With the Voice of All Things, Magnus could indeed communicate with living beings.
But…
He knew full well that with beasts like this, sweet words meant nothing.
First, you beat them down.
"I'll go first!"
As a fishman, Dean charged ahead. Because of the lantern fish's glowing lure, its massive body was hidden in shadow, only revealed once you passed the light.
Beyond that glow loomed a Sea King over three thousand meters long.
It resembled an ordinary lantern fish, but its oval bulk made it no less imposing than even the five-kilometer titans of the deep.
When Dean swam into view, the lantern fish finally noticed what seemed like an ant before it.
"Fishman Karate: Ultimate Technique—Wurai Strike!"
He gathered a sphere of water in his palms and hurled it with all his might.
Even in the crushing depths, where every movement faced immense pressure, Rocks and Newgate saw the white stream shoot from Dean's hands like a cannonball.
Bang!
It slammed into the lantern fish's head, leaving a visible dent and rocking its vast body, ripples spreading in all directions.
So hard!
Dean's face stayed grim. On land, that attack could pierce a wall dozens of meters thick, but here it hadn't even broken a single scale—just dented it.
And the blow had clearly enraged the beast.
'That hurt!'
Magnus heard the thought in its voice.
The lantern fish didn't know why such a tiny creature was attacking, but it wasn't about to endure it quietly.
Blub-blub—
Its jaws opened wide, unleashing a terrifying suction that threatened to swallow Dean whole.
But Dean was a fishman.
On land, he might not match a great pirate, and his main role was shipwright, not fighter—
Yet his bounty was no low figure.
"Shipwright" Dean, 90 million Berries—five million more than Rocks at this stage.
With a veteran's poise, Dean darted hundreds of meters in an instant, slipping to the lantern fish's back.
"Fishman Karate: Mist Shark!"
He slammed into its scales with Haki-infused force, denting them again—
But his face flushed red. Too hard!
"Rocks, Newgate—hit its belly!"
With Dean drawing its attention, Magnus sent the others in. In the water, they were far less agile than Dean.
"Ripley, shrink the ship—Linlin, take us in!"
The lantern fish's durability was impressive, but considering it had survived under Pure Gold's light for over a century and a half, Magnus wasn't surprised.
Any lesser creature would have been eaten long ago.
"Got it!"
Linlin wrapped herself in a coating bubble, Ripley shrank the Thousand-Year Falcon to palm-size, and Linlin carried it toward the target.
She quickly got distracted, marveling at how she could swim in water without feeling wet inside the bubble.
Magnus' expression darkened—she was still, at heart, an eight-year-old girl.
"Linlin, take us over!"
At the mention of "big fish sashimi," she refocused, kicking off like a torpedo.
Meanwhile, Rocks and Newgate reached the belly.
The fish's movements churned the waters violently as it tried to bite Dean, but always fell short.
"Newgate, hold my bubble!" Rocks ordered.
Once steady, he left the protection, feeling the immense pressure close in—
But his hardened body endured.
"Soru!"
In a blink, he was at the lantern fish's belly, drawing his sword, Haki coating the blade.
Clang!
The metallic ring carried even to Magnus.
"It's bleeding!" Newgate called.
Unlike blunt blows, the blade's edge bit deeper, but compared to a body spanning kilometers, it was like a pinprick—barely noticeable.
Rocks retreated for air.
"Your turn," he told Newgate, who dove out to strike with a punch—less forceful than Dean's underwater blows, but steady.
Neither lost heart. Against a giant like this, it was always going to be a battle of attrition.
Magnus stayed his hand.
"Linlin—help them."
"Okay!"
Leaving the ship in a safe spot, Linlin charged in. Her fist struck, and the entire lantern fish shuddered.
'That hurt!'
One blow equaled the combined efforts of the other three, sheer raw power and massive Haki reserves doing the work.
Even so, the damage was minimal.
Rocks was starting to suspect Magnus' plan—using the fight to push them toward mastering internal destruction with Armament Haki.
But the lantern fish had had enough.
'Get away!'
Only Magnus heard it, and he realized it was turning to flee toward the Calm Belt—where pursuit would be far riskier.
"Enough—we'll finish this."
This thing was far beyond the sea creatures the Straw Hats would one day face.
"Submit to me!"
Magnus coated himself, leaving the ship. Unlike most Devil Fruit users, he wouldn't go limp instantly—he had a few seconds in seawater to act.
'Who are you?' the lantern fish asked, sensing his understanding.
"Remember my name," Magnus said, darting before its massive eye.
"I am Magnus—the White Wolf. From this moment, I am your master!"
His bubble touched the scales on its forehead, his hand pressing through.
The mythical Zoan's special power spread through the depths.
'No!'
It tried to resist, but Magnus gave it no chance.
"Freeze!"
In under ten seconds, a colossal ice sculpture of the lantern fish lay on the seafloor.
The hunt was over.
(End of Chapter)
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