One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

Takumi's two sudden punches were so unexpected that neither Enel nor Kaku had time to think about dodging before they were knocked to the ground.

Both men jumped up from the floor, each with a big bump on their heads.

Kaku asked, half laughing, half crying, "Captain, what was that for?"

Enel wanted to curse but held back, yet somehow, knowing he wasn't the only one getting hit this time made it oddly acceptable. "Fine, I, the Thunder God, will be generous and let this go."

Takumi: "..."

Kaku laughed, "What's this? Not even a scream after getting hit today?"

Enel snorted, "What do you know? I am a god. Ordinary people like you can never guess what a god is thinking."

"Give me a break." Kaku wasn't about to let Enel off easy. "You think I can't tell? It's because today I'm taking the beating with you, so now you feel better about it, right?"

Enel: "..."

Takumi cracked his knuckles.

Seeing this, the two immediately shut up obediently.

Soon, the trio arrived at a giant door adorned with many weapons stuck into it.

Enel glanced at the weapons decorating the huge door and mocked, "Hah, pretty unique decorations for a door."

Enel and Kaku weren't familiar with the situation, but Takumi knew this was where Princess Shirahoshi had lived alone for many years. She stayed here to protect herself.

Those weapons sticking out of the door weren't decorations but were thrown by a Fish-Man named Vander Decken IX, who had eaten the Target-Target Fruit.

Yes, thrown.

The Target-Target Fruit is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to mark someone as a target. Once marked, anything the user throws will automatically home in on the target, unless intercepted or blocked by obstacles.

The user can only mark as many targets as they have hands, meaning two targets if they have two hands. Washing their hands removes the target, and they must touch someone again to mark them once more. This is why Vander Decken always wears gloves when shaking hands with others.

Despite being a Devil Fruit user, Vander Decken claimed he was "cursed by the Target-Target curse," and many unsuspecting Fish-Men believed him.

Vander Decken had a strong sense of possession and jealousy, obsessed with Princess Shirahoshi. He didn't want anyone else to be with her. It seemed like a case of deep love, but in reality, it was because, at the age of six, Vander Decken witnessed Shirahoshi's ability to summon Sea Kings with her cry—an ability his ancestor had sought for generations. He wanted this power for himself and decided to marry Shirahoshi to control her.

So, at the age of six, Shirahoshi had been marked by Vander Decken's right hand. Ever since, he had never washed that hand.

Initially, he sent love letters every week. When those went unanswered, he began sending packages, which eventually turned into terrifying weapons, scaring Shirahoshi.

King Neptune was furious about this and ordered his three sons to lead the army to capture Vander Decken.

Even after being wanted by Ryugu Kingdom, Vander Decken continued attacking Hard-Shell Tower with weapons aimed at Shirahoshi.

In the end, the reason Shirahoshi remained locked up inside the Hard-Shell Tower was because of Vander Decken's relentless pursuit.

"The giant mermaid is inside," Enel said eagerly. "Feels like she's a beauty."

"Is your sense reliable?" Kaku asked mockingly.

Enel snorted, "We'll see soon enough."

"Open the door," Takumi said calmly.

"Alright, I'll handle it." Kaku stretched and approached the giant door, gripping its handles and beginning to pull it open with all his strength.

Seeing Kaku struggling, Enel taunted, "Can you do it? If not, just say so. The Thunder God can help, reluctantly."

"No need. I've got this."

With a deep breath, Kaku furrowed his brow and pulled the door open enough for two people to pass through.

Takumi walked in first, and Kaku immediately followed.

As Enel entered last, a sharp spike suddenly flew out of nowhere, slicing through Enel's intangible body and heading toward the still-darkened room where Shirahoshi had been sleeping.

Takumi sensed the incoming spike and instinctively reached for his sword's hilt before relaxing his grip.

In the darkness, a flash of red and blue streaked across the room. With a sharp clang, the spike was deflected into a nearby stone wall.

The sudden noise startled Shirahoshi, who had only just fallen asleep.

A soft, trembling voice spoke up from the darkness, "Who... who's there?"

The room instantly lit up, revealing a giant mermaid with long pink wavy hair adorned with a taiyaki-shaped hairpin and shell-shaped earrings. Her large blue eyes glistened, and her face was innocent and charming. She had a generously proportioned figure, with her lower half being a deep pink and light pink striped tail. This was Princess Shirahoshi, the mermaid princess.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the murky waters around Fish-Man Island, aboard a dilapidated pirate ship, a Fish-Man wearing a small hat and adorned with numerous necklaces sensed something was different. His beady, rodent-like face lit up with excitement as he thought about the spike he'd thrown at Shirahoshi's location. "Ba-hahaha! Seems like Shirahoshi is finally going to accept my love. Ba-hahaha! No, I need to strike while the iron's hot!"

This was none other than Vander Decken IX, who desired to marry Shirahoshi for his selfish reasons.

After finishing his declaration, he grabbed a sword and threw it with all his might in the direction opposite that of Ryugu Palace.