Chapter 351: Place of Trial — Mount Huaguo!
Rayleigh, who had already spoken with Shanks in advance, watched Luffy with an expression somewhere between worry and resignation.
"I was clearly planning to retire. The young people these days... are truly a handful."
While Rayleigh was lamenting, the Straw Hat crew had already lost interest in Luffy and turned their attention to the Aster itself.
"Oh! So many lovely young ladies~"
"Oh oh oh! They really are — that skin tone, is that the 'Iridescent Race'? Breathtaking!"
"Hey hey! Look over there, that young lady's legs — aren't they a bit too long?"
"That's the Longleg Race. It truly makes my heart race uncontrollably — ah, but I have no heart. Yohohoho!"
"It's a mermaid, it's a mermaid — hm? Mr. Sanji! Mr. Sanji, what's wrong? Stay with us!"
Brook and Sanji had zeroed in on the crowd in the plaza almost instantly.
"Oh!"
The sight made even the veteran Rayleigh raise his eyebrows.
Because just as they said — among the crowd moving through the plaza, it wasn't only humans. Longleg Race, Iridescent Race, Fish-Man Race, Snakeneck Race, and several other rare peoples were all mingling there, some chatting casually, others huddled over papers with serious expressions, clearly deep in discussion.
"Hey! Food! I told you there had to be somewhere to eat nearby!"
Luffy lit up. "Let's go ask them—"
"Please — it would really be better if you didn't approach them."
A different voice reached the Straw Hat crew before Luffy could move.
They turned instinctively — and stopped.
Two Fish-Men were emerging from the starlight behind them.
One was a large female Fish-Man, ribbons drifting around her body, pink-tailed with pink hair to match.
The other was a powerfully built, blue-haired male Fish-Man, holding a trident and standing at her side with a composed expression.
"Those people are challengers of rare races working on 'strategy preparation'," the female Fish-Man explained, her tone slightly nervous. "If you approach without warning, they'll treat you as threats."
It was worth noting that she wore a distinctive animal mask — a small dog's head, right there on her face.
"Oh oh oh oh! A Fish-Man, a beautiful Fish-Man — there's no mistaking it. Even with the mask, my radar is going off — an absolute, supreme beauty—"
Sanji, who had been half-dead from sensory overload across every other race in the plaza, snapped upright at the sight of her, hearts shooting from his eyes as he launched himself toward her.
BOOM.
Before the male Fish-Man could issue a word of warning, Sanji hit the ground under Reiju's foot.
"My apologies. My little brother's condition flared up."
Reiju ignored the muffled cries of "Reiju, get off me" beneath her heel and smiled graciously.
At the same time —
"Prince Fukaboshi... and Princess Shirahoshi?"
Jinbe, standing with the Straw Hat crew, looked genuinely startled.
He had recognized them the moment he saw them.
Straw Hat crew: "Prince?" [collectively]
Sanji: "Fish-Man... Princess — wait — Reiju, let go of me, this is the one wish of my life—"
"Then let your life end right here."
A sharp crack came from somewhere in Sanji's midsection, and Brook shuddered involuntarily.
"N-No. I'm not her."
Shirahoshi glanced at Jinbe with anxious eyes. "Boss Jinbe, I'm not Shirahoshi. I am The Zodiac's 'Dog'."
She said this, but the way her fingers were instinctively twisting together made it impossible to mistake her for anyone who was actually good at lying.
Jinbe: "?"
Beside her, Fukaboshi looked at his younger sister with quiet exasperation. "Shirahoshi, Mr. 'Dog' telling you not to reveal your identity to anyone was a joke."
"Eh!? Eh!! Really!?"
Amid Shirahoshi's flustered exclamations, the Straw Hat crew and the two members of Ryugu Palace's royal family exchanged names and purposes.
"So it was you who rescued Boss Jinbe..."
When Fukaboshi learned that the Straw Hat crew were the people who had pulled Jinbe out of the World Government's hands, the wariness in his expression eased somewhat. As mentioned before, Jinbe's standing among the Fish-Men was something even Ryugu Palace's royalty took seriously.
"My matters can wait, Prince Fukaboshi. Please — what exactly happened to Fish-Man Island?"
Jinbe couldn't help himself.
The truth was, his insistence on coming here had been entirely driven by the need to know what had happened to his homeland. Hearing the urgency in his voice, Fukaboshi and Shirahoshi didn't hold anything back — they told him everything. Shamrock's descent on Fish-Man Island. The destruction of the Sunlight Tree Eve. All of it.
The Straw Hat crew and Jinbe alike were left stunned.
"He destroyed the Sunlight Tree Eve? That giant tree at the bottom of the sea?"
"No wonder even the Sabaody Archipelago sank entirely."
"That guy the Government sent — Shamrock — isn't that just too ruthless?"
"No, more than ruthless — it's terrifying. Something that can move at ten thousand meters underwater and destroy an entire island..."
The crew shook their heads.
"Shamrock, is Shanks's..."
Rayleigh's brow creased — as someone who had crossed swords with the God's Knights more than once in the past over Shanks, he had heard that name before.
"Blood brothers, and yet they chose completely opposite paths."
A deep sadness moved through him.
Jinbe, for his part, listened with a darkened expression.
"Forgive me. When my homeland needed me most, I was sitting in that 'Black Judge's' cell..."
He said it heavily, the shame in his voice unmistakable. "Fish-Man Island — how is everyone?"
"Things have stabilized."
Fukaboshi did his best to keep the news positive, for Jinbe's sake. "Many lives were lost. But with The Zodiac's help, everyone who was demonized has had it lifted and is now being treated. Royal Father has also built a new Ryugu Palace inside the Star Garden, and with the Giant race's help, it's coming along well..."
Shirahoshi nodded along beside him.
As they spoke, Jinbe gradually let the tension leave his shoulders.
"I see... that's a relief."
Then his gaze moved to the animal mask on Shirahoshi's face. "But Princess Shirahoshi, your current attire..."
"Hm?"
Shirahoshi wasn't sure why the topic had shifted to her, but remembering that Fukaboshi had said she didn't need to hide anymore, she answered honestly: "I've already joined The Zodiac as a representative of the Fish-Man race. I'm a 'Constellation' now — I handle security around the Aster."
"Royal Brother and Royal Father manage the Fish-Man race's affairs and take care of reception work for rare race visitors."
The Straw Hat crew exchanged uncertain glances — it wasn't obvious to them what ability this seemingly gentle Mermaid Princess had that qualified her to handle the Aster's security.
But Jinbe understood immediately. As a former comrade-in-arms of Queen Otohime, he was one of the few Fish-Men who knew what Shirahoshi was truly capable of.
"So she's already mastered that power," he thought quietly. "Good. I can rest easy."
As that thought settled, his gaze drifted to the Straw Hat crew at his side.
He made a quiet decision.
As they walked, Shirahoshi and Fukaboshi carried out their duties as guides.
"This is the 'Trial Plaza'. Everyone who boards the Aster for the first time is sent here for their first trial." Fukaboshi gestured to the vast square around them. "After completing at least part of a trial, you receive a 'Temporary Visa' that lets you stay on the Aster and return for subsequent trials whenever you like."
He pointed toward the Giant race village and the Fish-Man settlement visible beyond the plaza's ring of starlight. "Once you have a visa, you can go anywhere on the ship — the Giant race's territory, the Fish-Man race's territory, there are hospitals, food, and shops nearby."
"As long as you keep making progress in the trials, the visa renews automatically."
"Of course, you can leave at any time. But if you do and then want to board again, your trial progress resets — you'll need to earn a new visa from scratch."
"Temporary visa..."
Nami's eyes widened. "No wonder there are so many rare races here!"
She was right. Life for rare races across the sea was brutal — hunted and collected by nobles even more eagerly than common pirates were. But the Aster was different. The presence of the Fish-Man race and the Giant race made The Zodiac's intentions toward rare peoples obvious. And the strength of The Zodiac meant that even if any World Government-affiliated country knew rare races were aboard, they wouldn't dare lift a finger.
In every practical sense, the Aster was a genuine Noah's Ark.
"They are giving everything they have to keep renewing their visas," Fukaboshi continued. "Not just the trials themselves — some have even organized teams to research the background stories and mythologies of the Places of Trial..."
At that, the crew understood exactly why Fukaboshi and Shirahoshi had stopped them from approaching those people earlier. Walking up to someone cramming for a high-stakes exam and trying to make small talk — it was a miracle those rare race visitors hadn't already started swinging.
"Speaking of Places of Trial — I heard there's one here called 'Sword Mound', where you can train your swordsmanship?"
Zoro, who had said almost nothing the entire walk, suddenly spoke up with unmistakable interest.
"Yes."
Shirahoshi nodded. "The Sword Mound is the Place of Trial for 'Snake', one of The Zodiac's top executives. It's said to be the source of Lord Snake's ability. There's a great hill inside, and countless swords are planted across it — every sword holds the swordsmanship of a powerful swordsman."
"Drawing one calls forth a phantom of its original master. You fight them for real. It's considered one of the more dangerous Places of Trial."
"If your swordsmanship can overpower every sword in the Mound, you earn the right to face Lord Snake directly—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Because Zoro was already trembling.
"That place... that kind of place... is that heaven?"
He clearly hadn't processed a single word about "danger."
He was a swordsman. There was nothing else in his head right now.
He wasn't alone, either.
"Me too, me too — I heard 'Dream Wonderland' has rare herbs you can't find anywhere else on the sea. Is that true?"
"Yes — those are creations of Lord Sheep's power. Dream herbs, you could call them."
"Are there good ingredients among the mythical beasts inside?"
"...It would be best not to let Miss Crow hear you ask that. She and the mythical beasts are close. Though... apparently some of them do taste quite good."
"I heard that if you pass the trial you can make a wish to The Zodiac. Any wish? Like, what if I wished for a billion — no, ten billion Berries?"
"I'm not certain about wishes, but for ten billion Berries... honestly, Ryugu Palace's treasury could cover that on its own."
"It's really hard talking to you rich people sometimes."
"Food... food... I'm so hungry... anything at this point..."
One after another, the Straw Hat crew fired off questions as they walked. Aside from Luffy, whose tongue was practically hanging out from hunger, the rest had already made up their minds — they were all going to try the trials. It sounded far too interesting to pass up.
The two exceptions were Rayleigh and Jinbe. Rayleigh seemed to be planning to track down Gaban, and Jinbe was going to follow Shirahoshi and Fukaboshi to New Ryugu Palace to meet King Neptune.
And at the very moment they all reached that decision —
"We're here."
Shirahoshi and Fukaboshi stopped walking.
Without anyone quite noticing, they had arrived at the foot of the massive Gate of the Starry Dome.
"Let's start with Mr. Luffy."
Shirahoshi gently guided Luffy to stand before the door.
"Mr. Luffy hasn't been himself lately — let me go into the same Place of Trial with him. Hm?"
Brook started to say this, then stopped mid-sentence.
"No."
Rayleigh had already reached out and stopped him. He smiled — that quiet, steady smile of the Pirate King's right hand — as if he had just caught the faint sound of a voice no one else could hear.
"There are some things he has to do on his own."
At those words, a slightly bewildered Luffy instinctively reached out under Shirahoshi's gentle guidance and pressed his hand to the Gate of the Starry Dome.
[Heading to Place of Trial]
[Battle for Freedom: Mount Huaguo]
(End of Chapter)
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