In the blue sky, Cavendish stood at the edge of the [Gluttony], his golden curls fluttering wildly in the high-altitude airflow.
Squinting at the outline of the Red Line below, he kicked a rock in frustration.
"With Captain's 'incident-prone' constitution, he'll definitely cause a commotion at Fish-Man Island. At this critical moment, I can't be by his side. Doesn't that mean I'll miss the headlines again?"
The more he thought, the gloomier he felt. The incident on Rusukaina Island could have been world-shaking news, but the information was strictly sealed.
He had a hunch… this Fish-Man Island trip wouldn't be peaceful. And yet, this adventure didn't include him.
Meanwhile, thousands of meters below in the deep sea, the coated Ark Maxim was descending continuously.
The surroundings were pitch-black, like an unfathomable abyss. Only the ship's faint glow carved out a small realm of light in the darkness.
Through the special bubble membrane, Setsuna sat leisurely inside the cabin, admiring the wondrous deep-sea scenery outside.
With his eyesight, even with just the ship's weak lights, he could take in the submarine wonders.
Robin held a yellowed ancient text, softly recounting Fish-Man Island's old legends for him.
Hancock gracefully served carefully brewed red tea. The rich aroma slowly permeated the enclosed cabin.
Uta hummed a melodious tune softly, adding a poetic touch to this deep-sea voyage.
"Wow! A super sea monster appeared!" Bonney suddenly shouted on the deck, her voice full of excitement.
A gigantic sea creature over 300 meters long emerged from deeper waters. Each tentacle was comparable to a giant mast.
"Titan."
With Setsuna's soft call, an even more massive black shadow descended from the sea surface above.
When the Titan, over 2,000 meters long, fully revealed itself, Kraken's movements froze instantly.
The next second, the once-majestic sea monster turned and fled in terror. But it was too late. Titan bit off three of its tentacles.
"Haha! The Titan is awesome!" Bonney enthusiastically applauded for the Titan.
Hearing Bonney's praise, Titan, like a child receiving praise, happily spun a few circles in the sea, stirring up massive whirlpools and undercurrents.
With Titan's protection, Setsuna and his group smoothly reached the seafloor.
Though 10,000 meters underwater, sunlight transmitted by the Sunlight Tree Eve made the entire seafloor as bright as day.
Above them, the Ryugu Palace resembled a brilliant sapphire, quietly floating in the deep sea.
A massive bubble membrane enveloped the palace, keeping seawater out while allowing sunlight to penetrate, refracting dreamlike rainbows.
"This is the legendary Fish-Man Island? Unbelievably beautiful!" Ace's eyes widened, then he laughed heartily. "This time, Cavendish will be the one sulking."
Enel, however, thoughtfully examined this underwater island, calculating: 'In an excellent conductor like seawater, how many volts of lightning would he need to completely annihilate this island?'
Setsuna emerged from the cabin, directing the Ark toward Fish-Man Island's entrance gate.
Meanwhile, at Fish-Man Island's entrance.
Seeing the terrifying serpent outside the Ryugu Palace, even Fish-Men accustomed to Sea Kings felt a chill.
"Where are the New Fish-Man Pirates? Don't they love intimidating new pirates by controlling sea monsters?"
"Don't joke. Before that terrifying serpent, even the fiercest sea monster is just a toy."
"The ship pulled by that serpent is the Warlord [Gluttonous King's] vessel, right? Even Jinbei was invited back by King Neptune to handle the situation."
The Neptune Army's soldiers unanimously turned their gaze toward the tall blue figure, a wave of security washing over them.
However, Jinbei, at the center of everyone's attention, wore an unusually grave expression.
Fire Fist Ace, who defeated Hanafuda, the newly joined Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, and the group's Captain, Chiaki Setsuna himself… that was already three top-tier Warlord-level combatants.
If they harbored ill intentions, he alone couldn't withstand them.
Not to mention they controlled super Sea Kings… an invincible weapon underwater.
'I hope they don't bear ill will toward Fish-Men because of Arlong,' Jinbei sighed inwardly.
Information on Setsuna was scarce. The news agency had even dedicated a column detailing all known deeds of this rising powerhouse.
It was through these reports that Jinbei truly learned about Arlong's atrocities in the East Blue over the years.
At that moment, the golden Ark, coated with bubbles, slowly entered Fish-Man Island's entrance gate.
The golden hull refracted dazzling light underwater, mesmerizing many onlooking Fish-Men.
Fortunately, the Neptune Army recruited soldiers of upright character. No Fish-Men were blinded by greed.
Seeing Setsuna disembark from the deck, Jinbei quickly stepped forward. "Welcome to Fish-Man Island, Chiaki-sama."
Setsuna looked at the 'Blue Whale' with amusement. "The Knight of the Sea Jinbei? It seems you already knew we were coming?"
"Indeed," Jinbei nodded. "King Neptune learned from earlier arriving pirates that your ship was being coated at Sabaody Archipelago. He specifically asked me to wait here and invite you all to a banquet at the Ryugu Palace."
"Much obliged," Setsuna revealed a gentle smile. "I've been looking forward to Fish-Man Island's desserts."
Seeing Setsuna seemed to hold no ill will toward Fish-Man Island, Jinbei's tense nerves finally relaxed somewhat.
Though Fish-Man Island was under Whitebeard Pirates' protection, he didn't want to attract powerful enemies for Whitebeard because of Fish-Man Island.
"For distinguished guests like you, we naturally offer our finest desserts."
Just as Setsuna followed Jinbei toward the Ryugu Palace, in the dark sewers of Fish-Man District…
Vander Decken IX glared fiercely at Hody Jones. "Didn't you confidently claim that serpent couldn't exert its full strength underwater? And the result? That monster nearly swallowed Kraken whole!"
Hody Jones' eyes burned with sick fury. "That damned human got lucky. He should have died at sea."
At that moment, a New Fish-Man Pirates officer spoke up tremblingly. "Boss… maybe let them pass? Their Captain is a Warlord like Jinbei… Ah!"
Before he finished, Hody Jones grabbed him.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! That damned human killed Arlong! And Jinbei… that traitor! What did you just call him?" Hody Jones demanded, his face twisted.
"I misspoke! Traitor! Jinbei is a traitor!" The officer begged in terror.
But it was too late. With the crisp sound of breaking bones and spurting blood, the officer was brutally torn in two by the enraged Hody.
Under the horrified gazes of the other Fish-Men, Hody Jones laughed maniacally. "I know what you fear. But with Energy Steroid pills, what's a mere Warlord?"
"These pills were originally meant for when Arlong returned to lead us. Since he was brutally murdered by humans, we have no more reservations! Let's use the pills' power to change this world!"