The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

"If anything else flies by, we'll help you shoot it away!"

"Lord Link..."

His promise to Bai Xing was the most uncontrollable thing she had heard in the past eight years.

"Really? Can you take me out of here?!"

"no problem."

"Really, can you protect me?"

"Do not worry."

It was such a gentle response, but to Shirahoshi's ears, it carried the most weight of words.

"……Um!!"

Two more clear tears streamed down her face.

"Let's go, Luffy!!"

Link lifted his foot and kicked Luffy, who was still lying there sleeping.

Seeing that he didn't move at all, Link unleashed his ultimate move:

"The host is back, it's time for a feast."

Before Link could finish saying "eat," the figure on the ground sprang to his feet as if he had just flipped himself up.

"Alright!! Let's hurry over there, don't keep them waiting!!"

After saying that, Luffy wiped the corner of his mouth, not knowing whether it was drool or the saliva he had been drooling while sleeping.

He was in high spirits and took the lead in walking outside.

"Let's go too~"

Link smiled and slowly reached out his hand toward Shirahoshi.

"Um!!!"

The latter immediately placed his hand in Link's palm.

It seemed that only in this way could she feel a little sense of security.

And so, this mermaid princess, who had never stepped out of this hard-shelled tower in eight years, was finally able to break free of her cage and see the scenery outside today...

~~~~~~~~~

When Link and the others returned to the hall, they saw Zoro leaning against a pillar, fast asleep.

Chopper and Sanji, both suffering from setbacks and living bleak lives, lay on the ground with their eyes closed.

Yes, they were under a lot of pressure before and didn't have time to rest properly.

After arriving here, the tension in my mind eased, and I drifted off to sleep.

"A banquet? A meal? And where's the meat?"

Luffy turned his head and looked around at his surroundings.

The place looked exactly the same as before, which made Luffy tilt his head and unleash his Observation Haki.

When he realized that a group of people were indeed heading this way, he couldn't help but feel even more excited.

Luffy's commotion successfully woke Zoro and Sanji from their dreams.

"You're back..."

Zoro opened his sleepy eyes and looked at the three people in front of him.

"Luffy, Link, Luffy..."

After saying hello, he wanted to close his eyes again and take another short nap.

Then~~~

"Wait?! Two Luffys?!"

Zoro suddenly realized that he had just seen two straw hats.

"Who is this person?!?"

He quickly opened his eyes again and saw the mermaid that Link was leading, hiding behind Link, wearing a hat that looked almost identical to Luffy's, looking weak and fearful.

"Mermaid?!"

Looking at the pink fishtail that seemed to be nervously fidgeting, Zoro finally realized what was happening.

Upon hearing the keywords "mermaid," Dark Sanji, who was lying nearby, immediately sprang to his senses.

~~~~~~~~~

[Thank you again to 'Once Upon a Time There Was a Eunuch' for the generous donation, and thank you again to '?+Run' for the thousand-point donation! Thank you so much!!]

423 Chopper made Shirahoshi cry!! So this is the real Chopper! I really misjudged you!!

"Ah, she's a coward, she seems to be the princess in this palace."

Luffy, in his usual nonchalant manner, explained to Zoro his understanding of the situation.

However, the word "princess" in his words struck a nerve with someone once again.

"This palace is the Dragon Palace, the residence of the Fishman King. So, the princess living in this palace must be..."

This thought flashed into Sanji's mind in an instant.

Instantly, the dark aura surrounding him vanished as if ice and snow had melted away.

"The Little Mermaid?!"

He stood up abruptly, smoothing out the wrinkles in his suit in an instant.

His messy blond hair was quickly combed neatly, and an elegant, gentlemanly smile, like that of a prince of a duchy, appeared on his face.

All of this was done in order to leave a good impression on the mermaid princess in front of him.

However~~~

"This beautiful lady..."

Sanji looked at Shirahoshi with deep affection.

A smile, which he thought was very sophisticated, curled at the corner of his mouth. "I am Sanji, a knight. I wonder if I would have the honor of becoming your..."

He suddenly stopped speaking.

His eyes were fixed on Bai Xing's petite, lovely, innocent, and frightened face.

That pitiful face immediately made Sanji's heart flutter.

puff! !

Two bright red spurts of blood gushed from his nostrils.

Then, he fell to the ground in a spectacular fashion.

"Huh?! What's wrong, Sanji?!"

His commotion naturally caught the attention of Chopper, who was standing nearby.

"You've lost so much blood!!"

Chopper immediately rushed to his side in a flurry of activity.

"If this bleeding continues, it'll cause a big problem! Doctor, is there a doctor here... Ah, I think I am the doctor myself?!"

Chopper, realizing what was happening, immediately took out bandages and other items from his backpack and began treating Sanji.

Both of their actions were observed by Shirahoshi.

"Are they Link-sama and Luffy-sama's crew?!"

On the way here, Link had already told Shirahoshi that he would introduce his partner to her.

Seeing the man with a nosebleed and the talking tanuki made Shirahoshi extremely curious.

"Is that the legendary tanuki? How amazing!"

Looking at the adorable Chopper, Shirahoshi didn't hold back her praise, "I didn't expect him to be able to talk..."

She felt she was genuinely praising the other person, but to Chopper, who was now extremely sensitive to the word "tanuki"...

Veins and a crossroads appeared on its little head.

"You're the raccoon dog! Your whole family are raccoon dogs!!"

Chopper rolled his eyes, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and roared at Shirahoshi:

"I'm a reindeer! Look at yourself, you idiot!!!"

"Eh eh eh?"

Such loud shouting and scolding, and being called an "idiot" for the first time, had a huge impact on Bai Xing's young mind.

Immediately, a layer of mist appeared on her eyes.

"Ahhh!!"

Shirahoshi wiped away her tears and burst into tears.

"Crying...crying?"

Chopper was slightly taken aback when he saw this.

And at this time.

"What's wrong?!"

Nami and Robin returned here after completing their exploration.

Why do I hear someone crying?

As soon as they entered, they saw a very beautiful merman wiping the corner of his eye.

"Who is she? What is she doing here? And... why is she crying so sadly?"

Nami's head was covered in question marks.

"She seems to be the mermaid princess here. Luffy and Link brought her here, and then Chopper scolded her until she cried."

Zoro leaned against the wall and succinctly summarized what had just happened in one sentence.

"Chopper?"

Nami looked at Chopper with a somewhat blank expression.

It made someone cry from all the insults?! Is that something it's capable of doing?!

Not only her, but even Robin looked at Chopper with some curiosity and surprise.

"You actually managed to make someone cry with your insults?"

Robin glanced at Chopper thoughtfully. "So this is the kind of person you are. It seems I need to get to know you better, Chopper."

Chopper: "..."

No, that was just a normal reaction.

Who would have thought that this mermaid, seemingly made of water, would burst into tears after saying just a few words?!

Chopper didn't know what to say either, and he wanted to cry, but he couldn't shed a tear.

Just at this moment~

Outside the Dragon Palace.

"Oh my, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you two outside beforehand."

A group of people slowly approached this direction.

Leading the group was an exceptionally tall figure, wearing a crown, with eyes as blue as Shirahoshi's.

"Usopp the Dual-Pistols, and Brook the Nose Song, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, I've truly heard so much about you!!"

The Great Knight of the Sea, with his red, wine-stained nose, was also the king of the Ryugu Kingdom on Fishman Island. Neptune, a mermaid of the Coelacanth race, spoke there in a gentle and amicable tone.

His physique is much more robust than that of a typical mermaid, which perfectly illustrates where Shirahoshi's genes come from.