Ryugu Palace! Brought by the Shark They Saved

Riding alongside King Neptune, Luffy travels toward Ryugu Palace with Pappag, Camie, Brook, Usopp, and Nami. Behind them, an inquisitive Ishilly and two other mermaids pry open the barrel that holds Caribou, and he repays them by swallowing the trio into his Numa Numa no Mi, an act that leaves the crew falsely accused of the disappearances. Along the way, Nami recounts how she parted from Franky and Robin. The visitors finally arrive at the palace, where a famished Luffy slips away to chase the scent of a meal and crosses paths with the enormous Mermaid Princess.

A brief flashback reveals Caribou capturing Ishilly's group while gloating that the Straw Hats unwittingly delivered him to his so-called treasure. In the present, Madam Shyarly's grim forecast moves Fukaboshi and his brothers to decide on detaining the visiting pirates. Neptune mentions that Zoro reached the palace ahead of them and brashly asked for sake. Nami clarifies that Franky went to seek the family of his late mentor Tom, while Robin chased records of the island's past and any link to the Poneglyphs. Awed by the palace, the group watches Neptune get scolded by his ministers for going out unguarded, and word comes that trouble has again befallen Princess Shirahoshi. Led by his nose, Luffy enters a dark room, mistakes the sleeping princess for springy coral, and only when the lights rise does he find the towering girl, who, fearing another assassin, breaks down weeping as the episode ends.

The anime depicts the moment Nami, Franky, and Robin go their separate ways. Regarding the Bubbly Coral fixtures, the manga withheld them from this scene and only featured them later, once Hody had seized control of the palace. No adaptation was ever made of the side story Hatchan's Sea Floor Stroll, and as a result this entry hands Octopako his very first appearance on screen.