"Alright, that is enough serious talk for now."
Shakky clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
"By the way, Aiden, what do you plan to do with these three kids?"
Aiden glanced at Hancock and her two sisters, who were still busy eating, then looked back at Rayleigh and Shakky.
"Now that I've found you two, I can relax a little."
He pointed out the door.
"I still have to go to the New World, so taking them with me is inconvenient. I will leave them here with you. Once you contact a ship from Amazon Lily..."
"I don't want to!!"
Before Aiden could finish speaking, Hancock suddenly ran forward.
Hancock threw herself into Shakky's arms. She hugged Shakky's waist tightly and buried her face in her clothes.
"Shakky... boohoo..."
Hancock clung to Shakky's clothes and refused to let go.
"I want to play for a few more days... I don't want to go back to that cold place on Amazon Lily so soon..."
"I want to go on an adventure with Aiden... We finally escaped. I want to go home, but I don't want to go back so quickly."
Looking at the girl in her arms, who was usually stubborn but was now clinging to her like a child, Shakky gave in.
She patted Hancock's back and looked at Aiden with a teasing smile.
"Look, this girl is smart. She knows you are hard to talk to, so she ran straight to me to rely on me."
"How about... you finish what you started, Aiden?"
Shakky suggested.
"You are going to the New World anyway, so why not take them with you? Once you reach the New World, you can find a chance to send them back to Amazon Lily."
Aiden looked down at Hancock.
Although he did not want to take extra passengers to the New World, thinking about it carefully, this was also an opportunity.
Amazon Lily was located in the Calm Belt. Everyone there was a warrior who knew Haki, making them a very strong potential ally.
He had saved their royalty. If he did not personally escort them back and let Amazon Lily know who helped them, how could he turn this rescue into a proper connection with Amazon Lily?
Aiden made his decision.
"Then I will escort them back. We will go to Fish-Man Island first, and then enter the New World."
Aiden pointed at the sea chart.
"Once we get near the entrance to the New World, cutting into the Calm Belt to reach Amazon Lily is actually on the way. It just so happens I also want to see the legendary Island of Women."
"Although men cannot enter, I did save their leaders. Elder Nyon cannot just kick me out, right?"
Hearing this, Hancock almost cheered.
Seeing that Aiden agreed, Hancock, who was hugging Shakky's waist, instantly looked up. Tears still hung on her face, but she already had a bright smile. She secretly raised two fingers in victory toward Aiden.
"Since you are willing to take them back, I cannot just stand by and watch."
Rayleigh, who had been listening silently on the side, suddenly spoke. Seeing Aiden take on the escort mission, he also stepped forward.
He put down his glass, pushed his glasses up, and looked at Aiden.
"Your warship has not been coated yet, right?"
Aiden nodded.
"Then leave it to me."
Rayleigh stood up and stretched his muscles, making cracking sounds.
"Leave the ship to me. Give me one week."
"One week?" Aiden raised an eyebrow. "A ship this size would take an ordinary coating mechanic a long time."
"Do not compare me to those amateurs."
Rayleigh smiled proudly and pointed to himself.
"I coated Roger's ship, the Oro Jackson, with my own hands back in the day."
Shakky exhaled a puff of smoke beside them and added with a smile.
"You hit the jackpot this time, Aiden. This old man is usually too lazy to move. As long as he has money to drink, he will not lift a finger even if someone pays him tens of millions of Berries. To think he is willing to do it for free and work overtime... It seems he really likes you."
"To thank you for saving Hancock, and for the respect you gave Shiki."
Rayleigh raised his glass.
"Then I will gladly accept, Rayleigh."
One week later, in a hidden dock in Area 50.
After the coating work was rushed day and night, the Storm Reaper had a completely new look.
The steel hull was now wrapped in a massive resin bubble that gave off an iridescent glow.
This membrane looked easy to pop, but it was actually refined through a special process using the Yarukiman Mangrove resin unique to Sabaody. It possessed incredible toughness and pressure resistance, making it the only ticket to ten thousand meters under the sea.
On the pier.
Rayleigh held a brush in his hand, his body covered in sticky resin. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked over the ship, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Phew... All done."
The legendary Dark King now looked like an old craftsman who had just finished his best work.
"This is the best coating I have done in years. I used double-reinforced Yarukiman resin. Let alone the water pressure at ten thousand meters deep, even if it hits a small Sea King head-on, this membrane will bounce it right back."
"Thank you for the hard work, Rayleigh."
Lieutenant Commander Kane was directing the Marines to load the final fresh water and food supplies. Aiden stood by the gangway, looked at Issho, who had just returned, and smiled.
"It seems you had a fulfilling week."
Issho, wearing a purple yukata, rubbed the back of his head with some embarrassment. Although his pockets were much emptier than three days ago, he looked strangely refreshed despite losing money.
"I have made a fool of myself, Aiden."
Issho turned toward Aiden and chuckled.
"Although I lose every time I gamble and lost all the Berries on me, I heard many interesting changes in people's hearts around money in the casinos on this island. I conveniently cleared out some dealers who were cheating and harming people, and I handed out the money to the desperate civilians... It was a worthwhile trip."
"If you lose, you lose. As long as you had fun, it is fine."
Aiden waved his hand without caring. For someone with a fortune matching an entire country's treasury, this little bit of gambling money was a drop in the ocean.
Meanwhile, to the side.
"Shakky..."
Hancock was wearing a brand-new little red dress, tightly hugging a large bag of snacks that Shakky had stuffed into her arms. She stood in front of Shakky. Although she tried hard to keep her face straight to maintain the dignity of an Amazon Lily warrior, she kept sniffing and holding the snack bag tighter.
"Alright, do not look so sad."
Shakky smiled, bent down, and pinched Hancock's cheek lightly.
"It is not like we will never see each other again. Once you grow stronger, you can come back and visit me."
"Mhm! I will definitely come back!"
Hancock sniffled, suddenly took a step forward, and hugged Shakky's waist tightly. She buried her face in Shakky's clothes.
"Thank you... Shakky."
Sandersonia and Marigold also sniffled as they obediently said goodbye to Shakky.
"Go on, do not make Aiden wait."
Shakky patted their backs and then handed a potted plant protected by a special pressurized glass cover to Coral, who was in the nearby water tank.
"Keep it safe. This is the surprise you wanted."
"Yes! Thank you, Shakky!"
Coral leaned against the edge of the tank, holding the glass cover like a treasure. Inside was a plant with a bud ready to bloom. Although it had not flowered yet, a faint light was already moving across its leaves.
"Safe travels."
Rayleigh and Shakky waved from the pier.
Lieutenant Commander Kane steered the wheel and opened the water injection valves at the bottom of the ship.
Glug glug...
Accompanied by the sound of churning bubbles, the heavy weight bags dragged the Storm Reaper down, and it slowly began to sink beneath the blue sea.
The seawater washed over the waterline, over the deck, and finally over the highest mast.
The moment the thin coating touched the seawater, the water pressure made it press tightly against the keel structure around the hull, forming an isolated space full of air.
"Wow..."
As soon as they entered the water, the three sisters' sadness at leaving was washed away by the sight before them.
They pressed close to the clear membrane and watched outside.
The sunlight lit up the seawater, forming columns of light. The massive roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove stretched down into the deep sea. Schools of colorful tropical fish swam between the roots, making it feel like an underwater garden.
"So pretty..."
Coral had already returned to her special large water tank on the ship. Acting as a temporary deep-sea guide, she smiled and explained the habits of various fish to the kids.
The ship slowly descended.
At around five hundred meters deep.
This was the depth where sunlight could barely pierce through.
Although they were underwater, the ship did not feel damp or cramped because of the coating. Instead, it was full of fresh air.
Hancock led her two sisters to the side of the ship. Their small faces pressed tightly against the clear membrane, afraid to miss anything.
"Sister! Look! That is a huge turtle!"
"Wow! A school of colorful fish is swimming over!"
Large schools of brightly colored fish swam outside the membrane. They seemed curious about this huge glowing bubble. Instead of swimming away, they circled the ship.
The sunlight passed through the water and lit the coating, creating colorful halos of light. The light shone onto the deck, making the deck look unreal.
"It really is beautiful..."
Hancock looked at the sight, her small hands gripping the railing tightly, afraid to miss any part of the view.
As they went deeper, the scenery around them began to change.
The sunlight disappeared completely.
The water outside turned black, and the searchlights were the only things they could see.
Snap.
Aiden snapped his fingers. The high-power searchlights around the Storm Reaper turned on instantly.
Several pale beams of light pierced the deep-sea darkness, but they could only light up a few dozen meters around the ship. Beyond the light, there was still endless nothingness.
The three sisters, who had been excited just moments ago, no longer felt like looking at the view.
The darkness pressed in from every side.
"Do not be afraid."
Aiden felt a tug on his coat. He turned around and saw Hancock tightly gripping the bottom of his coat. Her face was pale, and her body was shaking slightly.
Aiden lowered his hand and let her keep holding his coat.
"It is just a bit of water. This membrane is very tough."
Right at that moment.
Roar—!!!
A deep and loud roar traveled through the seawater and the membrane, making the entire ship vibrate.
The searchlights swept past.
In the darkness ahead, two yellow lights the size of lanterns suddenly lit up.
Right after, a giant, scale-covered head with fierce fangs slowly emerged from the dark.
It was a deep-sea Sea King several times larger than the Storm Reaper, a mutated giant deep-sea eel.
It opened its giant mouth, wide enough to swallow the entire Storm Reaper, and let out a hungry roar at the glowing object invading its territory. Its massive body churned the seawater, creating a strong undercurrent that made the Storm Reaper rock violently.
"Ah!!!"
The two younger sisters screamed in fear and directly ducked into Hancock's arms.
"What a rude big guy."
Aiden stepped forward and faced the Sea King.
Buzz—
A wave of Conqueror's Haki passed through the coating and the seawater, crashing straight into the giant deep-sea eel.
Conqueror's Haki.
Ever since he awakened this power, Aiden had never spent a single Sin Point on it in the system.
But this power grew stronger day by day along with his growing ambition and his deepening understanding of this world.
The giant deep-sea eel, which had opened its giant mouth ready to eat everything, suddenly stopped mid-charge.
Its massive body stiffened, then trembled.
It let out a low whimper through the water.
The next second.
The beast, which was hundreds of meters long, twitched violently in the water a few times. Then it rolled over and sank weakly toward the deeper sea floor.
It was knocked out completely.
"Wh... What happened?"
Hancock watched the giant beast that had suddenly passed out.
She clearly had not seen Aiden do anything. He had not even moved a finger, yet the monster larger than the ship just fell down like that.
"That is Conqueror's Haki."
Aiden returned to his relaxed state. He grabbed an apple and took a bite, as if the man who had just stopped a Sea King was not him.
He looked back at Hancock and explained.
"Do not be so surprised. This is the quality of a king, and it is also a power that turns your own will into a physical attack."
"On this sea, only one in a million people possesses this talent."
Hancock listened without looking away.
"But I think Hancock will also be a strong person with this talent in the future."
"C-Can I really be like you?"
Hancock instinctively grabbed the edge of Aiden's coat. Her grip loosened slightly, replaced by something closer to admiration.
That kind of strength, making a giant beast surrender without even moving, had deeply shaken young Hancock.
"Of course."
Aiden answered seriously.
"As long as your heart is strong enough, you can do it too."
Hancock looked down at her small hands, then clenched them tightly into fists.
Grow stronger.
She had to grow stronger.
She secretly promised herself.
Not just to stop being bullied by others, but to protect Sandersonia and Marigold with her own hands one day.
As they dove deeper.
The darkness here was no longer completely pure.
Little specks of light began to appear around them.
It was countless glowing deep-sea creatures. Clear jellyfish, fish with light bands on their bodies, and glowing plankton drifted through the water.
They gathered together to form winding rivers of light. It looked like a river of stars under the sea, so beautiful that no one wanted to look away.
A giant jellyfish glowing with blue light slowly drifted by. Its tentacles brushed lightly against the membrane, leaving behind a trail of light.
Coral was even more excited. The joy of going home made her naturally sing an old Merfolk song to the fish outside.
Coral's song passed through the coating into the deep sea.
Then something happened.
Countless glowing little fish were drawn in by the song. They gathered from all directions. They circled and danced around the Storm Reaper, forming a giant glowing vortex that wrapped the whole ship inside.
The Storm Reaper looked like a ship sailing through a galaxy of stars.
"Is this the deep sea..."
Even Aiden could not help but be amazed by the scene.
This kind of view was something you could never imagine on land.
"Aiden."
Hancock had walked to his side at some point. She tilted her head up. The deep-sea lights reflected on her small face.
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"If it were not for you... I might never have seen such a beautiful sight."
Aiden looked down at the little girl beside him and smiled.
"This is nothing."
"When you grow up and get stronger, you will see a much wider and grander world than this."
"By then, this deep sea will just be the path beneath your feet."
Hancock nodded as if she somewhat understood, but she kept those words deeply in her heart.
She stopped talking and just stood quietly beside Aiden, watching the strange and colorful deep sea together with him.
Time passed quietly in the silence.
As the Storm Reaper kept diving down, the bright glowing creatures around them became fewer. The deep sea went back to its heavy darkness and silence.
Only the coating outside the hull made a soft creaking sound under the massive water pressure, reminding everyone that they were in a forbidden zone for humans.
"That is..."
Lieutenant Commander Kane leaned forward, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Coming into view was a tree root so massive that it filled the view ahead.
It stretched down from high above and rooted deeply into the sea floor. The root gave off a warm and bright light. That was the sunlight it absorbed on the surface, moving across a distance of ten thousand meters all the way to the bottom of the sea.
The Sunlight Tree Eve.
And at the root of this miracle tree, right in the center of the light.
A dreamlike island wrapped in a giant double-layered bubble was quietly floating in the deep sea.
Pink coral reefs rolled like mountain ranges. Tall shell towers stood in order. Colorful schools of fish swam through the streets. They could even see blue skies and white clouds inside.
Fish-Man Island.
The meeting point between the first half of the Grand Line and the New World, a miracle ten thousand meters deep in the sea.
"Is that... the sun?"
Hancock looked at the glowing tree root, feeling as if her entire view of the world had been flipped.
"That is the Sunlight Tree Eve."
Aiden also stopped for a moment as he looked at the grand sight before him.
"It brings sunlight to the deep sea, creating this deep-sea paradise."
Right in front of that deep-sea view, a soft glow suddenly lit up on the deck, as if answering the distant light of the Sunlight Tree.
Everyone turned to look.
Inside the glass cover Coral held in her hands, the plant that had been sleeping all this time actually began to slowly open its petals.
The pure white petals gave off a soft silver light on the dim deck. It looked like a tiny full moon rising in the deep sea.
"It bloomed... The Moonlight Flower bloomed!"
Coral called out in happy surprise, almost crying.
The flower that was said to only bloom under the moonlight had now opened at ten thousand meters under the sea, bathing in the "sunlight" brought by the Sunlight Tree Eve.
As the Moonlight Flower bloomed, the Storm Reaper bathed in the warm light of the Sunlight Tree Eve. Following the ocean current, it slowly sailed toward the dreamlike island wrapped in the giant double-layered bubble.
Finally, the wide main gate entrance came into view.
"Halt!!"
Just as the ship was about to enter the passage, several strong Fish-Man guards riding sea beasts and holding tridents blocked the way. They raised their weapons and shouted their question.
"This is the Ryugu Kingdom! State your identity and your purpose here!"
In this Great Pirate Era, human ships usually meant trouble, or maybe even slave traders.
Aiden did not speak. He just stepped aside, revealing the water tank behind him.
"Please wait!"
Coral stuck her head out of the tank and shouted to the guards outside.
"I am Coral! I am a maid for Queen Otohime!"
"Coral?!"
The leading Fish-Man guard froze for a moment. Then he swam closer and looked carefully through the membrane wall. He turned pale with shock immediately.
"It really is Coral?! Where have you been all this time? Queen Otohime has been worried sick!"
"I was taken by slave traders... This man, Aiden, saved me!"
Coral pointed at Aiden beside her.
"He is my savior. Please let them in!"
"So he is a savior!"
The guards lowered their tridents. The leading guard quickly bowed his head.
"Since he is the savior who rescued Coral, he is a friend of Fish-Man Island! Please come in quickly! We will go report to King Neptune and Queen Otohime right away!"
The giant passage gate slowly opened.
The Storm Reaper passed through that magical bubble wall.
Pop.
With a soft sound, the ship passed through the bubble and re-entered an environment full of air.
Damp and fresh air hit their faces, even carrying a faint scent of ocean flowers.
Looking up, above their heads were tree roots giving off a warm light like the sun. Around them were giant colorful coral reefs. Schools of relaxed fish swam in the sky, and on the ground was a busy and lively town.
This was Fish-Man Island, a world ten thousand meters under the sea.
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