Chapter 458

"This is just too pathetic, we really shouldn't have brought him here!"

"I thought merfolk at least had some combat ability, but it looks like they have absolutely none. They're just all looks."

"Well, of course. After all, there must be a balance between all living things."

"Fish-men may be ugly, but their combat ability is quite strong. That's the logic."

Town.

After receiving the message from Lady Shyarly, the Third Prince arrived immediately.

Once she had calmed down significantly, Lady Shyarly prepared to explain to everyone the things she had just foreseen.

Although she knew that, given the character of the Straw Hat Pirates, they would never do anything to harm them.

But, she had never been wrong about the heavenly secrets.

Perhaps something they were unaware of had occurred, ultimately leading to that causal outcome.

Now, she didn't care about anything else; she just wanted all of them to be expelled.

That way, without the cause, there would be no effect.

Even if it meant disrupting the heavenly secrets!

After understanding the situation, the Third Prince also recalled the events of two years ago.

"The Straw Hat Pirates did indeed save my sister, that is correct, and even before that, they protected our East Sea Dragon Palace."

The rest of the citizens nodded in understanding as they listened.

During those two years, the Straw Hat Pirates had indeed helped them a great deal.

Otherwise, during that Summit War, this place would have long since become ruins.

The Mermaid Princess and the King would no longer exist.

The Third Prince loved his sister very much; naturally, he did not want to disappoint her.

This matter could not be let his sister know.

But then again, status was also very important.

"But they are martial arts wanderers after all."

"We cannot ignore the unfair treatment we have suffered for these hundreds of years."

"There are also very many martial arts wanderers who come here to hunt merfolk because of their high price."

"We are now just conducting a routine investigation to ensure that the Straw Hat Pirates will not bring any harm to the citizens."

He stated this matter directly in front of everyone.

Martial arts wanderers could be said to be notorious in their New World.

They ruined the appearance of this town! And they could potentially endanger the people's safety.

Just the wars between them and the imperial court involved a great deal.

Having experienced many cases, they gradually understood this and did not intend to have too much contact with these so-called martial arts wanderers.

However, the Straw Hat Pirates were still their honored guests, so they could take a step back.

But, what about the prophecy?

"But Lady Shyarly, this heavenly secret of yours..."

This left the Third Prince somewhat unsure of how to handle it.

All the citizens had, to some extent, had some contact with the Straw Hat Pirates before...

Because of this, they found it difficult to tear up the facade.

They could only confirm once more: what should they do next?

"We can choose not to make a big deal out of this, just petition the King to send them away."

"But they should already be in the Dragon Palace by now."

"Is that so..."

Lady Shyarly muttered to herself.

In the background of her mind, it was indeed the Dragon Palace.

Amidst a sea of flames, Luffy stood there.

Just this alone was enough to create countless nightmares.

The Dragon Palace, after all, was their most important place.

How could it be destroyed like this? And to be in a sea of flames, no less.

Didn't that mean the entire East Sea Dragon Palace had been destroyed by them?

That was the place where they had lived for hundreds of years, surviving many wars.

Now they even had the protection of the Four Absolutes.

They shouldn't have brought trouble upon themselves.

"I know what to do next; I will explain it to my father."

After weighing the options, he found that this matter could no longer be changed, so he compromised.

In any case, they were just taking it one step at a time now, to see if they would really take action.

On the other side, Luffy had successfully arrived at the Dragon Palace.

"It's so big! This place!"

Luffy looked at the very magnificent decor and became even more excited.

But he was still sniffing around for the smell of food.

The air was filled with the aroma of food, and Luffy could barely control himself just by smelling it.

He couldn't help but ask another question.

"When exactly can the banquet start?"

On the side, Old Man Sea watched Luffy, still so reckless, and his heart was constantly hanging by a thread.

But he also sighed, as he too had been invited to the Dragon Palace.

If this news got out, surely more people would buy his fabrics.

Wouldn't that make up for all the money he lost today?

Thinking of this, his heart calmed down a little, and he decided to follow them to see what would happen next.

The Dragon King remained very enthusiastic.

Suddenly thinking of something, he told them.

"Everything is ready, and your other partner has arrived as well."

The reason he was so anxious to invite them over was simply because another partner had arrived early, and he felt bad making someone wait so long.

Furthermore, all the ministers also had very important things they wanted to tell the Straw Hat Pirates.

Those ministers were almost at his palace gates, and he couldn't stand it anymore, which is why he came out first.

Everyone was a bit curious upon hearing this.

"Partner?"

Most of the partners had already gathered.

Only Zoro was still missing, with no whereabouts.

Could it be that Zoro had communicated with the Dragon King before that?

Seeing everyone so curious, the Dragon King appropriately described the person's appearance.

"He carries a sword at his waist. I saw him in the deep mountains at that time and brought him here."

It must be said, this unique appearance is easy to recognize; just mentioning a sword and that hedgehog hair is enough to confirm that it is Zoro.

Luffy heard this and suddenly realized.

Laughing loudly, "Isn't that Zoro?"

He thought they would have to go out separately to find Zoro, but he didn't expect this guy to have arrived first.

It looked like he had gotten lost and was brought back by the Dragon King who happened to be passing by.

But it also seemed like the Third Prince, who was out traveling, had brought him back.

"That's right. The Mermaid Princess is still washing up; as soon as she arrives, the banquet can begin."

The Dragon King knew Luffy couldn't wait, but he still patiently told him to calm down first.

After all, the guests to be entertained this time were very precious.

They needed a little more time to prepare some food.

Brook became instantly excited upon hearing the words "Mermaid Princess."