Chapter 7: Fishman Island in Sight
"There's... there's something out there?! Is it a monster?!" Usopp's voice cracked as he pressed himself against the mast.
"Indeed," Itachi confirmed, his gaze fixed on the massive silhouette gliding past the Sunny in the darkness. "It's already passed by."
Usopp exhaled shakily, patting his chest. "You're too tense, Itachi! This is the deep sea—of course there are big fish! That's probably just a tuna or something, right?"
"We should be around 7,000 meters deep now," Franky added, checking the ship's instruments.
Robin recalled their earlier conversations. "I remember Camie mentioning that Fishman Island is approximately 10,000 meters below the surface."
"Three thousand more meters?! That means we have to dive another 3,000 meters?!" Chopper's eyes widened.
Usopp rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hey... do you think Luffy and the others might have sunk all the way to Fishman Island already?"
Nami picked up the loose end of a safety rope, her expression darkening. "I TOLD them to secure these properly, but do they EVER listen? NO!"
"Worrying won't help now," Robin said calmly. "We should continue searching."
"Leave it to me! I have a lighting function!"
Franky puffed out his chest proudly.
Chopper's eyes sparkled. "Franky! Did you get your eyes modified to emit light?!"
Franky's confident smile widened as he revealed—his chest.
"FRANKY... CHEST LIGHTS!"
The sight of Franky's glowing pectorals sent the crew into various states of exasperation.
Itachi coughed, momentarily caught off guard. "You... are truly unusual people."
But as the light illuminated their surroundings, Itachi's expression shifted.
"Look around us."
Chopper, Nami, and Usopp obeyed—and immediately wished they hadn't.
"Itachi was RIGHT!"
"There ARE big fish, but... but they're TOO big!" Usopp's scream echoed across the deck.
The Thousand Sunny was surrounded.
Giant fish of every description circled them like sharks scenting blood. Some had eyeballs larger than the Sunny's entire hull. Others possessed teeth the size of swords. All of them were ENORMOUS.
Even Itachi found himself momentarily stunned. He had fought summons before—Manda, the giant snake, was formidable. But these creatures? Pick any one at random, and it would dwarf even Orochimaru's legendary serpent.
Franky leaped to the helm, firing a Coup de Burst to escape the encirclement. "Everyone be careful! And QUIET while we look for Luffy!"
He wasn't worried about the Sunny herself—Adam Wood could withstand incredible punishment. But the bubble coating? One careless brush from these creatures and it would pop like soap film.
No sooner had he spoken than Chopper, Usopp, and Brook began shouting:
"LUFFY! ZORO! SANJI!"
"WHERE ARE YOU?! COME BACK!"
Nami spread her hands helplessly. "Whatever. The bubble contains sound anyway—they can't hear us."
Brook suddenly perked up. "Ah! But this IS the deep sea! And in the deep sea, creatures' eyes have degenerated!"
Usopp brightened immediately. "You mean they CAN'T see us?!"
"Not necessarily," Robin interjected smoothly. "Some creatures may have evolved different visual adaptations."
Before she could finish, Usopp and Chopper were already making faces at the nearest giant fish.
A massive shadow lunged past the bubble, and both cowards leaped three meters into the air.
"Speaking of which," Nami scanned the deck, "where did that pirate go?"
In the chaos, Caribou had vanished.
"Kuso! We can't let our guard down even ON the ship?!" Usopp readied his slingshot.
He paused. "Wait... weren't his hands and feet tied?"
"Eh..." Brook held up the severed rope. "It seems he escaped."
"ESCAPED?!" Chopper shrieked.
"He must be hiding somewhere! How annoying!" Nami glared at every shadow.
In the rope locker beside the stairs, Caribou had transformed into his swamp-body, hidden within the wooden bucket. He grinned maliciously.
Hiding in a corner? Then I'll hide in the WOMEN'S quarters, as you wish!
Heh heh heh...
Perfect timing too—Straw Hat's monster trio is gone. Only that Tear-Stripe guy remains.
Looking at his abilities, he obviously doesn't want to cause chaos on the ship. So I'll just—
His snickering stopped.
Two eyes with crimson patterns were staring directly at him through the wood.
"GYAAAAAH!"
Caribou erupted from the bucket, still in swamp form, trembling violently.
"BROTHER ITACHI! Why are you so ELUSIVE?!"
"Should I throw him into the sea," Itachi mused calmly, "or throw him into the sea WITH the bucket?"
Franky strode over and nailed the bucket shut with a massive hammer. "There! No more escape attempts!"
"We were careless—he's a Logia user. Can turn into mud. If he'd actually—"
"LET ME OUT! SWIM TRUNKS BROTHER! ITACHI BROTHER! I'll be your SLAVE! JUST LET ME OUT!"
Itachi regarded the bucket with the same expression one might give an annoying insect. "If I hear another sound from you, you WILL be thrown into the sea."
Dead silence from the bucket.
Nami suddenly noticed Chopper sprawled on the deck. "Hey, Chopper! What's wrong?!"
Chopper's tongue hung out, his breathing labored. "I don't know... it suddenly got... so HOT..."
"Hot?"
Now that she paid attention, Nami realized the temperature WAS rising.
Itachi had already identified the source. He pointed ahead. "A submarine volcano. It appears to be active."
Nami's eyes widened. "Oh no—we've drifted into a volcanic zone!"
"The volcano ahead is showing signs of eruption," Itachi observed. "If it blows, this bubble won't protect us."
Franky immediately prepared another Coup de Burst. But before he could fire—
Tentacles. Hundreds of them. Rising from the seabed directly beneath the Sunny.
"CARNIVOROUS TUBE WORMS!" Chopper screamed.
Franky fired, blasting the Sunny free.
They hadn't gone ten meters when Usopp spotted another nightmare through the light. "GIANT CRAB! With pincers bigger than the SHIP!"
"Coup de Burst!"
"ANOTHER ONE!"
"Coup de Burst!"
"MORE!"
"Coup de Burst!"
After the fifth emergency escape, Itachi noted something troubling. "The bubble is shrinking."
Franky nodded grimly. "Each Coup de Burst consumes massive amounts of air. Our oxygen is running low."
Chopper suddenly pointed ahead, hope blooming in his eyes. "Look! Light! A big light! Is that Fishman Island?!"
Everyone followed his gaze. A massive orb of illumination glowed in the distance, promising salvation.
Itachi moved to the bow in an instant. "That is NOT Fishman Island."
As they drew closer, the truth revealed itself: the light came from the lantern on the head of an enormous anglerfish. The lantern alone was larger than the Thousand Sunny.
"WE'VE BEEN TRICKED!" Usopp and Nami screamed in unison.
"It's a trap! Deep-sea monsters use light to lure prey!" Franky's hand moved toward the Coup de Burst controls.
"DON'T USE THAT!"
Itachi's voice cut through the panic like a blade.
Franky looked up—and saw Itachi already bursting through the bubble.
(End of Chapter)
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