Chapter 251: Heading to Fish-Man Island!!
The shallow waters around the Sabaody Archipelago shimmered beneath the sunlight as the Thousand Sunny rested quietly amid drifting bubbles.
Luffy suddenly leapt onto the bow, stretching his rubber arms wide enough to nearly touch the floating soap bubbles overhead.
"AHH! Next stop—Fish-Man Island!!"
His shout startled a flock of seabirds into the air.
"Hey, Franky!"
Luffy turned around with a grin stretching from ear to ear.
"The diving system's finished, right?!"
"OF COURSE IT IS—!!"
Franky burst out from the workshop hatch, his steel arms clanging loudly beneath the sunlight as he struck his signature SUPER pose.
"Now feast your eyes on the ultimate masterpiece this genius spent three whole months completing!!"
He slammed his palm onto the green button at the center of the control panel.
BZZZZMMM—
A deep vibration echoed from beneath the ship, like the awakening cry of a giant whale.
Armor plates along both sides of the Sunny slowly slid open, revealing rows of precision-engineered stabilizing fins.
Then, a pale blue membrane spread outward from the keel itself, growing like seawater transformed into armor as it gently yet firmly enveloped the entire ship.
Rainbow-colored light flowed across the surface of the barrier, occasionally flashing with electric-like streaks.
"This is the Franky SUPER Barrier!!"
He spread his arms proudly as if embracing his greatest creation.
"The Thousand Sunny's diving and defense system! It can withstand the crushing pressure of the deep sea tens of thousands of meters below!!"
"Honestly, even you, Luffy, probably couldn't break through it!!"
"OHHH—?!"
Luffy dragged out the sound excitedly as his rubber legs compressed against the deck, preparing to launch.
His eyes locked onto the rippling blue barrier.
"It looks awesome! Then how about we test it—"
"TEST YOUR HEAD!!"
Nami's furious roar exploded like thunder.
No one had even noticed her appearing behind him.
—BAM!!
Her fist smashed directly into Luffy's rubber skull.
The impact echoed strangely within the barrier.
Luffy flew forward face-first, flattening comically against the glowing membrane while an enormous red lump instantly swelled on top of his head.
"The ship hasn't even submerged yet and you're already trying to destroy it?!"
Nami grabbed his collar and shook him violently, her orange hair practically standing on end from rage.
"We're heading 10,000 meters beneath the sea! If something happens to the barrier, we'll all get compressed into fish food, you idiot!!"
Sanji's cigarette dropped onto the floor.
"Nami-swan's angry face is beautiful too…"
Robin smiled softly while holding her teacup.
"Still… it really is a beautiful barrier."
Her eyes drifted toward the distorted ocean light wavering outside the membrane.
"It feels like we're wrapped inside a giant blue gemstone."
"Ow ow ow ow—!"
Luffy rolled around clutching his head before immediately springing back up and pressing his entire face against the inside of the barrier.
"But this thing's seriously amazing! Let's go already! Fish-Man Island!!"
Beyond the glowing blue barrier, the shoreline of Sabaody gradually faded away.
Like a falling meteor plunging into the deep blue sea, the Thousand Sunny carried a ship full of noisy dreams toward the legendary waters untouched by sunlight.
10,000 meters beneath the Holy Land Mariejois lay a realm beyond sunlight, law, and the reach of most human eyes.
Fish-Man Island floated eternally within that endless blue abyss.
It was not only the underwater gateway to the New World, but also the homeland of both Fish-Men and Merfolk—a legendary "undersea paradise" wrapped in myth and wonder.
At this moment, a pirate ship enveloped in a pale blue spherical barrier quietly cut through the dark seawater as it steadily approached the island of legend.
The Thousand Sunny drifted through the deep like a falling star, tracing a silent path through the abyss.
"It's… seriously dark out there."
As the Sunny continued descending along the deep-sea currents, the surrounding light was gradually swallowed away.
In the end, the only illumination remaining came from the ship itself and the faint blue glow of the barrier, barely revealing the eerie waters nearby.
Even the temperature seemed to vanish with the depth.
An instinctive fear of the endless deep sea slowly crept up everyone's spine.
Then—
Something moved within the darkness.
Enormous silhouettes beyond all common sense drifted silently around the Sunny like moving mountain ranges.
Gigantic crimson eyes lit up within the abyss—each one larger than a house—as they coldly observed the tiny glowing "snack" drifting through their territory.
Then came a second.
A third.
Countless massive Sea Kings surrounded them.
Some were covered in armor-like scales resembling stone cliffs, while others wielded tentacles large enough to crush islands.
Together, they formed the most primal and suffocating scenery imaginable within the deep sea.
"GYAAAH—!! T-They're huge!! This is terrifying!!"
Usopp and Chopper clung tightly to each other, their teeth audibly chattering.
"N-No way… we're completely surrounded!!"
Even Nami, trying to remain calm, had gone pale as her fingers tightened around the Clima-Tact.
"Q-Quick! Think of a way out!!"
Even Brook looked like his soul was about to leave his body.
"If one of those things crashes into us—or swallows us whole—we'll all be holding a concert at the bottom of the sea! Yohohohoho—!"
"Shut up already. Stop screaming."
Zoro's irritated growl came from the lookout above.
He hadn't even fully opened his eyes.
"If you keep whining, I'll throw you overboard to feed the fish."
"What's there to panic about?"
Sanji's calm voice drifted out from the kitchen as he expertly filleted a massive fish with precise knife work.
"If some idiot monster actually crashes into us…"
He smirked faintly.
"Then tonight's Deep-Sea Monster Sashimi Platter will prepare itself."
"Everyone, look carefully."
Yamato's cheerful voice suddenly rang out.
At some point, she had already climbed onto the railing, her legs dangling outside the barrier while she gazed upward at the massive creatures swimming through the darkness.
The pale blue light reflected beautifully across her face like moonlight.
"They don't seem to be approaching us…"
"It looks more like they're avoiding us."
"—Huh?!"
Everyone hurriedly looked again.
Sure enough, those terrifying rulers of the deep maintained a strangely careful distance from the Sunny.
No matter how close they appeared, their enormous bodies always subtly altered course to avoid the ship.
And within those massive eyes…
There seemed to be traces of caution.
Or perhaps wariness.
"You're right! They really are avoiding us!"
Chopper pressed himself against the barrier in amazement.
"What's going on? Does Franky's barrier repel Sea Kings too?"
Nami turned toward the shipwright, who was busy inspecting the system.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
Luffy's booming laughter shattered the tense atmosphere as he slapped his knee excitedly.
"This is awesome! Seriously awesome!"
"These giant guys have way better instincts than all those pirates from Paradise who tried picking fights with us!"
The ship continued forward silently through the deep sea, as though guided by some gentle force slowly parting the curtain of eternal night.
At first, it was only a faint glow.
Soft and distant like a sigh from the ocean floor.
Then the outline gradually became clearer.
It looked like a dream rising from the abyss.
"So that's…"
Someone aboard quietly gasped.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed toward the railing.
The dark seawater surrounding the barrier had become a backdrop highlighting the magnificent spectacle before them.
Layer upon layer of translucent bubble membranes enclosed the entire island like a hidden kingdom sleeping inside a giant crystal sphere.
Between the membranes flowed strange currents of air illuminated by light—
An actual "sky" existed within the deep sea.
Clouds drifted peacefully overhead while warm light spread gently across the island, completely unlike anything that should exist beneath 10,000 meters of ocean.
As the Sunny slowly ascended, more details emerged.
At the center of the island stood a colossal tree piercing toward the "heavens," glowing vines wrapped around its trunk while its crown disappeared into the radiance of the upper bubble layer.
It looked as though the giant tree itself supported the ceiling of the underwater world.
Coral forests bloomed like flower fields while buildings spiraled elegantly along the landscape.
Pearls and seashells decorated every corner.
Rainbow-colored bridges connected streets and floating water spheres where merfolk played freely.
Sunlight filtered through the seawater and refracted across the bubble membranes, scattering dazzling colors everywhere.
Schools of fish swam through the city like ribbons, while elegant mermaids occasionally glided past, leaving gentle trails behind them.
"So this is Fish-Man Island…"
Nami had completely forgotten about drawing maps, her voice filled with dreamlike awe.
"It's even more incredible… than every navigator's log described."
Yamato gently pressed her palm against the barrier.
The cold sensation reassured her that this wasn't an illusion.
The darkness of Onigashima.
The frozen twenty years.
Her father's twisted dream.
All of it seemed washed away by the dazzling beauty of this underwater paradise.
"It's magnificent…"
She spoke softly, her eyes reflecting the flowing rainbow lights.
"To think a place like this exists out at sea…"
"I'm really glad I boarded this ship."
"HAHAHA! Of course you are!"
Luffy suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, grinning so hard his eyes nearly disappeared.
"Onigashima was all gloomy and depressing! This place is way more fun!"
He pointed toward the distant island.
"Adventure's all about seeing places like this! What's the point of spending your whole life stuck in one sea? That's basically just soaking in a barrel of salted fish!"
Everyone: "…"
Nami rubbed her forehead helplessly.
"He's just a rubber idiot who causes trouble everywhere…"
Usopp muttered quietly:
"You say that like you sailed out for some grand romantic adventure… when really it's mostly because of meat and treasure…"
"Oi! What's with those looks?!"
Luffy puffed up his cheeks indignantly before suddenly remembering something and proudly puffing out his chest.
"Oh right! I forgot to mention…"
"Fish-Man Island flies our flag now!"
He flashed his trademark bright grin.
"That place is OUR territory!!"
The deck fell silent for a brief moment.
Then—
The wave of shouting nearly shattered the barrier.
"WAIT, FISH-MAN ISLAND IS OUR TERRITORY NOW?!"
"You didn't even know how many entrances the island had before this!!"
"Don't casually claim someone else's country as your backyard, idiot captain!!"
"…"
Outside the barrier, Fish-Man Island grew closer and closer.
Bubble cable cars drifted gracefully through the air while faint music and mermaid singing carried through the currents.
Near the harbor, figures had already begun gathering…
As though waiting for their arrival.
The paradise 10,000 meters beneath the sea—
Was finally right before them.
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