The crew continues their journey towards the palace, with only a few meters to separate them from their destination. Suddenly, the royal guard of the palace started to deploy towards them, with an enormous, muscular shark merman who has blue wavy hair and holds a golden trident to lead them.
Luffy simply smiled at that, as he watched most of his crew, to be in a panic state and to start running to hide from fear.
The blue-haired merman, along with the royal guard stopped in front of 'Elaina', with Luffy to walk slowly and steadily towards them, with Amaya always follow him close.
"Luffy-kun." The blue-haired merman spoke, smiling at him.
"Prince Fukaboshi." Luffy replied, nodding his head and smiling back.
"Shishishishi/Hahahaha" Both of them start laughing, leaving Luffy's crew dumbfounded from this development.
"I was waiting for you Luffy-kun! Come on, let's go to the palace!" Prince Fukaboshi suggested, smiling as the royal guard start surrounded the fleet, like a protecting shield.
After ten minutes they reach the palace, and the crew started to aboard the ships to meet with the King, as from what it seems, Luffy and the royal family have a history between them.
As always, behind Luffy, was his trusted commanders while at his side was Robin and his daughters.
"I want to talk with you later." Luffy suddenly said, looking at his commanders, who all of them nod their heads.
They finally reached the throne room, where King Neptune, Queen Otohime, and also the two other princes were waiting for them.
Queen Otohime is a beautiful goldfish mermaid with golden blonde hair who, unlike King Neptune who he's huge, she has a normal human-size mermaid.
King Neptune is a muscular, giant-sized coelacanth merman with a red nose, small eyes, and long thick orange curly hair and beard.
When the Queen saw Luffy enter the room, she immediately rushed towards him and hug him, leaving his entirely crew dumbfounded and with their jaws on the floor. Even his three daughters were shocked from what they just saw.
"Luffy-kun! I'm so happy to see you again, look how much you grow." Queen Otohime exclaimed happily, while Luffy started to laugh, making his crew shook their heads in desperation, and the men from his crew to curse him from jealousy.
Soon after that, the other two young princes join and greet him personally, with King Neptune to start to laugh also unstoppable, remembering the old days when he first met Luffy.
"Queen Otohime, King Neptune, Prince Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, Manbonsi. This is my family." Luffy exclaimed, introducing his family to the Royal family.
"Guys, this is the Royal family of Fishman Island and my long time friends." Luffy continues, introducing the royal family to his family.
"Wait a second, where is Shirahoshi?" Luffy asked, looking around and seeing that his other long time friend is missing.
Immediately, the atmosphere began to freeze and everyone in the royal family looked uncomfortably, making Luffy narrow his eyes dangerously.
"What happened?" Luffy asked now, with serious voice and gaze, sending chills to everyone's spines in that room.
"I'm sorry to ask you this, but we may need your help once more again Luffy-kun." Queen Otohime spoke, as Luffy nod his head.
"Is anyone, dares to threaten the princess? I'll shred them to pieces!" Arlong exclaimed angrily, making the royal family smile softly, remembering how Arlong was and how he changed now.
"We'll speak later, for now, let's show you your rooms. The lunch will be ready in half an hour." Prince Fukaboshi suggested, as the minister of the right called some servants to show Luffy and his family their rooms.
After fifteen minutes, all of them has picked their rooms and start unpacked their things. Luffy stayed with Robin, Amaya, Grace and Aisa.
Suddenly their room door knocked and Luffy opened the door to see who is. Outside of his room, was his commanders who waiting for him to talk as he said earlier.
Luffy nods them to wait, as he walked back to his room to talk to the girls. Before he can say anything, the door knocked once again with Luffy to sigh, and Robin to walk towards the door to open it while she was giggling.
Outside of the door was Makino, who just rushed towards the girls to hug and play with them, giving no one a damn.
"Girls, can you stay with Makino for a while, as I have to talk with the commanders?" Luffy asked them, and while all the three of them frowned, they eventually nod their heads while Makino eyed Luffy suspiciously about this sudden talk.
"Robin, follow me also, please." Luffy added, making Makino even more suspicious, while Robin just raised an eyebrow.
They exited the room with the commanders to follow them, as they walked they found the minister of the right who point them to a large meeting room when Luffy asked him for a room to talk with his commanders.
They entered the room with Luffy to close the door behind him.
"Aegis Shield." Luffy murmured, extending his hand and surrounding the room with a dark purple aura, making Robin and the commanders look at him quizzically.
"What we'll say inside this room, can't be found by anyone. So, I summoned a shield or if you want a barrier. No one can see us or hear us, while this shield is activated." Luffy explained, as all of them nod their heads and sat down.
"Luffy, what is going on? I know you for a very long time, and I can say that something is very wrong for you to take all this measured." Robin stated, making Luffy smirk and nod his head.
"What I'm about to say to you today is a fact, it will happen, but no matter what, I don't want the rest of the crew to know about this." Luffy started to say, making all of them look at him quizzically, and curious.
"Someone will betray us, and this, will lead to my capture from the marines." Luffy stated, making all of them look at him, with widening eyes and with a horror.
"Who is this imbecile Luffy, tell me and I'll take his/her head right now!" Zoro and Alvida exclaimed angrily, with the first to grab the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Calm down both of you, there isn't anything I or anyone of you can do now. It has already started." Luffy continues to talk, trying to calm down the two of them and especially, his second commander and one of his most loyal friends.
Listening what Luffy just said, May, Arlong Robin and the rest of them immediately rise from their seats asking their captain and friend to tell them his or her name.
"Luffy, I'm more than positive that no one from our crew and especially from your ship will ever betray you, no matter what the circumstances." Robin said as she started to calm down, and think carefully and rationally.
Luffy smiled gently and nod to the other to also sit and calm down.
"You also said earlier, that it already started." Robin added, with Luffy to nod again his head.
"You're right, the one who will betray us, isn't part of our crew. I don't know yet the reasons but I'm guessing that someone is using his family to blackmail him to do what they want." Luffy replied casually, making Zoro's eyes to narrow.
"Hancock's crew is out of the picture as they practically worship you, so that leaves…Whitebeard pirates?!" Zoro started saying laughing, making Robin throw daggers with her eyes until he reached the only possible conclusion making all of them look at Luffy with horror in their eyes as the last nodded his head.
"It's impossible, there is now way something like this to happen, and Pops or any of our brothers to not notice it." Robin exclaimed somewhat irritated, about what Zoro is trying to say, but after looking at Luffy who shook his head, he start to remember about Teach and his betrayal towards Pops, and where his actions lead them all.
"Look, the fact is, that this will happen. I don't know how soon or not but it will happen. When this, will happen I want all of you to stay as far away as you can." Luffy stated, enraging all of them with his words.
"How can you ask anyone of us Luffy to let you alone in this…How can ask ME to let you go? Don't you know what you mean to all of us, and especially to me?" Robin asked angrily, truly angry for her first time in her entire life, while the rest of them wasn't in better condition. But before anyone else can protest, Luffy rise from his seat, hitting his hand on the table and silence them all.
"FOOLS. IT ISN'T ME WHO HE TARGETS, IT'S AMAYA!" Luffy shouted enraged, making all of them turn pale from this revelation.
"What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go, and butcher an innocent child, to save myself? I rather, die a hundred times before, I do something like that!" Luffy spoke again after he calmed down a little, sitting again on the chair and massaging his temples.
"It's this kid Ikki, isn't it?" May asked with Luffy to nod his head.
"What I'm guessing, is that either the World Government or that psychopath Akainu is hiding behind of this. They holding the kid with something and they possibly threaten him that if he doesn't do what they want that they'll kill someone important to him." Luffy suggested making all of them inside the room to spit at the names of the world government and Akainu.
"Either way, I can't do anything about it right now. If they capture me, I want all of you to stay away as I told you." Luffy continues to say, making all of them look at the floor ashamed with themselves, but orders are orders.
Things were bad, really bad. But no one of them wanted to even think, about what will happen if something bad happens to Amaya. All of them love her and each one of them knows exactly how Luffy treasure his daughters and especially her. So, if something happens to Amaya, no one of them or from the rest of the world will be able to stop Luffy's pain and especially his wrath. If they don't be careful in this situation, then it's possible if something like this truly happens, that their captain and friend will end this world with a bright light. Literally!
So this is why, Zoro, Mai, Arlong, Alvida, Buggy, Kuro and Don Krieg looked down, at the floor ashamed. Because they couldn't do anything but to follow Luffy's order, and they knew it.
"Look, either way, I can't die. Kairoseki doesn't affect me, and I'm literally the death itself. So, it's impossible to someone kill me or unfortunately to die." Luffy spoke once again seeing his moping commanders as also his love murmuring the last part somewhat sad.
"So attack and destroy Impel Down?!" Zoro said with a sadistic smirk.
"Attack and destroy Impel Down it is, if they actually are so dumb to send me there." Luffy replied with a chuckle making all of them laugh out loud.
"Well, giving their history Luffy, I can't say that they're something else than a bunch of idiots and fools who they never learn." Buggy with Don Krieg said making Alvida comment about who is talking, making Buggy to protest and all of them to roll on the floor laughing.
The only one who remained silent and skeptical was Kuro.
"It is a fact that the marines are idiots." Kuro begins to speak turning his attention towards him.
"But they aren't so fools." Luffy added making Kuro nod his head and the others to look at the two of the quizzically.
"Think for a minute, Luffy is already an ally with both Whitebeard and Shanks who they're both Yonko. He also is friends with Jinbei and Mihawk, add to that picture an entire female tribe who is known for their power, his mother, as also our group. All this manpower is huge even if we don't add how many people has Luffy already helped in the past, and something tells me that if they found out, they will come to help in an instance." Kuro explained to them making Luffy nod his head.
"They aren't so idiots to sent me into a world known location, even if Impel Down is a fortress well-defenced nothing can resist so much fire power. So the best bet is to send me somewhere who nobody knows where is located." Luffy added, making them all fall into depression again.
"Exactly." Kuro added.
"Well, it is what it is. They'll not make a move for a while so that gives us the time to make plans and preparations." Luffy spoke gain, calming them down and stopped their depression.
Luffy extended his hand and deactivate his shield, meaning that their conversation has ended. They begin to exit the room just in time that the minister of the right was ready to call them for the lunch.
As they started to sit in the dinner hall, Luffy observed that Shirahoshi was again missing and it didn't sit well with him.
"Why Shirahoshi isn't here?" Luffy asked again making the royal family, shift uncomfortably once more again.
"Come with me Luffy-kun." Queen Otohime said with a sigh, as she rises from her seat, and took Luffy with her.
After five minutes or so, they reach two huge doors and two guards who were on each side of the door bowed when they saw they queen there.
What Luffy immediately observed, is that everywhere on the doors they exist marks from swords, daggers, and axes making him narrow his eyes.
Queen Otohime commanded them, to open the doors and the Queen with Luffy entered the room. It was a huge room and on the bed was sitting a giant smelt-shiting mermaid with very long flowing pink hair with a taiyaki-shaped hairgrip, while at her side is a large black shark.
"Oi, is this a way to greet a friend Shirahoshu, Megalo?!" Luffy asked smiling taking the attention of the two of them.
"WHAAAAA…..LUFFY-SAMAAAA!" Shirahoshi shouted crying, as she came to embracing him while Megalo seems to smile?
(How in the world can a shark smile?)
"Shishishi, still a crybaby ne Shirahoshi?" Luffy joked laughing while the princess starts to sniffling.
"Now, now. Calm down and tell me what is happening and who is attacking you." Luffy tried to calm her down and asked narrowing his eyes dangerously.
Shirahoshi and Queen Otohime told him how a fishman called Vander Decken IX is terrorizing because she rejected him when he proposed to her.
"I see, does Jinbei knows about this?" Luffy asked with a raising eyebrow making both Shirahoshi and queen Otohime shook their heads and him to chuckle.
"Don't worry, I got this!" Luffy said with a smirk.
"Now, let's go to eat because I'm really starving. Don't worry me and my family won't let anything happen to you. I promise!" Luffy said again smiling, persuading Shirahoshi to leave her room.
The three of them and Megalo exited the room and start heading back to the dinner hall.
A/N: All right guys, this chapter is officially over.
I hope to like it!
Yes, I know what I said in the previous chapter, and I'm sorry that took me so long to update.
Many of you, will wonder why did all this with Ikki and the betrayal to Luffy. Well, the idea came in one conversation that I had some time ago, with one of my friends who we talk frequently Sexy Fox Girl.
So I came with the idea that if the WG or Akainu could put someone to spy or wanted for Luffy to surrender that was their best bet, as no one from Luffy's crew or allies would betray him.
So yeah.
Well, that's all for now.
As always,
Have Fun and Take Care.!