry at you. I'm going to go take care of that bad man, Vander Decken IX. After that, you won't have to stay in this tower anymore. You can go out and play freely. And I'll even take you to the surface, to the sky islands, and show you all sorts of things you've never seen on Fish-Man Island."
"Really? But that bad man is very strong. Even Father and Boss Jinbe can't deal with him." Her brief moment of joy vanished as quickly as it had come.
"Shirahoshi," Neptune quickly reassured her, "this is Captain Demon Dragon, an Emperor of the New World. He is countless times stronger than me or Jinbe. He can definitely take care of Vander Decken."
Little Shirahoshi's eyes began to sparkle, and she became much more cheerful and lively.
Just then, a whistling sound cut through the air. An axe came flying from outside, swerved through the open doorway, and shot directly toward Shirahoshi.
She let out a terrified shriek and crouched on the floor, trembling.
The axe was instantly caught by an invisible force, freezing in mid-air.
"Don't be afraid, Shirahoshi. See? I'm very strong. It can't hurt you," Bege said with a grin. Shirahoshi looked up and saw the suspended axe, her eyes shining. She immediately started begging Bege to teach her such an amazing trick.
"Little Shirahoshi, you stay here for a little while. I'm going to go catch that bad man for you, okay?" Bege said softly.
"Okay, okay!" she clapped happily.
The gate to Bege's internal castle opened, and two lovely figures emerged: the young women, Jessica and Viola.
"Little Shirahoshi, these are my protégées. You can all be good friends," Bege said, introducing them. The three girls quickly hit it off.
Bege turned with a smile, but the moment he stepped out of the Hard-Shell Tower, his expression turned frigid. The axe he held suspended in the air was crushed into dust by an unimaginably terrifying force.
"Godfather, are we going to go kill that Vander Decken IX now?" Enel asked eagerly.
"Yes. The sooner we catch him, the sooner little Shirahoshi can leave this cage," Bege said flatly.
"Captain Demon Dragon, we don't know where Vander Decken IX is," Neptune said, reluctant to dampen his spirits but feeling he had to state the obvious. "The sea is vast; it will be very difficult to find him."
"We don't know, but Hody does. Don't worry, I've already forced Vander Decken's location out of him," Bege said with a confident smile.
"Hody is in league with Vander Decken IX?" Jinbe's expression changed as he instantly grasped the implication.
"That's right. Hody has some rather large ambitions," Bege said with a smirk.
The gazes of Neptune, Jinbe, and the princes turned grim and cold.
Bege and his crew headed directly for the edge of Fish-Man Island. Neptune was still worried about their chances of success. Bege was powerful, but this was the bottom of the sea. Moreover, Bege and his men were Devil Fruit users. If they failed, they would be buried at sea.
To be safe, Neptune dispatched the elite Neptune Army, and Jinbe went along as well.
Bege took out a button and pressed it, enveloping himself in a large bubble. It was a protective bubble, similar to a ship's coating, that could keep the seawater out. He then opened his internal castle and released a shark-like creature.
"A Sea Patrolling Beast," Jinbe murmured, his eyes narrowing in recognition. "The rumors that Demon Dragon can control Sea Kings must be true." The Sea Patrolling Beasts under Bege's command were already famous throughout the world. Now, seeing one in person, Jinbe was more convinced than ever.
"To avoid alerting him, we'll hide inside the beast's mouth for now," Bege said, leaping in first. Enel and Wiper followed close behind. Jinbe, Fukaboshi, and several soldiers from the Neptune Army entered as well.
Under Bege's command, the shark-like Sea Patrolling Beast shot out from Fish-Man Island, swimming at high speed into the vast, dark ocean floor.
Vander Decken IX was a coward and lived far from Fish-Man Island. The beast swam at full speed, leaving the light of the Sunlight Tree Eve far behind as it plunged into the pitch-black depths.
After a full day of travel, the Sea Patrolling Beast entered a range of underwater mountains. Countless fish darted among the peaks as the beast navigated the terrain, finally arriving at a massive trench.
Within the trench lay a large, heavily damaged pirate ship. Its tattered flag swayed with the ocean currents.
"The flag of the Flying Pirates. It seems Vander Decken is indeed here."
Vander Decken IX was the captain of the Flying Pirates. If his ship was here, he had to be nearby.
The Sea Patrolling Beast approached the ship but found no one on board. It continued its search and finally discovered a large cave on the side of a nearby seamount. Lying next to the cave was a creature even larger than the mountain itself, which they hadn't noticed at first due to the dim light of the deep sea.