For a long time, it had been built up that the mermaid Princesses beauty was so great that even Hancock paled in comparison. Oda hyped up Shirahoshi's beauty for so long, but looking back it doesnt really make sense.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but after the death of her mother, she started getting harassed by Vander Decken's death proposals. It was at this point Neptune decided to place Shirahoshi under full lockdown in the hard shell tower, and she was 5 when this took place. No one had access to the tower aside from; Neptune, the brothers, ministers and maybe a few soldiers, but Oda went to lengths to make it clear that the residents of Fishman Island hadn't seen Shirahoshi in years, this is why they were so surprised when she came out of Megalo's mouth. Even Shirahoshi herself said she hadn't been out in 10 years. Not to mention most of the Neptune army who regularly reside in Ryugu Palace didn't even know what she looked like. I recall a scene where Sanji and Chopper are being arrested by Neptune soldiers and Sanji asks if the mermaid Princess is beautiful, the soldier replies he doesn't know but hes heard shes beautiful. This goes to show that even among the Neptune army, who have access to Ryugu Palace, seeing Shirahoshi is rare indeed and only specific people are given that level of clearance.
This begs the question, no one has seen Shirahoshi for a decade, WHO THE HELL IS CALLING HER MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN HANCOCK!! No...forget that, if she was last scene in the public eye at age 5, WHO THE HECK IS CALLING A 5 YEAR OLD GIRL BEAUTIFUL?
In the current timeline Shirahoshi is 15 years old, yet every grown adult like Brook and Sanji fantasize about seeing her. Why are people so obsessed with a 15 year old girl that hasnt been seen since the age of 5?( of course I know shes out in the open now)
I think Oda initially wanted Shirahishi to be a lot older, because even pre-timeskip pirates were saying Hancock couldn't match her beauty, but Shirahoshi would have been 13 at this point and she was last seen when she was 5. Its a bit creepy when you think about it, but I dont think its intentional, it's one of the rare instances in One Piece where Oda decided to retcon something.
Edit: shes currently 16 years old not 15
