501 Starting from One Piece

Shirahoshi very naturally grabbed Kaito's hand and half-jogged all the way to her own room.

The moment they entered, Shirahoshi immediately locked the door, then returned to Kaito, obediently lifting up her pink mermaid tail as she looked at him with anticipation.

Kaito said nothing. He walked over to Shirahoshi's gorgeous, oversized bed and looked up at a photograph nearly as tall as he was.

The person in the photo was Queen Otohime, holding a young Shirahoshi in her arms with a radiant smile.

Shirahoshi leaned over curiously and asked,

"Kaito-sama, what are you looking at?"

When she followed Kaito's gaze, a trace of sadness flashed through her eyes. She steadied herself, murmuring,

"Mother… if only you were still here..."

Kaito suddenly turned around. His expression looked a bit serious, making Shirahoshi sit up straighter in nervousness.

Kaito looked directly into Shirahoshi's eyes and asked,

"Shirahoshi, is this your wish?"

Shirahoshi froze for a moment and asked tentatively,

"Kaito-sama is talking about my mother?"

Kaito nodded and said,

"Yes. I want to confirm it again. Just answer truthfully. Shirahoshi, do you want your mother to return to your side?"

Shirahoshi held back her tears. She still remembered that Kaito didn't like it when she cried. Her voice trembled as she said,

"I do… all these years I've never stopped thinking about it… but Mother is already…"

A smile appeared on Kaito's face as he interrupted,

"Good. I know your wish now. And this wish is very simple!"

As Shirahoshi stared blankly, brilliant seven-colored light burst from Kaito's eyes. A figure formed from light appeared before Shirahoshi.

With a soft pop, the light dispersed, revealing a female mermaid in elegant palace attire—Queen Otohime.

Queen Otohime's expression was dazed. She looked down at her own body, then lifted her head to see the shrunken Shirahoshi standing before her.

She hesitantly asked,

"You… you're Shirahoshi?"

Even though Queen Otohime had been gone for ten years, her voice and smile were still deeply familiar to Shirahoshi. Seeing her mother so close at hand, she could no longer hold back—tears burst from her eyes as she threw herself into Otohime's arms, crying out,

"Mother! I missed you so much!"

Though still bewildered, Otohime instinctively embraced her daughter. In a soft voice, she said,

"Don't cry, don't cry. What happened this time to make our little Shirahoshi cry?"

As she spoke, she gently cupped Shirahoshi's face, examining her closely. But the longer she looked, the more confused she became.

"Eh? Shirahoshi, you look so much more mature… but why is your height still so small?"

In her memory, Shirahoshi was still that child more than five meters tall.

Shirahoshi rubbed her eyes hard and choked out,

"You've already been gone for ten years… of course I've grown up. As for my height, that's because of Kaito-sama's ability. Even reviving you was also his ability!"

"Revived? That's right… I was already dead…"

Otohime finally remembered the fact of her own death. But such a resurrection was too unbelievable—after all, she had been gone for ten full years!

She asked the crying Shirahoshi in her arms,

"Shirahoshi, who is this Kaito-sama? Where is he?"

"Kaito-sama is someone incredibly, incredibly powerful. I can't explain it well. You should talk to him yourself—he's right behind you!"

Hearing that, Otohime quickly let go of Shirahoshi. It would be extremely rude to ignore the one who saved her life. She turned sharply—and saw Kaito standing there with his arms crossed.

With a single glance she could tell this human man was extraordinary. Otohime's Observation Haki was terrifyingly strong—so strong it could achieve effects similar to a godlike ability.

But when she used Observation Haki on Kaito, she nearly lost consciousness on the spot.

Kaito's presence was far too divine—something no human could possibly possess.

Queen Otohime's mind went blank as a single thought emerged:

"Is… he a god?"

Kaito smiled gently and said,

"You two finally reunited. Don't you want to talk a little longer? Don't mind me."

Queen Otohime was still stunned, but Shirahoshi already dove straight into Kaito's arms. Gripping his clothes tightly, she choked out,

"Kaito-sama! This is the best birthday present I've ever received!"

Kaito gently stroked her long pink hair and said softly,

"As long as you like it. But you still cried. You promised you wouldn't."

"I'm so sorry, Kaito-sama… I really couldn't help it!"

"Heh. It's fine to cry now. But at the banquet later, you have to smile, alright? You're prettiest when you smile."

Kaito looked at Otohime and said,

"I won't interrupt any longer. I'll wait for you both in the hall."

Shirahoshi nuzzled against Kaito as if reluctant to let him leave.

Kaito helplessly patted her back and said,

"Alright, there's still plenty of time. Go on. Your mother has a lot she wants to ask you."

With that, Kaito smiled at Queen Otohime. His figure flickered—and he vanished from the room.

After Kaito left, Queen Otohime slowly approached Shirahoshi. She tried to pull her onto the bed to talk, but realized the bed was far too tall for the two of them now. She tried jumping several times but still couldn't get up.

Queen Otohime couldn't help asking,

"Shirahoshi, just how tall are you now?"

Shirahoshi thought for a moment and replied,

"A bit taller than Father. I don't like being so tall, but thanks to Kaito-sama, he helps me. He can do anything~"

Shirahoshi practically mentioned Kaito-sama every three sentences. As her mother, Otohime naturally understood what that meant, though she didn't point it out—there were still many things she didn't understand yet.

"Shirahoshi, who exactly is this Kaito-sama?"

"Hehe, Mother, listen carefully—Kaito-sama is the current King of the World!"

"King of the World? What kind of title is that? Is he a Celestial Dragon? No… the name doesn't sound like one…"

"Of course Kaito-sama isn't a Celestial Dragon. They were wiped out by him long ago. Even the former Holy Land is gone!"

"Nani!?"

That explosive revelation completely stunned Queen Otohime. In just ten years, the Celestial Dragons… gone?

Afraid her mother wouldn't believe her, Shirahoshi scrambled onto the bed and pulled out a stack of newspapers she'd hidden under her pillow. Every single one featured Kaito's photo. She pushed the whole pile toward her and shouted,

"Mother! You'll understand once you read these!"