"This is bizarre," Roger muttered, scratching his head. "So much gold… how could it all just vanish overnight?"
"What's there to think about?!" Buggy snapped, ears twitching at the word "gold." "Some bastard got there first! Damn it!"
To Buggy, treasure was instinct, like blood in the water to a shark. The image of someone else hauling off that mountain of glitter set his teeth on edge.
He didn't care about anything else. He'd joined the Roger Pirates for one reason: to get rich. Conquering seas, world voyages, duels—none of that mattered. Gold did. Yet his idiot captain barely spared time to loot like a proper pirate. Since boarding, disappointment had been Buggy's closest friend.
Trouble clung to him anyway. He always ended up in the worst places, against the toughest foes, making enemies all over the map—and with that old monster Garp on his heels to boot. He'd thought Skypiea would mean Shandora's treasure at last, but someone had beaten them to it.
"Let me find who stole my gold," Buggy growled, flipping a throwing knife across his knuckles. "I'll kill them."
Shanks watched him fume and couldn't resist. "Moving all of Shandora overnight? That's no ordinary thief. What if it was Kaido?"
Buggy froze.
Just the thought of that demon sent a chill down his back. "…Forget it," he mumbled, deflating.
Shanks burst out laughing.
As the crew bantered, the Oro Jackson glided toward Fish-Man Island's entrance.
"Halt immediately!"
"Do not approach Fish-Man Island!"
"Or face the consequences!"
Sharp, wary voices carried through the water—thick with suspicion.
At the mouth of the island, a large force of armed Fish-Men stood guard. From the black water around the bubble, massive shapes closed in: Ryugu Palace elites rode colossal sea beasts out of the dark, armored and trident-bearing, weapons ready.
They were surrounded.
Shanks and Buggy drew steel without thinking. Around them, the crew tensed, eyes sweeping the deep.
Fighting fish-men in the abyss was suicide. One tear in the ship's coating and the pressure alone would crush them—Devil Fruit or no.
"The Fish-Man race is remarkable," Roger said, awe threaded through his voice. "Their speed down here is incredible—I almost missed them with my Observation Haki."
Rayleigh caught the spark in his eye and warned, "Don't. We can't afford a fight on Fish-Man Island."
"Yeah, yeah," Roger waved him off, then turned to a burly fish-man behind him—Sunbell, loose Hawaiian shirt hanging from broad shoulders, a massive harpoon in his grip. "Sunbell, lend a hand."
"No problem," Sunbell rumbled. Fins crested his head and back; shark-like gills marked his neck. He lumbered to the bow and called out through the coating, voice rippling the sea, "Hey—everyone! It's me, Sunbell!"
A heartbeat later, cheers broke out.
"Sunbell?!"
"Hahaha! You're back!"
"Look at you, kid—you've shot up!"
Faces pressed close. Guards on sea beasts who recognized him lowered their weapons and swam in with grins.
"You've gotten big, boy…"
"I used to carry you when you were a guppy…"
"Remember when you wet yourself at four? Hah!"
The tension melted into warmth. Sunbell's weathered face went crimson, drawing laughter from the crew.
"May I ask what brings the renowned Roger Pirates to Fish-Man Island?" A deep, resonant voice rolled over them.
The soldiers parted at once, dropping to one knee. "Your Majesty!"
A towering figure approached, crowned, broader than most fish-men. A mane of fiery orange hair and a thick beard framed his face; flame-like tattoos licked up muscled arms, and dense body hair covered his chest. In his hand gleamed a finely wrought golden trident.
King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom—"the Great Knight"—radiated a sovereign weight.
"Hahaha! You're the king of the fish-men? I'm Gol D. Roger!" Roger strode forward, grin wide. "We came because we discovered something about the Ancient Weapon, Posei—" Mmph!
Two hands clamped over his mouth. Rayleigh and Gaban traded a panicked look and pinned him, faces flushed.
Neptune's expression snapped tight at "Poseidon." His pupils narrowed as he swept his soldiers; finding only confusion there, he let out a slow, secret breath.
Masking his turmoil, Neptune smiled. "Honored guests from afar," he said evenly, "please join us at Ryugu Palace." He nodded, and the guards opened the passage, welcoming the Roger Pirates inside.
---
Hundreds of nautical miles away, a small metal submarine knifed through the deep at terrifying speed.
A closer look revealed its engine had been violently torn out. Yet even without visible propulsion, the craft sprinted through the pressure-black sea like a silent bullet.
To be continued...