Tiger stared at Lloyd for a long moment, slowly reaching the certainty that Lloyd truly did not have gills, even beneath the surface.
Lloyd grew slightly impatient. He had expected Tiger to show him the way, yet this man continued to space out.
Ignoring Tiger's hesitation, Lloyd's lips curved slightly as he exhaled. An invisible ripple emanated from his body, spreading outward in a sphere beneath the water.
As a Fish‑Man, Tiger was extremely sensitive to shifts in seawater. Though the change lasted only an instant, he clearly felt the temperature of the water rise where Lloyd's aura had touched it.
Just as Tiger prepared to speak and reveal the location of Fish‑Man Island, Lloyd received a signal: an ultra‑wide range sonar pulse he had just emitted. Before Tiger could even say a word, Lloyd powered his legs, adjusted the bow of the speedboat, and plunged sharply toward the deep sea floor.
Tiger desperately gripped the sides of the boat with both palms, stunned by Lloyd's precision. His direction was unerringly accurate, as though Lloyd had made this journey many times before.
A distance of ten thousand meters beneath the waves was nothing to Lloyd, and in moments Fish‑Man Island appeared before them, encased in its giant protective bubble.
This massive bubble surrounding Fish‑Man Island was designed to shield it from ordinary ships and intruders. It provided breathable air to surface dwellers and prevented unprotected vessels from entering without proper coating.
But Lloyd had no intention of taking a lawful route. He had not been coated when he descended, and he moved freely anyway, rendering the island's defenses meaningless.
Lloyd did not slow. He drove straight toward the shimmering bubble.
Yet just before piercing its surface, he paused. Something large was gathering nearby. Lloyd eyed the movement, and suspended above the bubble membrane.
Tiger watched with confusion and asked,
Brother Lloyd, why have you stopped? Below us is…
Before Tiger could finish, his expression froze. Not only him, but the inhabitants of Fish‑Man Island below all looked upward in surprise.
It wasn't just the speedboat that drew their gazes. It was the Sea Kings, massive ocean creatures whose size dwarfed even large ships.
These behemoths, some over five hundred meters long, surged toward Lloyd's position, their intent unmistakable. Below, both Fish‑Men and merfolk watched in stunned alarm as the gigantic creatures advanced from the deep.
But to Lloyd, the Sea Kings were mere insects. Creatures of even five thousand meters in length would still be nothing more than oversized aquatic fauna to him.
Tiger and the island's residents felt otherwise. The collective approach of such gargantuan Sea Kings struck terror into the hearts of those above and below the water.
Ready for battle, Tiger rose and gathered seawater around his hands, prepared to fight.
At that moment Lloyd snorted, and from behind him a dark cyclone of energy spiraled toward the surface and exploded, forming a massive curtain of swirling darkness.
Where that immense darkness appeared, the Sea Kings' eyes, once bloodshot with aggression, became clear. A flicker of fear passed through the massive creatures, as though they recognized something beyond comprehension. Under the astonished gazes of all present, the Sea Kings turned and fled.
But they could not escape the expanding darkness alone. As it spread it exerted a powerful pull, dragging the enormous creatures and huge volumes of seawater into its yawning void.
After contracting back into Lloyd's body, a vast vacuum opened around him. The speedboat plunged downward with him, continuing straight through the protective bubble above Fish‑Man Island.
Just as the boat was about to crash into the crowd below, a pair of massive, dark wings unfurled from behind Lloyd. Black feathers drifted downward as he rose above the astonished crowd.
Lloyd stored the speedboat within the dark book he always carried. With one hand he lifted Tiger and descended, floating above the sea‑dwelling masses of merfolk and Fish‑Men.
The crowd below watched in stunned silence, unable to speak as Lloyd drifted downward like a god from above.
Even Tiger's shock matched that of the residents. He had seen Lloyd's power close up, but now, with those vast shadowed wings, he no longer questioned whether Lloyd was human.
Lloyd slowly beat his wings and began his descent toward the ground, the crowd instinctively parting to make way until he touched down fully.
Upon landing, Lloyd's wings dissolved into trailing dark mist that seeped back into his form. Turning his head, a gentle smile curved his lips as he addressed the silent masses.
Hello everyone, he said calmly.
No one answered.
A tense hush stretched across the area, each breath the only sound in the oppressive stillness.
Move aside, called a voice as a squad of uniformed Fish‑Men and merfolk pushed through the crowd.
Among them, a blue‑skinned, slightly round Fish‑Man spotted Tiger and cried out,
Tiger Big Brother!
Tiger stared in disbelief before replying,
Jinbe?
Indeed it was Jinbe, now a uniformed leader among the Ryugu Kingdom's forces.
Leading his team was a seahorse‑tailed merfolk whose expression looked grave.
Normally, encountering an unannounced human in Fish‑Man Island would prompt immediate defense and apprehension. But having witnessed Lloyd's overwhelming power, even the island's guardians knew they could not simply confront him.
Composing himself as best he could, the seahorse merfolk stepped forward.
Greetings, he said, I am the Right Minister of the Ryugu Kingdom. May I ask who you are?
Lloyd smiled slightly.
My name is Lloyd, he replied calmly. I am here on a journey.
The Right Minister blinked at the answer. Jinbe, standing nearby, could not help but step forward to Tiger's side.
Tiger looked at him with pride and said,
Good kid, you've really made something of yourself! When did you join the army?
Jinbe scratched his head and grinned, a hint of pride in his voice.
Tiger Big Brother, he replied earnestly, I couldn't just stay in the Fish‑Man District being a delinquent. After you left, I went through the exams and passed. Now I'm even a captain!
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100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Powerstones = 3 Bonus Chapters
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