One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

Lafayette and the other two exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of tension in the other's eyes.

But since the captain said to go, then let's go.

They took a deep breath, gripped the gunwale, and stared intently at the ever-approaching behemoths ahead.

Propelled by telekinesis, the sailboat shot off like an arrow toward the area where the sea kings gathered!

The sea kings seemed to sense something and turned to look at the small sailboat.

Countless enormous eyes, gleaming with a cold light in the darkness, stared intently at the ship.

That scene was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.

Burgess felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

He clung tightly to the gunwale, barely daring to breathe.

Lafayette was equally nervous, but she remained somewhat calm, carefully observing the reactions of the sea kings.

Van Augur stared intently at the sea monsters, his hand on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

however--

What happened next made the three of them stare wide-eyed.

The sea kings scattered to the sides the moment the sailboat approached!

Wherever that small sailboat, emitting a faint glow, passed, those enormous creatures automatically parted to make way for it, just as Moses parted the sea!

"this……"

Bages stared at the scene with his mouth agape in disbelief.

Those ferocious, savage, and enormous sea kings are actually... making way for their ship?!

Lafayette was equally shocked.

He witnessed a giant sea monster, over 500 meters long, deliberately sink into the deep sea as the sailboat approached, clearing the passage to the upper level.

Those enormous eyes even lowered slightly as the ship passed by, as if expressing some kind of... awe?

Van Augur's pupils contracted sharply.

He was a sniper, and his greatest skill was observing details.

He could clearly see that the sea kings were trembling slightly as they made way for him.

That trembling wasn't anger, nor was it the buildup of power before an attack—

It is fear.

They were terrified of the small sailboat.

No, that's not right.

They were afraid of the man standing at the bow of the ship.

The sailboat continued on its way, and the sea monsters still made way for it, daring not to obstruct it in the slightest.

Some sea kings even dared to slowly rise to the surface only after the sailboat had passed by, watching it sail away into the distance.

Lafayette and his two companions stood on the deck, speechless for a long time.

a long time--

Lafayette muttered to himself,

"Is it because they sense danger that they don't approach...?"

His voice was soft, but it reached everyone's ears clearly in the silent seabed.

Burgess and Van Augur exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.

They both turned their heads at the same time, looking at the tall, slender figure at the bow of the ship.

Her short, golden hair swayed gently in the seawater, and she was surrounded by a faint glow, like a deity of the sea.

The man never looked back at the sea kings from beginning to end.

It was as if those colossal creatures, enough to strike fear into the hearts of countless pirates, were not worth even a second glance from him.

Burgess swallowed hard, a thought flashing through his mind—

Is this... the might of the Great Sea Emperor?

Its power is so great that even sea kings have to give it a wide berth...

Van Augur took a deep breath, and the hand gripping the spear gradually relaxed.

He watched Roy's retreating figure, a resolute glint in his eyes.

It seems that joining the Roy Pirates was indeed the right choice.

The same applies to Lafayette.

He took off his top hat and bowed slightly to Roy's back.

That gesture was full of respect.

Under Roy's control, the sailboat continued to descend into the deep sea.

The sea monsters continued to pour in, but without exception, they all made way for the sailboat as it approached.

Burgess gradually calmed down from his initial tension and fear.

He even started pointing at the sea kings and discussing them with Lafayette and Van Augur.

"Look! Look! That one! That one must be at least 800 meters tall!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, how impressive it would be to catch one as a mount!"

"And that one! It looks like a snake, with horns on its head. Could it be about to transform into a dragon?"

Lafayette rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

"Burgess, can't you just shut up for a minute?"

"Who was that who turned pale with fright just now?"

Burgess chuckled.

"I've never seen that before!"

"With the captain here, what's there to be afraid of?"

"These big guys, no matter how powerful, wouldn't dare come near us!"

Lafayette shook his head, too lazy to pay him any more attention.

Van Augur remained vigilant, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding sea kings.

Although they're all making way now, what if one of them suddenly goes berserk...?

Just then—

Burgess suddenly exclaimed,

"Captain! There's light down below!"

Roy snapped out of his reverie and looked in the direction Burgess was pointing.

Below, at a depth of several thousand meters, a dazzling light can be faintly seen on the seabed.

The light, like a pearl at the bottom of the sea, shone brightly in the darkness.

Fishman Island, we've arrived.

But Roy's gaze did not fall on Fishman Island.

His attention was drawn to the scenery surrounding Fishman Island.

Those sea kings...

Too much.

There were more and bigger ones than before.

Their enormous bodies swam around Fishman Island, so numerous that they almost completely surrounded the island.

Some are over a kilometer in size, like a moving island.

Some of them emitted a faint, cold light, making them particularly conspicuous in the darkness.

They swam slowly around Fishman Island, forming huge circular tracks.

The trajectories intersect and overlap, yet there is no conflict, like a meticulously choreographed dance.

The strangest thing is—

These colossal creatures all remained silent.

There were no roars, no fighting, not even collisions between their own kind.

They simply swam quietly, waiting silently.

Lafayette and the other two were also shocked by this scene.

"captain……"

Lafayette began to speak with difficulty.

"There are just too many sea kings around Fishman Island..."

"It's bigger than any we've encountered before..."

Using the light emanating from Fishman Island, Lafayette looked at the colossal sea kings with a solemn expression.

Those sea monsters, the smallest are nearly a thousand meters long, and the largest are so large that you can't even see the end of them!

The undercurrents they stir up when they sail are enough to capsize any ship.

But now, they are like well-trained soldiers, quietly waiting for something.

Roy's gaze swept over the sea kings and then landed on Fishman Island.

Then, a look of realization flashed in his eyes.

"I see……"

he murmured.

Hearing his mutterings, Lafayette quickly asked,

"Captain, do you know what's going on?"

Roy didn't answer directly, but instead looked at the swimming sea kings with a meaningful smile on his lips.

"interesting."

"It seems like something really big is about to happen on Fishman Island."

Roy quickly recalled memories of his past life.

Sea Kings gather on Fishman Island...

Could it be...?

Is Shirahoshi, the "Sea King," about to be born?

Roy's eyes narrowed slightly.