Shano suddenly realized.
Oh, it's for the Red Hair's special weapon!
...
A moment later.
Shano, back inside Dragon Palace City, had a conversation with Neptune, and then followed him to the Hard Shell Tower.
The front of the tower, with the steel-cast door, was embedded all over with weapons, causing Neptune to let out a long sigh.
"Fa... Father, is this Lord Shano?"
Shirahoshi timidly peered out half her head from the bedroom door gap, her pink hair cascading like a waterfall, her azure eyes filled with fear and a hint of curiosity.
"Yes, Shirahoshi."
Neptune nodded, "Don't be afraid, Lord Shano is a guest I specifically invited to help solve the problem with Vander Decken for you."
So large!
Shano had to crane his neck to clearly see this giant mermaid girl who was already over ten meters tall despite not reaching adulthood.
Although Fishman descendants have the possibility of atavism at any time, making any type of Fishman born unsurprising, Shirahoshi's size is really too big, isn't it?
It's hard to imagine how slender Princess Otohime managed to give birth to her...
Shano cheerfully waved at Shirahoshi, but the girl still dared not come out; she just clung to the door's edge, bit her lip, and nodded slightly.
"Lord Shano."
Neptune turned to look at him solemnly:
"Since you've offered help, I definitely won't let you suffer a loss. That Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit, please name your price; even if it's five billion, ten billion Belly, I will..."
"I don't lack money, so forget it."
Shano smiled and shook his head, revealing the Sand-Sand Fruit.
His willingness to lend a hand partly stemmed from Shirahoshi's pity, threatened by a creepy uncle all these years; it's hard not to feel empathy.
Another reason is that Shirahoshi, as this generation's "Sea King," is worth befriending, and if she remembers his kindness, a mere Logia-type fruit is insignificant.
The ship lacks nothing but Logia-types.
Hmm, thinking about it, Shirahoshi is a Sea King, and he's a () King; saying the two together sounds pretty fitting.
He raised his hand to toss the Sand-Sand Fruit to Neptune.
But just at that moment, the "Broo Broo" sound suddenly emerged from Shano's arms.
"Sorry, one moment, I need to take this call."
Shano answered, weighing the fruit with one hand, while Neptune, unable to interrupt, watched the fruit in his hand as it bobbed up and down...
A moment later.
Shano hung up the call and looked at Neptune.
"It's a call from my subordinates."
Shano's expression turned odd, "It seems there's no need for Shirahoshi to eat the fruit anymore."
...
A bit earlier.
Fishman Street.
Jack applied the swimming layer on himself, following two Fishmen discussing quietly underwater deep into the street.
A large open space here gathered many Fishman pirates, some drinking heavily, some gambling, while others conversed intensely in corners, with grim looks in their eyes.
"Hey, where's Brother Hody?" the Fishman messenger asked as he grabbed a passing companion.
"Inside, he's having a meeting with the officers."
The man was eager to gamble, impatiently pointing to a shabby warehouse at the end of the street, "But you best not disturb him now; the boss seems to be in a bad mood today."
"Don't worry."
The Fishman chuckled, "Once he hears what I have to report, Brother Hody's mood will improve!"
There were guards at the warehouse entrance. After the two Fishmen spoke, they were allowed in.
Jack had planned to confront them directly, knocking out the guards if denied entry.
But recalling the captain's guidance, Jack figured not alerting anyone was wiser.
So he found a blind spot in the view, quietly moving to the back of the warehouse, peeking inside through a window gap—
...
The warehouse interior was spacious yet dimly lit, with special stones hanging on the walls emitting faint light.
In the center lay a rough wooden table, scattered with nautical charts; around it sat several intimidating Fishman officers.
The main chair held a tall, pale-skinned shark Fishman, legs crossed, glaring coldly at the reporting Fishman.
"Speak, what's the matter?"
"Brother Hody!"
The Fishman quickly approached, bowing respectfully, "We got news, that... no, the one known as the World's No.1 Sword Master, Shano, has entered Fishman Island with his crew!"
"Oh?"
Hody Jones showed interest and slowly sat up from the chair, "You mean the Shano who defeated Brother Ah Long years ago in the East Sea?"
"It's him!"
The messenger Fishman flattered, "The Shano you've been thinking of all these years, no mistake!"
"Our men witnessed their ship on the beach, everything matches," added another Fishman immediately.
"Is that so? Hahaha, you two have indeed earned a great merit!"
Hody laughed wildly, licking his sharp teeth, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes, "He's finally here... finally come, Shano, I've been waiting for this day for so long!!"
The surrounding officers exchanged glances, then grinned fiercely with excitement.
"Brother Hody, what do we do next?"