Grand Line.
Fish-Man Island.
Ryugu Palace.
The atmosphere in the lavishly ornate royal hall was suffocating.
"King Neptune, my patience is limited."
A shrill, sticky voice sliced through the silence.
The speaker was a tall, thin man wearing a high top hat, a bright yellow coat, and long, wavy hair. But what stood out most was his grotesquely long tongue, which slowly coiled around a massive, spiraling candy cane.
It was the first son of the Charlotte Family, the Minister of Candy, Perospero.
He crossed his legs leisurely as he sat on the VIP dais, sweeping his gaze over the uneasy expressions of the Fish-Man Island royal family before him.
"So? Do you have this month's sweets ready or not?"
"Lord Perospero..."
The towering figure of King Neptune spoke in a heavy voice, his massive fists clenched tight against the arms of his throne.
"We... we truly can't gather ten tons of sweets this month..."
His tone was full of suppressed humiliation.
When the Whitebeard Pirates departed to rescue Ace, they had no choice but to abandon their protection of Fish-Man Island temporarily.
In just a few short days, the Big Mom Pirates had arrived at their gates—claiming they were temporarily "guarding" the island in Whitebeard's absence, but in reality, carrying out open extortion.
"Oh? Can't manage it?"
Perospero let out a creepy "Perorin~" giggle as his tongue slid over his candy once more.
"I don't care about your excuses. All I know is—Mama's tea party can't happen without sweets."
His cold gaze slid over to the trembling figure behind Neptune's throne.
A colossal yet impossibly beautiful mermaid princess with flowing pink hair, tear-filled blue eyes, and a nervously twitching tail.
Shirahoshi.
"If you can't give us candy..."
Perospero's smile twisted maliciously, all pretense gone.
"Then maybe Mama will be more interested in something else."
"I hear there's a rare mermaid princess on this island—said to have the legendary power to communicate with Sea Kings..."
"So tell me, if we offer her to Mama—would that make up for the candy?"
Boom!
The statement landed like a thunderclap, striking Neptune and his sons square on their reverse scale!
"You dare!"
Fukaboshi, the eldest prince, drew his sword with fury blazing in his eyes.
"Bastard! Don't you dare lay a hand on my sister!"
The second and third princes immediately stepped forward, killing intent surging.
"Oh?"
Perospero chuckled coldly, full of disdain.
Several Charlotte Family officers behind him stepped forward, releasing an overwhelming aura of intimidation.
"Just you lot?"
He licked his lips slowly.
"Don't forget who's running things now.
Fish-Man Island is now under the protection of the Big Mom Pirates."
"If you anger Mama, not just Princess Shirahoshi—the entire island might be sunk to the true depths of the sea!"
"You—!"
Neptune trembled with rage, his massive trident vibrating in his grasp.
As king, he had never suffered such humiliation.
But he didn't dare make a move.
Behind him were the innocent citizens of Fish-Man Island—he couldn't let his temper doom them all.
Even though he had already sent out a distress call to the Whitebeard Pirates...
Right now, Fish-Man Island was still isolated and alone.
Watching her father and brothers forced to swallow their rage, Shirahoshi's tears finally spilled over, falling silently.
She was terrified.
She didn't want to be taken away—she didn't want to drag her kingdom into disaster.
Despair, thick enough to drown in, blanketed all of Ryugu Palace.
Perospero basked in it. He loved seeing royalty bow before him.
He rose, pointing his candy cane at Shirahoshi.
"Enough. I've waited long enough. Choose—your sweets, or her. Now!"
"Otherwise, I'll come and take it myself."
And then—just as the tension was about to explode...
Buzz——!
A strange, resonant hum suddenly echoed from above Ryugu Palace—so powerful it made the surrounding seawater tremble!
"Hm?"
Perospero looked up in confusion.
What was that sound?
Then—they all saw something they would never forget.
Beyond the massive coating bubble of Ryugu Palace, in the dark depths of the sea—
Two radiant lights flared.
One gold.
One blue.
They weren't just lights.
They were figures, moving at terrifying, incomprehensible speed—
Plummeting straight down toward the palace.
Too fast!
BOOM——!!!
Before anyone could react, the two beams of light punched through the outer coating of Ryugu Palace without slowing down!
Strangely, the bubble didn't shatter—it merely dented inward, rippling violently like a drumhead.
One second later—
THUMP!
THUMP!
Two muffled booms sounded at the center of the grand hall.
As the light faded, two figures stood in silence.
One was draped in a black coat, tall and composed, dark hair framing an emotionless face.
His gaze was deep and unreadable—and merely standing there, he became the center of the world.
The other had a signature pineapple hairstyle, wore an open purple shirt, hands in pockets, eyes sharp, lips curled into a cold smirk.
Lucian Thorn.
Marco the Phoenix.
The moment they were recognized, Neptune and his sons shuddered—then their eyes exploded with disbelief and overwhelming joy!
The Whitebeard Pirates were here!
They were saved!
"Who are you?!"
One of Perospero's officers shouted, though their voice trembled.
There was no response.
Lucian didn't even look at them—his eyes calmly swept over Shirahoshi's tear-streaked face and Neptune's expression of humiliation and fury.
Marco, meanwhile, locked eyes on Perospero, his gaze instantly turning glacial.
And then—
A terrifying, crushing wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from the two of them, centered in the hall.
Thud! Thud!
Every officer Perospero had brought—without even groaning—collapsed to their knees, bodies shivering violently, backs soaked in cold sweat.
They couldn't breathe.
The entire palace fell into dead silence.
Perospero's grotesque grin froze solid.
His pupils shrank to pinpricks.
As the firstborn son of Big Mom, a man with a 700 million bounty, he recognized these two instantly!
The First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—Marco the Phoenix!
And the other...
Perospero's throat bobbed.
An icy chill shot up from his tailbone to the top of his skull.
That man who had beaten down the Five Elders, split Marineford in two with a single sword, and now held a bounty of 7.5 billion—
Lucian Thorn.
Why—why was he here?!
How?!
Perospero's mind went blank.
The words he had smugly spat earlier—"Whitebeard's help can't arrive in time"—now echoed in his head like a cruel cosmic joke.
As he stared at the calm, indifferent man before him—
For the first time in his life,
Perospero felt that death... was just an arm's length away.