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The Strongest Frost Loli (61)
🕑 Added 2024-06-08 17:00:11 +0000 UTCChapter 61 - Fishman Island
Two weeks later.
Having brought Gloriosa and Kaie on board, completed the necessary preparations, and coated their ships, they were finally ready to set sail.
After nearly three years in the first half of the Grand Line – Paradise – they were finally heading towards the New World.
"Did you forget anything?" Kanata asked.
"Supplies, coating, Log Pose – everything's ready."
They had already purchased a Log Pose for the New World back in the West Blue. They even had spares. They were well-prepared.
“How long does it take to reach Fishman Island?”
“If it was just us, about an hour… but with the ships, four or five hours, I guess. It’ll be faster if we ride the currents properly.”
Tiger had explained that if they could ride the currents effectively, it wouldn't take long to reach the depths of the ocean.
Fishmen and Merfolk could simply swim there, but ships required a different approach.
Tiger had offered to guide them, and Kanata trusted him to handle the navigation. There were dangers along the way, but that was the case with any voyage. There was no point in dwelling on it.
"I'm going to inflate the airbags. Wait here."
Tiger jumped off the ship, adjusting the valves of the airbags attached to the bottom of each of the three ships. The bubble coating expanded, enveloping the vessels.
Their ships were massive, so the bubbles were equally large. The coating alone had cost a fortune. Kanata hoped it wouldn’t be a waste, and then she spotted a familiar figure on the nearby shore.
It was Shakky.
She beckoned Kanata, and, confused, Kanata disembarked.
“What’s up, Shakky? Did you come to say goodbye?”
“That too, but there’s something I wanted to give you.”
Shakky handed her a nautical chart.
The island at the center of the chart was named ‘Hachinosu’.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a chart of ‘Pirate Island’ Hachinosu. Apparently, a surveyor who was part of the Rocks Pirates made it, and Gloriosa took it from Hachinosu when she left the crew.”
Shakky chuckled. “She’s a resourceful woman, isn’t she?”
It was a detailed chart, even including the island’s interior.
Nautical charts were valuable, containing crucial information for military operations. They were usually kept under tight security… but Gloriosa had left the Rocks Pirates after Rocks’ death, when the crew was in disarray. It wouldn’t have been easy, but it was possible to steal it during that chaotic period.
“They had a skilled surveyor. Rocks, the captain, definitely knew the details, and probably Octavia and the surveyor… but the other members might not have known.”
“…You think something might be hidden there?”
“Yes. Maybe Rocks’ hidden treasure.”
“I’m not really interested in treasure, but…”
“Really? You can never have too much money. It’s worth looking for, isn’t it?”
There was a certain romanticism in searching for treasure.
It was a sentiment Kanata, who was essentially on a leisurely world tour, couldn’t fully grasp, but she understood the appeal.
She accepted the chart, thinking she’d look for the treasure if she had time.
“But why give this to me? If you want the treasure, you can go get it yourself.”
“I’m retired from piracy, and that chart’s been sitting uselessly in our possession – but it might be meaningful to you.”
Because, after all, it was the island where the Rocks Pirates were founded.
Shakky took a drag of her cigarette, a nostalgic smile gracing her lips.
“Rocks gathered a lot of pirates on that island, advertising a lucrative opportunity, and founded the Rocks Pirates. His goal was to literally conquer the ‘world’ and divide it amongst his crew.”
“Conquer the world… I see. That’s why the World Government is so determined to erase all information about them.”
“They touched on many taboos. It’s understandable, but…”
It was an obsession bordering on paranoia. Perhaps there was something they were desperately trying to hide, something Rocks had almost uncovered.
They had directly targeted the World Government, and Octavia seemed to know about the ‘Ancient Weapons’, created in a distant past. It was understandable that the World Government considered them a threat.
Anyway…
“…A meaningful chart, you say?”
“Yes. Just a hunch… But you should visit it.”
“Perhaps I will. Coincidentally, or maybe inevitably, I have an Eternal Pose for Hachinosu.”
“That’s quite a… coincidence. Or maybe it’s fate.”
She had acquired three Eternal Poses on an island before entering the Grand Line. One of them was for Hachinosu.
Now that she thought about it, she wondered why they were even selling an Eternal Pose for that island, but there was no point in dwelling on the past.
“What were Rocks and Octavia thinking when they tried to conquer the world…? Maybe you’ll find the answer.”
“…Maybe. It would be fun to look for it.”
“I think Gloriosa knows more about them. You should ask her sometime.”
“I will.”
Shakky couldn’t believe that Rocks and Octavia had sought world domination for wealth, fame, or power.
They must have had another goal. What that was, she couldn’t say.
Of course, she could ask Octavia directly, but she had no idea where she was, and couldn't contact her.
She was sure Kanata would encounter Octavia again. They could compare notes then.
“Well, we’re heading to Fishman Island. We’ll visit Hachinosu sometime.”
“Yes, take care. Give my regards to Gloriosa and Kaie.”
“I will.”
Kanata returned to the ship. The only thing left to do was remove the airbags. She folded the chart and tucked it away.
“Sorry for making you wait.”
“Don’t worry about it. So, are you ready?”
“Yeah. Gloriosa and Kaie said to say hello.”
“Alright. Shakky took good care of us.”
Kaie, held by Gloriosa, waved to Shakky, and Gloriosa, standing at the edge of the ship, waved back.
Tiger, having removed the airbags from all three ships, watched as they slowly sank beneath the waves.
They were entering a new realm, a world unlike any they had seen before.
“Then… let’s go! Set sail!”
“OOOOoooohhhh!!!”
They raised their voices, unfurling the sails, heading towards Fishman Island, ten thousand meters below the surface.
Shakky watched as Kanata’s ships disappeared beneath the waves, puffing on her cigarette. Gloriosa and Kaie were waving, and she waved back.
Kanata resembled her mother, but their personalities were completely different. If she hadn't known their faces, she wouldn’t have guessed they were related.
Whether the Marines had realized it or not, they wouldn't be able to defeat Kanata with a single Buster Call. While fighting her would be costly, they had likely decided that, unlike the other Great Pirates, she wasn't a significant threat and decided to conserve their resources.
But who was the real danger?
Shakky thought about the New World, which was about to be thrown into chaos, and lowered her hand as the ships vanished from sight.
“Maybe there’s no such thing as ‘coincidence’ in fate…”
Gloriosa having the nautical chart of Honeycomb.
Kanata acquiring the Eternal Pose for Hachinosu in the West Blue.
It was as if fate was guiding her.
“Six years after Rocks’ death – the world is starting to shift again.”
***
The underwater world was a mystical realm, full of wonder.
Looking up from the bubble-coated ship, they saw sunlight shimmering on the surface, the massive Yarukiman Mangrove trees creating a breathtaking spectacle.
“What a view…”
“Amazing, right? Humans usually can’t see this. Enjoy it while you can.”
Tiger, manning the helm, chuckled, confirming that the two ships behind them were following closely.
He had instructed the other navigators, explaining the precautions to take. He was sure they’d be fine, but…
The underwater world had its own set of dangers. They couldn’t let their guard down.
“If we could find a docile sea beast, we could have it pull the ship.”
“Pull the ship, like a carriage? That sounds interesting.”
They usually relied on the currents to propel the ships underwater. Having a sea beast pull them would be much easier, but the creatures large enough to pull a galleon were all ferocious, untamable beasts.
“Hmm… Is that big enough?”
Kanata pointed towards a large, lion-like sea beast.
It was almost too big to pull a galleon, but the other creatures were smaller. A larger beast would be more powerful, Kanata decided.
“That’s definitely big enough… but how are you going to make it listen?”
“For wild beasts, brute force is the best approach.”
Kanata intimidated the sea beast with her Conqueror’s Haki, and once it had calmed down, they secured sturdy ropes around it, turning it into a living engine.
They did the same for the two ships behind them, finding smaller sea beasts to pull them.
Tiger, surprised by Kanata’s methods, admitted, “Brute force, but effective.”
They would reach Fishman Island much faster than expected.
The journey was relatively smooth. They encountered a few sea beasts along the way, but Gloriosa repelled them with her arrows.
“That’s a lot of power, for just a bow and arrow,” Tiger commented.
“I’m coating the arrows with Haki. Even in the depths of the ocean, where the water pressure is high, Haki-infused arrows won’t break.”
“A Haki user! We’re training, but we can’t use it properly… You guys are on another level. Teach us sometime.”
“Sure. I’m indebted to you, so consider it a small repayment.”
The deep sea was cold, the temperature dropping rapidly. And with sunlight unable to penetrate the depths, it was pitch black.
Despite this, Gloriosa continued to fend off the massive sea beasts and sea kings that attacked them. Her Observation Haki was quite refined.
She was worthy of being the former captain of the Kuja Pirates.
“Hey, do you think we can eat that fish?”
Samuel pointed towards a colorful fish, swimming gracefully through the water. It was surprisingly vibrant, considering the darkness of the depths.
The Longarm cook said, “That one’s poisonous.”
“What?! How about that one?!”
“That one’s too tough to eat.”
“…That one?”
“That one’s poisonous too.”
“Why are all the fish poisonous?!”
“How do you manage to pick out all the inedible fish…?”
Kanata was dumbfounded by his uncanny ability. He wouldn’t survive a day in the wild. Despite being a Jaguar Zoan user, his sense of smell seemed to be lacking in this department.
They had more than enough food on board anyway. Samuel, disappointed, had to settle for simply observing the fish.
Aside from Samuel’s frustration, the journey was uneventful, and they reached Fishman Island much faster than anticipated.
***
“This is… Fishman Island…”
“Wow… We’re in the depths of the ocean, right? Why is it so bright?”
“It’s because of the ‘Sun Tree Eve’. See that massive tree in the distance? It allows sunlight to reach Fishman Island.”
The sunlight allowed plants to photosynthesize. It was thanks to the Sun Tree Eve that not only Fishmen and Merfolk, but also humans could live in Fishman Island.
They released the sea beasts that had pulled their ships, and headed towards the entrance of Fishman Island.
There was a simple immigration process, but Tiger assured them it wouldn't be a problem.
Fishman Island was protected by a double layer of bubbles. The coating on their ships would be removed as they passed through the first layer, and beyond the second layer… was Fishman Island.
“…My homeland, at last.”
How many years had it been? It had been a long time since he last left, but he had finally returned.
Once they cleared immigration, they would officially be allowed entry, but… Kanata’s name had reached Fishman Island. It would take some time.
The royal army was on their way, and they had been asked to wait.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Even Prince Neptune wouldn’t be able to handle a 1.5 billion berry bounty.”
“A prince, huh? Is he strong?”
“Yeah, he’s strong. They call him the ‘Great Knight of the Sea’.”
He was a Coelacanth Mermaid, the eldest son of the royal family.
A master of Merman Combat, a valiant knight.
His massive frame, over ten meters tall, exuded an aura of power.
Junshi, hearing about Neptune’s strength, seemed eager to fight, but Kanata gave him a knock on the head. It was best to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The royal army arrived, and they were subjected to a rather strict immigration process.
“I’m Neptune! Are you the ‘Witch’s Crew’?!”
“Nice to meet you, Prince Neptune. We have no intention of attacking Fishman Island. Grant us permission to stay.”
“Hmm… I think it’ll be alright, since Tiger’s with you, but…”
“We’ll anchor our ships far from Fishman Island, if that puts your mind at ease. We’ll be staying for a while, but we truly wish to be friends.”
“…Alright. I grant you permission to stay.”
There were risks, but the only major incident Kanata had caused was killing a Celestial Dragon. Many Fishmen and Merfolk disliked the Celestial Dragons, and she had a Fishman, Fisher Tiger, as a companion.
He decided it wasn’t a major threat, and granted them permission to stay.
“It’ll be difficult to find a place to anchor ships this large. There’s a place called the ‘Sea Forest’, southeast of Fishman Island. You can anchor your ships there.”
“The ‘Sea Forest’? Alright, we’ll anchor there.”
It was a graveyard for shipwrecks, thanks to the strong currents, but it was a spacious area.
There was a plaza, coated with bubbles, which would be perfect for anchoring their ships.
As they headed towards the Sea Forest, Tiger said to Kanata, “I’m going to meet my sworn brothers… what about you?”
“Hmm… I don’t have anything planned. There’s the Mermaid Café, but it seems the men are eager to go there.”
Glancing behind her, Kanata saw many crew members excitedly talking about the Mermaid Café, where beautiful Mermaids worked.
It would be rude to go there with this many people, so they were taking turns. Kanata wasn’t even sure if she would get a chance to go.
She decided to explore the Sea Forest instead.
“I could explore Fishman Island, but I think I’ll just walk around this area and see what’s here.”
She might find something interesting, or she might not.
It was just a walk, so it didn’t really matter.
“I see…”
“This is where we part ways. I’ll miss you.”
“…Yeah. It’s bittersweet.”
Their journey together had always been meant to end here. He would guide them to the surface of the New World, but they wouldn't be sailing on the same ship anymore.
It was time to say goodbye, for now.
If fate allowed it, they might sail together again someday.
“Let’s have a feast. We’re parting ways, but… we’ll always welcome you back, if you wish to join us.”
“Hahaha, you’re generous. Thank you.”
Tiger had been taught that humans were terrifying creatures.
He had yearned to visit Sabaody Park, even going so far as to approach the island.
But… humans weren't all bad. He had found people he considered friends.
This was surely… a fateful encounter, one that could change the world.
