As Shirahoshi's voice echoed through the depths of the sea, an invisible force instantly spread across the battlefield, enveloping every Giant Sea King.
It was as though time itself had frozen.
The colossal Sea Kings stiffened in place. The crimson glow in their eyes gradually faded, replaced by vacant, unfocused gazes. Their violent hostility vanished completely.
Lloyd raised an eyebrow before dismissing the massive dark tentacles surrounding them.
Even after the restraints disappeared, none of the Giant Sea Kings moved. They remained exactly where they were, displaying perfect obedience.
Below, Shirahoshi gently flicked her pink mermaid tail and gracefully swam upward until she stopped before Lloyd.
When she looked at him, her eyes shimmered with a soft azure radiance.
At the same time, a magnificent crown formed entirely from flowing seawater floated above her head.
Shirahoshi slowly lifted one hand.
With a simple wave of her arm, every Giant Sea King responded immediately.
One after another, they lowered their enormous heads in complete submission.
At that moment, Poseidon had fully awakened.
As the Ancient Weapon Poseidon, Shirahoshi now possessed absolute authority over every Giant Sea King in existence.
Lloyd narrowed his eyes slightly.
Dark energy gathered in his palm once more as he quietly called out,
"Shirahoshi?"
The blue glow within her eyes flickered.
She blinked once before softly replying,
"Saint Lloyd..."
The moment he heard her familiar voice and respectful address, the darkness gathered in Lloyd's hand instantly dispersed.
Judging from her condition, Lloyd quickly concluded that Shirahoshi had indeed awakened as Poseidon.
Among the three Ancient Weapons, Poseidon was perhaps the least predictable.
If her awakening had brought inherited memories or the lingering will of someone from eight hundred years ago, Lloyd would not have hesitated to eliminate that threat.
Fortunately, nothing of the sort had occurred.
Shirahoshi had not inherited any foreign consciousness.
She had simply awakened to her true power and was still adjusting to the immense abilities that now resided within her.
After taking a slow breath to steady herself, Shirahoshi lowered her head apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Saint Lloyd. They were far too rude. I apologize on their behalf. I promise something like this will never happen again."
Compared to before, there was a noticeable change in her demeanor.
The awakening of Poseidon had not only granted her greater power but had also matured her mind considerably.
She no longer carried the same childlike innocence she once had.
Lloyd glanced at the Giant Sea Kings bowing throughout the surrounding waters.
"There is no need to apologize. This wasn't your fault, and they've already learned their lesson."
Shirahoshi smiled gently before swimming closer.
She carefully cupped Lloyd in both hands and drew him close against the space between her chest, protecting him with extraordinary care.
"Saint Lloyd, what would you like them to do?"
Sitting cross-legged in her palm, Lloyd rested his chin against one hand and looked down at the gigantic Sea Kings beneath them.
"It's simple. Order them to patrol the waters surrounding the Red Line. If they encounter anything resembling a gigantic elephant-like robot, have them attack immediately."
"Understood. I will carry out your orders."
Shirahoshi nodded.
She tilted her head back and released a strange, melodic call.
The sound waves rippled through the deep sea.
Upon hearing her command, every Giant Sea King immediately turned around and dispersed into the darkness of the ocean, disappearing one after another.
Only the enormous corpse of the bird-beaked Sea King remained, its immense tail stretching so far into the distance that its end was almost impossible to see.
To Lloyd, however, it was nothing more than an enormous supply of premium meat.
After a brief pause, he asked,
"Shirahoshi, if I remember correctly, Fish-Men and Merfolk don't eat fish, do they?"
Shirahoshi nodded.
"That's right. Fish are our companions."
"I see."
With that answer, Lloyd raised his hand.
The dark grimoire appeared before him once again.
It floated into the water before rapidly expanding into a gigantic vortex of darkness.
A powerful gravitational force erupted from within, pulling the entire corpse of the bird-beaked Sea King into the darkness until nothing remained.
Lloyd had already decided what to do with it.
Once they returned to Mary Geoise, he would have Admiral Aokiji freeze the carcass.
The finest cuts would be reserved for the Figarland Family's kitchen.
The remainder would be distributed and sold throughout the world.
A Giant Sea King measuring well over five thousand meters in length contained an unimaginable quantity of meat.
Once sold, its value would likely rival the wealth of a small nation.
Adding that fortune to the Figarland Family's treasury certainly wasn't something Lloyd would object to.
As for tonight, he intended to have the chefs prepare a portion for dinner so he could sample the legendary Giant Sea King meat together with Monet and the others.
After everything had been settled, Lloyd returned to Mary Geoise with Shirahoshi.
Once he escorted her safely back to her tower, he immediately contacted Stussy through a Den Den Mushi.
He instructed her to have CP search throughout the New World for a female giant named Lily.
The moment she was found, she was to be captured and brought directly to Mary Geoise.
Lloyd remembered that Lily's father was a famous giant chef and pirate known as Panzer Fry.
That piece of information greatly narrowed the search.
With the intelligence network controlled by CP, locating her should not take long.
Originally, Lloyd had intended to search for the Mini Mini Fruit after the upcoming war.
However, Shirahoshi's enormous size made traveling extremely inconvenient.
Finding the Mini Mini Fruit sooner had become a much higher priority.
After assigning the mission, Lloyd headed to the naval defensive line where Admiral Aokiji was stationed.
Under the astonished gazes of Aokiji and countless Navy soldiers, Lloyd casually waved his hand.
The corpse of the bird-beaked Giant Sea King emerged from the darkness, crashing onto the surface of the sea.
Looking at the enormous body stretching across the ocean, Aokiji's eyes widened.
"My, what an unbelievable Sea King. Senior Lloyd, where did you even find something this huge?"
Lloyd simply patted Aokiji on the shoulder before pointing toward the gigantic carcass.
"Don't worry about that. Freeze it. Leave enough unfrozen for the entire army to enjoy a proper meal tonight. Just don't freeze the inside completely, unless you want everyone chewing on ice instead of meat."
The moment those words were spoken, every Navy officer and soldier aboard the surrounding warships exchanged stunned looks.
An instant later, deafening cheers erupted across the fleet.
"Long live the Celestial Dragon Marshal!"
Sea King meat was one of the world's rarest delicacies.
Most of the soldiers had only heard stories about its incredible taste and had never been fortunate enough to eat it themselves.
Yet Lloyd intended to feed the entire army with it, and in generous portions.
Such overwhelming generosity instantly earned the admiration of everyone present.
Receiving the order, Admiral Aokiji vanished from the deck in a flash, leaving behind only a cluster of frost where he had been standing.
The next moment, he appeared above the massive Sea King floating on the ocean.
He exhaled a stream of icy breath before extending both hands.
Two towering pillars of ice surged outward from his palms.
The instant they touched the Sea King's body, the ice spread rapidly in every direction, covering the enormous carcass at astonishing speed.
Within only a few breaths, the entire five-thousand-meter Giant Sea King had been completely encased in solid ice.
A colossal frozen monument now floated silently upon the sea.
===
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