One Piece: Dream of Immortality

Chapter 438: Pearls Before Swine



Red Port was a small city that sat just above sea level on the Paradise side of the Red Line. It served as the only legal passage to the other side of the Red Line from inside the Grand Line and was also the only convenient way to reach the city of the celestial dragons, Mary Geoise.

As such, this was naturally the place where the various kings and queens of the member states of the World Government would arrive to travel to Mary Geoise and attend the Reverie, with the exception of those that came from the New World of course.

The citizens of Red Port cheered and applauded and otherwise made huge fools of themselves as they welcomed the royals from around the world. This did wonders for uplifting the mood of the royals after weeks of travel.

However, these regular attendees of the Reverie were not what the people of Red Port and the reporters from various newspapers most wanted to see on this day.

"Look, they're here!" A shout from a man with a camera drew the attention of the crowd towards a marine warship with a figurehead of a dog; the ship of Vice Admiral Garp, who was said to be escorting the second ever delegation from the Ryugu Kingdom in the last two hundred years.

Garp casually walked ahead of the disembarking royal family of Fishman Island whilst snacking on a bag of fried crackers and overall not seeming to be taking his duties very seriously.

Rumors had run rampant on the surface about the mermaid princess and her beauty. The crowd was almost silenced by the contrast between rumor and reality, however.

Shirahoshi was just as beautiful, if not more so, than they had expected, but that was where imagination ended and truth reigned supreme.

There was nothing delicate about this princess. She towered over her father and brothers behind their backs, holding her head high and not shrinking back from the attention in the slightest.

She wielded a trident even more imposing than her father's due to its size; and judging from the lithe muscles that could be seen and the callouses on her hands, she knew how to use it too.

Her eyes were not those that always dwelled on the edge of tears, but rather bore a sharp glint that carefully measured the threat that any they passed over may present.

"Sir Luffy's Grandfather? Why have they suddenly become so quiet?" Shirahoshi's voice sounded as innocent as ever, though, so the people quickly snapped out of their stupor and started to squeal in delight again.

"Bwahaha! You aren't quite what they were expecting, I think!" Garp laughed with half a mouthful of chewed up crackers. "Bigger than expected too, I bet!"

King Neptune could understand the sentiment. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't wake up and become shocked that his daughter's transformation from his sweet little girl to a bonafide warrior wasn't a dream after all.

Neptune and his three sons had tried to follow along with the "Mermaid Training Manual From Hell" that Cherry left with them, but they ultimately gave up after a measly three days and switched to the "Mermaid Training Manual For Pathetic Little Cry Babies" instead. Even that had proven difficult for them.

Shirahoshi stuck with the "Mermaid Training Manual From Hell" stubbornly, though, and had yet to falter in following it to the letter. He could only imagine that Cherry must have seen something in his daughter that he couldn't because, at least in terms of physical might, she had already outstripped himself.

Her training with the trident was also coming along nicely and her skills were growing even faster than his own had when he was younger; and he was hailed as a once in a century prodigy.

Thankfully, even though the hellish training regimen had honed her will like steel and her fearful nature had receded, she was still his sweet little girl with a gentle heart. She was shaping up to have a perfect blend of her parents best qualities, so much so that he had been talking with his sons about possibly changing the line of succession. The idea had taken root in his boys' minds and now they were determined to see Shirahoshi on the throne when the time came for Neptune's retirement.

They hadn't told that to Shirahoshi just yet, though.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

A young fellow toppled over dramatically in front of Neptune, taking him out of his thoughts, so he helped the lad back up with a large helping hand. Unfortunately, he seemed to have spooked the young man because he toppled over once again, all while screaming at him, "Don't touch me...!" and promptly passing out.

Seeing the crown roll of the boy's head only now, Neptune decided it was best not to accidentally cause a diplomatic incident before he even reached the Reverie. So he left the boy there as he was asked, some soldiers jogging over to carry the young king towards the bubble gondola.

The Ryugu royals also boarded the gondola and soon they were being lifted towards the top of the Red Line and the city of Mary Geoise.

"The sun is so beautiful, Otou-sama!" Shirahoshi marveled at the great ball of light that made the ocean almost sparkle. Determination lit up in her eyes as it often did as of late. "I hope that the talks go well and we can move our people to the surface soon."

"Of course, Shirahoshi, I do as well," Neptune smiled and his sons also voiced their agreement.

Nearby, one of Mary Geoise's royal guards appreciated the princess' enthusiasm for life's simple pleasures. It was a far cry from many of the kings that would attend the Reverie this time, and especially from the self proclaimed Celestial Dragons.

Though, he wasn't really a royal guard of Mary Geoise, but Sabo of the Revolutionary Army.

...

At the top, the royals were asked to turn over any ceremonial weapons before they could enter Mary Geoise proper. Sabo thought that this seemed rather targeted, considering that only the Ryugu royals actually had any besides the guard details brought by the other royals.

They had good reason to have them too, as far as sabo was concerned. Who knew what funny business the pigs that called themselves world nobles might try against the mermaid princess.

Sadly, Sabo had business here, so he could not keep an eye out for them. Otherwise, he would not fear retribution for attacking any celestial dragons.

The Ryugu royals did not give voice to any complaints they might have, turning over their weapons without hesitation. To them, it was a sign of great trust that they hoped would help them sway the opinions of the other royals in their favor.

Making their way towards Pangaea castle, no one in the procession was aware of the beady little eyes that watched them from afar through a spyglass made from an extinct tree species' wood and trimmed with gold.

"Father! The fake kings have brought a mermaid!" Saint Charlos' drool could not be differentiated with the snot dripping from his nose. "It's huge! Can I have it, father?"

"Of course, my son. Anything you want," Saint Roswald agreed immediately.