We are reaching the end of Fishman Island, though we still have another chapter or two before the Straw Hat's leave while they wrap up... most of their loose ends. After that, we'll take a pitstop into Film Z. It's not my favorite of the One Piece Movies, but it will be interesting to see how the Neo-Marines interact with the new Straw Hats in this universe.

As always, I need to thank my wonderful Patrons: Alex P, Andrew Bohl, Animephilosopher1, Anna Khuu, Ant Franklin, Ant Franklin, Badmr7, Cam Bliss, Christopher Mitchell, Clark Kent, Claude Walker, Cory Johnston, CrazyMan, David Bowling, David Reynolds, Dean, EbayUserGreen, Emi Stafford, Eric Bandel, Eugene Malone Jr., EvilJelly, Fenrir ragnarok, Garvin Lee Nelson-Mathlin, Grim90, Illiasse Naji, Jacob McCarthy, JEP1010, Jkat, John Mekjian, Jonathan Moh, Jordanitos, Joseph Morrison, Josh Watson, Julien digot, Justin Farris, Kari Winters, Kcx1, Kevin Calderon, Kieran Walker, Korakas, Kyo Anamoto, Lamont Hale, little greenmen, Loriane bourguignon, Marielle Orff, Markoos, Matthew Burley, McBanjo, Mcgin28, Michael Lessard Lagrange, Milla, Nathaniel Oppegaard, Nicole Morris, Philippa Sale, Rafael Cardenas, Raghhh, Ranger Ellis, Reader45, Richard Barkley, Ricky Shaffer, Riley Bolerjack, Rohit ran, Ryuu, S.D,Gaines, Sebastian Gutierrez, SpiderBat, TheMedia_Ghost, Thomas Sanders, ToonTownTourist, Ty Chaos, ViewtifulSoul, X.P Xavier, and Григорий Сухотин !

Now, on to the chapter!

Chapter 24:

Poseidon's Cost

Hody's face twisted back into his scowl and he tried to lunge forward one more time, but he stumbled. Darkness crept at the corners of his vision and, as he hit the dirt, the world snapped into focus. One second became an hour, the fishman unable to speak or move.

All fell quiet as there, under the gazes of Luffy, Rum, and the countless citizens above, Hody Jones died.

All was silent, a heavy weight both falling and lifting as the captain of the New Fishman Pirates breathed his last. The crowd continued to watch, some with horror and others morbid fascination, as Hody's body continued to shrivel until it began to break down. The fingers were the first thing to go, each falling off and breaking into bits and pieces. The arms and legs followed next until where Hody had been held only a pile of dust and broken bone.

A cheer rose from somewhere in the crowd of citizens, spreading out through the people until every viewer was raising their voice with the name of the Straw Hat Pirates on their lips. The few remaining fishman pirates threw their weapons down at the sight, accepting the natural law of the jungle that decreed that their cause would not come to pass. Around the battlefield, other fights came to their ends, Sarume standing down now as he no longer needed to fear Hody's threats.

"So this is adoration," Rum mused, turning Luffy's attention to him. "I'll admit, I can see how this can be… addicting."

"Rum," the captain said, forcing the pilot of his crewmate's body to face him. Billy landed at the rubber-man's side, Nami and Ace still seated on his saddle. "I want Gin back."

"Do you really believe I answer to you, Monkey D. Luffy?"

"Daddy?" Ace asked, his small body squeezing against his mother as Billy lowered his stance. "What's with Uncle Gin?"

"Luffy," Nami said. "Is that—?"

"Poor Uncle Gin isn't here right now," Rum mocked, his electrical wings flaring. "He made a deal with the devil and got in too far. He—"

Rum hunched over, static distorting his facial features. His hands let go of the tonfa, the weights hitting the ground while his hands came up to meet his face. Instead of stopping the distortion, the static spread to his appendages. The wings along his back twisted, one turning to that more bird-like appearance that Gin preferred.

"Woah," Ace muttered, now intrigued as all the tales of weirdness from his mother's stories came to mind. Billy backed away as an electrical storm started to pulse around the conflicted Logia, mindful that his riders did not have the same resistances that his did. Luffy walked forward without a care, barely responding to the bolts of lightning that struck his rubber body. Eneru had proven that such powers could not affect the captain, even with full electrical reserves.

Reaching the Logia, he knelt, Gin/Rum turning their face to the captain.

"D-Don," the left half of the face stuttered. "P-Please, help."

"Stay back, Straw Hat," the right half of the face growled. "Your interference could cause irreparable damage to our psyche."

"Gin," Luffy muttered, his eyes on the one half the former Krieg Pirate could control. "Explain."

"Straw Hat—"

"Not you," the captain ordered, turning his gaze on Rum's half for a moment before focusing again on his true crewmate. "Gin?"

"Th-Th' outside o' my body is like a shell," Gin tried, fighting Rum's internal attempts to shove him back down again. "It controls th' inside. I gave Rum power 'cause I was so angry 'bout Hody attackin' Sunny—"

"You do not know what will happen if you interfere," Rum snarled.

"I thought he killed her," Gin continued. "I thought Hody killed Sunny. I couldn' think straight."

"Do not interfere with us, I command you!"

The captain closed his eyes, letting his Haki show what his eyes could not. The lightning body before him was split down the middle, the left side that calm yellow of Gin's spirit now agitated into a maelstrom. The right side was the darkness that had, until recently, controlled the whole, its tendrils trying to find purchase in the yellow to expand again.

"I think I get it," Luffy said, reaching forward with a Haki-coated hand. Rum flinched as it rested on Gin's side's shoulder, the static there clearing at his touch. In Luffy's Observation, the yellow calmed, his influence spreading from the point of contact. It flowed like a ripple as his rubber powers neutralized the electricity, the yellow washing over the darkness. To those watching, the static cleared slowly, the feathered wing dissipating first before the demonic one until it was only Luffy and the robed monk, the latter panting. "Gin?"

"It's me, Don," the man nodded with a flinch. "Thank you."

Luffy did not remove his hand. Despite Gin's disposition, he could still feel Rum under the surface, the alter ego angry and frustrated beyond comprehension at this turn of events. He'd been so close to gaining full, complete control over the body he was trapped in only for a single touch to lock him away once more.

The rest of the crew gathered slowly, wary and tired after the battle-war they'd just fought.

"How do you feel, Gin?" Luffy questioned.

"I can handle 'im now," the Vergian insisted. "Pretty sure I've still got my headband on th' ship. I think I'd like it fer a little 'til he wears 'imself out."

"I'm on it!" Merry offered, the Klabautermann vanishing in a Shave toward their ship.

"I gotta say," Franky began with a laugh, "that was super awesome!"

"Yeah, Uncle Fwanky!" Ace cheered, the little boy throwing his hands in the air. "Awesome! Badass!"

Gin choked on air as the child's choice of words made his mother turn a frigid glare on the monk that had, unintentionally, taught him such language.

"Uhh…"

"That," Usopp began, falling backward to the ground as the adrenaline drained from his system while Gin sent a silent prayer of thanks for the save, "was the scariest thing I think we've ever done."

"Nah," Amy disagreed. "I still think the Knock-Up Stream was the scariest."

"No way!" Chopper said. "The zombies of Thriller Bark were worse than that!"

"I can think of some scarier things," Coby offered, waving his head side to side. "Maybe not things we did as a group, though."

"Looking back, my vote's on Kuma," Grace said as Merry returned, the Wood Fairy handing the headband in her hand over to their crew's Logia.

"I must admit the siege and subsequent battle of Enies Lobby left the most lasting impression on my psyche, personally," Robin commented.

"Speaking of psyches," Chopper realized, "I need to talk to everyone before we leave. I reiterate—"

"Repeat, Captain," Coby said, Luffy closing his mouth as his unasked questioned was answered.

"—that violence is not an accepted form of self-care, nor will I hear any case to why it should be! What sort of lesson would that be for Ace to learn growing up?"

"Use all the ingretamins you can on the sea!" said boy piped up, offering the lessons he'd learned from the crew already. "Swords gotta be sharp'ed all the time to cut off arms and legs cleanly! You can't swim with cool Fruit powers! Don't break things 'cause it's harder to put 'em back together! Air gets small when it gets cold and big when it gets hot! People that attack us get punched and beat and humid-lated and robbed, 'cause their money's our moneys now! Pony-giffs' sentisays follow a noun-modifier-actio-object-modifier structure! And my daddy's gonna be King of the Pirates 'cause he's the strongest-est ever! Giihihihi!"

The crew blinked collectively, several with clear glints of pride in their eyes. Their resident roset turned to the multicolored spy.

"Are we bad role models?" he asked.

"Oh, for sure," Grace answered. "Ace is gonna be the strongest mix of knowledge, skills, and bad habits by the time he grows up. It'll be our job to break him of Franky, Sanji, and Brook's influences when he his puberty."

"Do not bring up the mental image," Nami sighed. "I'd like to put that whole ordeal off as long as possible."

"Oh, oh, Gwanpa Brook!" Ace piped up, wobbling over to the skeleton. "Gwanpa, teach me to play! I wanna make pretty music with you!"

"Yohoho!" the undead laughed, kneeling to be more on level with the nearly-two-year-old. "Of course, Ace. I'll make sure you grow up to be a real lady-killer."

"Excuse me?" Nami demanded.

"I'm not gonna kill any ladies," Ace denied. "Why would I do that?"

"Oh, you will," Brook grinned (or he would have if he had lips!).

Across the plaza, the two princes and the ex-agent finished sweeping through what remained of the downtrodden New Fishman Pirates. A makeshift celebration danced above, the people making their joy known to the world with singing and revelry. In this throng stood a certain Anglerfish Fishwoman, her red photophore swaying in time with the acapella music. A finger tapped her on the shoulder, the woman jumping at the sudden contact.

"Pardon me, miss," a voice said, the woman turning to see an older man with a grey beard. She eyed him, trying to connect his appearance with some information she had —anyone that could sneak up on her must be famous enough for her to have something on them— but this man had no symbols or obvious signs on his person except that he was human. His appearance tickled some nugget in her memory, but she couldn't grasp it. "What's going on here?"

Prices and deals flashed through her mind for a moment before she shook the thoughts away. That was information he could get from anyone in this crowd, so it was effectively worthless as a bargaining tool. Deciding that, Madam Finwaters snapped her handheld fan open, hiding her needle-like smile behind it.

"The Straw Hat Pirates just liberated Fishman Island from Hody Jones and his New Fishman Pirates who had declared war on them and the kingdom," the woman said, studying the man's reaction. He grinned, the action showing every one of his whitened teeth. "May I know why you ask, good sir?"

"I've come to meet with them," the man answered without a hint of hesitation, insouciant in his reasons for being there even with the potential illegality of his actions. "After all, I need to meet my great-grandson for the first time!"

Madam Finwaters blinked, unable to form a response before the man pushed past her into the crowd. She turned, scanning the revelry for any sign of his tall frame or broad shoulders, but it was as if he'd vanished. Still, she needed to see him fulfill this task he had mentioned. The woman pushed forward into the crowd, her peremptory actions maybe a little too strong as she knocked a couple folks over.

They were no concern, for the coming interaction would be the height of entertainment!

"—and he made a sound like 'gaellegughe' and fell down like "aawwwgghhhh'!" Ace narrated for his parents' crew, using his onomatopoeia to emphasize the reactions their foes had had to his mother's lightning strikes only minutes before. "And the next guy went 'yipe!' and fell like 'beeaugh, I am dead, blegh!' But he didn't really die, obvis-ly. Prolly hit his head really, really hard, though."

"Little Ace-chan is a very animated storyteller," Robin giggled as Franky, Chopper, Usopp, Merry, and Luffy overreacted to the child's words. Nami watched over the lot of them, waving off Sanji's concern about any imaginary injuries she may have. The archeologist would let Ace's lax vocabulary pass... this time.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, scooping the boy into his arms. "You're mom's pretty awesome, right?"

"Yeah, Daddy!" the boy grinned. "But Mommy says you and Gwanpa Dragon and Great-Gwanpa Garp are way, way stronger. But you're the strongest-est of 'em all, Daddy!"

The group laughed again, but a booming voice seemed to stand out in their midst. "You're mother's not wrong about that first part!"

"Holy—!" Coby began, cutting his expletive off even as he drew his swords. He was not alone as every armed member of the crew readied their weapons and turned to the man among them, "Vice-Admiral Garp‽ What are you doing here‽"

"What?" the old man blinked, his grin still wide even with the various points and blunt instruments aimed in his general direction. "Can't a guy come to meet his newest family member?"

"Well, most people would wait until they don't have to traverse 10,000 meters under the sea to do so," Merry rebuffed. "Most people also aren't marines casually convening with world-renowned, infamous pirates they happen to be related to."

"Oh, Merry," Robin smiled. "You're finally utilizing a broader vocabulary. How invigorating."

"Besides, that exact thing happens more often than you think," Garp waved off. "Maybe not on Fishman Island, but plenty of Marines have pirate relatives they still talk to. Dalmatian's got a niece building a pirate crew in Paradise and Onigumo's little brother has a bounty of 37-million. And I've heard Sengoku's got an adopted grandson pirate through his own adopted son pirate/spy, but the Marines don't know about that last one."

"What does that even mean?" Grace blinked.

"It means, I want to meet my adorable great-grandson!"

"Daddy?" Ace questioned, pulling Garp's eyes to where the boy was still held in the captain's arms. "Who's the weird old guy?"

"Weird?" the Vice-Admiral parroted, the wind draining from his sails as he visibly deflated. "Old? I'm not old, am I?"

"Yes you are," Luffy and Merry answered without pause, the two turning to each other afterward. "Jinx! Jinx! Let me have this! Jinx!"

Nami huffed, grabbing her husband by the ear and dragging him away from his verbal battle with the horned girl. Said fairy took that to mean she'd won. "Stop it, Luffy. Ace is watching."

"Jinx!" the toddler giggled.

"Anyway, Ace, this is your dad's grandpa. You can call him Old Man Garp."

"That's not—"

"Old Man Garp!" the boy affirmed, cutting off said elder's protest.

"But—"

"Old Man!"

"No, wait—"

"Old Man!"

"I—"

"Old man!"

"…Fine," he sighed, his shoulders slumping as the pirates laughed. "I guess that's my name now. Anyway…" He puffed back up, putting on a brave face. "I'm here to meet my great-grandson! You know, I just couldn't contain myself when you said I could tell, Cat Burglar. I went around all of Marine Headquarters and told everyone about him. They weren't nearly as excited as they should have been. Especially Senny."

"Wait, you told Sengoku?" Nami clarified. "I know I said Ace wasn't a secret anymore, but you went right to the top?"

"Senny's not at the top anymore," he waved off, reaching forward to take Ace out of Luffy's arms. Luffy hesitated but slowly acquiesced. With a gentleness none of the crew had expected from their admittedly-limited interactions with the man, Garp hefted the child up and played with him even as he continued speaking. "That's Sakazuki now and he doesn't really like me. He's been a pain in the ass since he and Aokiji fought and the ice brat left, always trying to get me to fight the Emperors until I officially retired. Still tries now and again. It's annoying."

"Sakazuki‽" Usopp gasped, recoiling from the man. He blinked. "Who's that? He sounds scary!"

"He's one o' th' Admirals we didn't meet," Gin explained. "Th' Admirals were Aokiji —the ice guy we fought— Akainu, and Kizaru."

"They've changed, though," Grace picked up. "Info told us Aokiji, whose real name is Kuzan, left the Marines after he lost his claim to Fleet Admiral to Akainu —real name Sakazuki. They've been replaced with a couple guys named Fujitora and Ryokugyu, but there isn't much known about them, the latter in particular."

"A lot's happened in the world since we separated, huh?" Amy muttered. "We should probably talk about that some time. It sounds like you had access to way more info than some of us, Grace."

"I'm certain my benefactor would be pleased to secure another source of intel, should you be willing to share," Robin agreed. "Ah, we should table this discussion for another time. It is disadvantageous for us to scheme in the presence of a Vice-Admiral with loose lips."

"Weren't you with— mmph!" Garp began, his last words muffled as the archeologist bloomed arms to cover his mouth. He turned confused eyes on her as Ace, still in his hands, poked the arms with interest.

"My argument is verified," Robin said, pointedly making eye contact with the aged man. "Apropos to that, my benefactor desires to maintain their anonymity a while longer."

"Oh," Garp blinked, the arms bloomed from his shoulders dispersing into pedals. "That makes sense. He always did— gemmmph!"

"He‽" Sanji demanded, his body spontaneously combusting with his flames of passion, or in this case, flames of rage, as it does. "That bastard! How dare—!"

The chef's eyes rolled as he crumpled, Nami standing beside him with her Perfect Clima-Tact extended still.

"Do not swear around my baby!" the young mother hissed.

"Bastard!" Ace supplied, the word quickly followed by Garp and Luffy's uproarious laughter.

"He's just like you as a brat, brat!" Garp laughed. "I remember telling your dad about the mouth you had growing up, and he said the Monkey genes breed true. Ahahaha! Say it again, Ace."

"Bastard!"

"Don't encourage that, dammit!" Nami cried. Her eyes widened, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. "Crap."

"Dammit booze!" Ace giggled.

"We're such a mess," Coby sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ace is gonna be swearing like a sailor in no time."

"We technically are super sailors already," Franky mused. "Now if we can get him to super eat spinach, he can be the strongest seaman in the world. Not that half of him wasn't already the strongest s—"

"Shut up, Franky!" Nami ordered, turning her weapon on the cyborg.

"Yohoho!" Brook chuckled. "Despite our fight, I daresay we're more lively than ever. Save for me, of course, since I'm dead! Skull joke! Yohohoho!"

"Skull joke, skull joke!" Ace echoed. "Giihihihi!"

"Uh, guys…" Coby muttered.

"Well, he's not going to be the most messed up child I've ever seen," Amy commented. "Let me tell you, some of the Charlottes are nuts… literally."

"That ain't ominous fer our future in any way," Gin sighed.

"Guys?" Coby tried again.

"Now listen up, Ace," Garp said. "I'm gonna make sure—"

"Oh no you don't!" Luffy interrupted. "Ace is not becoming a marine!"

"I didn't say he would, brat!"

"You said the same thing to me and my brothers every time you visited! You beat us up saying it was to make us all good, strong marines!"

"Captain Luffy? Guys? We've got a problem!"

"Luffy's right," Nami nodded. "Ace is going to be the richest child in the world so he can keep me in luxury until my death because I full-well know my moronic husband is going to get himself killed before I die."

"Why am I not surprised that's her reasoning?" Zoro muttered.

"How altruistic, Nami," Robin giggled.

"Being good and being rich aren't exclusionary," Garp argued.

"No, but there is a negative correlation between them," Merry offered. "I mean, we've got plenty of money by a normal person's standard but the world doesn't consider us good. That's not even considering all the rich and powerful people we've toppled because they came after us or our friends. Really, only the royals of Alabasta have been good and rich at the same time."

"And they weren't really rich anymore," Gin said. "Spent it all tryin' ta feed th' people 'cause o' th' drought, remember?"

"Something big is coming down from above the island!" Coby hollered, his raised voice finally catching the attention of the arguing family and onlookers. Several of the citizens above seemed to sense the change in the group below, their revelry slowing to a stop as the pirates turned to the bubble-ensconced sky. There above, nearly hidden by whisps of clouds, loomed a large shadow growing bigger with each passing second. The shadow broke through the barrier with a splash, vivid color dropping past the clouds as what it was came into view.

"Princess Shirahoshi‽" the crowd gasped as her gargantuan image appeared. Falling beside her were a shark comparable to the princess in size and the blue-and-flesh-colored body of Fukaboshi.

"Shirahoshi!" the two princes in the plaza cried. "Fukaboshi! Megalo!"

"We're in the way!" Merry yelled. "They'll fall on us if we don't move!"

Heeding her words, the Straw Hats scrambled to comply. With the falling royals now in the island's atmosphere, their shadows fell on the war-torn plaza, starting indistinct but slowly darkening into their proper outlines denoting where they'd land.

"Everyone run!" Fukaboshi yelled with a wince as his wounds ached. "Sea Kings are on their way! As Heir Apparent, I command you all to get yourselves to safety!"

Silence fell over the populous, present for only a moment before the prince's words registered. Pandemonium broke loose, people scrambling to get away as quickly as their individual body parts would allow.

"We forgot Sanji!" Chopper cried, the crew turning back to see the chef Nami had knocked dizzy a moment ago now shrouded in the shadow of the falling mermaid.

"Well, it's how he would want to go," Zoro waved off. Only for the rest of the crew to utter his name with varying levels of annoyance, shock, and outrage. That he told an objective truth was of no consequence.

Forsaking his headband, Gin supercharged his legs and launched forward. Coby, too, shot forward in a Shave, the pair neck-and-neck as they reached the insensate chef. Each grabbed an arm as they went past, yanking Sanji along like a ragdoll and clearing the darkening shadow just as the air started to compress.

Even so, Ryuboshi and Manboshi flew past, their bubbles allowing for limited flight as they made their way toward their sister. Members of the pirate crew that could imitate flight joined them quickly, all working together to prevent the worst outcome of Shirahoshi hitting the earth at full speed.

Luffy appeared beside the shadow first, Amy at his side with the two already spinning. Momentum built, Luffy launched her upward with a shout of "Gum-Gum Parasol Cannon!" She grabbed onto a scrap of the princess' clothing, increasing her mass but maintaining her speed in the instant before. The resulting forces slowed Shirahoshi's fall somewhat.

In conjunction with this, Kaku, Merry, and Garp blitzed upward with Moonwalk, the latter having passed Ace back to his mother already. Ryuboshi and Manboshi did likewise, grabbing parts of their sister to slow her decent. Billy caught Fukaboshi, unwilling to allow the smallest living projectile to be forgotten in the chaos.

Robin crossed her arms, blooming a massive pair of legs beneath the princess as Zoro wound up to unleash a twister to help soften the impact that was inevitable. Even Usopp lent a hand, blooming a Trampolia to protect the princess' tail.

Between all these factors, it was a thump rather than a bang that announced Shirahoshi's return to land. The giant legs buckled as they absorbed some of the teen's momentum. Robin's efforts dissipated before the ultimate landing could damage her, leaving it to Zoro's wind and Usopp's plants to cushion the rest of her fall. The princess laid on her back, her face expressionless.

"Fukaboshi, what happened?" Manboshi questioned as Megalo crashed down on the proto-giant's other side. "Why is Shirahoshi out of the castle and here of all places?"

The eldest sibling did not answer immediately, the warrior panting as he rolled off Billy's back. The hand that did not hold his trident clutched at the bandages that covered his chest, a stain of red slowly growing there even as he leaned on his weapon for support.

"What happened to you?" Ryuboshi asked.

"Vander Decken," the heir spat, a wave of coughs wracking his body. "I went back to check on the palace —make sure the Straw Hats were telling the truth— but on the way I got a report that Decken had used his powers on his own ship. Because Shirahoshi is his target, we could not do nothing. One of the soldiers suggested we have Shirahoshi prolong the chase while I led a group to take Decken out."

"Decken did all this to you‽" Manboshi gasped.

Fukaboshi shook his head. "It was his ship. The Dutchman had a Klabautermann with nine generations of experience. I was forced to use the Dauntless Dragon form, but Decken stabbed me in a moment of weakness. It awoke a power in Shirahoshi called Poseidon, giving her control over Sea Kings. They ripped the ship apart and Decken got away after stabbing me. Megalo and I dragged her all the way here, trying to separate her from the Sea Kings. That's not important. We need to focus on getting Shirahoshi back to normal; that power is hurting her."

"Hey, prince?" Grace interrupted. "Great story and all, but those Sea Kings you mentioned are almost here." She pointed to the sky where Sea Kings of all varieties were pushing through the bubble the same way Fukaboshi had arrived. Several had a Ryugu knight or two clinging to them, but most were alone as the island's gravity replaced the water's buoyancy.

"Shit," the prince bit out in a very un-royal-like manner. "They're faster than I thought and I doubt we could move Shirahoshi without her helping."

"We'll take care of it," Luffy offered, analyzing the falling monsters as he cracked his knuckles. "Man, this reminds me of my childhood."

"I..." Garp blinked. "Actually, Mount Corvo does have some weird geography and big animals. I can see it."

"Now I'm even more curious," Merry laughed. "Oi, Sunny! Throw some of your cannonballs this way! I need 'em!"

Their ship roared an affirmative, a dozen cannonballs shooting from her side and racing toward the group. Merry caught them with her own Wood Fairy influence and redirected them, launching them at the coming Sea Kings.

"We'll do our best to redirect them and keep them occupied," Coby told the princes as Merry's cannonballs exploded. "Try to snap Shirahoshi out of whatever is causing this."

"It wouldn't look good on us if she died after we won!" Grace agreed. "That'd put a real damper on things!"

"I concur," Robin said. "A celebration and a funeral cannot coexist concurrently unless the individual who passed was particularly horrid, as Hody Jones demonstrated."

"You two are awful!" Usopp gasped, Pop Greens flying from his Kabuto one after the other.

"They're right, though," Amy said before jumping impossibly high. "Come get some, fishies!"

Fukaboshi turned away from the arguing pirates, his brothers following as they focused on their sister. Her eyes remained dull and empty, that blue glow still worrying. More worrying, however, were the trails of blood sliding down the sides of her face from her eyes. Without the seawater to wash it away, the life-giving liquid flowed down into her pink hair, coloring it a darker shade and leaving behind thin lines of drying red.

"Her eyes are bleeding!" Ryuboshi realized. "How do we stop this?"

"I don't know," Fukaboshi admitted. "I did not know Poseidon existed until I forced the answer out of Decken at trident-point. Still, there must be some way we can reach her. Something we can say or do that will bring her back."

Fukaboshi finished his statement, only to hear no response. He turned, finding his younger brothers sharing a heated discussion without words.

"We… might have an idea," Manboshi said, hopping forward on his tail. "Shirahoshi! Look over here! Look at me! I'm dancing! Dancing! Akamambo!"

"Sing with me, Shirahoshi, do-ray-mi-fa~!" Ryuboshi added. "I know you can, so-la-ti-do~!"

The princess did not move, her supernaturally-blue eyes still staring up at the faux sky. Still, Fukaboshi noticed a twitch in her fingers. Such an action would have been imperceptible on any normal person, but for someone as tall as the Mermaid Princess, the action spoke volumes.

"Keep it up," the Heir Apparent ordered, hopping his way to their sister's head. Pushing through her mass of pink hair and feeling like some of the jungle explorers their mother had told them stories about so long ago, Fukaboshi came to the giant scalp of the youngest among them. Sucking in a breath and tensing for the pain that his unhealed wounds were sure to give him, the blue-haired merman grabbed her and started to push. "Megalo, help me!"

"Sha, sha!"

Though he could not see it, his vision filled with naught but pink, Shirahoshi's face began to turn. Ever so slowly, her blank stare moved from the sky to her sword-wielding brothers.

"Dance with me, Shirahoshi! We've won and it's a party! Akamambo! Akamambo!"

"Sing and cheer, Shirahoshi! La-ti-do~!"

For a minute, nothing happened. Tears formed in the brothers' eyes as they maintained their merry façade, silently praying to every sea deity they knew of that their sister was not lost. The sounds of battle around them were both clear as day yet also muted, and Ryuboshi could not stop himself from comparing it to that day so many years past when they lost their mother. He could still hear the roaring of the flames like some terrible Sea King so far away.

Perhaps it was the actual Sea Kings not a hundred steps away and not just his royal vocabulary waxing poetic, but those thoughts came unbidden and were equally unhelpful. As if to prove his point, a Sea King with flippers that could act like arms lunged from behind only to smash its face into the thick armor plating of the one called the Tri-Horn. The young man shifted into a different Zoan form and, with a yell of exertion, bodily flung the frog-like Sea King away.

"Look!" Manboshi hissed, his body movements now gesturing to the rosette's eyes. Ryuboshi shook himself from his thoughts in an attempt to see what his brother had. There, at the corners of Shirahoshi's eyes, were the gatherings of tears. The clear water mixed with the blood, lightening its color to a rosier pink. The shade continued in this pattern, each drop that flowed carving a new, cleansing trail through the bloodstained lines Poseidon had caused. Soon, the fluids coming from her eyes were colorless as a mountain stream, the unnatural glow receding into the regular blue of her wide, innocent eyes.

"B-Big Brother Ryu?" Shirahoshi sniffled. "B-Big Brother Man?"

"Shirahoshi!" the siblings yelled, hopping as quickly as they could to hug their sister's face. Her hands rose, cradling each in their own as her size allowed. Her tears did not let up, the princess crying as all the stress and worry poured from her. Megalo wiggled over her stomach, acting more like a dog than a shark. "You're back! You're back!"

Ryuboshi and Manboshi could not stop their own tears as they cried with relief, trying to hug their giant younger sister for all she was worth. The sounds of battle lessened to nothing as the powers of Poseidon vanished back into its dormant state, freeing the Sea Kings of its influence.

Time passed, but again it was a blur for the siblings as they basked in each others' company, but all things must end at some point.

"Well, well," a voice laughed. "Guess it's a good thing Fishman Island wasn't a member nation. Senny, Kong, and that mad dog would've had conniptions trying to get you."

The siblings pulled away from each other, the brothers turning to see the old man who had introduced himself as Straw Hat's grandfather. The man grinned, his stance still relaxed even as the brothers dropped into defensive poses.

"What do you mean by that, la-ti-do?" Ryuboshi demanded, slipping into his old verbal tick.

"You're saying it was a good thing our mother didn't achieve her dream, akamambo?"

"Honestly, yeah," Garp answered as the Straw Hats gathered around, eyeing the standoff with worry. He blinked. "You don't know what I mean?"

"Of course not!"

Garp weighed his options for once in his life, considering what to say in explanation, or if he even should. The information he had was that sensitive.

"Well, you've got one, so I guess I should say something," he decided. "There are three weapons out there, legends from the Lost Century said to each have enough power to destroy the world."

"Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus," Robin breathed. All eyes turned to her, the archeologist realizing she'd spoken out loud.

"You know?" the retired marine asked. "Ah, of course you know. That's why you're wanted. Anyway, most people with that information call them the Ancient Weapons and the World Government has been looking for them for as long as they've been around."

"I'm…" Shirahoshi muttered. "I'm a weapon?"

"Eh, yes and no. It appears you've inherited one of the legendary weapons. If Fishman Island had been a member nation of the World Government, I've no doubt one of the higher-ups would've tried everything from bribery to blackmail trying to get you. We don't have the… best history there." His face fell, the man admitting to something he'd ignored for too long.

"What will you do?" Manboshi questioned, an edge in his tone that Shirahoshi had never heard from him before. "Are you going to try to take her?"

"Me?" Garp laughed. "No thanks! I'm retired and under no orders! Hahaha!"

"You're—?" the princes and several of the Straw Hats gasped, Luffy included in that number.

"Will you take the information you've learned here and notify the World Government?" Robin questioned, her arms crossed to act at a moment's notice. It may strain her relationship with the Monkey family if she somehow managed to snap Garp's neck before he could do anything, but that was a risk she may need to take. The rest of the crew similarly prepared, if a bit more hesitant.

"Nah," the man waved off, the crew relaxing slightly. "As I said, it's not my job anymore. If the Marines wanna get Poseidon, then they gotta earn the Ryugu Kingdom's trust, and I'm not gonna let them know the reward for doing so. Partnership with expected reward only ends with bad blood. Your secret's safe with me, but I can pull some strings to get the induction process started in time for the coming Revery if you want."

"That…" Ryuboshi trailed off, unsure what to say. Shirahoshi shifted, trying to sit up. Her muscles ached and a headache swam through her brain as the strain her apparent powers had put on her began to register. One hand rose, clutching at her head where some of her hair was plastered from the remains of her bloody tears. Her fingers hit something much harder than clotted blood and hair, the object coming loose before falling to the ground. She blinked, her mouth moving before she fully comprehended what she saw.

"Big Brother!"

Fukaboshi laid where he'd landed, his breathing labored and uneven. Ryuboshi, Manboshi, and Chopper rushed to his side, the mermen rolling him onto his back. The bandages he'd been given as a patch job were stained crimson, drops of his own blood seeping through the cloth.

"Coby, you're the fastest one here," Chopper began, already running through possible causes and diagnoses. "Get to the Sunny and grab my equipment, now!"

The roset vanished in a blur, the reindeer fussing over the merman as well as he could with no tools to work with. Coby returned in moments, Chopper pulling what he needed from his bag.

"Mommy?" Ace asked. "What happened to the buff mermaid guy? He was yelling and shouting a minute ago."

"We don't know, sweetie," his mother answered, turning him away from the scene. "Chopper's going to find out, though. He's the best doctor, after all."

Keeping the child's eyes away, Nami watched as Chopper cut the ruined bandages off the prince. The doctor muttered to himself as he worked, going through symptoms and treatments and the biological possible differences for a merman as opposed to a human. He checked the warrior's heart, lungs, and eyes quickly before pulling out a syringe. He carefully slid the needle into Fukaboshi's stab wound, clearing the blood that had started to pool in his punctured lung as best he could. Several filled syringes seemed to satisfy the human-deer, the blue-nosed doctor leaving the last one full as he extracted needle and thread from his bag and rolled Fukaboshi into the recovery position.

"I've got good news and bad news," Chopper said, never taking his eyes off his patient. "I don't have anything concrete yet from my preliminary tests and would like a second opinion from your castle's physician, but I think my conclusions are accurate. Which do you want first?"

"Give us the good news," Manboshi answered.

"He'll live, assuming you care for him. The first aid he received did enough to save his life. He's free of infection and likely can recover in time."

"Likely?" Ryuboshi asked, a waver in his voice. "What's the bad news?"

"He's alive but not responsive," Chopper replied, a wail coming from Shirahoshi with a fresh wave of tears. "I suspect his wounds reopened in the last view minutes. Between that and whatever fights he was in before, he's stretched himself to the limit and lost nearly half his blood. The loss of oxygen to his brain has sent him into a coma. It…" Chopper paused, but his Hippocratic Oath demanded he give them all the information.

"If he pushed himself too far, it may be permanent."

End of Chapter 24

Dun-dun-duuun! That's a wrap for this chapter! As I said at the start, there are only one or two more chapters until the Fishman Island Arc comes to a close. And as I know at least one of your has been asking about this, yes, I know that Jinbe has not appeared yet. I am fully aware and there is reason for this, but you don't get to know what that reason is yet. Leave your questions and comments below! And, as always:

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods