With the crisis resolved, hope and joy returned to Fish-Man Island, even if much of their home still needed rebuilding.
At Poseidon's enthusiastic urging, and with Joy Boy leading the charge...
"Let's have a banquet!"
"Banquet!"
"Banquet!"
The cry spread across the crowd until it echoed from every corner of Noah.
A grand celebration soon erupted across the ark's vast deck.
Though sunlight could not reach the depths, countless luminous pearls and glowing corals illuminated the ship as brightly as day.
The mermaids sang ethereal songs.
The fish-men performed powerful traditional dances.
Without question, Joy Boy became the center of attention. His rubber body twisted into every ridiculous shape imaginable, and his endless energy sent the island's children into fits of laughter.
It was the laughter of people who had survived disaster.
At one point, he even used his stretched arms to roll up enormous slabs of Sea Beast meat, creating complete chaos and even greater amusement.
Ritter, meanwhile, found a quieter corner and leaned against the railing, watching the lively celebration unfold.
Still, he couldn't help feeling that something was missing.
A banquet without Binks' Sake just doesn't feel complete.
He slowly sipped a cup of deep-sea wine.
Beside him, his quiet vice-captain sat exactly as she always did, like a tiny hamster storing food for winter. She hugged a huge plate piled high with deep-sea desserts and silently devoured them at an alarming speed.
Grinning, Ritter pinched her cheeks.
"Slow down. Nobody's stealing your food."
He glanced at the desserts.
"If they're really that good, we'll just pack up the whole batch and take them with us."
The girl looked at him, then pointed seriously at several pastries on the table.
"This one. This one. And this one."
"Hahaha! Deal."
Like all celebrations, the banquet eventually came to an end.
Once everything had settled down, Ritter and Joy Boy prepared to return to the surface.
Poseidon insisted on seeing them off personally.
A magnificent shell vessel, pulled by enormous Sea Beasts, carried them upward through the ocean depths.
They passed through the giant protective bubble surrounding Fish-Man Island. The damaged membrane was slowly repairing itself, shimmering faintly in the darkness.
As they ascended, the light around them grew brighter and brighter.
Then—
Splash!
The shell ship burst through the ocean surface.
Warm sunlight poured down instantly.
Blue skies stretched endlessly overhead.
White clouds drifted lazily across the heavens.
A salty sea breeze brushed gently against their faces.
"Ah!"
For the first time in her life, Poseidon stood beneath the true sky and experienced sunlight with her own eyes.
Her ice-blue eyes widened.
The endless blue heavens reflected within them.
"So this is... the world beneath the sun..."
"It's... beautiful."
She stretched out her pale arms as though trying to embrace the sky itself.
Her pink tail splashed happily against the water, sending sparkling droplets into the air.
Only after several minutes did she finally recover from the shock.
Turning around, she bowed deeply to Ritter and Joy Boy.
"Mr. Ritter. Mr. Joy Boy."
"Thank you."
"Fish-Man Island will always be your sincerest friend."
Neither of them interrupted her moment.
Ritter understood why.
A Mermaid Princess who possessed the power of Poseidon, yet had lived her entire life hidden beneath the sea, could hardly have experienced the vastness of the world above.
As for Joy Boy...
He simply saw that his friend was happy.
And people like Joy Boy, Roger, and Luffy shared one common trait.
They never ruined a good moment.
Joy Boy flashed his trademark grin.
"Hehehe! Don't mention it! Friends help friends!"
Then he looked at Poseidon, glanced down at the sea below, and suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Poseidon."
"Why do fish-men and mermaids have to live so deep underwater?"
"The surface is amazing!"
"Why not come live up here under the sun?"
It was an innocent question.
Before Poseidon could answer, Ritter lazily spoke up.
"Rubber Brain, it's not that simple."
"There are two main reasons."
"The first is racial conflict."
He gazed out across the sea.
"People on land aren't all as reasonable as we are."
"Greed. Fear. Prejudice."
"To many humans, fish-men and mermaids aren't people."
"They're curiosities."
"Exotic creatures."
"Sometimes even merchandise."
"Especially mermaids."
Ritter had lived in this world long enough to see reality clearly.
When he was younger, the slave trade had filled him with rage.
Now he understood something far uglier.
As long as society itself remained unchanged, slavery would never truly disappear.
"The second reason is strength."
"And it's also the only thing capable of solving the first."
He nodded toward Poseidon.
"Aside from this little princess, whose potential is limitless but whose power hasn't fully awakened yet..."
"Who else on Fish-Man Island can stand against the hostility of the entire world?"
"No one."
"Without enough strength to protect themselves, stepping into the sunlight would be like a child carrying a mountain of gold through a crowded marketplace."
"They're simply too vulnerable."
"If they possessed enough strength, they could walk beneath the sun whenever they pleased."
Joy Boy's smile faded slightly.
He scratched his rubber head.
"I get that..."
"But there are lots of races living on the surface."
"And if we're talking about slavery, humans kidnap human children too."
Ritter shook his head.
"Not the same."
"Fish-men and mermaids are far too rare."
"So rare that, to most people, they might as well be creatures from fairy tales."
Joy Boy fell silent.
Then suddenly—
Bang!
He slammed a fist against his chest.
"Poseidon!"
His booming voice echoed across the sea and sky.
"Just wait for me!"
His eyes burned with determination.
"One day, I will create an era where every race can live together in peace!"
"An era where everyone can laugh freely together!"
"And when that day comes..."
He extended a giant rubber thumb toward her.
His smile shone brighter than the sun itself.
"I'll bring every fish-man and every mermaid to live beneath this sunlight with pride!"
"That's a promise!"
Golden sunlight bathed Joy Boy's figure.
For a brief moment, he seemed almost like a sun god descending upon the world.
His pure, unwavering conviction shone like the warmest sunlight, illuminating Poseidon's heart.
Looking up at him, tears welled in her ice-blue eyes.
Yet her smile became brighter than ever.
She nodded with all her strength.
"Yes!"
"It's a promise, Mr. Joy Boy!"
"I'll wait for that day!"
"I believe in you!"
Watching the scene, Ritter's lips curled into a faint smile.
A smile so subtle that few would have noticed it.
He lifted his vice-captain onto his shoulder and turned toward the horizon.
"Let's go, Rubber Brain."
"The road ahead is still a long one."
Of course, Ritter knew how the story would ultimately end.
He knew Joy Boy would fail.
But he never said it aloud.
Because this was a promise made to a friend.
And even though Ritter had never witnessed that future himself, he believed something with absolute certainty.
Joy Boy had tried.
He had given everything he had to make that promise come true.