A dilapidated pirate ship floated in the gloomy seabed. If it weren't for the Sea King's natural night vision, Yang Tao would have truly had difficulty spotting it.
A tall, bald sea monster, holding a rope, pulled the tattered, ghost-ship-like boat behind him.
Vander Decken IX was on that ship.
The sea monster pulling the ship was named Wadatsumi. His body was enormous, with a black beard on his face, dense hair on his chest and abdomen, and a naked upper body with huge fins on his back, proving his identity.
He had webbed hands, very short legs, and a huge mouth with sparse teeth inside.
"Originally, I thought Shirahoshi was invincible, but I didn't expect there to be a master here. It's just that his appearance is really a headache."
Fish-Men and Merfolk are completely different dimensional beings.
Yang Tao quickly swam towards the huge Fish-Man named Wadatsumi.
Wadatsumi immediately panicked when he saw a Sea King rushing towards them.
Under normal circumstances, Sea Kings would not actively attack them, the Fish-Men, but this fellow in front of them was clearly up to no good.
"Captain! Captain! This is bad, a Sea King is targeting us."
Wadatsumi's voice was like a child's. He turned and ran with his short legs. Vander Decken IX heard him and walked out of the cabin: "Ba ha ha ha!"
"A Sea King? How could it be..."
By the time he came out, Yang Tao, enhanced with various buffs, had already swum in front of them and delivered a beautiful tail whip.
The eighty-meter-tall Wadatsumi was sent flying like a baseball by Yang Tao's tail.
Vander Decken IX's eyes widened. His Devil Fruit ability, the Mark Mark Fruit, required contact with the opponent to be effective.
But...
His largest weapon was only a few meters long, which wasn't even qualified to be a toothpick for a Sea King.
Looking at the huge tail rapidly smashing towards him, Vander Decken IX could only let out a distorted scream.
Bang!
Both the person and the ship were slammed onto the seabed, stirring up a large amount of dust.
"What the hell was that noise?"
Bang!
Another tail whip struck the ship's ruins.
Yang Tao canceled his transformation, stared at the almost depleted health bar, and walked over. He flipped Vander Decken IX out from amidst the wreckage.
This fellow was a Devil Fruit user, normally needing to apply a special waterproof coating, but after being smashed by his tail and coming into contact with seawater, he was now no different from a dead fish, except for being able to open his mouth.
The top hat he originally wore had also flown off to who knows where, but his upturned hair remained stubbornly upright.
"It shouldn't be a problem to carry him like this, right? It should be fine."
The gift packaging was a bit broken, but the value of the gift itself was what mattered.
Carrying Vander Decken IX, Yang Tao swam directly towards Fish-Man Island's Ryugu Palace.
Breaking through the double membrane.
Inside Ryugu Palace, compared to the ordinary Merfolk residential area below, Ryugu Palace was incredibly luxurious.
There were colorful corals of various shapes, and even above the Ryugu Palace castle, there was a five-clawed golden dragon, whether made of gold or not, floating in the air.
His suspension in the air immediately attracted the attention of the palace guards. A group of fully armed Neptune Army soldiers rushed to his side, weapons in hand.
"Stop, human, how dare you trespass into Ryugu Palace!! Quickly surrender and await the judgment of King Neptune."
If you tell me to surrender and I surrender, won't I lose face?
Yang Tao shook Vander Decken IX, who was like a dead fish, in his hand.
"Vander Decken IX."
Hearing this name, the Neptune Army all looked incredulously at the 'mosaic' in his hand.
There was no other way, he was too miserable.
In an instant, the atmosphere around them changed. This was unavoidable, as the plight of Princess Shirahoshi, the beloved of everyone in Ryugu Palace, was deeply felt by all the Fish-Men.
Unfortunately, their abilities were limited.
"Vander Decken IX? You wait..."
A so-called 'King's Army' soldier immediately turned and swam towards Ryugu Palace, so fast as if something was chasing him from behind. Yang Tao also understood his feelings; after eight years, the army had not found Vander Decken IX, so it would be strange if they weren't surprised to suddenly see Vander Decken IX.
Soon, Ryugu Palace became lively.
Under the vigilance of the Neptune Army.
Neptune, the King of Fish-Man Island, led a large group of people from Ryugu Palace, majestically approaching Yang Tao.
Neptune wore a golden crown, had water-blue eyes, and a red nose.
His physique was more robust than typical Merfolk; Shirahoshi's physique should be similar to his. He had thick, fluffy orange-red curly hair and a beard, and flame-like tattoos on his arms.
He held a trident and looked at Yang Tao.
"Was it you who found Vander Decken IX?"
Looking at Neptune, who was at least 12 or 13 meters tall, Yang Tao said with a smile, "I wanted to visit, and I don't know if King Neptune will like this gift..."
"I like it very much! Announce a feast!"
Neptune's personality was like a child's. In fact, in the One Piece world, everyone except a few individuals had very straightforward personalities.
However, his rash invitation was immediately scolded loudly by a catfish spirit next to him... Er, it was the Left Minister of the Ryugu Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, how dangerous is this? He is a wanted criminal of the World Government! The most heinous criminal with a bounty of 10 billion Berries. You should not casually invite such a person."
"It seems so..."
Neptune nodded but then said, "But he came with a gift."
"Your Majesty, wake up! If we offend the World Government, we will definitely be in trouble!"
"It seems so..."
Yang Tao looked at Neptune and the Left Minister, who were speaking one after another, and said speechlessly, "I say, gentlemen, as long as you issue a gag order, who will know I came to Ryugu Palace?"
"Besides... This is 10,000 meters underwater. Even the World Government can't do anything to you if you don't go up..."
Neptune crossed his arms and nodded gently: "It seems so..."
Slap...
Yang Tao reached up and massaged his forehead.
This Neptune was truly a headache. He threw Vander Decken IX, who was like a dead fish, to the soldiers nearby.
The Left Minister, however, reacted. He, who was only a little over a meter tall, swam to Neptune's ear and whispered a few words. Neptune also nodded repeatedly.
"I really like your gift! What do you want?"
Yang Tao really wanted to say: I want Shirahoshi.
But if he said it, Neptune's three sons, who were all different shapes and sizes, would definitely rush up to fight him for their sister...
"I would like to tour Ryugu Palace, and also meet Princess Shirahoshi."
"Shirahoshi?"
Neptune, who had always been rather dull, suddenly exuded an inexplicable aura. As the father of a Sea King, he naturally had some tricks up his sleeve.
"You want to see my precious daughter?"
Neptune was worried that Yang Tao coveted Shirahoshi's power, the power to control Sea Kings.
"I want Shirahoshi to join my ranks, to command Fish-Man Island, and become Fish-Man Island's new King, the true King!"
Of course, he didn't come to Ryugu Palace just to see Shirahoshi; that was just a bonus...
Neptune: "..."
Take my daughter and rebel against me?