"But you don't need to worry. I will leave behind a way for you to contact Shirahoshi. If anything happens to Fish-Man Island in the future, you can notify her to return to this world."
Pausing for a moment, before Neptune could respond, Eriri continued, "Also, don't worry about Shirahoshi's strength. With me around, her future strength will rival anyone in this world."
"Understood. Thank you, Lady Eriri. I hope you will take good care of my daughter in the future."
Neptune no longer had any objections. He had always been deeply concerned about Fish-Man Island's safety, but with Eriri's assurance, he could now rest easy.
He believed that a being like Eriri would not deceive someone as weak as himself.
"By the way, I also need to inform you that tomorrow, I will be selecting a number of female mermaids to migrate to the world I created to accompany Shirahoshi," Eriri added.
"Yes, that is only natural. Please proceed as you see fit."
Since this involved his daughter, Neptune agreed without hesitation. Moreover, it was only a selection of some mermaids, not an entire relocation.
After finishing their discussion, Neptune took his leave.
Even though Eriri and her companions had declined the banquet, it still had to be held, and as the host, Neptune naturally could not be absent.
Soon, the night passed uneventfully.
By noon the next day, Eriri and her group arrived at Mermaid Cove on time.
Unlike the previous day, the cove was now crowded with mermaids. Nearly half of the female mermaids from Fish-Man Island had gathered, a testament to how quickly the news had spread.
From elderly mermaids to young and inexperienced ones, all kinds had arrived.
Some curious male fish-men had also sneaked over after hearing the news, while others were desperately trying to persuade the female mermaids at their side to leave.
The moment Eriri and her companions arrived, the gathered mermaids became visibly excited. Who wouldn't want eternal youth and longevity? This was especially true for older mermaids, who were particularly eager.
Without any delay, Eriri began her selection process.
She had specific criteria: mermaids over thirty were excluded, as were those who did not meet her beauty standards.
It had to be said that mermaids were generally quite beautiful, and these criteria eliminated only about one-fifth of the crowd—mostly due to age.
Next, she considered their social relationships. Any mermaid with a spouse was automatically disqualified.
This significantly reduced the pool, as most mermaids of marriageable age were already wed.
Lastly, Eriri evaluated their personalities. Only those with good character were selected.
After this meticulous selection process, only about one-tenth of the mermaids remained—just a few thousand in total.
Eriri lifted all the chosen mermaids into the air with her power, including the ones who had spoken with her the previous day.
She then addressed them, "Congratulations. You have been chosen. Upon entering my created world, I will grant you eternal youth and a long lifespan.
"Once you migrate, you will never return to this world. Now, I offer you one last choice: If you do not wish to migrate, raise your hand now."
After Eriri's words fell, none of the selected mermaids raised their hands. Their faces were filled with excitement.
Meanwhile, those who had not been chosen sighed in disappointment, especially the elderly mermaids who felt deep regret.
Some mermaids with bad tempers even showed resentment in their eyes, but none dared to act out in front of Eriri and her companions.
The male fish-men who had been trying to persuade their partners to stay all breathed a sigh of relief. The outcome they feared had not come to pass, and they looked at Eriri with gratitude.
Of course, many of these male fish-men couldn't help but envy the selected mermaids.
If possible, they too wished to migrate, but Eriri was only choosing female mermaids.
Since news of this had spread widely, many fish-men from the Fish-Man race had gathered near Mermaid Cove to watch the event unfold.
Seeing the selected mermaids floating joyfully in midair, the onlookers were filled with admiration and jealousy.
Several fish-men, unable to hold back, nervously approached Eriri and respectfully pleaded, "Lady, do we Fish-Men have a chance to live in the world you created?"
"No."
Eriri rejected the idea without hesitation. She was selecting mermaids for their beauty. Even if she decided to accept other races in the future, she would only choose beautiful women.
Allowing a group of oddly shaped Fish-Men into that world would ruin its atmosphere.
Hearing her answer, the Fish-Men looked dejected and retreated silently.
After dismissing them, Eriri snapped her fingers, and a massive portal appeared in the sky above.
"Without further delay, I will now transfer you to the world where you will live."
The enormous portal immediately captured everyone's attention. Through it, the mermaids could see the breathtaking scenery of the other world, making them even more eager for their new home.
Thus, none of them hesitated or resisted. In fact, they were impatient to step into the new world.
Under Eriri's control, the gigantic portal swiftly descended upon the floating mermaids, swallowing them up entirely.
Onlookers could clearly see the mermaids reappearing on the other side of the portal.
Soon after, the enormous portal began to shrink rapidly and, within seconds, condensed into a single point of light before vanishing.
And just like that, the thousands of young and beautiful mermaids Eriri had chosen were gone from this world forever.
...
With the matter of selecting mermaids resolved, Eriri and her companions resumed their journey around the world.
However, unlike the others, Shirahoshi was not immediately sent to the Martial Arts Tournament World. Instead, Eriri decided to take her along on their journey.
The Voyage traversed the depths of the ocean beneath Fish-Man Island, passing through the bottom of the Red Line and then forcefully surging upwards.
After some time, the Voyage suddenly burst through the water's surface, landing in the second half of the Grand Line—the New World.
The climate in the New World was even more extreme than that of the first half of the Grand Line. The weather changed unpredictably; it could be freezing winter in the morning and scorching summer by the afternoon.
However, none of this affected those aboard the Voyage. While they could admire the four-season-like changes, the ship's interior remained at the most comfortable temperature.
"Is this the sun? It's so dazzling!"
"Is this snow? It's so beautiful!"
"Is this hail? These chunks are huge!"
...
Experiencing the world beyond the sea for the first time, Shirahoshi was extremely excited, chattering non-stop with Eriri.
Eriri, in turn, showed no signs of impatience.
The previous night, Eriri had modified Shirahoshi's body, granting her full control over her size. Even her mermaid tail could now transform freely into a pair of fair, delicate legs.
However, Shirahoshi still preferred to maintain her mermaid form most of the time.
Her previously revealing attire had also been replaced by a proper outfit specially prepared by Eriri. The new clothing would adjust in size according to her transformations, preventing any wardrobe malfunctions.
As the Voyage continued to sail through the New World, news of Eriri and her companions spread rapidly through newspapers worldwide.
The events that had transpired on Fish-Man Island had been quite dramatic, and the press had caught wind of them. Even Eriri's name was obtained from Neptune himself.
The concept of another world immediately created a massive stir across the seas, especially after it was revealed that Eriri herself had created it.
For years, the Celestial Dragons had claimed to be descendants of gods, yet they were merely the offspring of the twenty individuals who unified the world eight centuries ago.
If the reports were to be believed, then in the eyes of the world, Eriri's abilities were far more divine than anything the Celestial Dragons had ever demonstrated.
Fear and reverence for Eriri and her group began to spread throughout the One piece's world.
Some even began to believe that Eriri was a true goddess, mocking the fallen Celestial Dragons for their blindness. The so-called descendants of the gods had dared to provoke a living goddess, and in the end, they perished at the hands of one.
Both the Navy—busy dealing with the aftermath of the World Government's collapse—and the Four Emperors of the New World began to pay close attention to Eriri and her movements.
Many people were particularly envious of what the newspapers had mentioned—Eriri's ability to grant eternal youth and longevity.
However, Eriri's strength was well known. Any attempts to force her into extending someone's life would be futile.
Instead, everyone sought ways to win Eriri's favor to achieve their desires, particularly the members of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had returned to the New World.
Whitebeard's health had been steadily deteriorating, and the war at Marineford had further weakened him.
Naturally, his "sons" desperately wished for Eriri to prolong his life.
Kaido and Big Mom, unable to resist the temptation of immortality, also began contemplating ways to persuade Eriri to help them.
However, their plans were ultimately futile.
Even if they managed to find Eriri, she was unlikely to entertain them.
Should they persist too much, Eriri might very well erase them on a whim.
The connection between Fish-Man Island and Eriri, due to its mermaid princess, was also widely reported. As a result, human traffickers who had long targeted mermaids suddenly found themselves hesitant to continue their trade.
...
Unbothered by the reactions of the world, Eriri remained relaxed, lying on the deck of the Voyage as it automatically steered toward the next island.
The ship's presence in the New World quickly caught the attention of the Four Emperors, who began to take action.
Whitebeard, however, was reluctant to approach Eriri. The sensation of being completely restrained by her at Marineford had left a lasting impression of helplessness.
Moreover, he had never been one to worry about how much longer he had left to live.
When Whitebeard went to Marineford to rescue Ace, he had already resolved himself to die. To him, the fact that he was still alive was an unexpected bonus.
However, his division commanders, led by Marco and Ace, did not share his sentiment. Ace still hoped that Whitebeard could become the next Pirate King.
Thus, they spared no effort in persuading Whitebeard to take action.
In the end, unable to withstand the relentless persuasion of his "sons," Whitebeard relented and sent Marco and Ace with gifts to the New World's entrance to seek out Eriri and her group.
Big Mom, much like Whitebeard, chose not to go personally. Instead, she dispatched her son and daughter, Charlotte Katakuri and Charlotte Smoothie, both high-ranking Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates, to the New World's entrance with lavish gifts.
Katakuri, the Minister of Flour, and Smoothie, the Minister of Juice, were both formidable warriors, no weaker than Marco and Ace.
Kaido, on the other hand, personally led his highest-ranking officer, "Wildfire" King, the strongest of the Beasts Pirates' three calamities, to the New World's entrance.
Similarly, Red-Haired Shanks set out as well, though his intentions were more about meeting and learning about Eriri and her companions.
The movements of the Four Emperors did not go unnoticed. With journalists permanently stationed in their territories, the news of their journey to find Eriri and her group quickly spread worldwide through newspapers, capturing the attention of the masses.
"These pirates are really overestimating themselves. If they dare to challenge that person, they better be ready to die. The sea would be a lot quieter without them," Sengoku muttered viciously, gripping a stack of newspapers at the new Marine base.
Since the World Government was on the verge of collapse, Sengoku had not stepped down after the Marineford War's failure and continued to serve as Fleet Admiral.
Despite his grievances against Eriri and Hancock for dismantling the World Government, he dared not openly criticize them.
That said, without the Celestial Dragons and World Government restricting him, Sengoku did feel a bit more at ease.
Garp, on the other hand, had been in a great mood lately—not only had both of his grandsons come out unscathed, but the detested Celestial Dragons had also been dealt with.
However, upon seeing Ace joining Marco in seeking out Eriri and her group, his mood took a sudden downturn.
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