503 Starting from One Piece

For Kaito, who possessed eternal life, hearing someone shout "Long live!" was practically shortening his lifespan.

But Kaito didn't bother with that kind of thing. After Neptune and Queen Otohime expressed their most sincere gratitude, they invited him to the main seat.

As the birthday girl, Shirahoshi also felt this was only natural. She sat tightly next to Kaito and even boldly placed one hand on his thigh.

Kaito glanced at her. Although she looked calm, the faint blush on her cheeks exposed her inner tension.

With a small smile, he didn't point it out. Only when the dishes were brought up and the banquet officially began did the atmosphere settle.

Shirahoshi immediately became busy. She kept putting food onto Kaito's plate and muttering,

"Kaito-sama, try this, it tastes really good!"

Her behavior made it seem like the birthday person today was Kaito instead of her.

Neptune exchanged a glance with Queen Otohime. Lowering his voice, he said,

"Shirahoshi has already grown up. I think her feelings for the King aren't ordinary… Should we, as her parents, give her a push?"

Queen Otohime thought for a moment and said,

"Of course. But the King's identity is far too noble. We have no right to bring up such matters. It still depends on Shirahoshi herself."

As she spoke, she glanced at the three shark brothers who were devouring their food. Seeing her look over, Manboshi even offered her a drumstick and rumbled,

"Mother, want a chicken leg?"

Queen Otohime sighed silently, smiled, waved her hand, and then offered him a dessert of her own, gently saying,

"Eat more, you're still growing."

"Mm mm!"

...

After the banquet ended, Shirahoshi accompanied Kaito to stroll around Fish-Man Island. The two went to the former Fish-Man Street where Hody Jones had been. The previously filthy and chaotic street was now completely renewed.

Jinbe had taken over again. Under his management, no fish-man dared cause trouble. The blue big guy's prestige within the fish-men was still incredibly high, especially after the extremists like Hody Jones had been eliminated.

Kaito even saw humans here—something absolutely impossible in the past.

Their final stop was Mermaid Cove, the gathering place of mermaids. Everywhere one looked, there were beautiful mermaids, truly pleasing to the eye.

The moment Kaito and Shirahoshi appeared, a commotion rose. Countless mermaids swarmed forward, drowning Kaito in a wave of white.

The mermaids were simply too enthusiastic. Shirahoshi clung tightly to Kaito's hand. With no other choice, Kaito grabbed her and vanished from the crowd in a flash.

A moment later, the two were inside Shirahoshi's room. Patting her chest, she said,

"So scary, I almost got pushed loose!"

Kaito chuckled. He pulled Shirahoshi up and flew with her to her huge bed. She must have been tired from walking—lying down next to Kaito the moment they reached it, not treating him as an outsider at all.

Pouting, she said,

"Kaito-sama is going to leave later, right? I don't know when I'll see you again next time!"

Kaito reached out and flicked her nose, smiling as he said,

"If you want to see me, that's easy. Didn't I give you a golden kunai? Just use that to contact me."

"Mm… I don't want to be apart from Kaito-sama…"

Her big eyes blinked at him. Inside her own room, she was becoming bolder by the second.

Kaito lay down as well, and Shirahoshi immediately draped her arm over his waist, pressing herself against him in a very suggestive posture.

Staring at the massive crystal chandelier on the ceiling, Kaito suddenly asked,

"Shirahoshi, you've never gone out to see the world, have you?"

"No. Ever since I was little, I've always lived on Fish-Man Island. I've never been anywhere else."

"Then do you want to go out and see? The seas are vast."

"Of course I want to! But Father won't let me. He says the moment I leave here, I'll be targeted by humans with bad intentions."

"He's right. You don't understand how dangerous you are to most human men."

"Then what about you, Kaito-sama? Do I have… um… a dangerous effect on you?"

Kaito turned to face her. Their eyes met for a few seconds. Suddenly, a surge of impulse rose within Shirahoshi. She closed her eyes and kissed him.

It was brief. Her face flushed red as she peeked at Kaito, then quickly buried her face in the soft sheets, not daring to meet those golden eyes again.

Kaito couldn't help laughing at her. He nudged her shoulder and asked,

"Hey, ambushing me like that? And now you're playing ostrich?"

Her muffled voice came out,

"Mmm… I'm so sorry, Kaito-sama. I don't even know what came over me… please forgive me~"

Kaito's lips curved into a mischievous smile. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her firmly into his embrace.

Shirahoshi hurriedly covered her face with her hands. Kaito leaned to her ear and whispered,

"Too late to hide now. I need to return the favor."

"Kaito-sama… mm!"

...

After a while, Shirahoshi lay on top of him, cheeks rosy, drawing circles on his chest with her finger.

Kaito rested one arm around her and said,

"I won't go back with the fleet later."

Shirahoshi immediately pushed herself up, eyes shining.

"Eh? Kaito-sama is staying here tonight?!"

Kaito nodded and said,

"I can stay one night. But tomorrow, I have to travel somewhere else. What do you think? Want to come with me?"

Shirahoshi, of course, wanted nothing more. She nodded hard without a second thought.

Kaito teased her,

"In that case, I'll just sell you. A mermaid princess should be worth several mountains of gold."

Shirahoshi giggled and leaned in, whispering,

"I don't believe you. Kaito-sama doesn't lack money. And a mermaid princess is one of a kind~"

Kaito looked at her curiously and asked,

"Eh? Where'd you learn that?"

The moment she finished speaking, she regretted it. Turning away, she weakly said,

"The mermaid at Mermaid Cove…"

Because of Kaito, Shirahoshi had been freed early from the hard-shell tower and naturally had more opportunities to interact with the outside world. Her personality had grown much braver than in the original timeline.

That was definitely a good thing. Kaito patted her head and smiled,

"Alright, go tell your parents. This is your first time traveling far."

"Mm! I'll go tell them now. I'm really looking forward to it!"