Chapter 81: Ryugu Kingdom
“Captain, are you serious?”
“Boss Ace, isn’t this too dangerous?”
“Ace, I know you’re still remembering what happened at Sabaody Archipelago, but isn’t doing this too radical? Black Arm is clearly so old, and he even lost an arm, yet he still chased us until we fled in panic······”
Deuce scratched his head, looking at the captain seriously and said: “Ace, I think there’s no need for you to be in such a hurry. You’re only seventeen, and the Black Prince is said to be already twenty. I believe it won’t even take three years for you to absolutely stand at the same level as him.”
“Hey hey! Konghai, Kimmel, Deuce, what are you talking about?”
The person involved widened his eyes, his gaze full of bewilderment.
The partners’ inexplicable questions and advice left him baffled.
The captain’s reaction, which didn’t seem fake and was beyond expectations, made everyone around exchange glances. Could it be that they misunderstood? After quickly exchanging looks with each other, Deuce, the first mate, spoke up to probe: “Um, Ace, why go to Black Swan Island?”
Having temporarily shaken off the Pirate Guerilla Squad’s fleet that was closely following behind, the Spade Pirates landed on Yellow Pepper Island as indicated by the Log Pose.
While the pirate ship was docked at Yellow Pepper Island’s port, waiting for the Log Pose to store its magnetism, Ace suddenly said the next stop would be Black Swan Island.
Edamame Island, Curved Neck Island, and Black Swan Island.
These three islands were the destinations the Log Pose could guide them to. According to Deuce and the others’ research, Edamame Island or Curved Neck Island—these two islands were relatively good choices. Although both would gradually approach the Four Emperors’ territory, they were still some distance away, with several islands in between.
As for Black Swan Island,
This was Eckmond Kingdom’s easternmost island, the gateway to the kingdom’s east.
Stepping foot on Black Swan Island would mean entering the Black Prince’s confidant territory. Deuce hadn’t forgotten the earth-shattering commotion when Elus and Roger fought fiercely at Sabaody Archipelago. That guy was an Overlord comparable to the Four Emperors, and he even tried to capture Ace. Going to Black Swan Island would be like delivering themselves right to his door?
Of course, this was Deuce and the others’ understanding. From Ace’s reaction, it seemed their understanding had some deviation······
“Why?”
Ace blinked, “Black Swan Island is an island of Eckmond Kingdom. I think that old man Black Arm would never expect us to dare go to the Black Prince’s territory. Besides, the newspaper said the Black Prince is still staying in Paradise recently, right? So I think going to Black Swan Island should be fine as long as we don’t run into the Black Prince.”
As he spoke, he pulled out the latest issue from the pile of old newspapers on the table. It reported the news of Eckmond Kingdom forming an alliance with the autonomous city Water 7, complete with a photo of Elus shaking hands with Water 7’s mayor, Iceberg.
“Tch······ This shouldn’t be!”
Deuce lightly knocked his head in annoyance.
How could he make such a low-level mistake? Was it because he was too tired these past few days? He had also seen the newspaper Ace was holding, but he had just glanced at it and moved on. His nerves stretched to the extreme, his mind hadn’t reacted to the information hidden behind that news.
On the other hand, Ace, this thick-headed idiot, had actually noticed these things.
“In that case, I have no opinion.”
Deuce quickly sorted out his mood and changed his stance, supporting the captain’s decision.
Not just him—the other partners also accepted the reasons Ace explained. Everyone supported Ace’s decision, and the next stop was confirmed as Black Swan Island.
It had to be said, they were worthy of being Ace’s partners. These guys quickly put the pressure from Black Arm behind them and excitedly discussed what Coffee City would be like, swearing they had to taste what the best coffee was like.
The lively and cheerful atmosphere permeated every corner of the ship.
Ace looked at his laughing and frolicking partners, a smile also appearing on his face.
Time flew by,
Two and a half days passed in the blink of an eye. The Log Pose had fully stored its magnetism, supplies were replenished, and after a brief rest, the Spade Pirates set sail. Guided by the Log Pose, they headed toward Black Swan Island. More than three hours after the Spade Pirates departed, the Pirate Guerilla Squad with the seagull flag arrived belatedly and sailed into Yellow Pepper Island’s port.
Without much effort, they learned that the Spade Pirates had left not long ago.
“Bang!”
Zephyr, with a darkened face, smashed the wooden table in front of him with a palm strike.
The old man was furious.
While pursuing the Spade Pirates, they encountered a sudden storm. Two warships of the Pirate Guerilla Squad accidentally collided, the cabins leaked water, and to rescue the distressed warships, their advance speed was slowed, missing the great opportunity to trap the Spade Pirates dead in Yellow Pepper Island’s port.
It would be strange not to be angry!
After drifting on the sea for so long, not only did the Spade Pirates feel the pressure—the Pirate Guerilla Squad was equally exhausted. Moreover, due to the collision accident, morale had taken a hit. After finally landing, the barely maintained morale finally collapsed.
In this state, they couldn’t immediately pursue the Spade Pirates who had left not long ago.
Most importantly, it was uncertain which way the Spade Pirates had gone. Even though Zephyr held Eternal Poses for most islands in the New World, he couldn’t track the Spade Pirates.
Yes,
When Zephyr set off from Marineford, he had raided the general armory. Not only did he replace all the Marines’ equipment with the best, he also looted a complete set of the Navy’s reserved Eternal Poses for the New World. This showed just how substantial the World Government’s eight-hundred-year foundation was.
Even though the New World was now dominated by pirates, the Navy still had more than ten sets of Eternal Poses for various islands in the New World. These were accumulated over eight hundred years by the Navy. Some islands had even disappeared, but the Eternal Poses were still kept.
“Teacher.”
Second Lieutenant Ain, the beauty with smooth sea-blue wavy long hair, looked worriedly at Zephyr’s unpleasant expression.
“How about drawing available manpower and dispatching a warship to pursue Fire Fist?” Ain, knowing why her teacher was angry, came up with an idea.
“······”
Zephyr was a bit tempted, but standing on the ship, looking at the Marines landing on the island along the gangway, seeing their relieved faces and slightly unsteady steps······ he still closed his eyes. “Ain, stop and rest for two days.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Ain agreed quickly.
She didn’t care whether to pursue or stop. She suggested that idea to share her teacher’s worries, and now that the teacher had made his choice, she had no intention of insisting on her earlier plan.
However,
This Fire Fist pirate was not easy to deal with!
His strength was improving at a tremendous speed, and his luck was headache-inducingly good······
She felt troubled for her teacher.
————
At the center of the Red Line, Holy Land Marie Geoise, directly below it, based on sea level zero, at the depth of ten thousand meters in the deep seabed, passing through dark and winding seabed caves, crossing vast coral forests, here lay the transit station connecting the Grand Line’s “Paradise” and “New World.”
This was the fish-men’s homeland, Ryugu Kingdom, commonly known as Fish-Man Island.
The warship sank into the deep sea, passed through the seabed caves, floated over the coral forests, and after advancing for more than half an hour, finally saw that kingdom wrapped in huge bubbles—a fantastical island bathed in sunlight despite being in the deep sea.
“Fish-Man Island······ I’ve heard people talk about it, but······ such beautiful scenery······”
Poor words could not describe this breathtaking beauty.
Isca stood on the deck, staring intently at the stunning scenery ahead. She wasn’t alone; the deck was now packed. All the off-duty maids, attendants, and crew members crowded out to witness Fish-Man Island, which they had never seen before and existed only in stories.
“Sun Tree Eve······ I really want to chop it open and see!”
In the bridge’s upper cockpit, Elus sat on the sofa. Through the transparent glass window, he could clearly see Fish-Man Island wrapped in bubbles, and that massive Sun Tree Eve that brought sunlight and day-night changes to Fish-Man Island.
“Your Highness, if you touch that big tree, the fish-men will go crazy.”
Fran held the milk pot and refilled Elus’s cup.
Wisps of hot steam rose from the cup’s rim, and the sweet aroma of coffee milk filled the cockpit.
“I’m just saying! I wouldn’t be so malicious as to deprive the fish-men of sunlight······ Well, though I really want to know what kind of structure this tree has— a tree that conducts sunlight······ anyone would be curious, right?”
Elus muttered a couple of times.
He picked up the cup and took a sip of coffee milk, but his gaze full of curiosity remained fixed on the giant tree outside the glass window.
He had obtained what he wanted from Water 7: the Pluton Blueprint, Sea Train technology, and an alliance with Water 7······ After handling everything, he bid farewell to Iceberg, ending this highly rewarding Paradise journey, and set off on the road home.
He didn’t follow the original route back through Red Port on the Red Line directly to the New World. Instead, he chose to coat at Sabaody Archipelago and came to Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters under the sea. He had an appointment to meet with Ryugu Kingdom’s King Neptune.
Elus had great interest in Fish-Man Island’s territory!
Although according to his agreement with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Navy would open Red Port to facilitate his maritime transport network from the New World to Paradise, this still meant being subject to others. When relations with the World Government and Navy were good, everything would be fine.
But one couldn’t just look at the present when doing things; one had to look as far ahead as possible.
Elus’s ambitions destined that he would one day part ways with the World Government, even standing in irreconcilable opposition. To prevent being choked at that time, it was very necessary to secure Fish-Man Island as a backup passage in advance.
The warship quickly approached Fish-Man Island. Before entering the bubble, Ryugu Kingdom’s eldest prince Hoshigaki Kisame led troops to greet them, personally leading the way ahead, guiding the warship into Fish-Man Island’s main island, docking smoothly. At the port’s dock, a tall flagpole bore the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates above.
This was a new flag.
The original one had been burned by Fire Fist.
Not long after that, two captains of the Whitebeard Pirates visited Ryugu Kingdom, personally intimidating some opportunistic pirates, hung up the new flag, and then left Fish-Man Island to return to the New World.
“Prince Elus, welcome to Ryugu Kingdom. I am Hoshigaki Kisame. On my father’s orders, I have come especially to welcome Your Excellency.”
Once the warship was docked at the port, Prince Hoshigaki Kisame greeted Elus once again very formally, his extremely friendly attitude making one feel as comfortable as a spring breeze.
This Prince Hoshigaki Kisame was a shark mermaid. He had blue wavy long hair, a stern appearance, a friendly smile on his face, a deep blue fish tail with light-colored round spots gently swaying left and right, and he held a golden trident that seemed more like a ceremonial item than a weapon.
He waved the trident in his hand, pointing to a large, seabed-style vehicle frame docked not far ahead.
“This is the royal family’s exclusive Phoenix Tail Carriage. Please board, Prince Elus. My father is waiting in the Royal Palace for Your Highness’s arrival.”
“Prince Hoshigaki Kisame, thank you for the trouble.”
Elus complied readily.
He left Isca in charge on the warship and only brought Fran with him onto Ryugu Kingdom’s royal exclusive Phoenix Tail Carriage.
Before coming, he had already communicated with Ryugu Kingdom via Den Den Mushi. Although this was his first meeting with Prince Hoshigaki Kisame, he had already heard King Neptune mention him several times. As Ryugu Kingdom’s eldest prince, Hoshigaki Kisame, like him, was destined to inherit the throne.
So he felt not stranger, but rather a bit of familiarity.
The distance from the port to the Royal Palace was quite a way, but with the royal exclusive Phoenix Tail Carriage traveling, the fish buses and fish taxis along the waterway all yielded to the Phoenix Tail Carriage, proceeding unimpeded all the way. It didn’t take long to reach the destination.
“Prince Elus, the Royal Palace has arrived.”
Hoshigaki Kisame raised the trident in his hand, pointing to the palace ahead, and said in an immensely proud tone: “This is our Ryugu Kingdom’s Royal Palace. According to royal records, it has nearly nine hundred years of history. My father is waiting for you inside the palace.”
Even though they were both princes,
Hoshigaki Kisame positioned himself very humbly in front of Elus. He clearly understood that Elus was similar yet different from him. Prince was just one of Elus’s many identities. He was a Seven Warlord, an New World Overlord who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Four Emperors.
Just a few seconds after Prince Hoshigaki Kisame finished speaking, while Elus was still looking up appreciating this palace full of exotic style,
There was the sound of creaking doors opening,
The tightly closed gates of the Royal Palace—
Opened.
A giant mermaid over ten meters tall rode out on a whale wearing a crown.
“Ho ho ho ho!”
The giant mermaid let out a hearty laugh. “Prince Elus, you look even younger than in the newspaper! Truly young and promising! Although we already introduced ourselves over the Den Den Mushi before, but······ let’s do it again. Hello, Prince Elus. I am the king of Ryugu Kingdom, Neptune.”
“You flatter me, King Neptune.”
Elus smiled in response.
This massive Coelacanth Mermaid was Ryugu Kingdom’s current king, the ruler of Fish-Man Island, King Neptune, who bore the titles of [Sea God] and [Great Knight of the Sea].
He wore a crown, his build more robust than average mermaids, with thick fluffy orange-red hair and whiskers, flame-like tattoos on his arms, powerful arms giving a strong and mighty impression, dense body hair, and a finely carved golden trident tucked in his arm bend.
In short, he gave the feeling that this was exactly what Ryugu Kingdom’s king should look like!
