Naruto's figure swiftly streaked across the sky.
Considering the double-layered bubble shell of Fish-Man Island, it wasn't convenient for him to charge straight out, so he took the main gate route.
Speaking of Vander Decken, the guy was a real oddball.
It wasn't strange that he developed greed after seeing six-year-old Shirahoshi summoning giant Sea Kings with her abilities.
What was truly bizarre was that the guy actually fell in love at first sight with a child and was convinced she would grow up to possess outstanding beauty.
He even went so far as to propose to her father.
Honestly, if this had happened in the modern world, dragging him out and shooting him for ten minutes straight wouldn't have been enough to vent the anger.
Even now, the nearly fifty-year-old Vander Decken still relentlessly harassed the sixteen-year-old Shirahoshi… how was this any different from pedophilia?
Whether it was out of an 'uncle's' concern or simply disgust for such behavior, Naruto genuinely felt killing intent toward this guy he had never met.
This wasn't something that could be resolved with just a beating.
Naruto moved incredibly fast. He even recreated the same engine as the Gale Breaker at the soles of his feet, filling it with Wind Attribute Chakra to blast high-pressure air bursts for acceleration.
This was a little trick he had come up with himself.
'One of these days, I should sneak into Egghead Island to meet Dr. Vegapunk… I could probably get plenty of inspiration from the advanced technological creations there.'
As Naruto flew, weapons occasionally shot past him midair.
Of course, Naruto intercepted all of them, but this also worked in his favor, as he could trace the trajectory of the weapons back to Vander Decken's location.
Soon, Naruto left Fish-Man Island.
He formed a bubble around his body and used the air jets at his feet to propel himself forward, swiftly chasing deeper into the sea.
Searching for things underwater was extremely difficult.
The three-dimensional distribution, the dark environment of the deep sea, and the water pressure… However, none of these were problems for Naruto.
His Observation Haki acted like a deep-sea radar, scanning everything around him in a 360-degree, omnidirectional sweep. It didn't take long for him to locate the tattered three-masted ship.
The Flying Dutchman.
At the front of the ship, a massive humanoid creature was pulling the vessel forward with chains.
When Naruto landed on the deck, he saw a weird, four-legged creature continuously touching a giant weapon, likely one used by giants, that had been salvaged.
Once he touched them, the weapons floated up on their own before shooting off toward the Ryugu Palace.
Speaking of which, Vander Decken was a Fish-Man who had eaten a Devil Fruit, forcing him to rely on a bubble to isolate himself from seawater while on his own ship.
It was like someone eating a Uo Uo no Mi and ending up unable to breathe on land or swim in water. (T/N: Fish-Fish Fruit.)
Except for a certain Mythical Zoan, of course.
His Mato Mato no Mi allowed him to 'launch' any object he touched, regardless of size or weight, as ammunition. This ability had nothing to do with his own strength.
In other words, if Vander Decken wanted to, he could even turn an entire island into a weapon, just like Shiki.
The only drawback was that he had to touch the target first to mark it as the 'bullseye'.
Once launched, the objects would automatically home in on the target. Unless obstructed or forcibly destroyed, they would inevitably hit their mark.
It's a fantastic Devil Fruit, but unfortunately, it belonged to a perverted owner.
Or, more accurately, a perverted owner who wouldn't live much longer.
By the time Naruto set foot on this ship, the Vander Decken's family line would end with the ninth generation.
"Vander Decken, so you're the one who's been harassing Shirahoshi for the past ten years?"
Only when Naruto spoke did Vander Decken notice the stranger standing before him.
Naruto didn't use Conqueror's Haki to knock him out instantly or behead him with a single slash.
That would have been letting him off too easily.
After all, for ten years, this guy had kept little Shirahoshi living in constant fear.
"Bahohoho… That's right, you'll call me Vander Decken-sama! And who the hell are you? Some nosy bastard… must be, right?"
Vander Decken showed no fear toward the intruder who had suddenly appeared on his ship.
Between his 'invincible' Mato Mato no Mi and the sea monster pulling the ship up front, ordinary people stood no chance.
Watching this disgusting old man still arrogantly dancing around, Naruto's anger had already sunk into the depths of his heart.
"Too many legs."
"Huh?"
Before Vander Decken could react, two of his legs were already severed.
Blood gushed out before dissipating into the seawater.
"Aahh! Damn it! Damn it! Wadatsumi! An intruder! Hurry up and deal with him!"
The excruciating pain came belatedly, and Vander Decken screamed in agony while shouting orders.
"As expected of a fish-man, he can stay so energetic for so long even after losing two legs."
Naruto acted as if he didn't even see the massive sea monster slowly turning around, casually remarking.
At the same time, the sound of Vander Decken's arm hitting the deck echoed.
Plop.
Inside the bubble, the gloved hand landed with a soft thud.
"Was it this hand that touched Shirahoshi-chan?"
"Or this one?"
Another arm was severed.
Even as a fish-man, Vander Decken was on the verge of passing out from the pain.
Not to mention, his Devil Fruit's Ability was now completely useless… unless he could somehow figure out how to activate it with his mouth or feet in the future.
Of course, the premise is that he can still have a future.
"Waaaaaahh… Vander Decken-sama! What happened to you?!"
It was almost comical… the massive sea monster known as Wadatsumi opened his mouth, but what came out was a childlike, innocent voice.
Appearance-wise, he was just a giant, overly hairy wildman with a small fin on his head.
Compared to his 80-meter height, that fin was barely noticeable.
"Y-You idiot! Save me!"
"Ah… R-Right! Captain!"
With that, Wadatsumi swung his fist downward.
Surprisingly, Naruto didn't attack him… he simply dodged.
Vander Decken, however, wasn't so lucky.
"Aaaaaaaahhh!!"
Squelch-
The Flying Dutchman was punched straight through.
The deck shattered, and Vander Decken himself was flattened into a two-dimensional pancake of flesh.
"Waaahhh! Captain! What happened to you?!"
Wadatsumi stared at the Vander Decken paste stuck to his fist before bursting into loud, ugly sobs.
Only then did Naruto slowly land back on the wreckage.
The reason he hadn't attacked Wadatsumi was simple.
In Naruto's perception, this guy was as simple-minded as a blank sheet of paper… completely devoid of malice.
"Hey, big guy, stop crying."
Naruto felt a strange sense of irony. After all, usually, he was the one being called 'big guy'.
But here in the depths of the sea, it seemed like everyone was bigger than him.
"Waaaahh… Captain-!"
"No one wants me anymore… Waaaahhh!"
Wadatsumi plopped down on his rear, hugging the remains of the Flying Dutchman as he bawled.
He had been a crew member of the Flying Dutchman… though he was probably just tricked into being the ship's tugboat. Still, he had been fairly loyal to his captain.
That loyalty, however, stemmed purely from his fear of being abandoned.
Right now, the emotions radiating from Wadatsumi weren't just sadness.
There was also guilt for his mistakes and terror at the thought of being alone.
All of this was crystal clear in Naruto's perception.
"Oi, big guy, I said stop crying!"
This time, Naruto infused his voice with Haki, instantly silencing Wadatsumi's sobs.
The giant stared at the tiny figure before him, inexplicably feeling a wave of fear.
Without Vander Decken's orders, Wadatsumi had no idea how to fight.
"Since you've got nowhere to go, how about I get you a job?"
"You can be a bodyguard for a princess. Consider it atonement for the crimes you helped a villain commit all these years."
Watatsumi was stunned when he heard Naruto's words.
"Bodyguard? Villain?"
Seeing his confusion, Naruto simply explained Vander Decken's actions… no exaggeration needed.
"Waaaahhh… So that's how it was?! I'll do it! I'll be that princess's bodyguard!"
Wadatsumi was extremely easy to fool. He'd believe just about anything anyone told him.
Not to mention that Naruto was telling the truth.
'Hmm… Getting Shirahoshi a bodyguard should make her feel safer when she goes out.'
Even though the culprit was dead, Naruto knew Shirahoshi would still carry that lingering fear of the outside world.
Anyone who'd been harassed by a creep nonstop since the age of six would feel the same.
'Perfect. I'll just treat this as a gift for my little niece.'