Chapter 225: The Useless Fruit & Moria's Shadow
A Few Days Later, Fish-Man Island Port
Ocean currents brushed gently, and sunlight pierced through the watery curtain, spilling onto the shell-paved roads of the port. The warship's anchor chain was slowly retracted, making a heavy metallic sound.
On the shore, Princess Shirahoshi gazed at that familiar figure's back. Her pink hair danced lightly in the sea breeze, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"Is... is Mr. Roy really leaving?" Her voice was soft, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Roy turned around, looking at the giant maiden who was taller than the warship.
In those eyes that used to be timid and prone to crying, there was now a faint gleam of light.
"Shirahoshi," he said with a smile, "the future of Fish-Man Island has reached the time for you to write it yourselves."
Shirahoshi lowered her head, fingertips clutching her dress tightly. "But... I don't know if I can... I'm afraid I won't do well..."
"Do you still remember Queen Otohime's dream?" Roy's voice was gentle yet powerful, like waves gently lapping against a reef.
Shirahoshi paused, eyelashes fluttering, and looked up. "Mother... she hoped for Fish-Man Island to return to the sunlight... and coexist with humans."
Roy nodded, taking a few steps closer to her. "You don't have to become Queen Otohime, nor do you have to be anyone's shadow."
"You just need to become 'Shirahoshi,' a princess who leads Fish-Man Island toward the future in your own way."
In this moment, Shirahoshi seemed to be awakened. Tears finally fell, but they were no longer of fear and confusion, but of determination and emotion.
"I... I will work hard!"
She bit her lip, lifting her face and wiping away her tears forcefully. "I will become strong! Like Mother... no, in my own way, to change the fate of Fish-Man Island!"
"Very good." Roy nodded with a smile. "When we meet again, I hope you'll already be a princess who can truly stand on her own."
He turned and leaped onto the warship, waving his hand with his back to Shirahoshi.
"Take care, Shirahoshi."
Shirahoshi widened her eyes, watching the ship gradually recede, and shouted loudly: "I WILL DEFINITELY DO IT!!!"
On the high platform in the distance, King Neptune and the three princes, Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi, watched this scene quietly.
"Shirahoshi... has really grown up." Neptune was filled with emotion, tears welling in his eyes.
"She finally found her own direction." Fukaboshi nodded in agreement.
Ryuboshi crossed his arms, his gaze steady. "Vice Admiral Roy... he's not just a Marine, but more like a guide for Shirahoshi."
Manboshi clenched his fists, eyes sparkling with fighting spirit. "We have to do our best too! We can't let Shirahoshi shoulder everything alone!"
The warship slowly sailed away from Fish-Man Island, drifting further and further in the afterglow of the undersea sunlight...
Meanwhile, Florian Triangle
Mist churned, dead silence oppressing everything.
Deep in the forest, several figures shuttled through wearily and alertly.
"Captain, how much longer do we have to hide..." a female crew member asked tremblingly, her face pale and eyes hollow.
The leading tall woman with two swords on her back stopped and bit her lip.
She was Charlotte Lola—the 23rd daughter of the Big Mom Pirates. But at this moment, she was no longer that lively and reckless runaway bride.
She whispered, "As long as we find Moria... and take back our shadows, we can leave here and see the sunlight again."
Months ago, Prince Loki of Elbaf fell in love with her at first sight, but she refused her mother's arranged marriage. She fled Totto Land, became the captain of the Rolling Pirates, and wanted to start her own adventure.
But unexpectedly, what awaited her was not freedom, but a nightmare.
Upon arriving in the Florian Triangle, Gecko Moria stole their shadows and transplanted them into terrifying corpses created by Dr. Hogback.
People without shadows would instantly turn to ash if they touched sunlight.
Thus, Lola and the others could only hide in this land of eternal night, lingering on with their last breaths.
"THUD—THUD—"
Suddenly, heavy footsteps came from the distance, accompanied by the friction of decayed branches and leaves.
A giant zombie boar slowly stepped out of the mist. Its body was as large as a house, skin stitched crudely, fangs exposed, eyes flashing with a sickly red light.
Even more terrifying—
It had Lola's shadow.
"It's that monster again... RUN!!!" A crew member screamed in terror.
"Damn Moria... I will never forgive him!!!"
Lola gritted her teeth, leading her broken pirate crew to flee into the forest again, eyes filled with unwillingness and anger.
Meanwhile, Thriller Bark · Main Castle Hall
Gloomy candlelight flickered in the hall, casting mottled ghostly shadows.
Gecko Moria slumped on a sofa that looked like a high-backed throne, crumpling a freshly delivered newspaper in his hand, his face so dark it could drip water.
"Tsk... that Roy, making big news again."
Beside him, Dr. Hogback leisurely held a cup of red tea, swirling the red liquid, and said slowly:
"Lord Moria, should we also... keep a low profile? After all, that lightning last time..."
"SHUT UP!!!" Moria slammed the table and stood up. The candles on the table trembled, nearly extinguishing.
Veins popped on his forehead, face full of rage. "DON'T MENTION THAT INCIDENT AGAIN!!!"
Absalom shrank his neck hiding aside, muttering softly, "But we did get beaten up pretty badly..."
In mid-air, Perona floated leisurely, ghosts swaying above her head. She leaned in with a curious face. "Lightning? Who? Who beat you guys up?
I went out to buy ingredients that day, and when I came back, I only saw you all lying on the ground groaning..."
She cupped her cheeks and spun around. "Was there some super powerful enemy? Who was it—tell me, tell me, tell me!"
Moria, Hogback, and Absalom exchanged glances, lowered their heads in unison, and fell silent.
(That kind of shameful event must absolutely not be known by Perona!!!)
"Hey—you guys are definitely hiding something from me!" Perona puffed out her cheeks, tone relentless.
Moria coughed dryly, forcibly changing the subject. "Ahem... anyway! Now we can only target passing pirates, got it?"
Hogback nodded in agreement. "Yes, ordinary civilians... can't be touched for now."
"After all, that Ene—"
"BANG!!!"
Moria punched the table, interrupting him. "I SAID DON'T MENTION THAT GUY!!!"
Hogback quickly shut up, eyes darting around.
Absalom turned his back pretending to drink tea, while Perona looked bewildered, completely failing to understand what kind of shameful plot these three men had experienced...
...
Meanwhile, Warship Deck
Sea breeze howled, waves lapping against the hull. Roy leaned against the gunwale, playing with a Devil Fruit shaped strangely like a target with concentric circles.
It was the ability extracted from Vander Decken IX—the Mark-Mark Fruit.
Properties: Marked targets will be automatically tracked by all projectiles thrown by the user;
Attack path ignores terrain obstacles and distance limitations;
Tracking duration is theoretically infinite, terminating only upon hit or destruction by external force;
Limitations: Must complete target marking via direct palm contact;
Projectile flight speed is limited by laws of physics, not instantaneous arrival;
Physical barriers like protective shields or high-strength armor can interrupt the attack.
Roy curled his lips. "Wanting to give it to a sniper, but you have to touch the target first... this is way too useless..."
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