Chapter 262: The Speech Incident (Part 1)!
Meanwhile, Fish-Man Plaza, located in the heart of Fish-Man Island, was already overflowing with people and deafening excitement.
At the center of the square stood a temporary yet magnificently grand white platform, towering over the massive crowd below.
A long crimson carpet stretched from the center staircase of the platform all the way to the far end of the plaza.
On both sides of the carpet, the elite guards of Ryugu Palace stood in perfectly ordered rows, clad in their finest armor. Their solemn expressions and sharp gazes maintained order while separating the excited masses from the central area.
Closest to the platform sat rows of luxurious seats draped in ornate fabrics.
The Straw Hat crew, King Neptune, and the core members of Ryugu Palace, including the Left and Right Ministers, were already seated there, becoming the undeniable center of attention.
"Look! That's Straw Hat Luffy's crew!"
"It's really them! They're the heroes who stopped Hody's rebellion and saved Ryugu Palace yesterday!"
"That's Boss Jinbe, right? Did he officially join them too?! That's so reassuring!"
"Thank goodness for them… otherwise Fish-Man Island would've fallen into total chaos…"
"But what exactly is King Neptune planning to announce today?"
"No idea! But judging from this setup, it's definitely something huge!"
The plaza was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with Fish-Men and merfolk civilians pushing desperately forward for a better view.
Cheers, conversations, gasps, children's excited shouting—
All kinds of voices merged together like crashing waves beneath the sky above Fish-Man Plaza.
The atmosphere was so lively it nearly boiled over.
"Tch. That hopeless perverted kappa…"
Zoro sat with his arms crossed, glancing toward a particularly colorful and noisy section of the crowd nearby with visible disgust.
Sanji's trademark blond hair could occasionally be seen among a sea of blushing, grateful, and admiring mermaids surrounding him from every direction.
During yesterday's chaos, Sanji had rushed around the island "saving damsels in distress" like a romantic knight.
Thanks to the endless retelling of his "heroic deeds," his reputation had practically become legendary overnight.
As a result, he had gained an absurd number of female admirers and was currently immersed in the paradise of his dreams, completely unwilling to leave.
"By the way, where's Luffy?"
Uta sat in the front row, puffing her lips slightly as she frowned.
A trace of impatience—and perhaps a bit of curiosity—flashed through her violet eyes.
"The ceremony's about to begin. Isn't he supposed to give a speech as the 'hero representative'?"
Last night…
She vaguely remembered seeing Nami quietly slipping into Luffy's room.
Though she hadn't seen what happened afterward…
"Huh? Nami's not here either!"
Yamato widened her clear amber eyes and looked around in confusion, sounding innocently dissatisfied.
"Don't tell me they secretly snuck off somewhere to eat good food without us?! If there's something delicious, they should share!"
"Fufufu."
Robin gracefully covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
Her mature, beautiful face remained calm as usual, though deep within her dark eyes flashed a nearly imperceptible trace of faint resentment.
Spreading her hands slightly, she spoke in a teasing tone full of implications:
"Well… who knows? Perhaps the captain and our navigator are currently discussing some very important… navigational matters."
...…
Soon, a deep and ancient military horn echoed across the plaza.
"BWOOOOOO—"
The previously boiling crowd gradually quieted beneath the solemn sound announcing the beginning of the ceremony.
Yet the countless eyes fixed upon the platform only grew more intense.
Under the focus of tens of thousands of gazes, King Neptune's enormous and imposing figure slowly emerged from behind the platform and made his way up the crimson carpet toward the center stage.
Holding his golden trident symbolizing royal authority, his massive orange beard and thick eyebrows appeared especially imposing beneath the soft lights illuminating the plaza.
Stopping at the center, he swept his gaze across the silent sea of citizens below.
His heavy voice rang clearly through the amplification devices, reaching every corner of Fish-Man Plaza.
"Citizens of Fish-Man Island—I am your king, Neptune!!"
"Today, I have gathered all of you here to announce two matters of immense importance concerning the past, present, and future of Fish-Man Island!!"
"The first matter… concerns my beloved late wife, and the queen cherished deeply by so many of you…"
"Queen Otohime!!"
The moment her name was spoken, it felt as though an invisible ripple spread across the entire plaza.
Every trace of noise vanished.
In its place remained a suffocating silence.
On the faces of countless Fish-Men and merfolk appeared expressions of sorrow, remembrance, and confusion.
"After an overnight investigation and repeated verification by the Ryugu Palace guards and related personnel…"
Neptune's voice suddenly rose with unquestionable authority.
"It has now been fully confirmed—"
"Queen Otohime was NOT killed by humans!"
"The true culprit was—Hody Jones!!"
BOOM—!!
"And the truth of what happened back then was…"
...…
"Oh? So the lovesick cook finally managed to crawl out of his little paradise?"
Zoro crossed his arms and tilted his head, glaring sideways at Sanji with his usual mixture of mockery and disdain.
"I thought those mermaids had already stolen your soul. Why not just quit the crew and stay here as their personal bodyguard? At least then you'd stop polluting the air on the ship."
Unexpectedly, Sanji—currently floating high on cloud nine—displayed an unusually high level of tolerance.
Instead of instantly exploding into an argument, he merely glanced at Zoro lightly, his expression even carrying a hint of superiority.
Elegantly adjusting the collar of his suit, his eyes swept across the seating area before his brows suddenly furrowed.
"Hm? Where's my beloved Nami-san? Why haven't I seen her beautiful figure yet?"
His tone immediately shifted into anxious concern.
"Tch. Idiot curly-brow."
Zoro snorted and jerked his chin forward.
"Are your lust-filled eyes only capable of seeing Nami?"
"Look again carefully. There's another important idiot missing too."
Sanji froze.
Quickly scanning the seats again—
Luffy's seat was indeed empty.
A horrifying possibility instantly formed in his mind.
The joy and smugness on his face evaporated immediately, replaced by utter despair.
"N-No way…"
"Nami-san… went off alone with that rubber idiot for some private time?!"
"NOOOOOOO—!!!"
It was as though his spine had vanished completely.
Sanji collapsed dramatically into his chair while dark storm clouds seemed to materialize behind him.
At that moment, Jinbe approached with steady steps.
Seeing Luffy's empty seat, a helpless expression appeared on his broad face.
"Luffy still hasn't arrived?"
"According to the ceremony schedule, after King Neptune finishes the first announcement, it'll soon be his turn to give a speech as the representative…"
"That could become a problem."
The Straw Hats all shook their heads.
None of them knew where their captain and navigator had disappeared to.
"I see…"
Jinbe pondered briefly before sweeping his gaze across the core members of the crew.
"There's no more time to wait. Could one of you temporarily speak on Luffy's behalf?"
"The content doesn't matter too much. Just say something simple to let the citizens feel the friendship and goodwill between both sides."
The moment he finished speaking—
"Leave it to me!!!"
Sanji—who had just moments ago looked like a lifeless corpse—instantly sprang back to life like he'd been injected with pure adrenaline.
His eyes sparkled brilliantly.
His voice trembled with excitement, and his face flushed bright red once more.
He stared intensely at the vast "ocean" of beautiful mermaids gathered below the stage, his heart pounding wildly.
Giving a speech before the entire island—
Especially before so many gorgeous mermaid ladies—
This was an unimaginably perfect opportunity to boost his popularity!
How could he possibly let someone else take it?!
I absolutely must seize this chance!! he screamed internally.
"Oi! You damned perverted kappa!"
Seeing Sanji practically ascending toward heaven from excitement, Zoro's eyelids twitched violently.
A terrible premonition flooded his mind.
He shot to his feet instantly, one hand already resting on Wado Ichimonji's hilt as veins bulged on his forehead.
"I'm warning you, idiot cook!"
"If you go up there and start spewing embarrassing nonsense that humiliates the Straw Hat Pirates…"
"I'll kill you on the spot. Got it?!"
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