As Hody Jones finished speaking, Shirahoshi could no longer hold back. Her tears gushed out as she shouted,
"I won't let you speak that way about Mother! She was truly great!"
Her voice carried a strange resonance, like some kind of signal.
Before long, nine terrifying figures appeared in the sky above Fishman Island—nine colossal Sea Kings, each over five thousand meters long and of wildly differing appearances.
They encircled Fishman Island, which, wrapped in its bubble membrane, looked like nothing more than a slightly larger ball in front of them.
Their massive eyes gazed through the bubble at the weeping Shirahoshi, as if waiting for her emotions to settle.
The people in the plaza were completely numb. Everything they'd experienced today had been more outrageous than the last. Some of the weaker ones had even fainted outright.
King Neptune and Jinbei stood solemnly. They knew well that Shirahoshi's cries had summoned these giant Sea Kings—she had used this ability once before, when she was six.
Kalifa and Ain, after their initial shock, quickly composed themselves. After all, with Kaito here, there was nothing to fear from even these monstrous creatures.
Kaito looked up at the nine Sea Kings above, momentarily awed by their exaggerated size.
...
...
There were even more Sea Kings than had appeared in the anime—one extra, perhaps because Shirahoshi's emotional turmoil was even stronger now than in that scene.
After a moment, Kaito looked away. With a single thought, a massive, hellish face appeared behind him.
Now that his goal was achieved, Hody Jones no longer held any value. Kaito lifted the illusion he'd placed on him.
The moment Hody returned to normal, he collapsed to the ground. The blood he'd lost had already stained the high platform red. The fact he'd lasted this long was a testament to his strong physique.
Struggling, Hody lifted his head to look at the Sea Kings above, muttering,
"It's happening again… that Shirahoshi…"
His voice grew fainter and fainter—clearly, death was drawing near.
But Kaito had no intention of letting him die so easily. He used Medical Ninjutsu to temporarily stop the bleeding.
Hody was bewildered by Kaito's action, but he was no fool. He didn't believe for a second that Kaito had spared him out of kindness.
And sure enough, what happened next confirmed his suspicions.
A terrifying giant face suddenly appeared behind Kaito, bearing the same eyes as him.
This was Kaito summoning the King of Hell using the ability of the Hell Path. As the King of Hell manifested, its dark maw opened wide.
Kaito grabbed Hody and, under the latter's horrified gaze, tossed him into the King's mouth like a piece of garbage.
The moment Hody was thrown inside, the King of Hell clamped its mouth shut and began to chew.
The grotesque crunching, mingled with Hody's screams, echoed across the plaza. Even the Sea Kings above couldn't help but shift their gaze toward Kaito.
Still sobbing, Shirahoshi paused when she heard Hody's screams abruptly cease. She sniffled and looked toward the platform—Hody's figure was nowhere to be seen.
In a flash, Kaito appeared in front of her.
Floating gently, he reached out to wipe the remaining tears from her cheeks and said softly,
"Don't cry, Shirahoshi. Hody Jones has already been sent to hell by me. Your mother has been avenged."
"Kaito-sama!!!"
At the sight of him, Shirahoshi's tears, which had only just stopped, welled up again. She threw herself into his arms and began sobbing uncontrollably.
Kaito wrapped one arm around her shoulders and gently patted her head with the other as he continued,
"You've endured so much all these years. Princess Otohime asking you to keep the truth hidden—it must have been cruel to you. I hope what I've done can bring you some peace."
Shirahoshi didn't reply, only cried loudly, as if releasing all the sorrow and frustration she'd bottled up over the years.
King Neptune stood silently beside them. From Kaito's words, he realized that Shirahoshi had known the truth about Queen Otohime's death for a long time.
Thinking about all that Shirahoshi had suffered over the years, Neptune's old eyes were soon filled with tears as well.
Above Fishman Island, the nine Sea Kings hovered awkwardly, now feeling somewhat unnecessary.
They wanted to leave, but hadn't even spoken a word to their "Princess" yet. Leaving like this didn't feel right.
One of them, shaped like a spiked pufferfish, let out a strange sound—a form of communication unique between them and their "Princess."
"Is there anything else you need us to do?"
Shirahoshi lifted her head in confusion when she heard the voice. Looking to Kaito, she asked,
"Kaito-sama, did you hear something just now?"
Kaito shook his head. While he had heard the Sea Kings' sound, he couldn't understand its meaning.
Shirahoshi turned to the nine Sea Kings in the sky. These creatures, terrifying to most, did not scare her at all—instead, she felt incredibly calm.
Kaito looked up as well. The Sea Kings had already noticed him.
They were already curious about this man held in their Princess's arms, and now that Kaito looked up, all their gazes locked onto his face.
They didn't understand human beauty, so Kaito's handsome features meant little to them.
But when they saw his Rinnegan, all nine of the massive faces showed unmistakable terror—an expression surprisingly human.
In unison, the Sea Kings cried out,
"Those eyes… they're just like his!?"
Kaito couldn't understand what they were saying, but judging by their expressions, he guessed their reaction was due to his Rinnegan.
He asked Shirahoshi,
"Shirahoshi, what are they saying?"
"They say your eyes are the same as his, Kaito-sama."
"His? Ask them who that is."
"Okay."
Shirahoshi relayed Kaito's question to the Sea Kings, but the response she got was:
"Princess, it's still too soon for you to know of that person's existence. All we can say is—stay away from the human in your arms. He will bring ruin to this world!"
Hearing them say such things about Kaito made Shirahoshi instantly upset. She shouted back,
"What are you talking about?! Kaito-sama isn't that kind of person—he's a good man!"
Kaito twitched slightly at being handed a "good guy" card by Shirahoshi.
Still, hearing what the Sea Kings had said through her, he narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto the nine giant Sea Kings above. A cold voice escaped his lips,
"You overgrown beasts are getting a little too full of yourselves, aren't you?"