One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

"I'm Shirahoshi. How did you get in here?"

The giant mermaid princess stared curiously at the man before her.

"It was King Neptune who let me in."

Roman replied casually, striding up with the ease of someone perfectly at home, even in the legendary Hard-Shell Tower.

Shirahoshi blinked as he approached. Almost instinctively, she extended her palm. Roman stepped into it without hesitation, standing proudly in the center of her hand.

For a reason she couldn't explain, Shirahoshi found her gaze fixated on him.

Ba-dump.

Her heart pounded, an unfamiliar rhythm that left her flustered.

She had lived in this sealed tower for so long, never once had she felt like this.

"Shirahoshi, your father has already explained the situation to me," Roman said, eyes calm yet burning with purpose. "So let me ask you one thing—do you yearn for a life of freedom?"

—A life of freedom!

Shirahoshi froze.

Her gaze shifted to the tiny window in the corner.

Warm rays of sunlight streamed through, casting a golden glow that tickled her longing heart.

But she didn't dare leave the tower.

Every time she tried, a storm of thrown weapons would come hurtling from the sky.

Had she not been quick enough, she might have been seriously injured already.

Time had lost all meaning in this place. The outside world had become a blur.

Tears welled in her eyes.

In that moment, all the emotions she'd held back—grievances, fears, loneliness—exploded.

She began to cry.

Why? Why had she done nothing wrong, yet been imprisoned in this tower? Why did she have to live like this?

"Roman… I want to go outside! I want to walk out of this tower proudly! I want to experience a life of true freedom!"

Her voice rang with desperation.

Tears streamed from her eyes—huge, glistening pearls that matched her massive frame.

Roman looked up at her.

"Do you trust me?" he asked gently.

"If you do, then come. We'll walk out of here together, with heads held high."

Maybe it was the 100% affection value.

Or maybe it was something more.

But from the very beginning, Shirahoshi had trusted him completely.

She nodded with determination. "Mm! Roman, I believe in you!"

Without hesitation, she swam out of the cramped Hard-Shell Tower.

When Neptune saw his daughter emerge, his breath caught in his throat.

His old heart trembled, but the years as king had taught him composure. He took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm.

"Shirahoshi," he said solemnly, "Trust Roman. He will defeat Vander Decken IX. You'll never have to return to that tower again."

Shirahoshi nodded firmly, her eyes glistening with resolve.

But at that moment—

Swish!

A flying dagger came hurtling through the air, aimed directly at her!

Embedded in the blade… was a letter.

"Ain." Roman called softly.

"Understood, Lord Roman!"

With a swift motion, Ain unsheathed her sword. Her figure flashed through the air as she leapt, blade raised—

Clang!

The flying knife was cleanly deflected.

She landed gracefully, retrieved the letter from the weapon, and handed it to Roman.

Roman opened it slowly.

Inside was a hideous excuse for a love letter.

No—calling it a love letter was being kind. The writing was twisted and childish, like someone just learning how to form letters.

"Shirahoshi," Roman said, his voice calm, "Let's go. I want you to see, with your own eyes, the end of this nightmare."

He wasn't just going to protect her.

He would erase the fear from her heart—permanently through the death of Vander Decken IX.

"Should I come too?" Neptune asked.

"No need. Your Majesty is busy. Leave this to me."

Neptune nodded. He trusted Roman.

Led by Shirahoshi, the group set off toward Vander Decken IX's location.

Although in truth, they didn't need directions.

The trajectory of the thrown weapons made his hiding spot easy to track.

Sure enough, about half an hour later…

They arrived at Sea Forest—by the side of Noah's Ark.

Ain's eyes widened at the sight of the colossal ship.

Even her usually stoic face showed awe.

Roman, however, calmly compared it to the Noah he had in his system space.

Same size, same materials.

But this one…

It had been submerged for too long. Its durability had significantly weakened.

Shirahoshi, meanwhile, had eyes only for Vander Decken IX.

She couldn't wait.

She wanted freedom.

She wanted to swim freely through the ocean, not cower in a dark tower anymore!

As for Vander Decken IX—when he saw Shirahoshi appear before him—

His excitement surged like a tidal wave.

"Shirahoshi! So you've finally agreed to marry me?! Wonderful! Let's not waste time. Let's hold the wedding right now!"

He was ecstatic.

He was about to control Poseidon.

He would rule the world!

But..

"Vander Decken," Shirahoshi shouted, her tone cold and resolute. "Stop deluding yourself. I will never accept your proposal. If I were to marry anyone… I would give myself to Roman!"

"Roman?"

Vander Decken blinked, confused.

Then he noticed the man standing beside her.

His expression twisted.

"You'd rather marry a human than me?"

He sneered viciously. "Fine. If I kill him, you'll be mine anyway!"

"Shirahoshi, someone like this is a stain on the world. People like him shouldn't exist in this world," Roman said calmly.

"No need to waste time. Ain, end him."

"Yes, Lord Roman!"

Ain stepped forward, sword at the ready.

"Your opponent is me."

And with that, she charged straight at Vander Decken IX.

She knew—Roman didn't want to waste a single second on this garbage.

"Hmph!" Vander Decken scoffed.

"So you're just a pretty boy hiding behind a woman. Once I kill her, I'll deal with you!"

He had no idea who Roman was.

If he had known that just moments ago, Roman had slain Hody Jones with a single blow—

He would've turned and fled the instant they met.

But in this world...

There are no what-ifs.