Shirahoshi immediately emerged from under the covers, blinking her large eyes.
"Huh? Is Master speaking again? No, this voice... it sounds like those sea kings from last time."
Startled, Shirahoshi quickly got out of bed and swam outside.
A moment later, she arrived at the main hall.
Neptune was taken aback. "Shirahoshi, my precious daughter, are you hungry? Come, have something to eat."
"Father, I'm not hungry. I... I think I heard the sea kings calling me."
Shirahoshi spoke timidly, stealing glances at Caesar out of the corner of her eye.
Caesar raised an eyebrow.
Just moments ago, he had also clearly sensed several massive auras, different from ordinary sea kings, approaching.
They seemed to be even larger, more ancient lifeforms.
The Ryugu Palace was gradually shrouded by enormous shadows. Startled, everyone filed out of the main hall.
Looking up, they indeed saw several colossal sea kings slowly swimming toward them outside Fish-Man Island's bubble.
Though not as terrifyingly massive as Caesar's Kunpeng form, their size was still comparable to that of Fish-Man Island, making them equally awe-inspiring.
A serpent five to six kilometers long, a flat sea monster resembling a seal, and a strange fish with a neck like an ostrich.
Caesar involuntarily rose to his feet.
He suddenly felt an intense hunger in his stomach.
Extremely hungry.
Although he had just eaten many delicacies from Fish-Man Island, a hunger originating from the depths of his soul now surged within him.
And the source of this hunger came from the giant sea kings above!
No sooner had the sky-obscuring black monster vanished than several sea kings comparable in size to Fish-Man Island appeared.
The Fish-Men of Fish-Man Island had experienced so many shocks today that their emotions could no longer fluctuate.
Too much astonishment had led to numbness.
On Fish-Man Street, Hachi ate takoyaki while holding Camie expressionlessly, admiring the "beautiful scenery" above.
"Another illusion, just another illusion."
In the square before the Dragon Palace, Caesar found it difficult to suppress the rising hunger within him. His robust body began to exhibit Fish-Man characteristics.
Smooth black-and-gold skin, symmetrical gills on both sides, resilient webbed feet, bony spurs at the joints, and the upright dorsal fin on his back made him appear wild and domineering.
Whoosh!
A pair of dazzling golden wings appeared on his back, with a wingspan of twenty to thirty meters, from which hung blade-like golden feathers.
Just as he was about to soar into the sky, he saw Shirahoshi rush into his embrace, her soft, pale hands wrapping around his waist.
Shirahoshi looked up, her cheeks slightly flushed and her crystalline eyes glistening.
She didn't speak, but her voice echoed directly in Caesar's mind.
"Master, take me up. It seems they're here for me."
Beside them, Neptune clutched his chest, feeling a pang of heartache.
"Ugh, my precious daughter, how could she be taken away so quickly..."
Caesar reached out with his large hand, lifting Shirahoshi's pink tail, allowing her to wrap her soft, pale arms around his neck.
BOOM!
A gust of wind exploded on the ground as Caesar's burly figure instantly shot upward, heading straight for the top of Fish-Man Island!
"Wow, we're flying~ So amazing, Master, you can even fly."
"Heh, there's more where that came from. I'll show you sometime."
The two communicated through their thoughts, not hindering Caesar as he sliced through the sky and plunged into the seawater outside the bubble.
The seawater at a depth of over ten thousand meters exerted immense pressure, but Caesar and Shirahoshi moved through it effortlessly, swimming freely in the deep sea as they approached the giant sea kings.
When Caesar, holding Shirahoshi, reached the sea kings, the massive creatures turned their heads to look at them.
The tiny figures of Caesar and Shirahoshi were reflected in their enormous pupils.
Several ancient, almost decaying voices suddenly echoed directly in the minds of Caesar and Shirahoshi.
"Mas... Master?"
The voices were initially puzzled but soon seemed to understand.
"So, the ruler of us sea kings has arrived. Truly... our honor."
"Yes, the Sea King Poseidon is a favored one of Kunpeng, possessing the authority to command us. This is a rule embedded in our bloodline, indelible."
"And Kunpeng is the master of all colossal creatures. We have waited eight hundred years, believing we were waiting for the Sea King Poseidon, but never expected it would be you who arrived!"
"Greetings, Master, from your humble servant..."
The immense voices of the sea kings echoed in Caesar and Shirahoshi's minds, startling them both.
Caesar raised an eyebrow in astonishment.
Could his Kunpeng Fruit ability truly be more powerful than Poseidon's control over the sea kings?
The ancient sea kings before him most likely originated from over eight hundred years ago and probably knew a great deal.
Immediately, Caesar couldn't wait to ask, "Tell me everything you know about Kunpeng, Poseidon, and the events that occurred eight hundred years ago."
The hollow, decaying voice of the sea kings sounded again.
"Very well, Master."
"A thousand years ago, a whale in the sea consumed a Devil Fruit known as the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Kunpeng, a Mythical Zoan type."
"It is the origin of all sea kings, and we all refer to it as the Progenitor."
"At its peak, its body stretched thousands of kilometers, with its tail in the four seas and its head in the New World."
"At that time, all the oceans on this planet were still interconnected."
"Later, for unknown reasons, the Progenitor died and transformed into a massive whale fall."
"A single whale fall gives life to countless beings. In the ocean, the fish that consumed the Progenitor's flesh began to grow to enormous sizes, and from then on, sea kings were born."
"Even on land, many creatures were drawn by the Progenitor's aura and descended into the sea to compete for its flesh, such as the Zunesha herd. They even evolved long limbs to walk directly on the seabed."
"As for Sea King Poseidon, it is actually a fragment of the soul consciousness born after the Progenitor's ability awakened. It is not the original will within the Kunpeng Fruit but the consciousness of the whale itself."
"Since all sea kings evolved by consuming the Progenitor's flesh, they are unconditionally controlled by the Progenitor's consciousness through their bloodline. This is the secret behind the Sea King's ability to command all sea kings."
Caesar suddenly understood—so this was the convoluted origin of Sea King Poseidon.
"Then, is the subsequent Sea King Poseidon a creature that inherited this soul consciousness? What about the Kunpeng Fruit? And why do you refer to me as Master?"
"Yes. The Sea King is a fish or Fish-Man that perfectly harmonizes with the Progenitor's soul consciousness."
"As for Kunpeng, the reason we revere it as Master is because it harbors an ancient, primordial will. It exerts pressure on our life and soul levels, like a divine authority. We cannot resist it and even feel a deep, soul-driven desire to merge with it!"