In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
With the hard work of tens of thousands of fishmen, the new large ship was completed.
It was 500 meters long, 200 meters wide, and 70 meters tall. A true giant vessel. An additional 100-meter section had been specially reserved for Shirahoshi, more than enough for her daily needs.
Nojiko also moved the orange trees she had brought from the East Blue onto the new ship.
Neptune had gifted several treasures for the journey, including a jade box containing a bomb.
Now, all that remained was to finish handling the final affairs before setting off.
At Fishman Island's only port, Neptune arrived with the three princes and Jinbe to see them off.
Caelan stood holding a large flag—the same one hoisted proudly on the new ship.
The flag had a black background, with a golden spear in the center, surrounded by radiant sunbursts and lightning.
This was Caelan's new pirate flag, inspired by the most powerful Noble Phantasm of the Karna template—the God-Slaying Spear that had first appeared in the East Blue.
"Take this flag. If anyone causes trouble, I'll step in personally."
Caelan handed the flag to Neptune, speaking solemnly.
By giving Neptune this flag, he was officially placing Fishman Island under his protection. Naturally, he would defend it as one of his own.
This was the first territory he had invested in, and he had also taken their daughter with him. Of course he had to give a clear declaration.
"Thank you, Caelan!"
Neptune accepted the flag with great joy, the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.
With this symbol, he felt reassured.
This was the protection of a Sea Emperor. Compared to Whitebeard's old flag, this was far more promising.
After all, Whitebeard was aging and full of ailments. How could he compare to Caelan, a young and vigorous leader in his prime?
Of course, Neptune wasn't cursing Whitebeard.
Out of both personal friendship and gratitude for his past protection of Fishman Island, Neptune truly wished Whitebeard a long life—ideally past a hundred.
But facts were facts. Caelan's future was undeniably brighter.
More importantly, Caelan was the legendary Sun God, destined to lead Fishman Island to the surface.
That made this flag even more meaningful.
Neptune folded the flag carefully and turned to look at Shirahoshi.
"My dear daughter, you must take good care of yourself from now on."
Neptune looked at Shirahoshi, his eyes full of emotion.
The daughter he had raised for over ten years was now about to leave, stepping into a thrilling yet dangerous world.
As an old father, how could he not worry?
"Don't worry, Father. Caelan promised to protect me."
Shirahoshi said seriously, then turned to flash Caelan a sweet smile.
"…"
Neptune's heart tensed as he sighed silently.
Caelan was good in many ways… but his behavior toward women was simply too unrestrained.
Not only had he taken his daughter, but he also recruited the entire Mermaid Café.
Still, what could he say now?
"Besides, Caelan was worried I'd get lonely, so he brought all the mermaid sisters to keep me company!"
Shirahoshi pointed to Madam Shyarly nearby, her expression full of joy.
She not only got to see the outside world, but she would be accompanied by her friends too.
Oh Caelan, how considerate!
"Ah, yes… that's true."
Neptune could only sigh and go along with his naive daughter.
Elsewhere, Caelan was speaking with Jinbe about the labor reform efforts for the fishmen.
"Jinbe, I'm leaving soon. Make sure you stay on top of those fishmen. Focus on their spiritual transformation, and don't let them slack off when it comes to repaying their debt to society."
"They can mine, make crafts to sell, or take on public service projects around Fishman Island at a low cost."
As the moment of departure drew near, Caelan reminded Jinbe not to let his guard down.
This labor reform was based on his own past experiences in prison from his previous life.
Let them enjoy the same treatment—he would only take half of the profits. The rest would go toward building public infrastructure for Fishman Island.
He truly wanted them to atone for their past wrongs.
"I understand. I won't let you down."
Jinbe nodded with conviction.
After three days of overseeing their work, he had already seen a shift.
Labor really did help dissolve the deep-seated hatred in their hearts. After exhausting themselves physically, the fishmen began to reflect on life, and their aggression was slowly fading.
"Very good."
Caelan patted Jinbe's shoulder as a show of encouragement.
With everything arranged, Caelan nodded in satisfaction and walked toward the newly built Wind Rider.
The women followed in his footsteps and boarded the ship.
Shyarly brought the mermaid girls, all carrying luggage. In fact, this was their second round of packing.
The luggage included not just daily necessities and spare clothes, but also all the equipment from the Mermaid Café.
They planned to rebuild the Mermaid Café aboard the Wind Rider.
Camie and her master, starfish Papagu, also came aboard, bringing the entire setup of their fashion store.
Caelan was quite pleased with this.
"Well then, let's say our goodbyes. King Neptune, I'll take good care of Shirahoshi. Jinbe, I hope that next time I visit, I'll see even more contributions from the fishmen."
Caelan waved to those below.
"Wishing you a safe journey."
Neptune waved his handkerchief, watching Shirahoshi leave with deep reluctance.
"Goodbye, Father! I'll come back to see you!"
"Brothers, please take care of Father and don't let him overwork!"
"Jinbe, please take good care of Fishman Island!"
The mermaid girls and Shirahoshi each said their farewells to Neptune, Jinbe, and the three princes in turn.
After all goodbyes were exchanged, the ship set sail, leaving the harbor and rising through the current toward the sea's surface.
Half an hour later, the Wind Rider passed through the dark deep-sea zone and returned to the photic layer.
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
Shirahoshi looked up at the shimmering surface of the sea above her head.
Just how wonderful is the world outside?
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)