Outside Fish-Man Island, the deep sea was eerily silent.
A massive warship lay sunken at the seabed, like a dormant sea monster. Its size rivaled that of an entire island, resting quietly in the dark abyss.
Suddenly, an enraged voice echoed from within the vessel.
"Damn it! Who the hell broke my axe?!"
"If I find out who did it, I'll crush their corpse, tear it apart, and feed it to the sea beasts!"
The speaker—a gaunt, greasy-looking man—stood out instantly, exuding a sinister and grotesque aura.
He resembled a sea rat.
This was Vander Decken IX, captain of the Flying Pirates and wielder of the Target-Target Fruit. He had been relentlessly harassing Princess Shirahoshi for years.
Unfortunately for him, his latest attempt to throw an axe at her coincided with Kaelen passing through the area.
Fate, it seemed, had a wicked sense of timing.
"Heh… Poseidon, Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi… I will have you. I'll become the new king of Fish-Man Island," Vander Decken muttered, retrieving another axe with obsession burning in his eyes.
His sick ambition played vividly in his imagination.
But before the words had even left his mouth, his grin froze, his laughter choking off in his throat like a duck being strangled.
Shlick!
In the stillness, the sound of a blade slicing through flesh and bone rang out—sharp and sudden.
Then, a shadow appeared before Vander Decken.
"Curious who I am?" The figure smirked. "I'm the one you wanted to hack into pieces."
Kaelen Tsukishiro's voice was calm, but it carried a hint of menace.
"Surprised?"
"…"
Vander Decken stared at Kaelen with pure hatred. If looks could kill, Kaelen would have been sliced to ribbons a hundred times over.
"To be honest," Kaelen said, scowling, "you seriously disgust me. You're filth. You think someone like you can get close to her? You're worse than a beast."
The contempt in his tone was sharp, filled with loathing.
"…"
Even as his vision blurred, Vander Decken couldn't understand how things had gone so wrong.
He never realized how many people detested him—not just for being a pest, but for trying to marry a child like Shirahoshi and harassing her for years.
His behavior was unforgivable.
There were two people Kaelen would never show mercy to in this world.
One was Vander Decken.
The other—without question—was Momonosuke.
Blood poured through Vander Decken's fingers as he clutched his throat, eyes dimming fast. His breath rasped, the wound too deep to survive.
He hadn't just been struck—his throat had been slit clean through, nearly severing his head.
His consciousness flickered, desperately clinging to life for a few more seconds.
As if flashing before his eyes, his life replayed in fragments, finally stopping on a pitiful, obsessed memory of Shirahoshi's face.
Even in death, his delusion persisted.
Thud!
His body hit the deck. His dead eyes stared at Kaelen, filled with hatred and bitter regret.
"Pathetic," Kaelen muttered, kicking the lifeless body. "If I wasn't in a hurry, I'd have made your death more painful."
Darkness rippled beneath his feet, swallowing Vander Decken's corpse whole.
Then, without a sound, Kaelen vanished into the shadows.
As for Noah, the giant ship of legend, he paid it no mind.
It was just another oversized warship.
…
Sea Forest.
With his Observation Haki, Kaelen could sense every corner of Fish-Man Island. Finding the Poneglyph had been effortless.
Now, Robin was carefully deciphering the ancient language etched into the stone, her expression sharp with focus.
Kaelen stood quietly beside her, arms crossed, his demeanor casual.
He already knew what this stone recorded, so he wasn't particularly interested.
But one thing still intrigued him—Joy Boy.
Who was he? Was he still alive?
The idea seemed impossible—yet, in this world, nothing truly was.
Kaelen knew of several ways someone could live for centuries.
There was the immortality surgery of the Ope Ope no Mi. There was pure gold, which could extend a person's life. Then there was the power of time-traveling Devil Fruits.
Even modifying one's body might be enough.
And who knew what else was out there? The sea was vast, and Devil Fruits came in countless varieties.
Brook's Yomi Yomi no Mi allowed resurrection.
So why not an eternal life fruit? Or even something beyond imagination?
While Kaelen mused, a shadow zipped through the water, merging with his own.
"That disgusting freak thought he could get away with that. He really didn't know who he was messing with."
"Copper-heads like him deserve nothing but death."
Kaelen shook his head with a faint scoff, disgusted.
"…Maybe I should visit Shirahoshi," he thought aloud, his voice low.
At that, the shadow beneath him flickered again and vanished.
"Princess Shirahoshi. Time to check in on you."
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Read ahead of WN on patreon.com/Zphyr_