Bright sunlight poured down, making the multicolored coral glow. Schools of fish darted about, and even massive blue and white whales swam gracefully through the waters.
It was a scene nearly impossible to find in the real world. Even in this world, such beauty could only be seen in the Sea Forest, southeast of Fishman Island.
Despite the name, the Sea Forest wasn't an actual forest. It was a vast expanse of gigantic coral, whose appearance resembled the forests of the surface.
For fishmen who dared not approach the surface, this coral forest was their way of imagining what land forests looked like.
"Wow! What a beautiful place!" Rui Meng Meng pressed against the bubble window of the Ryugu Castle ship, her voice full of wonder.
"It really is so pretty!" Shirahoshi exclaimed as well.
Wanting Zhang Da Ye and his companions to have no regrets about their journey, Queen Otohime personally accompanied them, with Shirahoshi at her side, to visit the Sea Forest.
Artoria had been quietly admiring the view too. Hearing Shirahoshi's excitement, she curiously asked, "Shirahoshi, you've never been here before?"
Shirahoshi shook her head, pouting. "No. Father and Mother never allowed me, and my brothers wouldn't bring me either."
Queen Otohime explained, "It's because this place is close to Fishman Street. Back when Fisher Tiger and Jinbei were around, it was still fine. But after they set out to sea, it became difficult to predict the movements of the criminals there. We couldn't possibly mobilize an army just for sightseeing."
Both Fishman Street and the Sea Forest were famous spots, though neither was located within Fishman Island itself—they lay in the deep sea outside of it.
The difference was stark: the Sea Forest was filled with light and stunning beauty, while Fishman Street was its opposite, though it held the Noah, a ship of immense significance to Fishman Island.
That ark had been built 800 years ago as part of a promise between the Mermaid Princess and Joy Boy, meant to carry all the residents of Fishman Island to the surface. The vessel was nearly half the size of the island itself, more than enough to hold everyone.
But something happened back then. Joy Boy failed to fulfill his promise. The exact details were unknown, but it coincided with the founding of the World Government—likely not a coincidence.
At the center of the Sea Forest lay a wide clearing. Low corals resembling shrubs and flowers grew there, surrounded by the wrecks of sunken ships.
A massive dome-shaped bubble covered this clearing and part of the coral forest. In the original story, the Straw Hats, having not entered Fishman Island properly, were swept here by currents. Their ship landed inside the bubble almost unharmed—an absurd stroke of luck.
Now, Zhang Da Ye's group had settled here temporarily. Tom and Shirahoshi wandered about in fascination.
The others admired the coral or poked around the wreckage of old ships.
Zhang Da Ye briefly considered carving a "we were here" mark or snapping off a few coral pieces as souvenirs. In the end, he decided against it. Taking a few photos would be enough. Coral could be found elsewhere; it would be wrong to damage such a treasured and unique place.
"Actually, the Fish Bus route has been extended here recently, so it's much easier for kids to visit now," Queen Otohime said, pointing to a nearby sign.
Sure enough, Zhang Da Ye saw it clearly: "Fish Bus – Sea Forest Station." It looked exactly like a bus stop.
"Huh? Queen Otohime? And Princess Shirahoshi?" A merman emerged from the coral forest, wearing a dark cap and thick glasses. Like Shirahoshi, he wore a waist bubble for moving in air.
"Mr. Den?" Queen Otohime recognized him and introduced him. "This is Mr. Den, a shipwright and researcher of the Sea Forest, as well as the younger brother of the world's greatest shipwright, Tom."
"Meow?" Tom tilted his head and pointed at himself in confusion. He had only one cousin—a cat who looked exactly like him, so much so that even Jerry had trouble telling them apart. Definitely not a merman.
Zhang Da Ye patted his cat's head. "Not you."
Seeing Den's puzzled look, Queen Otohime clarified, "This cat is also named Tom. And these are…"
She introduced Zhang Da Ye and the others. "They are my saviors, as well as honored guests I invited from the surface."
"So it was you humans who saved the Queen. Thank you!" Den respectfully removed his cap and bowed.
"There's no need to be so formal." By now, Zhang Da Ye's group had grown used to such thanks—further proof of how beloved Queen Otohime was.
"So this Tom shares a name with my brother. I must introduce you two someday," Den said with a smile, clearly amused by the idea.
Tom tilted his head, equally curious about meeting Tom.
Den's attention then shifted to Shark Chili. "Forgive me for asking, but Shark Chili—did your ancestors include robots?"
Because fishmen and mermaids sometimes manifested genes from distant ancestors, Den had made the connection instantly upon seeing Shark Chili.
"No," Shark Chili said, a little helpless. "I have no ancestors. I'm just a robot assembled from spare parts by humans."
"I see," Den nodded thoughtfully, then boldly speculated, "Then your descendants must surely be robots."
"..." Shark Chili fell silent. The B-series robots did have emotions like humans, capable of love and even marriage, but they didn't exactly… reproduce. Unless he built one himself—a literal "child of his own hands."
Unwilling to dwell on the subject, Shark Chili quickly changed the topic. "Just now, you mentioned researching the Sea Forest?"
"That's my passion." Den's eyes lit up, and he began to speak at length.
"The Sea Forest is so mysterious. It thrives under the blessings of the Sunlight Tree Eve, with its beautiful coral and the whales and fish that gather here. But strangely, the wrecks of ships that sink near Fishman Island always drift here with the currents. Such a beautiful, vibrant place, yet it looks like a graveyard for ships."
Looking at the countless wrecks around them, everyone silently agreed—"graveyard of ships" was a fitting description.
"With so many wrecks, could there be treasure?" Rui Meng Meng blurted out what everyone else was secretly thinking. Sunken ships always conjured the idea of treasure.
Den chuckled. "This place has been visited by countless fishmen and mermaids. Anything of real value has long been picked clean."
"What a pity."
"It's no pity at all. For me, the real treasure is the Sea Forest itself." Den's affection for the place was clear. "If you wish to tour, allow me to guide you."
No one declined his offer. With Den leading the way, they saw countless wonders and learned about many strange fish.
Eventually, they came across a square black stone deep within the coral forest.
It was about four meters tall, covered in moss and age, carved with blocky writing none of them could read. It wasn't part of the common tongue, so their language packs offered no help.
This was the Poneglyph—one of the stones said to record the Void Century. Also known, jokingly, as the "Robin bait" trap.
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon com/GuessMyName33 for up to 40 chapters ahead]