One Piece (Love Story) [Part Two]

Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty Eight

-Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight-

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they would go for that!" Zoro snapped as I quickly stepped in front of him after noticing the fearful expression that crossed the Fishman's face as he shrunk back and away from the swordsman.

"Zoro, getting worked up isn't going to help anyone..." I quietly murmured to him, gently resting my hands upon his shoulders to keep him in place as his gaze flickered towards me—softening just a bit the moment we locked eyes before hardening once more when he turned his attention back towards the Fishman.

"Who can say? Certainly not them right now" the Catfish huffed as he motioned to the passed out men, causing me to heave a sigh. "Since you knocked them out before we could learn why they were here!" he snippily snapped.

"Except it doesn't matter what they wanted because we stopped them from doing it" Zoro argued.

"Man, I hate this—how'd we turn into the bad guys...?" Usopp depressingly mumbled as he and Nami seemed to just fall into a slump.

"It's because everyone on our crew is so irresponsible or just plain violent" she sadly responded.

"Well, just look at our captain" the sharpshooter sighed.

"Good point, too late for regrets now..." Nami mumbled as Brook gave a sad laugh in agreement.

"You guys aren't helping the situation either" I sweat dropped as I looked at the three.

"Speaking of Luffy, I wonder if he came across the mermaid princess—I'd still quite like to meet her" Brook wondered aloud before he and everyone else started to scream when Neptune suddenly fell onto his side, causing the ground to shake as he began to cry.

"My poor little girl—you fiends, what have you done to her?" he wept, already placing blame on us for his daughter's disappearance.

"Stop crying," Usopp frowned, "I know we tied up your guards, but we didn't lay a finger on your daughter" he defended.

"Liar! Straw Hat Luffy took her away—my sweet princess!" Neptune whimpered.

"I assure you, that's not the case" Brook piped up. "I only saw Luffy and Mr. Shark leave the room, surely I would have noticed if they had a mermaid princess with them" the skeleton said as I hummed in thought, an idea fluttering into the back of my mind that I quickly pushed aside due to how ridiculous it sounded.

"If you knew her, you would understand" Neptune sat up, eyes still watery as he sadly looked down at us. "She would never sneak out on her own—also, someone would notice if she simply swam out of the room, she takes after me when it comes to size" he informed us.

"Your daughter's as big as you?" Brook winced at the thought before growing depressed. "No thank you..." he dejectedly mumbled.

"Rude! What's wrong with chubby women, Brook?!" I clenched my jaw, smashing my foot down on top of the skeleton's head and further pushing him down into the ground. "Huh?" I asked, putting pressure down on his skull which caused him to wince.

"N-nothing, Skylar! Nothing at all!" he quickly held his hands up in defense as Zoro grabbed the back of my shirt—pulling me away from the whimpering skeleton and preventing me from jumping him anymore than I already had.

"Why didn't I realize it sooner? Straw Hat hid Shirahoshi inside Megalo's mouth and they all left the palace together!" Neptune theorized, causing me to owlishly blink as had indeed had a similar thought earlier...but hearing it out loud, it still sounded rather ridiculous. Which it seems that the guards thought so as well as they all burst out laughing at the king's assumption on what had happened to his daughter.