【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

Chapter 501 Dragon Palace Banquet

"Where is this? It's such a dark room!" Luffy looked at the pitch-black water house in confusion. "Where's the meat?"

"Oh, the hero has arrived!"

"There are soldiers standing below." Chopper looked down from the back of the flounder.

"Shut up! Whoever calls me a hero, I'll fight them!" Luffy shouted back at the soldiers below who kept calling them heroes. "All the meat is mine!!"

"Mr. Luffy, the stage is right in front of you," Shirahoshi said with a smile.

"stage?"

Everyone looked ahead in confusion.

"The proudest underwater singer of Fishman Island! Maria Napoleon!!"

As the lights came on, a wavy-lipped mermaid stepped onto the stage and began to sing.

"Ah~ what a beautiful song!" Usopp and Nami exclaimed, covering their cheeks.

"The dancers at the Mermaid Cafe!!"

"Wow!!" Sanji screamed excitedly as he looked at the beautiful fish-men on the stage.

Chopper and Usopp quickly pulled Sanji back from rushing onto the stage, shouting, "Don't go! You'll die!"

Sing and dance!

"The banquet is starting!!"

A beautiful mermaid arrives gracefully, bringing delicacies, fine wines, and exquisite ornaments. The grand banquet hall instantly transforms into a celebratory paradise. The deep, melodious strains of mermaid instruments and beautiful songs and tunes weave through every moment of laughter and joy.

"cheers!!"

"The sake from Fishman Island is still so different!" Ace downed the sake in his glass in one gulp, wiped his chin with the back of his hand, and exclaimed, "No matter how many times I drink it, I can still clearly feel it."

"Are you going to stay on Fishman Island and wait for your dad and the others to pick you up?" Lucci took a sip of his drink and asked Ace with a smile.

“That’s exactly what we’re planning,” Ace said with a grin. “I’ve already reported what happened on Fishman Island to Dad, and they should be here soon.”

"So you escaped unscathed?" Lucci teased. "I thought I'd see you get a beating from Marco before I left!"

Ace glared at Lucci with displeasure. "Are you expecting me to get scolded?"

“Obviously.” Lucci chuckled and shrugged. “Who told you to be so willful and come to Fishman Island?”

"Reckless? You're the most reckless person ever!" Ace retorted. "Who on earth made the decision to sail alone so casually, without even preparing anything?"

Lu Qi took a sip of his drink without saying a word. He hadn't made any preparations because he hadn't figured out what to do next, nor was he sure if he could bring himself to leave.

"Try this," Qi said with a smile, handing the sea monster meat to Lucci. "This is delicious."

"You're finally out," Ace said with a smile. "We've been through a battle."

"I know, but Lucci was there in that battle, and there really wasn't any need for me to intervene," Lucci said with a smile. "It's better to stay in the shadows and conserve energy, isn't it?"

Finally, Qi glanced at Lucci, who was quietly tearing into the sea monster's flesh. Seeing that Lucci had no intention of responding to him, Qi shook his head helplessly.

"What does this mean?" Ace frowned and looked at Qi, keenly sensing that Qi wasn't saying these things to him.

"Nothing much." Qi chuckled, took a sip of his drink, and then his eyes lit up. "Oh, this drink is really good! Hey, Zoro, how does it taste?"

"Very good!" Zoro grinned and replied, then took another big gulp of the sake in his hand. "This sake has a very unique taste!"

"It's probably due to the water quality in the deep sea. I wonder if it's the minerals or something else that's affecting it," Lu Qi nodded and replied.

"Luffy, your intelligence gathering abilities are really worrying."

Lucci immediately turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, and saw Jinbe talking to Luffy.

Amidst the jubilation of the celebration, King Neptune of the Dragon Palace and Robin stood quietly in a corner. Neptune sat silently outside the banquet hall, a thoughtful expression on his face, while Robin stood before him, quietly awaiting the King's answer.

"Can you understand that?" Neptune finally asked, looking at Robin across from him.

“I am a survivor of Ohara,” Robin said calmly. “I’d like to know who he’s apologizing to and why, but if it’s not convenient for you to reveal that, it’s fine not to.”

“Since you want to know, then I will tell you what I know,” Neptune began to explain. “Joy Boy was a real person who existed during the Void Century.”

“That means they were people from at least 800 years ago,” Robin replied.

"That article was written for the mermaid princess on the island at that time."

"It is said to be an apology written because he failed to keep the promise on Mermaid Island. The details have not been passed down, but one day someone will fulfill the promise in place of Joy Boy. That is the legend that our royal family has passed down to this day."

"Therefore, we firmly believe that the arrival of that day is the promise between our ancestors and Noah, who have protected the giant ship Noah in the sea forest for generations. When that day comes, Noah will be given his first mission, leading the fish-men under the guidance of the sea kings to the sun."

"Does Joy Boy have the power to summon Sea Kings?" Robin asked, thinking of the group of Sea Kings they encountered when they sank to Fishman Island. Luffy seemed to be able to communicate with those Sea Kings as well.

"No, the one who possesses that power is the former mermaid princess."

"So that's how it is. Does Princess Shirahoshi also possess that ability?" Robin asked.

“Yes, that’s right. She awakened once when she was young, but she hasn’t fully mastered it yet. However, I can see Luffy’s influence on her, and the day she fully awakens will come soon.” Neptune sighed and said with worry, “But this is not something to be happy about.”

"The mermaid princess who lived in the same era as Joy Boy, perhaps that's what people called her back then. Princess Shirahoshi, who possesses the same power, will also inherit the same name, the Ancient Weapon, Poseidon!"

“For reasons unknown, these powers, existing in the distant past and capable of destroying the world, were Pluto, the god of the underworld, Uranus, the god of the heavens, and Poseidon, the god of the sea!” Neptune added.

Hearing this, Robin pondered. Once someone discovers the Mermaid Princess's power, both the World Government and pirates will covet her. How is Luffy able to communicate with Poseidon? But this time, no matter what trouble Luffy gets into, they are capable of dealing with it together with him.

……

"Hey! Akainu and Aokiji are fighting!?" Luffy looked at Jinbe in surprise while biting into sea monster meat.

"Why don't you even know about such a big event?" Nami complained. The others were lying there sobering up, digesting their food, sleeping, and waiting for Sanji to wake up from his fishman dream.

"Rayleigh didn't tell me," Luffy muttered, stuffing food into his mouth while glancing at Lucci and Ace. "Neither of you told me either."

“I…forgot.” Lucci smiled.

“I thought Sabo and Lucci had told you,” Ace said, raising an eyebrow.

Luffy pouted in dissatisfaction, "You guys are all unreliable!"

"It's really strange coming from you," Nami remarked from the side.