One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

The room was enormous—at least ten times the size of a regular one, with furnishings and decorations scaled equally to match. In its center rested an expansive bed, upon which lay a beautiful mermaid, deep in sleep, her breathing soft and peaceful.

She let out a soft murmur as she stirred. This mermaid, rivaling even Hancock in beauty, was around eleven meters long. Her majestic tail moved gently, tracing elegant arcs in the air, her form radiating a dreamlike allure. Her brow creased slightly, and her delicate, serene face exuded a tenderness that could capture anyone's heart.

As she slowly opened her beautiful eyes, a few tears clung to the corners of her bright blue irises, evoking both sympathy and admiration. This was none other than Princess Shirahoshi, the mermaid with the dormant power of Poseidon, one of the Ancient Weapons, within her.

"M-My body…" Shirahoshi's wide, tearful eyes looked down at her hands, her expression one of bewilderment. Inside her, a strange yet familiar power was beginning to surface. The force felt inexplicable yet oddly intimate, but it had also ceased responding to that mysterious resonance she'd felt before. This sudden shift left Shirahoshi, timid and prone to tears, instinctively curling into herself as tears began to flow.

Just then, a large shark, wearing a bubble ring for buoyancy, swam over toward her with some effort. 

Seeing her sole companion in the Hard-Shell Tower, Shirahoshi wrapped her arms around the shark, Megalo, and sobbed quietly. Overwhelmed by the emerging power within her, Shirahoshi couldn't put her emotions into words, so she simply clung to Megalo, tears flowing freely.

"Sha-sha," Megalo murmured, sensing her distress, and gently raised a fin to comfort her. Shirahoshi had always had a gentle heart, despite the sadness that marked her past. She had witnessed her mother, Queen Otohime, assassinated in front of her. Then there's also Vander Decken IX, enraged by Shirahoshi's rejection, used his powers relentlessly to send weapons flying toward her as a constant threat. For safety, Shirahoshi had been confined to the Hard-Shell Tower, unable even to attend her mother's funeral. This life had left her timid, fearful, and easily moved to tears. 

Even so, Shirahoshi's heart remained kind and gentle. Megalo, sensing her sorrow, made amusing sounds, "sha-sha," to cheer her up, and her lips curved into a small smile in response. Her smile was so radiant that Megalo paused in awe.

Though it tried to hide it, Megalo felt a deep sense of reverence as it looked at Shirahoshi; the Poseidon power awakening within her was triggering a natural response in it. However, knowing she was still adjusting to this power, it concealed its reaction as best it could to avoid making her more anxious.

"Thank you, Megalo. I feel much better now," Shirahoshi whispered, releasing it and chuckling as she gazed at its goofy expression. Her laughter, light and beautiful, left Megalo momentarily dazed.

Suddenly, a massive boom echoed outside the Hard-Shell Tower.

The noise shook Shirahoshi, who had long been on edge from Vander Decken IX's attacks. Her body tensed with alarm.

"What… what's happening this time?" she stammered, her eyes welling up as she curled up, trembling slightly, and looked toward the door.

Vander Decken's usual attacks, although frequent, had been limited to knives and axes; she had never heard anything like this thunderous explosion before. The sheer force of the sound filled Shirahoshi with a deep sense of dread.

"Sa-me! Sam-me!"

Megalo, sensing Shirahoshi's emotions and hearing the deafening roar, darted in front of her. The shark's face was tight with tension but fiercely resolute.

Boom!

In the next instant, the heavy, reinforced door of the hard-shell tower burst open with a massive explosion, sending smoke and dust billowing into the room.

"The door... the door has been blown open!" 

Staring at the destroyed entrance, Shirahoshi bit her trembling red lips. Fear coursed through her as tears welled up, yet she forced herself to stand tall despite her shaking. If she had to face death, she resolved to do it as her mother had—with courage, at least upright.

"Hahaha! That Electromagnetic Burst —it's unbelievably fast!" 

A loud, unfamiliar yet oddly familiar laugh echoed from the smoky haze, freezing Shirahoshi in her tracks. 'Not... the weapon of Vander Deken... But why does this voice sound so familiar?'

"Ace! You maniac! Are you trying to kill us?!"

Nami's voice broke the tension as she cried out, tears brimming. "We're 10,000 meters underwater! That cannon tore through the coating! If it hadn't been able to self-repair, we'd be done for in the sea! I really thought we were going to die!"

With that, Nami launched herself onto Ace's back, her eyes blazing as she bit down on his neck in sheer exasperation. She'd learned by now that whenever they were close to a destination, Ace would invariably pull some outrageous stunt. 

The thrill of riding the ship as it tore through the ocean at blinding speed left Nami convinced, time and again, that her life was flashing before her eyes.

The Electromagnetic Burst is an acceleration method unique to the Going Merry that was born based on her Thunder Fruit ability as a power source, combined with the highest shipbuilding technology in the Seven Waters City, and Ace's field of understanding—accelerated the ship with thunderous speed. 

Even for Nami, a Thunder Fruit user, the rapid descent through the ocean depths made her heart race uncontrollably.

Nami, though accustomed to such shocks, still looked at Ace with teary eyes. And she wasn't alone—every girl on board struggled to steady themselves, their legs nearly buckling as they watched Ace. 'Being part of Ace's crew,' they all thought, 'feels like dying and being reborn with every landing.'

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry," Ace laughed, the sting on his neck only adding to his amusement. This lighthearted apology, however, left Nami even more exasperated. She knew all too well that he'd never change.

"My old bones nearly fell apart," chuckled Rayleigh, shaking his head as she looked at Ace. He remembered Roger's wild antics, but compared to Ace, Roger's antics seemed tame. Blasting through the ocean's depths at thunderous speed, 10,000 meters underwater… if not for Merry's control, and the expertly crafted Division 0 and Division 6 ships—enhanced with fields of comprehension that can withstand extreme forces—a lesser vessel would have shattered at such speeds.

Even Rayleigh could only shake his head with a mix of admiration and nervousness.

Unlike the others, Ain—who was nearly drained of her strength by Perona's spirit fruit ability—could barely stay conscious. She collapsed to the floor, staring up at Ace in a mix of awe and horror.

With the precision of Perona's spirit fruit and Ace's field of comprehension, the negative ghost's abilities were sharper and more targeted than ever before.

Now, it can cause those targeted by negative ghosts to have their pure power converted into negativity, rendering them unable to exert any strength, rather than being completely overwhelmed by negativity.

Currently, Ain and Zephyr found themselves affected by this power. Their internal strength had turned negative, robbing them of the ability to use Devil Fruit abilities, Haki, and even their physical strength. It was a wonder that Zephyr hadn't fainted under the intense conditions of Ace's dramatic arrival.

"Well, I've got my eyes open now," Zephyr muttered as he reached for a spray, taking two deep inhalations and gasping as cold sweat dotted his forehead. Here was a man who had surpassed even the Four Emperors, yet he still acted with such reckless abandon. 'Is he a lunatic,' Zephyr thought, 'or someone who has never forgotten his true spirit?'

No status or rank seemed to contain this man. He carried himself as he always had, true to his heart and unbound by any title. Zephyr looked at Ace in silence before a faint smile crossed his lips. 'Just how far can you go?' he mused.

"You… you are…"

Just then, a soft and sweet voice drew everyone's attention. Because of Ace's electrifying entrance, everyone's Observation Haki had momentarily faltered. Now, as the smoke thinned, the scene before them became clear.

"A Giant—no, it's the mermaid princess!" Vivi exclaimed in awe upon seeing Shirahoshi.

"So beautiful, and... so incredible!" Kaya covered her lips, her eyes wide with amazement as she gazed at Shirahoshi. 'Is this really the legendary mermaid princess? She's as beautiful as Sister Hancock,' she thought, noting Shirahoshi's elegance and grandeur.

"Is she truly the mermaid princess who rivals me in beauty?" Hancock's eyes slightly narrowed as she observed Shirahoshi. 'Indeed, she's striking. But,' Hancock reassured herself, 'no one surpasses me in beauty.'

Rayleigh, on the other hand, was deep in thought. "So, the mermaid princess does indeed exist," he murmured. When the Roger Pirates had last come here, she had not yet been born. Fate had played a strange trick on them, yet here he was, with the Entei Pirates, witnessing her already this big...

"You... you're Ace-sama?!" Shirahoshi stammered, still nervous from the sudden appearance of so many people. But as the last of the smoke dispersed, she could finally see everyone clearly. When her gaze fell on Ace, her eyes widened in recognition, and she let out a soft gasp.

"Eh?!"

The others turned to her, stunned. "Princess Mermaid, you know Ace?" Nami asked, surprised.

"Yes! I saw the live world broadcast," Shirahoshi answered shyly, voice trembling. "Ace-sama saved our people. Father said that because he openly challenged the World Government, the government feared to retaliate, leaving Ace-sama himself to pass judgment. Because of him, no one has dared harm our people since."

She continued nervously, her gaze moving between each person. "Jinbei-sama also said Ace-sama is a great man. I—I truly admire you, Ace-sama," she finished quietly, as all eyes turned to her.

During the Flame Incident, Ace had publicly tried the Celestial Dragons and happened upon one of their illegal mermaid trades. After rescuing the captured mermaids and condemning the government's failure to protect its allies, he'd made it clear: 'If the World Government cannot protect them, I will be their judge.'

Across the seas, bounty hunters and pirates who had once dreamed of getting rich through the sale of mermaids were now frightened into silence. Although Fish-Man Island was technically under Whitebeard's protection, a steady stream of reckless hunters had still dared to trespass for the high profits mermaid trades brought. The mermaid buyers—wealthy nobles, and even the Celestial Dragons—could make one careless enough to brave even the Whitebeard Pirates.

But now, things had changed. Ace's public judgment of the Celestial Dragons had terrified even the boldest of criminals. No one dared to catch mermaids anymore, and a new phrase had spread among those who sailed the seas: 'Survive a battle with the Four Emperors, and you may live; offend the Flame Emperor, and death will find you, no matter where you run.'

"I see," Nami murmured softly, smiling warmly as she absorbed Shirahoshi's words. Under Ace's leadership, the Entei Pirates had indeed spared many mermaids from a terrible fate. It felt good to be part of a crew that had made a difference.

Ace couldn't help but smile as he listened to Shirahoshi's narration. However, before he could respond, a sudden whistling noise shattered the silence.